Requirements for automated condition monitoring of buildings, using digital image capture and image evaluation. The aim of this report is, to present the research focus of the German Federal Railway Authority on digitization in construction and briefly introducing the first project carried out in this context. Prognosis methods for assessing the condition of buildings and planning maintenance procedures, are already used by stationary industries. Adapting “Predictive Maintenance” (PM) for the construction industry, is one of the central topics of current research. PM should be a logical consequence of the consistent introduction and use of digital technologies in construction. The collection and localization of data, its analysis and evaluation and the derivation of useful measures, are the questions to be investigated. On behalf of the Federal Railway Authority, the Leibniz University Hannover investigated therefore basic requirements for the optical detection and classification of cracks on reinforced concrete bridges.