Benefits of a Construction Information Management System Applied to a Large Deep Soil Mixing Project-Paper

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A construction information management system (CIMS) was developed for a large deep mixing method (DMM) retaining wall built during the closure of an industrial waste impoundment. The wall comprised 4,613 columns, extended 3,155 feet, and reached depths of up to 83 feet. Project specifications required detailed as-built, geometric, operational, and quality-control information for each column within 72 hours—a workload impractical to manage manually at the project’s production rate.<br /><br />The CIMS brought data from field forms, drilling equipment, and other files into a centralized SQL database. Automated processing pipelines combined and checked these data, then generated column reports covering items such as grout volumes, verticality, overlap, testing, and construction notes. Additional tools provided weekly progress reports, an interactive map updated near real time, and a contractor dashboard for monitoring production and quality control.<br /><br />By automating data collection, calculations, and reporting, the system reduced manual effort and the risk of data errors. It enabled rapid review and acceptance of columns, and helped the team identify, evaluate, and resolve more than 50 non-conformities without interrupting construction or delaying the schedule. The CIMS also allowed quality-control staff to spend more time analyzing project performance rather than compiling information, while giving the design and construction teams timely access to reliable as-built data.

Keywords

construction information management system

CIMS

deep mixing method

retaining wall

industrial waste impoundment

SQL database

quality control

as-built data

automated reporting

construction monitoring