Geospatial data and information is one of the most critical elements for infrastructure improvement projects and asset management. The GIS provides context for where infrastructure is placed, its attributes, topography, maintenance history, and much more. These attributes track an asset’s performance and catalog its proximity to other assets. Cityworks adds to this context by providing historical activity of when and how the infrastructure was placed, what type of work has been performed against the infrastructure, and the ability to identify the encompassing business risk should that infrastructure fail. With its platform architecture, Cityworks is able to consume various sources of data which inform organizations and assist with smart and efficient planning as stewards within their communities.
Cityworks was acquired by Trimble in 2019. It is built as a GIS-centric, platform-based, software for asset management and permitting. across the asset lifecycle with added capabilities for project management, contract management, and activity-based solutions. Cityworks, alongside e-Builder, a Trimble BIM Solution that integrates on the platform, provides comprehensive asset management from the permitting phase through building and inspection into operations and maintenance.
Recently within Trimble, a new sector was created that is specifically focused on owners of infrastructure and the public sector. The Owner and Public Sector includes Cityworks and e-Builder along with Trimble Utilities and Agile Assets, a pavement manager. They are positioned as part of the construction sector with a focus on the public sector and leverages these solutions that are focused on completing and fulfilling the different stages of the design, build, operate process to provide a comprehensive GIS-centric solution for the public sector.
Nathan Patton, Product Manager, Trimble spoke with AECCafe Voice about the FieldLink MR, a new mixed reality solution for construction layout that runs on the Trimble XR10 with HoloLens 2.
Trimble Introduces Mixed Reality for Construction Layout with FieldLink MR
For 2022, it looks like construction trends are improving, with expectations high for increased infrastructure spending. Trimble is looking forward to increased collaboration capabilities, BIM models and digital twins amassing enormous quantities of data to provide a more streamlined construction experience, and what it takes to attract the next generation of workers.
Pete Large, Senior Vice President, Civil Infrastructure Sector at Trimble
And of course, sustainability and environmental concerns for the construction industry are an urgent focus for all aspects of the industry moving forward.
Predictions for the coming year are shaped by history and the current moment, and where we see the future unfolding. Both Adam Klatzin, vice president, Business Development for the iTwin Platform at Bentley Systems and Allison Scott, director of Construction Thought Leadership, Autodesk Construction Solutions, write about what realities have shaped catalysts for current and future development.
Much of 2021’s important news had to do with response to climate change, coupled with the Covid-19 response for businesses. Technologies have been in place for many years to respond, but the time is now, and actually the time is yesterday, to respond to these critical social and environmental issues. Digital twin technology and artificial intelligence are front and center in addressing these challenges. Reducing the world’s carbon footprint is a major priority for most organizations and technologies are being lined up to address this priority.
This year’s online Bentley Year In Infrastructure Conference has a somewhat different format, with the emphasis being on the awards distributed from the get-go, rather than at the end of the event. Replicating the experience of finalists’ presentations and speaking to the finalists in person were part of a tradition at YII. Not to mention an awards dinner that we all used to look forward to in person pre-pandemic, in such exotic locations as Singapore, London or Amsterdam.
CEO Jensen Huang presented the keynote at the recent GTC21 NVIDIA Conference, November 8-11, sharing with the audience the importance of accelerated computing and much more. The announcements were so prolific and not all pertinent to the AEC industry, thus I will share those that would be of most interest to our audience. One of the most profound announcements came at the end of the talk, wherein Huang announced that they are building a digital twin of the earth.
Zac Hays, head of product, preconstruction for Autodesk Construction Solutions, spoke this week with AECCafe Voice about Autodesk’s new BuildingConnected, a building platform to which new building project data can be posted and shared.
Zac Hays, head of product, preconstruction for Autodesk Construction Solutions
Andrew Anagnost, President and CEO of Autodesk gave the keynote at the general session of the second Autodesk University 2021 Virtual in October. He spoke of how customers and employees had to experience a decade of change in 18 months that some were not ready for. “Even before social distancing and remote – platforms were connecting consumers and producers, and mobile devices were bringing everyone together,” said Anagnost. “Sometimes it’s felt like technology has kept us apart. We saw human ingenuity at a greater pace and scale. We face uncertainty. You make things that make tomorrow a better place. Everyone here are innovators and solve big and small problems, and technology is a force multiplier of your ingenuity.
This past week NVIDIA announced the NVIDIA RTX A2000 at SIGGRAPH 2021, a redefinition of the mainstream, professional GPU, which expands access to the power of NVIDIA RTX and represents an expansion of the NVIDIA Omniverse.
