Abu Dhabi is moving construction oversight onto screens. The Department of Municipalities and Transport (DMT) launched the BINAA digital platform on 18 June 2025, and one of its headline features is a virtual interface that lets users explore a construction site remotely.
If you have heard that Abu Dhabi Municipality now wants a 360 view of concrete slabs, this is the development behind the talk. The detail matters, so we have separated what is confirmed from what is not.
What DMT has announced
BINAA brings project owners, consultants, contractors and engineers onto one platform for permits and approvals. DMT says it combines artificial intelligence, Building Information Modelling (BIM) and virtual and augmented reality, and expects it to cut processing times by up to 70 percent.
Two features matter for anyone who builds or inspects:
- Remote site navigation. A virtual interface allows users to explore and navigate construction sites remotely, and to tag areas that need further attention.
- Augmented inspection on site. Inspectors can overlay 3D design data onto the physical structure and mark zones for a closer look.
The first phase covers new private villas, roughly 20,000 applications a year, with other development types to follow.
What has not been announced
We could not find a published ADM or DMT circular stating that every concrete slab must carry a 360 capture. The BINAA announcement does not mention 360 photography or slabs at all. If your contractor, consultant or the authority has asked you for one, ask for the circular or specification reference so the exact requirement (format, stage, timing) is clear before you plan around it.
Why a 360 record of the slab makes sense anyway
A slab is a hidden asset. Once the concrete is poured, the reinforcement, sleeves, embedded conduits, cast-in items and edge details are buried for the life of the building. A remote inspection culture rewards the project that can show those things clearly, on demand, long after the pour.
A normal set of photographs shows what the photographer chose to frame. A 360 capture records the whole area from many positions, so a reviewer can stand at a point, turn around, and look at columns, openings, edges and neighbouring work without anyone returning to site.
| Normal photo set | 360 site capture |
|---|---|
| A handful of chosen angles | Systematic coverage of the whole slab area |
| Hard to place on the floor plan | Each position tied to a zone and level |
| Reviewer sees what was framed | Reviewer looks wherever they need to |
| Filed as loose images | A dated, navigable record per inspection stage |
What a useful capture looks like
The value is in the structure, not the panorama itself. A capture that can stand up to a remote review is organised like this:
- Project, building, level and zone. Every position belongs to a named area.
- Inspection stage. Formwork, reinforcement before the pour, services and sleeves, post-pour, each captured and dated separately.
- Overlapping positions. Enough coverage that no corner, edge or opening is left to guesswork.
- A single link. Consultants, clients and authorities open the same record without installing anything.
- Revisit on demand. The same zone can be compared across stages, or against design information.
How COENGR EYE can help
We capture slabs and floors in a repeatable pattern, process the images into a navigable walkthrough, and deliver it organised by building, level, zone and stage. The aim is simple: when an inspector or consultant asks what was there before the pour, the answer is a link rather than a site visit.
If you have an ADM or DMT instruction on 360 or digital inspection, send it to us. We will tell you what it asks for and how to meet it.