Construction Economics is Fundamental in Responding to Coronavirus

How Improved Project and Cost Management of Construction is Critical to Recovering Economies

Global construction will be critical in countering the economic effects of coronavirus. Whilst most construction has been adversely affected in the short and medium term by closing sites, social distancing, material shortages and investment uncertainty, it will provide an important stimulus to the world economy if governments enable projects to proceed after the virus abates. Coupled with this, the crisis is providing a catalyst for change in the industry in terms of the greater adoption of technology, consideration of sustainability and social value impacts, and greater collaboration. Construction allows value creation – and the world will need this more than... (read more)

2020-05-12 10:48:29

Tell the World: We Are More than Scan-to-BIM

Opportunities in digital twins, smart buildings, smart infrastructures and smart cities require more than just BIM as data. To benefit from this growing market, the surveying and spatial industry must provide advocacy, leadership and education in BIM. Building information modelling (BIM) will be a growing opportunity for the surveying and spatial industry, providing we focus more on adding value to BIM and concentrate on what we can offer to other industries thanks to BIM rather than merely preparing it. Opportunities in digital twins, smart buildings, smart infrastructures and smart cities require more than just BIM as data. The surveying and... (read more)

2019-08-22 10:03:30

British Expert Group Releases BIM Interoperability Report

Centre for Digital Built Britain (CDBB), a partner in the Construction Innovation Hub, has published the 'Building Information Modelling (BIM) Interoperability Report' for consultation. It forms part of the Construction Innovation Hub’s work to grow the digital economy for the construction and infrastructure sector, and to develop and promote digital ways of working as enablers of greater whole-life value in the built environment. The report, produced with oversight from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), the Infrastructure Projects Authority (IPA), and support from the UK BIM Alliance, gives recommendations to the government on how to continue to... (read more)

2020-04-28 08:39:01

Scotland’s Edinburgh Napier University to Establish Trimble Technology Lab for AEC

Scotland’s Edinburgh Napier University has received a gift from Trimble to establish a state-of-the-art Technology Lab for architecture, engineering and construction (AEC). The lab will expand the university’s leadership in training and research in 3D building design, digital fabrication and the sustainable built environment. Trimble’s broad portfolio of building construction solutions supports the Constructible Process, Trimble’s innovative approach for enabling digital transformation of AEC workflows. This process aims to empower disparate teams across the construction lifecycle with actionable data to improve productivity and reduce waste. The Trimble Technology Lab will provide students enrolled in Edinburgh Napier’s School of Engineering &... (read more)

2019-12-11 09:09:24

The Geomatics Profession: Looking Forward to the Next Decade

As the years progress towards 2030, many challenges and opportunities may emerge for the profession across a wide spectrum of activities. The democratization of geospatial data and the rapid advancement of technologies to capture this data require a skilled labour force. Where will the surveyors, geospatial scientists and spatial data specialists come from? The UN’s growing awareness of the importance of our oceans and seas will hopefully develop further into real sustainable actions and outcomes which should require further reliable and cost-effective data acquisition and data management solutions. I believe the general levels of underinvestment in the offshore and hydrographic... (read more)

2020-03-03 10:01:28

The Evolution of the Smart Surveyor

5 Trends Affecting Surveying, Bringing about the Next-generation Surveyor

These five trends currently affecting surveying are set to bring about the next-generation 'smart surveyor'. Surveyors are a versatile and flexible bunch. As the current COVID-19 situation has proven, this group, like others, has had to find new ways of operating. As illustrated by this article itself, which was originally planned as a presentation called 'Sensor Fusion for the Smart Surveyor' at the International Federation of Surveyors (FIG) Working Week 2020, adapting to a new platform for information sharing is becoming the new normal. In FIG Commission 5 – Positioning and Measurement and FIG Commission 6 – Engineering Surveys, the... (read more)

2020-05-08 02:17:02