September-October_2021 - 13

optimize maintenance decisions.
It can also accelerate the return on
investment in technology by leveraging
rapidly deployed analytical
and decision support tools that
reduce risk and improve service,
safety and long-term reliability.
The New Normal
The effect that COVID-19 has
on daily life can not be ignored.
However, it has also created new
opportunities and can be a business
driver for change for the
better. For many, working from
home will become part of a better
work-life balance, so communication
and collaboration tools
like Microsoft Teams, Zoom and
Bentley's ProjectWise 365 are increasingly
important.
" Now is the time to start
reimagining our industry and
how organizations can emerge
in the next normal from a position
of strength, " said McKinsey
& Company's article How
construction can emerge stronger
after coronavirus from May
2020. The article advocates for
increased digitization, remote
working and a greater reliance on
building information modelling
(BIM)-advancing to include 4D
and 5D simulation to re-plan and
reoptimize project schedules.
The report also identifies digital
twin solutions for providing
current and ongoing feedback, as
well as insight into the decision
processes. The article authors believe
that the case for digital tools
proven to increase productivity
will become even stronger, including
increased use of off-site
construction, where working in
controlled environments makes
it easier to keep people safe and
improve quality.
These
findings mirror
the
belief at Bentley Systems that
advanced technologies can help
users deliver improved business
outcomes across the lifecycle of
infrastructure assets. This improvement
might be through
smarter decisions that help target
project investment, optimize
design, save money or enhance
safety. The bottom line, however,
is that the decisions made today
will impact lives tomorrow.
Data-driven Decisions
with Digital Twins
Change is not unfamiliar to the
industry having seen the evolution
of servers to cloud-based
storage that support digital strategy.
There has also been a shift
from 2D to CAD and now to 5D,
where BIM standards and processes
deliver productivity and
quality improvements.
Moving beyond BIM-fueled
by the increasing amounts of data
that is collected, created and consumed
in day-to-day tasks, and
the volume of connected devices
delivering so-called big data and
delivery of projects and throughout
an asset's operational life.
Bentley's iTwin technology enables
the federation of data and
deliverables from engineering and
design, with live or near real-time
data streams from IoT-connected
devices in operations to connect
the physical asset in the real world
with its digital counterpart: its
digital twin.
ASCE: America's
Infrastructure
Report Card
Every four years, the American
Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)
publishes a report on America's
infrastructure. The 2021 Report
Card shows that the U.S. is not
investing in " the backbone of our
economy. " It costs every American
household US$3,300 a year.
the Internet of Things (IoT)-
more decisions are made with the
insight gained directly from data.
It is why Bentley believes that infrastructure
digital twins will be
the next big digital disruption in
the industry.
Digital twins are already enabling
organizations to visually
immerse their teams in the decision-making
process and run
advanced analytics to predict
and produce different outcomes,
as well as track and manage the
change that can be seen across the
When multiplied by the roughly
132 million U.S. households predicted
to exist at the end of 2021,
it has a significant effect on the
nation's economy.
The report scored rail and
transit with grades B and D,
respectively. The lack of federal
support has led to the current rail
state of good repair (SGR) backlog
of US$45.2 billion.
With transit, the situation
is worse. Currently, there is a
US$176 billion transit SGR backlog,
nearly four times as much as
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021 | MassTransitmag.com | Mass Transit | 13
RAIL CONDITION
ANALYTICS:
Bentley's
AssetWise rapidly
deployed linear
analytics solution
helps to develop
strategies using
automated key
condition score
reporting and
visibility into past
maintenance
activities.
http://www.MassTransitmag.com
September-October_2021

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