BE Magazine Volume 5, Issue 2 - (Page 16) Bentley’s efforts to support, focus, and leverage university research are advanced by its Applied Research Group, which currently has various ongoing initiatives with academia such as University of Pennsylvania, Virginia Tech, MIT, Polytechnic University, Johns Hopkins, McGill University, Technical University of Delft (Netherlands), and Strathclyde University (United Kingdom). The concept and value of continuous learning is generally well understood. However, within episodic (largely projectbased) domains such as infrastructure, the widespread adoption of technology to connect and enable collaboration among globally distributed professionals. Not a single issue Sustainability is not limited to global warming, climate change, pollution, chronic hunger, unsafe bridges, public health, or contaminated water—it is all of these and more. It is not a problem that we will solve and then move on. It will require constant, continuing, and unrelenting attention. The issues and challenges surrounding sustain- In the end, sustainability is about nothing less than how we, as a global society, choose to live on this planet. investments in training are often ranked fairly low among the investment priorities of many organizations. The effective implementation of continuous learning requires new forms of learning, those that go beyond traditional classroom instruction. This is particularly true given the distributed nature of projects and enterprises within the infrastructure community. Distance learning, self-service online content, and just-in-time learning are some of the methods that can facilitate continuous learning. Denver’s Road Home BEST Work Exchange Program is an example of implementing new forms of learning (see the BE Magazine article on page 20). Tools for increased productivity expand the use of existing information technology tools for all phases of the infrastructure asset lifecycle, along with better tools from technology vendors, to improve productivity and quality. This also includes increasing reuse of information, particularly through the adoption and widespread use of industry standards. It also includes specific, high-return initiatives such as more direct use of design information in support of construction and construction management tasks. Another immediate mechanism for increasing the availability of infrastructure professionals, particularly for a specific project, is through ability are broad, complex, and interrelated. To completely satisfy our sustainability objectives will mean more investment in infrastructure, not less. It will mean more economic development, not less. As has been convincingly argued by some, until people reach a certain level of affluence, concerning themselves with global sustainability is a luxury they cannot afford. For the 3 billion people living on less than $2 per day, the primary sustainability objective is simply to sustain themselves and their families for another day. If our goal is for all people to be concerned with global sustainability, then the prerequisite is to enable all people to enjoy a quality of life that affords them that luxury. This is a significant challenge for society, a significant challenge for the world’s infrastructure, and a challenge for all of us as members of the infrastructure professions. The mission of Bentley has long focused on helping our users improve the world’s infrastructure by providing software products, solutions, and services that improve the productivity and quality of the work performed by infrastructure professionals through the lifecycle (design-build-operate) of infrastructure assets. Given the fundamental importance of services provided to society at large by infrastructure, this mission is certainly a worthy and significant endeavor. However, there is now an increasingly significant level of urgency surrounding the world’s infrastructure as well. There is an expanding spectrum of critical global issues jeopardizing the world’s sustainability, including CO2 emissions, climate change, the availability of clean water and sanitation, chronic hunger, unsafe bridges, earthquakes, severe weather, terrorist attacks, civil wars, coastal flooding, hazardous waste, and depletion of nonrenewable resources. In order to meet this challenge, technology firms such as Bentley must provide solutions that are comprehensive, interoperable, and productive. However, when it comes to addressing the elements of sustaining infrastructure—society, environment, and the infrastructure professions—vision, commitment, and engagement are just as important as features of software applications. In the end, sustainability is about nothing less than how we, as a global society, choose to live on this planet. Science alone will not dictate the steps we need to take to create a sustainable world. Science can only help us predict the consequences of the choices we make. Likewise, the market alone will not guide us to a sustainable world. The market’s invisible hand will efficiently optimize our investments within the bounds of its regulations and incentives, but we must make the fundamental choices as to those regulations and constraints. Science and the market are powerful tools, but they are only tools—not altars. The road to a sustainable world will be paved by the vision, commitment, innovation, open-mindedness, and pragmatism of infrastructure professionals. Buddy Cleveland is Bentley’s senior vice president of About Buddy Cleveland the Applied Research Group. Cleveland joined Bentley in December 1997 when Bentley acquired Jacobus Technology, which he founded and served as president from its inception in 1991. Before founding Jacobus Technology, he spent 20 years at Bechtel. Cleveland holds a bachelor’s degree in Engineering from Johns Hopkins University and currently serves on the advisory board for Hopkins’ department of civil engineering. 16 BE MAGAZINE | Volume 5, Issue 2 http://www.bestworkexchange.org/
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