I’m glad to be able to share some developments within the construction industry in the utilization of QR codes. Ivan Richardson, founder of one of our long-time clients, blackapple, asked about the feasibility facilitating an instant “Is this drawing up-to-date?” via a smartphone. His idea was to implement a QR code that anyone with a smartphone could scan and check if the drawing is current or out-dated.
To facilitate this, and to execute this in an automated way, a number of pieces of the puzzle need to fit together.
- Local Application – QR Code Generator specific to each drawing – this runs on blackapple’s network at the time of the print job preparation
- Web Service – this works in conjunction with the local application and is the “authoritative” source for up-to-date information about each drawing
- Prints with QR codes – this is the only part that is visible to the contractor on site, but an essential element to be have increased confidence that the print is current
Obviously the information is only as good as it is kept up-to-date, and this means that when a new drawing is issued, this data needs to reflect the change. Here’s a real-life example of how it works. First, scan with any smartphone that has a QR Code reader installed:
Your smartphone will then immediately check on the validity of the print just scanned and provide you with necessary contact info to obtain an up-to-date copy:
At time of writing, Ivan Richardson is testing this for feedback and process honing purposes, and we are thankful that he chose Nerds On Site to deliver this productivity-enhancing technology.
