APIs - Sharing Data for Big Returns

The construction industry is seeing rapid results with new and emerging technologies, having had to adapt quickly to digitizing their operations over the last few years. While the gap has since closed between paper to electronic project management, there is still a need to play digital catch-up, particularly in the employment of big data.

As McKinsey writes, "Integrative technologies will be needed better to connect tech solutions and the physical built environment. The near-real-time collection of project data coupled with the integration of design, project management, and scheduling tools will further unlock the promise of platform solutions as companies strive for truly end-to-end digital projects."

Application Programming Interfaces or APIs are at the digital revolution's center, guaranteeing speed and safety in the exchange of information. A set of rules and specifications that software programs use to talk to each other, APIs create an ecosystem to handle the inflow of data from various technologies. These workhorses operate behind-the-scenes to improve your ability to gather, organize, and store information, creating a seamless connection between existing systems and core applications like the PeerAssist API. 

Three Ways APIs Transform Your Digital Operations

Better Productivity  

PeerAssist believes in leveraging the power of open access APIs to allow our customers to collect and leverage data anywhere, anytime. Construction teams can come together and harness the large amount of information that each project generates from change orders in the field to essential accounting and billing updates. Employing an API allows your technical teams to get data from one source to another without importing or rekeying information. An API essentially serves as your data collector, automating and syncing your information between systems while bypassing time-consuming, old-school manual processes.

Eliminating Silos

Interconnecting your network of devices and resources through our application and API provides a highly coordinated path between your legacy systems and Peer Assist. That means that multiple systems can securely, uniformly, and consistently share and read data from different sources. For instance, our API interface automatically allows you to create project groups, inviting all stakeholders to share information specific to their trade and tasks, with real-time reporting available across the digital chain. 

Greater Efficiency

The construction industry has an old saying: measure twice, cut once. The same holds when it comes to project management. Companies can't afford to waste time on mistakes in the field or office. Cracks in the collection and management of information are both time and money drains on today’s job site where workflows and processes are constantly in flux. What if you could turn that pile of spreadsheets into crystal-clear workflows, ditch those endless emails threads, or cut your sync-ups from hours to minutes? APIs are a new way of the office and job site working together, enabling leadership to make informed decisions through a centralized interface. Whether you have a custom system that you've been using for years or have been wanting to accelerate your technology environment, eliminating the front-end work of integrating new digital resources into your workflow is critical. Using an API means you no longer worry about housing data or integrating systems. It’s inconceivable for most construction companies to deal with complex technology interfaces -- that is the beauty of using developer-led, industry-focused tools to assist you. At Peer Assist, we see our job to digitally curate the latest and most cutting-edge technologies for our customers, so real-time are available across project teams.