A novel framework for the estimation of excavator’s actual productivity in the grading operation using building information modeling (BIM)

This paper discusses the productivity of an excavator in the grading operation. Although the grading operation is one of the most important tasks in various worksites, there is no automated algorithm to calculate the excavator’s productivity during the grading operation. Manual methods for measuring the height of ground are highly time-consuming, labor-intensive, and error-prone. In the presented method, a height map from surrounding areas is provided using a light detection and ranging (LiDAR) sensor every few seconds. The proposed approach utilizes building information modeling (BIM) to retrieve information about the desired shape of the surface and the required accuracy. The results of the presented method are shown by implementation on a collected dataset using an excavator.