Courtesy Infrasense Infrasense's new GPRQA software collects data from a radar mounted on the back of a vehicle, such as this SUV. Related Links: ENR's Past GPR Coverage (10/24/05) A Time When MnDOT Did Not Use GPR Google Maps measures and maps roads, and department of transportation workers measure and map the subsurface quality of those roads. One company’s advance in computing asphalt-pavement density data on-site claims to make DOT workers’ jobs easier.“We have developed … ground-penetrating-radar [GPR] quality-assurance software that can automatically process radar data on-site,” says Kenneth Maser, president of Infrasense Inc., Arlington, Mass. “It covers the entire
Related Links: Vizit's Free 30-day Trial Newsgator Document-management software maker Vizit's latest release extends search and collaboration capabilities for users of Microsoft's SharePoint. Giving more visualization to search results, the 5.0 release allows users to search for, jump to and highlight specific words or passages in documents, then share them as a link with other SharePoint users.The software by Seattle-based Vizit displays previews of a select amount of text next to search results, then immediately generates a URL that points to the portion of text and enables it to be shared via SharePoint's news aggregator, Newsgator, and its enterprise social
Related Links: ENR: Nullifying Water Damage to Mobile Devices ENR: Surge in New Mobile Apps for the Industry Mobile technology and tools are becoming an increasingly ubiquitous part of society, extending beyond personal convenience to important business uses. Construction is no exception, with mobile tools serving as a critical link between jobsites and the main office.The important research reviewed below demonstrates a prolific application of mobile tools today, with 93% of a representative sample of general contractors and subcontractors using some sort of mobile device on their construction sites. The industry is already reporting productivity benefits from these tools, including
Related Links: FCC Narrowband Mandate Architectural Record Push-to-talk communication has been around since two-way radio came into use more than 70 years ago. Now, AT&T is putting a new spin on the sub-second communication feature with an enhanced push-to-talk service that can instantly reach up to 250 people simultaneously. It uses Internet Protocol as the conduit instead of radio frequencies.Steve Colkitt, IT director at CourierNet, which beta-tested the service, compares it to Motorola's pioneering iDEN (integrated digital enhanced network) service, which combined two-way radio capabilities with other features, such as pagers and fax/modem. "It's damn near iDEN quality, which no
Bentley Systems Inc., Exton, Pa., announced on Sept. 18 that it has acquired Ontario, Canada-based Ivara Corp., whose asset performance management software is based on a reliability-centered maintenance philosophy. Ivara works to maximize uptime and the safe, economical performance of facilities in asset-intensive industries, such as mining, power generation, oil and gas, through predictive analysis of real-time, equipment-specific performance data. Bentley CEO Greg Bentley says the acquisition “may be our most significant in years” as it creates an “unprecedented opportunity” to improve facility design and operations by linking the data of designers and engineers with the live data of operators
Image courtesy of Cupertino Electric Inc. A BIM can integrate power usage information into a "Master System Integration" program which would increase facility lifecycle efficiency and entice owners to invest in designing-in the systems technology early on. White targets in this model indicate "spheres of influence" for the seismic hangers. Building information modeling is a very useful tool for optimizing initial construction build and lowering facility development cost.It's great technology, but how do you fund it? If you can't fund it, you can't get it.I think the answer is that we can fund BIM as a facility development cost if
Related Links: New York City Releases New BIM Guidlines The New York City Dept. of Design and Construction (DDC) is the latest regional agency to issue building-information-modeling technology standards. The agency says the new guidelines establish a framework to enable all future DDC-managed public building design projects to be delivered using 3D design technologies and BIM processes. The guidelines require BIM on new projects valued between $15 million and $50 million, says Craig Chin, a DDC spokesman. BIM provides “a broad platform for collaboration across the project team,” says David Resnick, DDC deputy commissioner for public buildings. The agency joins
Related Links: More Information About Autodesk 360 YouTube Video of Huntair's Use of Simulator Tools Autodesk is quickening the pace of its cloud-computing strategy shift with what it calls the industry's first "pay as you go" simulation service. Called Simulation 360, the cloud-based subscription offering promises to slash the costs of simulation testing for mechanical engineering projects, the results of which can make or break a successful job."We're packing it up in three different tiers," says Grant Rochelle, senior director of industry marketing for San Rafael, Calif.-based Autodesk. Simulation 360 is the latest offering sincethe company launched last spring its
Related Links: MIT Research on Integrated Circuits Based on Bilayer MoS2 Transistors An Explanation of the Bandgap In lab tests late last month, researchers for the first time successfully used a 2D lubricant material called molybdenum disulfide as a semiconductor, a new application that opens up a range of possibilities for electronic devices.Scientist Madan Dubey at the Army Research Lab says, "[Two-dimensional] material has only length and width. The [molybdenum disulfide's] height is just one molecule." Dubey collaborated with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology on the research. His expert team has the tools to test the quality of the molybdenum
First Read Viewpoint: This summer, millions went without power in India’s largest outage in history, and currently, hurricane season still threatens the Gulf coast. Now more than ever, concerns about power delivery in extreme weather are real and increasing.We’ve all heard the cliché “time is money,” but it is especially true for providers of electricity. Every minute that power is out equals lost revenue. For large investor owned utilities (IOUs), the potential impact of storms can reach tens of millions of dollars annually. Quite often, smaller utilities do not have funds to set aside for these types of extreme events