Leverage is a concept taken for granted in contemporary engineering. The word itself has its origins from the dawn of the First Industrial Revolution. In its literal and figurative sense, the leverage has come to denote accomplishing tasks with fewer resource inputs. For those following the state of infrastructure, the infrastructure deficit and deferred maintenance is no surprise. Infrastructure forms the basis of any society’s economy. Yet, nations dedicate a minuscule proportion of its GDP towards its infrastructure. Increasing the budget is an obvious solution; however, it is a fraught political process. How do we begin to make a dent in the additional infrastructure needed and reduce deferred maintenance? Taking a long-term view, I will address a few points in this post. By using technologies, we can leverage our resources to make a dent in the infrastructure gaps. But first, we need to increase the adoption of technologies.
Connect Engineering with Information Modeling Education
Civil Engineering education consists of learning a wide variety of subjects. It ranges from understanding biological processes in environmental engineering to understanding the tensile strength of steel in structural engineering. Most of the education, however, is theoretically oriented. Undoubtedly, it is crucial as, without theory, there is no science.
Big data is a snazzy term these days, particularly in the software realm. But if we pause to think about it, Civil Engineering as a discipline has been dealing with monumental amounts of data to design and construct most of the current infrastructure for hundreds of years. Imagine the data processed by engineers to build the magnificent US Interstate Highway System. In that sense, Civil Engineers were pioneers in data management.
With increased digitization, data management has become a discipline by itself. However, current civil engineering education does not provide sufficient instruction for Information Modeling. Educational institutions, practicing engineers, and professional associations should lay the grounds for improved understanding of data-driven design and construction. It does not merely mean showing students how to use software tools such as Revit, Civil 3D, or Open Roads.
We must move beyond an understanding of tools and encourage students to connect theories they learn with data representing the built environment. Not all data are useful. Engineering education associated with Information Modeling will provide students opportunities to process data. They will undoubtedly learn how to use modern tools along the way. Creating, managing, and processing data becomes second nature to students. Analogously, data will become like words, and BIM tools will be akin to word processors for students. Combining Information Modeling education with engineering education could leverage our resources by putting infrastructure data to work.
Embrace Opensource
A plethora of data describes the existing infrastructure. However, data are archived in dusty file cabinets. Or they are housed on legacy file servers, remaining siloed and inert. We must think creatively to bring these data out of the silos to activate them.
In the software realm, several open-source initiatives have driven innovative solutions. For example, the Apache foundation, over the past two decades, has hosted thousands of projects. Sun Microsystems, Google, and other software firms embrace the open-source movement to drive innovation and create new content.
Opensource platforms attract new talent to dabble in producing code or content. It provides an avenue for new user groups to learn and become proficient in software tools. Further, it is an avenue to convert siloed data into useful data.
Expand standardization of data exchange formats
Currently, as an industry, we predominately use LandXML and GeoJSON to exchange data and collaborate between different platforms. Industry standards such as LandXML and GeoJSON are just the tip of the iceberg in terms of standardization of civil infrastructure digital data.
Imagine a standardization of roadway design data. While the same materials may be used in the design and construction of roads crossing New York and New Jersey, the standards used generate the plans are different. For the end-user, all things being equal, at state borders, the pavement looks the same. However, the construction plans in either state most likely follow different standards. A standardization data exchange would leverage existing tools and data to build a better environment ultimately.
Conclusion
It is no secret that Civil Engineers must maintain and transform the built environment with limited resources. Socio-political campaigns to increase financial infrastructure support are essential. However, as professionals, we must find various ways to leverage existing resources to accomplish the needs of our society. In this post, taking a long-term view, I identified a few strategies for leveraging existing resources. We need to think of ways to incorporate Information Modeling into the civil engineering education curriculum. Secondly, we need to embrace open-source platforms and philosophies. Finally, as an industry, we need to continue to develop standardization for data exchange.
Anand Stephen (September, 2020)
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