SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Oct. 29, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- During the InEight webinar “Turning Construction Data into Digital Gold,” industry leaders gave a name to a problem capital projects have been absorbing the cost of for years: data that is captured during project work but never used to inform a decision. They called it “digital dust” - information buried in spreadsheets, sticky notes, and disconnected systems, gathered and stored and then forgotten.
In capital construction, digital dust can include field updates, progress notes, cost context, correspondence, schedule inputs, and lessons learned that are captured during the project but never connected to decision-making.
What Is Digital Dust in Capital Construction?
Digital dust is project data that never rises to the level of usable information. Capital project teams generate enormous volumes of it, but very little is structured to be retrieved and acted on later. Michael Maslen, Major Programs Digital Lead at Jacobs Australia, coined the term on the webinar to describe data that stays buried in spreadsheets and on sticky notes instead of informing the work.
“I'm going to coin a new phrase today, digital dust, and there's nothing worse than that. And to me, that's information, or it's not even information, it's data buried in spreadsheets and on sticky notes.”
Why Captured Project Data Still Goes Unused
The barrier is rarely the technology. As one panelist — the chief executive of a major rail delivery authority — put it, the hardest part is convincing leadership and clients to fund the work of gathering data into a form that can actually be interpreted. Capturing data takes little effort; structuring it so it can be trusted and used is the part that goes unfunded.
Left as dust, that data carries a real price. Teams make decisions on incomplete information, early warning signs go unseen until they surface as overruns or rework, institutional knowledge leaves at handover, and the record needed to substantiate a claim years later is full of gaps.
Connected Project Data Is the Foundation for Construction Analytics and AI
The problem is becoming more urgent as the industry turns to analytics and AI, which can only act on data that is structured, connected, and trustworthy. The same information that sits static in a spreadsheet becomes an asset the moment it is captured in a form a person — or a system — can use. That shift is also raising the bar on immediacy: on a complex program such as a major infrastructure shutdown, teams increasingly need project status not just daily but, as one InEight expert noted on the webinar, by the hour or the minute.
For teams preparing for construction analytics or AI, the lesson is straightforward: project data only becomes valuable when it is structured, connected, trusted, and accessible.
“Naming the problem is the first step,” said Jake Macholtz, CEO of InEight. “The harder step is treating project data as an asset with an owner — not as a byproduct of doing the work.”
The full discussion is available in the on-demand webinar, Turning Construction Data into Digital Gold (February 2026), at InEight.com.
About InEight
InEight is a leader in construction project controls software, empowering over 850 companies taking on challenging projects in industries including construction and engineering; transportation infrastructure; mining; water; power and renewables; and oil, gas and chemical. Uniquely suited to capital construction and other complex work, our integrated, modular software manages projects worth over $1 trillion globally, taking control of project information management, costs, schedules, contracts, and construction operations, and delivering insights with advanced analytics and AI. InEight’s solutions adapt and scale to meet the dynamic needs of modern construction, driving operational excellence and successful project outcomes. For more information, follow InEight on LinkedIn or visit InEight.com.
