The Current Status of Structural Monitoring: A Bibliometric Literature Review

Monitoring the behavior of structures over time is a defining activity for any type of construction that provides data necessary to assess whether these structures meet requirements for stability and durability. In today’s rapidly urbanizing world, it is essential to monitor construction projects. Whether monitoring the impact on buildings surrounded by new constructions, underground infrastructure, or high-rise structure projects, the solutions and results provided by the construction monitoring process, carried out during the execution phase and/or operational stage, enable communities to progress and thrive without jeopardizing people and assets. This study aimed to highlight the level of interest in structural monitoring activities. A bibliometric analysis based on scientific articles published in the most popular databases brings to the forefront correlations and links between various fields of activity and the domain of construction monitoring through the application of various technologies. These published studies and the centralization of the number of searches for specialized terms related to structural health monitoring activities present a combination of classical theories with modern technologies that have evolved rapidly due to the continuous development of civil and geodetic engineering technology, as well as the introduction of artificial intelligence in interpreting recorded observations. This research results show that this topic is relevant and increasingly studied; for example, the number of scientific articles published on this subject doubled in the last three years compared to previous years. According to the literature, research trends are focused on new technologies, including the application of various sensor types, UAV technology, and LiDAR. The number of publications showed an increased interest in the study, monitoring, and evaluation of bridges, followed by research on civil constructions. Among civil constructions, aging or special buildings were most frequently encountered, while new structures accounted for a smaller percentage according to scientific articles published in the specialized literature.

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