The U.S. Director of National Intelligence’s Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA) office has issued a draft grant offer for the development of a system that can detect construction activity worldwide. The announcement is part of the agency’s Space-based Machine Automated Recognition Technique (SMART) program. The new machine learning technology must have broad-area search functionality…
As the workforce is augmented by AI, CEOs will need to prepare their organization for new ways of working. Over the coming decades, the whole experience of what it means to ‘work’ is likely to change dramatically, impacting our relationships with our colleagues, our employers and even ourselves. At the same time, the idea of…
For me, overcoming professional barriers is all in a day’s – or life’s – work. I began my career in 1976 as the first woman with advanced degrees to work at ExxonMobil’s renowned research lab in Edison, New Jersey. Fast-forward to today, a few years after my retirement, and I am the first woman from…
Windmills. Electric cars. Solar panels. When the cost and performance of emerging technologies improves, incumbents get nervous. Eventually the oil age will end, and it won’t be because we’ve run out of oil. Something better will come along. Something cheaper. It’s inevitable, and the question is how the oil and gas companies of today become…
Selling your company’s services to prospective clients is challenging. While there’s a strong market for construction work and plenty of jobs to be won, competition is fierce and it can seem like owners are fixated on price. It’s understandably hard to balance your commitment to quality and your desire to innovate in an industry built on bidding wars….
Precourt Sports Ventures, the primary investor and operator of the new Major League Soccer franchise Austin FC, has chosen general contractor Austin Commercial as construction manager for the club’s new $240 million stadium in Austin, Texas. Gensler has signed on as lead architect and CAA Icon will be the project manager and Precourt’s representative. Crews will break…
Hiring Rebounds from Losses in February, Suggesting Demand for Construction Remains Strong; Association Calls for Career Training Funding and Immigration Reform to Continue Growth Construction employment increased by 16,000 jobs in March and by 246,000 jobs, or 3.4 percent, over the past year, according to an analysis of new government data today by the Associated…
Following an April 16 hearing, House Bill 4342 was approved by the House Public Education Committee the next day. HB 4342 now advances with the committee’s full support. HB 4342 would add a licensed architect to the Texas School Safety Center (TxSSC) Board of Directors. TxSSC is the official, university-supported research center at Texas State whose mission is to…
The Texas A&M University System Office of HUB and Procurement Programs recently collaborated with the Office of Facilities, Planning and Construction, SSC and general contractors to host a Construction Vendor Expo in an effort to ensure that HUB subcontractors are aware of upcoming opportunities and ways to do business with the A&M System. The Office…
Texas has more welding jobs than any other state in the United States, with an estimated total of 50,000 employed welders and a growing number of jobs needing to be filled. This demand has made Texas the land of opportunity for welders, and the Industrial Welding Academy has made it their mission to properly train…
The Houston Airport System, in partnership with the Edge4Vets team and other local sponsors, will provide training and job opportunities for some of our nation’s service personnel who are returning to the civilian workforce. It’s all part of the effort to identify talented personnel for local aviation jobs, while ensuring that the right consideration is…
Following up on a study in which Smartvid.io’s artificial intelligence engine “Vinnie” learned from contractor Suffolk’s data to predict roughly one in five safety incidents with 81% accuracy, nine major construction firms are partnering with the software company to further develop predictive analytics and therefore prevent incidents and reduce risk across the industry, according to a Smartvid announcement from…
While on an elevator the other day at one of the jurisdictions in Texas, I noticed a Contractor looking flustered attempting to review some documents. I said, “hang in there” as he replied that he was bouncing around from floor-to-floor and was determined to make progress in obtaining his permit as he was behind schedule…
Well, you know what they say about the best laid plans. You carried out the due diligence and performed all of the required background checks, application steps, and safety protocols before extending credit. Now that individual has balked on payments, so it’s time to step up your game. In Part 1, Reducing Your Risk, we…
Technology is rapidly changing the game in the construction industry, and the firms who are paying attention and embracing the change will be the ones who win. KPMG’s annual report, “Building a technology advantage — Global Construction Survey” reports that 55 percent feel the industry is ripe for change with 74 percent of respondents saying…
The Stafford Civic Center was buzzing with the STEAMinecraft in EDU workshop for instructional technologists, tech coaches, STEAM teachers and more on Thursday, Feb. 28. For the first time in the civic center’s existence, high-speed Internet access was available and enabled attendees to work on the web. Internet access was established by Stafford-based Premier Wireless….
Mayor Sylvester Turner established a Smart City Advisory Council this week comprised of city and regional partners. The council was announced at a smart city planning workshop hosted by the Greater Houston Partnership. The advisory council is charged with engaging community stakeholders, governments, academia and industry to develop a roadmap that will speed the adoption…
Forty-four states added construction jobs between January 2018 and January 2019, while 33 states added construction jobs between December and January, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of Labor Department data released today. Association officials cautioned that the employment gains may not last without an increase in the number of…
The construction industry is dynamic — ever changing and evolving through technology. The way contractors work today is clearly much different than 50 years ago — or 20 years — or even five years ago. The big difference is due to advances in technology in the machines and tools that enable greater productivity, reduce time…
