AEC Companies Partner with Esri for GIS Integration

In 2019, it came to my attention that there was more specific attention being paid to AEC and GIS integration, specifically two partnerships of AEC companies formed with Esri. Esri’s Kathleen Kewley discussed the resurgence of interest of GIS in the AEC space from an Esri perspective. Kewley also worked at Autodesk at one time. In addition I have included information from a webinar conducted by Autodesk senior technical marketing manager Wes Newman and AEC Solutions engineer from Esri, Rafael Fernandes, about the partnership between Esri and Autodesk.

Another partnership, developed between Esri and Vectorworks is discussed here as well, as they have a GIS feature in Vectorworks 2020 that works with Esri’s ArcGIS Online services.  Vectorworks Landscape Product Marketing Manager Eric Gilbey, PLA, ASLA brings us clarification on that partnership.

“As a company we are investing in AEC as a sector, and we are actively looking at the partnership as ways to better support what we’re doing with our customers,” said Kewley. “We’re not just looking at it from a market perspective, but also from better integrations with technology. In the AEC space there are a lot of growth, increasing population, urbanization, aging infrastructure, climate change etc.  It’s becoming much more important that GIS play a role in the design process in helping us make better decisions, and helping our customers make better decisions, about designing in context, sustainable engineering, what is the impact of putting this building in this place, what will it mean for the community. It’s an organic thing that’s been growing in our company and is naturally starting to generate much more interest from a partnership perspective at Esri.”

Kewley said the partnership of Esri with Autodesk is a key part of their strategy to provide deeper integrations between their applications.

“In the AEC space GIS is looked at as a critical function within the design process,” said Kewley. “Traditionally GIS, CAD and BIM have always been very siloed, and everybody has operated in their own function doing whatever it is, using their GIS solutions. We’re starting to see these worlds come together, that’s why more of these partnerships come together.”

Recently Autodesk senior technical marketing manager Wes Newman and AEC Solutions engineer from Esri, Rafael Fernandes, conducted a webinar about the partnership between Autodesk and Esri.

From the Autodesk standpoint access and data as expanded hold promise of driving infrastructure and GIS in a data-centric way.

Previous AEC/GIS methods involved no direct connection in manual import/export, was time consuming and error prone. “Now you can move data seamlessly from one system to another with native access to GIS data.”

How BIM and GIS come together in a data handoff is the beginning of the project import and at the end of the project it is put back in the GIS store. “This connects data sources and accelerates project timelines, and leads to better collaboration,” said Newman.

Fernandes said that ArcGIS Online and ArcGIS SaaS provide a system of engagement. The desktop app Analyst distributes to the organization and knowledge worker asset inspections and fit-for-focus applications, extendable and distributed. It enables users to access information anywhere at anytime.

All data comes into ArcGIS distributed and are specified for field data collection. Applications allow shared and collaborative environments. “You can actually access content from another organization and bring it into the ArcGIS environment, leverage it, and see how it mashes with your content,” said Fernandes.

The ArcGIS platform manages data, performs analysis, and supports collaborative design efforts.

“Besides interest in being more efficient and streamlining workflows, we’re also seeing that technology is now coming to a point, where we’re able to do so much more than we were ten years ago,” said Fernandes. “This is driving our ability to develop these deeper partnerships, because the technologies are at a state where we can actually go view some of these innovative things. Industry is embracing technology in a way they haven’t in the past, digital transformation and smart cities, IoT and sensors, etc. Companies are lokoing at how it will impact our business, and how will we take advantage of it.”

“We just came out with the ability to bring Revit BIM models directly into ArcGIS Pro,” said Kewley. “A user can bring in a BIM model and use the components they need to be able to communicate that on a much broader scale, context, urban planning, etc.”

In a new partnership, Vectorworks and Esri are bringing Esri’s ArcGIS Online services to AEC and landscape professionals, as well as urban planners and urban designers. The solution offers better and quicker access to GIS imagery, data and geometry and the latest technology available in Vectorworks 2020 software, including Vectorworks Architect, Landmark and Designer.

With this new solution, designers can utilize access to online mapping and aerial images. This access comes by way of two new Vectorworks tools named Geoimage and Geolocate. With proper geographic coordinates and projection in the Vectorworks file, designers can accurately geolocate their project by simply entering an address. And with a paid ArcGIS Online services plan, customers can access more maps and other imagery directly in Vectorworks.

Vectorworks Landscape Product Marketing Manager Eric Gilbey said that the GeoLocate and GeoImage features can incorporate GIS mapping/image services, which are made available through the ArcGIS Online services.

“The return on investing in a BIM solution like Vectorworks which integrates with GIS services is immediately found in the time professionals save when seeking GIS files and imagery to incorporate in their file work. For example, it might take someone hours to locate all of the current imagery and shapefiles for information such as flood zones, soils, streets and sidewalks, yet with the integrated GeoLocate and GeoImage tools, this data can be instantly available. Collaboration with other professionals using georeferencing in their base files can be easier and quicker too, with the ability to maintain similar origins yet staying georeferenced.”

ArcGIS Online services is not part of the Vectorworks package. Vectorworks 2020 has a GIS feature that works with Esri’s ArcGIS Online services. The user still needs to purchase a subscription to ArcGIS Online services. “Our feature includes access to some base maps from the service for free,” said Gilbey. “If a Vectorworks Architect, Landmark or Designer user also has a subscription to Esri’s ArcGIS Online services, inclusive of and/or beyond street maps or aerial imagery, they have more mapping options than the two which are already included street maps and aerial imagery.”

Tags: 3D, 3D cities, AEC, architects, architecture, AutoCAD, Autodesk, Autodesk Revit, Autodesk University, BIM, building, building design, building information modeling, collaboration, design, generative design, visualization

Categories: 2D, 3D, AEC, AECCafe, apps, AutoCAD, Autodesk, BIM, building information modeling, civil information modeling, collaboration, construction, construction project management, file sharing, geospatial, GIS, infrastructure, lidar, point clouds, project management, Vectorworks

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