What if I told you that you could accomplish all of those things without a physicalfence?

Welcome to geofencing.

Below, I’ll detail what geofencing is, how to use it, and some tools that can help you adopt it to your construction site.

What is geofencing?

Gartner defines geofencing as “creating a virtual boundary in which a device, individual or asset can be tracked and monitored or detected if the boundary is violated.” In other words, geofencing is a tool that creates and tracks virtual boundaries. It uses GPS technology along with dedicated software to track equipment and people. The software can also send users alerts and notifications about the premises that they’re tracking.

Many industries use geofencing technology. For example, retailers use it to identify customers near their locations, helping them send targeted marketing messages. Transportation companies use geofencing to track their fleets. Healthcare facilities use it to improve patient care. Animal farms use it to track their herds.

In fact, geofencing is growing so rapidly that Global Market Insights predicts the global geofencing market will exceed $500 million by 2023.

Construction, along with the other abovementioned industries, should expect an explosion in the use of geofencing in the next few years.

For example, the Golden Gate Bridge, built between 1933 and 1937, spans 1.7 miles and qualifies as one of the seven Wonders of the Modern World. The Empire State Building joins the suspension bridge on this list as the tallest in the world from 1931 to 1970.

The U.S. is also home to the Grand Canyon Skywalk, which is strong enough to support 71 million pounds, the Astrodome (the first domed sports stadium), and the Bank of America Tower in Manhattan, the first skyscraper in the world to achieve Platinum Leed Certification.

These AEC achievements represents not only incredible advances in architecture, but also construction project management. All of these builds cross multiple years, and their very completion (let alone timely completion) is an underappreciated feat of American industry.

But these “modern wonders” aren’t alone in project complexity. Malls, apartment complexes, dams, stadiums, hospitals, schools, and other large, sophisticated builds take years to complete. Even a “simple,” standardized McDonald’s takes, at minimum, four months to complete.

Before and during the time it takes to complete one of these huge projects, construction managers have to manage the following