CIMdata PLM Industry Summary Online Archive
20 September 2007
Company News
Latest Issue of BE Magazine Looks at Intelligent Transportation Systems; This Digital Publication Also Includes Details on "America's Cup of Civil Engineering," BE Conference Highlights, Project Stories From Around the World, and More
In the latest issue of BE Magazine ( http://www.be.org/ ), published by Bentley Systems, Incorporated, freelance writer Al Karr explores high-tech solutions to the mounting challenges of America's surface transportation systems. In the article "More ITS Sightings," which first appeared in Transportation Management & Engineering Magazine, Karr says that by the year 2043 vehicle-miles traveled will leap by 135 percent while highway capacity will grow by just 9 percent. This, he warns, could result in the average motorist spending 160 hours a year - or four eight-hour-day work weeks - sitting in traffic tie-ups.
Traffic conditions like this, he says, are the raison d'être for intelligent transportation system (ITS) technology, which is designed to make surface transportation more efficient, safer, and more economical. Among the solutions currently being used are cell phones, PDAs, vehicle navigation systems, electronic toll-collection systems, and highway traffic monitoring and reporting networks.
But as Karr explains, there are obstacles to the widespread deployment of these systems as well as to their integration, which is the key to their future success. He goes on to examine the progress being made and challenges that remain.
In the article that follows, titled "Racing Concrete Canoes," Bentley's Laura Meier switches the focus to the task of nurturing tomorrow's civil engineers as she captures the excitement of the 20th annual American Society of Civil Engineers National Concrete Canoe Competition. In her account of this "America's Cup of Civil Engineering," Meier explains that the competition challenges civil engineering students to apply their knowledge of structural and hydrodynamic design in the construction of concrete canoes that not only float, but are also durable and race worthy.
For those who missed BE Conference 2007 in Los Angeles and BE Conference Europe in London, this issue provides a special BE Conference in Review section. Included in this multimedia presentation are highlights of the BE Awards of Excellence ceremony, the first-ever People's Choice Awards program, and the insightful keynotes delivered by Bentley's executive team, including CEO Greg Bentley, Senior Vice President Bhupinder Singh, Senior Vice President Buddy Cleveland, CTO Keith Bentley, and COO Malcolm Walter. The keynotes provide a look at current and future challenges facing the infrastructure community, along with details on advanced software products and solutions already available - or in the works - to meet them.
In "The Last Word," CEO Greg Bentley discusses strategies that Bentley users are pursuing to gain the advantage of information flowing digitally and directly from stage to stage of the lifecycle of infrastructure projects - in other words, says Mr. Bentley, "bridging the gaps."
The building sector, he says, is adopting Building Information Modeling (BIM) to optimize design decisions and enable reuse of AEC information, ultimately to support facility operations. Applying this strategy to bridge projects, BIM becomes BrIM.
Adds Mr. Bentley, "We have observed that among infrastructure expenditures, road and rail bridges consume a large proportion of global resources, but they have had comparatively little benefit from IT innovations spanning the information lifecycle compared to other asset classes."
Mr. Bentley then explains that the company's response to this need includes acquisitions that provide "best-of-breed" software functionality for bridge projects and a new BrIM initiative. Through the latter, Bentley will leverage intra-operations across its product portfolio for the efficient design and construction of new bridges and more cost-effective maintenance and upgrades of existing bridges.
To experience BE Magazine's latest digital issue and become a subscriber, go to http://www.be.org/ . To contribute to the editorial content of future issues, please submit success stories, feature articles, news items, commentary, or letters to BEmagazine@be.org .
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