Abstract: Due to the high-quality urban development, the coastal areas are confronted with demands for urban renewal. These regions typically exhibit environmental sensitivity and complexity, while the conventional approaches often rely on manpower and resources, making it arduous to ensure extensive coverage, high efficiency and uninterrupted implementation. Consequently, the intelligent technology has emerged as a crucial means to tackle this issue. This study provides an overview of the current state of the intelligent technology in three key aspects: data perception, intelligent prediction, and visual interaction. The applications and challenges of contact and non-contact measurements, big data analysis and parametric modeling as well as the digital twin and interactive platform in soft soil engineering are summarized. It aims to facilitate a comprehensive understanding of the essence of the intelligent technology and its prospects while contributing towards fostering new quality productive forces.