Now is the time to implement BIM and explore the possibilities of advancing technologies to address one of the biggest challenges we face – infrastructure.
Building Information Modeling (BIM) – a great start
The built environment is already straining as aging infrastructure and inefficient buildings interact with a rapidly growing population. Those challenges are only going to increase. To meet the demands of a growing and increasingly urban population, we need to transform aging infrastructure — roads, bridges, sanitation systems, and more — and build massive new projects.
How will civil infrastructure live up to that challenge? It begins with connected BIM — the development and deployment of cloud-based Building Information Modeling that will allow civil infrastructure to build for a full-scale digitalisation.
Full-scale digitalisation will include:
Autonomous Vehicles
These vehicles could substantially increase road capacity as vehicle-to-vehicle communication enables tighter vehicle spacing.
Integrated Transportation Systems
As people incorporate multiple modes of travel — walking, biking, mass transit, rail, and autonomous vehicles — for a single trip, new solutions will be needed for effective transportation designs.
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs)
UAVs or drones are already beginning to be used in planning, design, construction, and operations to digitally capture existing conditions, track construction progress, and provide as-builts once an infrastructure project is complete.
Manufacturing Innovations
Additive manufacturing (AM), 3D printing, new materials, and advanced automation could redefine and shorten manufacturing supply chains while moving production to the point of consumption or assembly. AM, 3D printing, new materials & advanced automation could redefine and shorten manufacturing supply chains while moving production to the point of consumption or assembly.
Alternative Resources
Advanced materials and renewable or unconventional energy will alter the demand for traditional natural resources.
The future of infrastructure
In order to have resilient and sustainable infrastructure that protects the environment, enables people to thrive, and creates economic value infrastructure owners and AEC firms must change the way they work.
BIM, big data, cloud computing, and analytics are changing how infrastructure is planned, designed, built, and managed. Technology will better connect people, processes, and ideas to create more resilient and sustainable infrastructure.
That future is here, and it’s taking the shape of:
SMART CITIES
Use technology like BIM+GIS, augmented reality and virtual reality to connect people to places and information while also optimising the long-term sustainable operation of their infrastructure assets.
SMART RISK
Use big data to help industry better identify, quantify, and mitigate project risks or perhaps even turn risks into vehicles that increase profits and make margins more predictable.
SMART OPERATIONS
Deploy digital technologies and processes such as BIM to deliver better predictability of project outcomes.
Explore the art of the possible
With the rise of reality computing, hardware and software advances have resulted in the ability to quickly and cost-effectively capture information about the physical world and make it digital. For the first time we are getting much closer to having a true digital mirror of our physical world.
BIM, connected to the power of the cloud, offers new and more innovative ways of working to help meet these engineering and construction challenges of today and future infrastructure needs.
→ Get advice on the art of everyday innovation in civil engineering
Existing conditions capture
The US federal government is leading the innovation. Glen Canyon Dam is a perfect example of moving beyond the status quo and taking management of older infrastructure into the 21st century.
Communicate designs
Optimise design choices through simulation and analysis and get to final design faster through stakeholder buy-in. And try Civil 3D and InfraWorks for a performance you have to experience to believe.
Collaborate across disciplines
Collaborate and share project information throughthe project lifecycle and digitise the construction site to optimise construction workflows.
Software applications for infrastructure
One essential set of BIM tools for building design, infrastructure, and construction.
Geospatial and engineering BIM software for planning, design, and analysis.
Civil engineering design and construction documentation.
BIM tools that support infrastructure design and engineering.
Reality capture and 3D scanning software and services.
More resources
Interested in learning more?
Contact us today about the future of infrastructure and how it affects your business.