Achieving Field Data Collection from Anywhere for West Valley Construction

West Valley Construction is a leader in building essential infrastructure to improve the quality of life for the communities it serves. The company specializes in underground utility installation and maintenance, partnering with private and public utilities throughout California. Since its founding in 1958, West Valley Construction Company Inc. has been dedicated to its “We Build It Right” promise. Committed to operating ethically and professionally, the West Valley team prioritizes safety. The field data collection solution they trust to keep their file-based data synchronized among mission-critical apps is Resilio.

Challenges

Meeting deadlines and health and safety requirements is critical for West Valley Construction, making construction projects complex and time-sensitive. The dynamic nature of construction sites and at times unpredictable outdoor environmental conditions present unique challenges for gathering data. The company’s field employees use their mobile devices with data collection apps to capture photos and videos at job sites. They then upload the photos and videos to servers that act as a data warehouse. This field data collection is essential for maintaining vital records and historical images for various operational tasks.

However, networking is challenging, and frequently, hardware is damaged and requires replacement. It’s common to encounter dust, dirt, rain, and other debris on these construction sites while attempting to gather data. Most mobile devices aren't built to withstand less-than-ideal conditions and can easily break from drops, exposure to the elements, or vibrations from machinery. Additionally, bandwidth and connectivity issues, particularly in remote areas with spotty cellular reception, further hinder data collection functionality, leading to delays and inefficiencies. West Valley Construction had tried alternative field data collection solutions to upload various files in bulk. Still, all previous tools were unreliable and lacked scalability, often resulting in failed uploads. The team needed an efficient, user-friendly, and reliable solution that could handle the demanding conditions of their operations. The one that checked off all their boxes was Resilio.

"Resilio allows for the seamless upload and download of files across a variety of devices and platforms. It stood out as a solution for our unique needs in the construction industry." - Ryan Haas, Director of IT at West Valley Construction

Solution

After evaluating various apps and other technologies to address the issue of enabling employee field data collection on active job sites and reliably transporting those files back to headquarters, West Valley Construction selected the Resilio Active Everywhere Platform. The remote file ingest and delivery solution provided by the Resilio platform enables organizations to import data securely in near real time from the edge to the data center or cloud without expensive hardware, complicated infrastructure, or dependency on reliable internet connectivity. Resilio’s WAN-optimized, UDP-based protocol ensures faster and more reliable data transfers for job sites with limited bandwidth. Files are transferred between devices on time all the time, regardless of network latency, speeding up file access and eliminating operational headaches.

The user-friendly platform is centrally managed with a web-based management console, which simplifies controlling remote mobile devices.? Mobile devices can be lost or damaged easily on job sites, but Resilio’s automation capabilities make device management easier. Its API streamlines the provisioning of new devices. At the same time, its file-data management features automatically free up storage space by deleting uploaded images from devices and offering on-demand file retrieval to mobile devices. This saves countless hours of manually provisioning, managing, and retiring devices. Resilio’s built-in encryption and security features protect mobile data collection and transfers without reliance on third-party services or VPNs. The SHA2 and ED25519 signature algorithms fully preserve data integrity across all endpoints. With its centralized policy and reporting service, Resilio makes it easy to monitor the system and address any issues that may arise.

Results

Implementing the Resilio Active Everywhere Platform has dramatically improved West Valley Construction’s real-time field data collection. The ability to upload and access data reliably from any location has enhanced productivity and ensured compliance with safety regulations and operational standards. Resilio’s easy-to-use workflows had West Valley Construction up and running in days. Its data management and integration capabilities have alleviated substantial workload on end users and management teams across their extensive user base. And with 24/7 support, the West Valley Construction team now has a trusted partner around the clock. Ryan Haas, Director of IT at West Valley Construction, stated, “The support and development teams at Resilio have been exceptional, ranking among the best I've encountered.”

Summary

Resilio has proven to be a pivotal solution for West Valley Construction, enabling the team to maintain their commitment to “build it right.” The platform enhanced their field data collection efficiency, improved their field operations, and set a new standard for real-time data management in the construction industry.

"Resilio quickly offered confidence in our ability to capture and document job sites effectively and reliably. The support and development teams at Resilio have been exceptional, ranking among the best I've encountered in addressing issues tailored to our unique use cases and industry."Ryan Haas, Director of IT at West Valley Construction