A deep learning based solution for construction equipment detection: from development to deployment

Abstract: This paper aims at providing researchers and engineering professionals with a practical and comprehensive deep learning based solution to detect construction equipment from the very first step of its development to the last one which is deployment. This paper focuses on the last step of deployment. The first phase of solution development, involved data preparation, model selection, model training, and model evaluation. The second phase of the study comprises of model optimization, application specific embedded system selection, and economic analysis. Several embedded systems were proposed and compared. The review of the results confirms superior real-time performance of the solutions with a consistent above 90% rate of accuracy. The current study validates the practicality of deep learning based object detection solutions for construction scenarios. Moreover, the detailed knowledge, presented in this study, can be employed for several purposes such as, safety monitoring, productivity assessments, and managerial decisions.