ADOPTION OF BIG DATA ANALYTICS IN THE EDO CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY

ABSTRACT

With the rapid development in technology, big data analytics is virtually gaining dominance in many aspects of human endeavours. However, the construction industry is still struggling to understand the opportunities it offers. With the extensive volume of data accumulation, the need for a powerful, and effective data management tool has become prominent for Edo construction industry. Therefore, this research focused on construction professionals’ level of awareness of uses of big data analytics, construction professionals’ level of awareness of uses of big data analytics and factors mitigating adoption of big data analytics in Edo state construction industry. The study covered Edo State construction professionals: architects, quantity surveyors, engineers and builders. A total of 90 questionnaires were used and mean item score was used to analyze the data gathered. From the Study it was found that the respondents have a relatively high level of awareness of certain big data analytics applications in construction, such as real-time collaboration and communication, safety training and compliance tracking. However, lower levels of awareness were observed for applications like labor productivity analysis, performance benchmarking and best practices analysis. This suggests a knowledge gap regarding the potential of big data analytics to drive operational efficiencies and continuous improvement within construction organizations, it was concluded that insufficient data security protocols, inadequate data visualization capabilities and inadequate data backup are some of the factors that mitigate the adoption of big data analytics in the construction industry. The study recommends that the government and other stakeholders should address the factors mitigating big data analytics adoption in the construction industry for enhanced efficiency in the construction industry