The future of infrastructure will be smart With the changing urban landscape, ciƟ es must transform to be more accessible and producƟ ve

THE FUTURE OF INFRASTRUCTURE WILL BE SMART

by Leona Frank, Senior Industry MarkeƟ ng Manager for Infrastructure, Autodesk With the global populaƟ on expected to increase to 9.7 billion people by 2050, and with 6.4 billion people expected to live in ciƟ es, the world must look at city planning and infrastructure in fundamentally diff erent ways. With the changing urban landscape, ciƟ es must transform to be more accessible and producƟ ve to serve their ciƟ zens’ rising needs.

Technology is a criƟ cal ingredient for ciƟ es to address the conƟ nued demands they will face over Ɵ me. Through access to data and leveraging technologies such as Building InformaƟ on Modeling (BIM) and Geographical InformaƟ on Systems (GIS), ciƟ es can become smarter to foster community engagement, make work easier, and urban life beƩ er. With connected and smart ciƟ es becoming more prevalent, what role does smart infrastructure play? Autodesk, a world leader in 3D design, engineering and entertainment soŌ ware, and Esri, a world leader in GIS, announced a strategic alliance in November 2017 to enable improved interoperability between BIM and GIS plaƞ orms and soŌ ware. But why does this maƩ er? There is a natural convergence between BIM and GIS happening in the industry. BIM is best suited in the project planning, design and engineering, and construcƟ on phase, while GIS is best suited to scale acƟ viƟ es, such as urban planning and asset management. Bringing the two together will provide industry and city planners the ability to design in the context of the real world and build more connected ciƟ es and infrastructure with a focused eye on sustainability. Dr Ken Henry, former Secretary, Department of Treasury, Australia said, “The role of technology is central to the task of making sure that infrastructure investment has something to do with the kind of society, and the kind of capabiliƟ es we need to provision, in order to combine the growth, sustainability, inclusion and innovaƟ on that the ‘world of the future’ demands”. An example of smart infrastructure is the MX3D bridge - the world’s fi rst 3D printed steel bridge. Equipped with sensors, the bridge streams data to the cloud where it is then processed and interpreted to visualise intelligence about bridge traffi c, structural integrity and the surrounding neighbourhood and environment. CiƟ es are oŌ en overwhelmed with big data and the ability to make it acƟ onable. We support smart city iniƟ aƟ ves by providing the plaƞ orm to create, communicate and evaluate those opƟ ons that result in a more connected, sustainable and resilient community. The management of data aids quicker project design concept creaƟ on and faster veƫ ng and approval, while supporƟ ng community and city development. Smart infrastructure will benefi t growing communiƟ es and ciƟ es, now and into the future, in a number of ways. Some of the possibili Ɵ es are presented below. • More people create more strain on our infrastruc

ture - roads, highways etc. By incorporating sensors, we can understand how infrastructure is being used and how often maintenance needs to be performed. With more than USD 218 trillion worth of existing infrastructure assets requiring care and upkeep in the world’s top 32 countries, the need to do things differently is critical. • IoT is already improving our lives through intelligence around parking and transportaƟ on - but there is so much more potenƟ al. With IoT, infrastructure can ‘talk’ to infrastructure for beƩ er decision-making. When you put enough sensors on structures, they can tell you about the environment around it and how people are The MX3D team presenƟ ng the fi nalised bridge project. Image by MX3D.

interacƟ ng with infrastructure to create effi ciencies. For example, bridges can ‘talk’ to roadways to beƩ er Ɵ me the funcƟ oning of lights and minimise traffi c during peak hours. • Natural disasters such as earthquakes, hurricanes and tornados, take a toll on our infrastructure. Imagine being able to use data to beƩ er understand infrastructure weak points to build beƩ er, stronger infrastructure in the future. Designing roads and bridges for longevity starts with opƟ mising data exchange between BIM, CAD, and GIS. • Sensor data will inform where new structures are built, based on how they are being used by city dwellers. This informaƟ on will also allow future infrastructure to adapt more easily to supply and demand and changing demographic or environmental condiƟ ons. Smart infrastructure interconnecƟ ons, at a personal, community, metropolitan, or even naƟ onal level, underpinned by technology, will change the vision of smart ciƟ es and provide the foundaƟ on for even more holisƟ c planning of smart ciƟ es where all kinds of infrastructure - energy, water, transportaƟ on, buildings and governance – are ‘talking’ to each other to opƟ mise and prioriƟ se needs and performance, minimise energy use and make life more enjoyable and producƟ ve for the people who live in them.

Autodesk and Esri partner to advance infrastructure planning and design

In late 2017, Autodesk Inc and Esri Inc announced the start of a new relaƟ onship to build a bridge between BIM and GIS mapping technologies. Together Autodesk and Esri plan to enable a broad range of industries to gain beƩ er context by visualising data of the man-made world, the environment, ciƟ zens and the networks that weave it all together. “It is important to consider the needs of future generaƟ ons during the design and building of projects today. The benefi ts of partnering with Autodesk will include securing sustainable resources for the growing populaƟ on, a responsible human footprint on our natural environment, beƩ er use of our planet’s resources and more resilient ciƟ es”, said Jack Dangermond, President, Esri. For infrastructure owners around the world, both public and private, enabling BIM and GIS mapping soŌ ware to more seamlessly work together will opƟ mise their ability to plan, design, build and operate infrastructure assets, saving precious Ɵ me and money. Improving the integraƟ on of Esri and Autodesk soŌ - ware has the potenƟ al to decrease workfl ow Ɵ mes. “Partnering with Esri is intended to combine the power of BIM and GIS mapping which will enable our shared customers to build anything, anywhere. Our goals are to provide industry and city planners the ability to design in the context of the real world. This will allow communiƟ es to build more connected, resilient ciƟ es, and infrastructure with a focused eye on sustainability”, said Andrew Anagnost, CEO, Autodesk. “In a city like Singapore where land is limited, ensuring that the urban environment meets the needs of not just today, but future demands as well, is key. Beyond taking into account the physical space needed, it is important to consider the development’s surroundings”, said Thomas Pramotedham, Chief ExecuƟ ve Offi cer, Esri Singapore. “The partnership between Esri and Autodesk frees the fl ow of data between geographic informaƟ on systems (GIS) and building informaƟ on modeling (BIM) to help architects, builders, city planners and engineers understand the interface between the built and natural environments. This means designers and architects have greater insight to infl uence a structure’s locaƟ on, orientaƟ on, and even construcƟ on materials”, he added. “As Singapore moves closer to being a Living City where sensors and devices feed real-Ɵ me data, the integraƟ on of BIM and GIS will ingest this informaƟ on to add context to our environment helping us design and construct resilient and liveable communiƟ es for generaƟ ons to enjoy”, Mr Pramotedham conƟ nued. Autodesk and Esri will work together to beƩ er integrate their respecƟ ve technologies, allowing industry professionals to synthesise informaƟ on from both BIM and GIS to enable a more connected infrastructure. Benefi ts are expected to include improved stakeholder engagement, more sustainable and resilient design through enhanced project insight, and reduced risk via improved end-to-end fl ow of materials, resource availability and scheduling during construcƟ on. “I am thrilled to learn of the Autodesk and Esri strategic partnership. At AECOM, we value innovative spirit, and I am optimistic that this new strategic partnership will produce dynamic software synergies. The combined technology sets has the potential to provide new ways of connecting information across the project lifecycle to the benefit of our clients”, said John Kizior, Global Director, Project Technologies, AECOM.