Web-Based Architecture for Automating Quantity Surveying Construction Cost Calculation

摘要

Quantity Surveying (QS) is a process concerned with controlling and managing the costsof construction projects. QS Measurement relies on sophisticated measurement rules that areunderstood by experienced practitioners. Traditional QS systems, such as standard paperwork, aretime-consuming and only approximate the cost estimate. This paper aims to design and deploy aweb-based framework for automating the cost estimation of concrete construction, using ASP.NET.It introduces a user-friendly interface, which ensures that the work is completed in the chronologicalorder of the construction phases. The proposed QS framework offers a reliable and time-efficientestimation method, in comparison to other methods (i.e., human labor using paper or Excel), whichwas tested using real data and was validated by experts and consultant companies. Furthermore, itautomated the reading of project information from construction maps, which reduced errors whenestimating costs. It could also automatically determine the project location using Google Maps andcould quickly guide the user to the location. The proposed QS framework automated the manualand Excel work of cost computing with an accuracy of 99%, reducing human calculation errors. Italso effectively reduced the calculation time to only three days (compared to 114 days of manualwork or 19 days of Excel work). The comparison result of the Quantity Surveyor’s average paidsalary indicated that using web-based QS framework helps in reducing the cost estimation time andlabor costs.