Related Links: Engineering News-Record Construction Tech Engineering News-Record IT The flow of young practitioners acquiring skills in building information modeling is shrinking, which may affect the industry for years to come. That decrease is one of the trends that is identified in a recently released survey report tracking the adoption of BIM in North America from 2007 through the fall of 2012.The data is reported by McGraw-Hill Construction Research & Analytics, a sister business unit of ENR.The latest report, "The Business Value of BIM in North America," analyzes survey data—which was collected in August and September from 582 respondents—against data
Photo Courtesy of APM Terminals Port of Callao workers circle a piece of equipment to demonstrate the 30-ft range of RFID sensors, manufactured by Avonwood Developments. Related Links: Avonwood's ZoneSafe Proximity Warning System APM Terminal's Callao Port In construction, radio-frequency identification devices, or RFIDs, are used for security purposes to monitor jobsites and track workers. At Peru's Port of Callao, the largest port on the Pacific side of South America, RFID technology is being used to avoid collisions between workers and loading equipment."In most ports all over the world, there has, for many years, been a problem to effectively separate
Related Links: ENR: Cloud Computing and Marketing ENR: Cloud Computing Makes the Grade Gone are the days of carrying around flash drives and panicking when the office server is full. Online document storage has become the easiest and quickest way for sharing information that can be securely accessed from anywhere within a company.Dozens of service providers offer cloud-based file sharing and storage, but Natick, Mass.-based Nasuni provides a new breed of storage and sharing that combines on-premises hardware with encrypted cloud-based primary storage. Its unlimited storage capability appeals to companies with multiple sites that need access to the same files.Andres
Photo by Holcim The WeatherAPP is a four-day weather forecast that accounts for air and concrete temperatures, wind speed and humidity. Related Links: The Holcim Weather App Concrete contractors should take note. A free, new tool just arrived to make their lives easier. It's a mobile app that instantly displays a four-day forecast to predict whether the weather is right to place concrete."In Utah, we have a huge issue with cracking. It's dry and windy, and the humidity is very low," says Mark Sweats, tech services manager at cement and aggregate provider Westroc Inc., Pleasantville Utah. "We use the app
Related Links: The Building Research Information Database The American Institute of Architects National Institute of Building Sciences A new website formed by two buildings organizations aims to be a bank of peer-reviewed research projects and case studies that dive into every phase of the building cycle, from predesign through occupancy and re-use."I believe that it has the potential to be transformative in our industry," says A. Ray Pentecost III, chairman of the board of direction for the new site: BRIKbase.org.BRIK stands for "Building Research Information Knowledgebase" and was formed by the American Institute of Architects and the National Institute of
Related Links: Latista The LATISTA App LATISTA, a leading field data management software vendor, is set to release a new iPad version on Jan. 15 with upgrades that include increased speed for viewing building information modeling files in PDF format."We benchmarked it against many leading companies," says Patricia Remacle, vice president, product management at LATISTA, Reston, Va. She says the product was faster in most tests. The benchmarking was done by opening 20 files of varying size and complexity on the same iPad. The programs tested against were Good Reader, Adobe Reader and PDF Expert. She says LATISTA was faster
Photo courtesy of Livescribee Livescribe's pens allow users to record written and verbal notes and synch them directly to a computer or device via WiFi. Related Links: Livescribe Sky Smartpen Evernote Whenever ENR editors find a tool we want for ourselves that also has crossover appeal for architects, engineers or construction managers, we like to show it off. Livescribe's Smartpen is one of those tools. At first glance, it just looks like a stocky pen, but the technology inside allows users to record audio and, at the same time, turn any written notes into digital files that users can save
Related Links: Acoustimaxx Safety Glasses Car Connection magicJack Plus netTalk Duo WiFi Bald Technologies Liquid Displays Lantronix XPrint Server ENR's editors are always on the lookout for new and useful electronic devices that have the potential to improve construction. As 2012 comes to a close, we've gathered a collection of the most promising gadgets we've run across or experimented with lately. Some have obvious applications to the jobsite, while others may just be convenient for companies fielding new devices or mobilizing workforces. Still other devices are noted simply for their ability to reduce the cost of sought-after tech and increase
Related Links: BIM 360 Glue Amazon Web Services Health Dashboard From BIM 360 programs and remote desktop protocols to amped-up graphics-processing units, cloud-based tools are the top priorities of Autodesk. The cloud theme rang out at the firm's Autodesk University 2012 conference in Las Vegas last month. Many companies at the conference featured cloud technology that helps smooth remote access to large amounts of data or functions as a powerful workstation.Anthony Governanti, Autodesk's technical marketing manager, found his BIM 360 booth very popular during the conference."It's one click to BIM," Governanti told the users crowding around his booth and during
Screen shot courtesy of Autodesk Finger Models The new graphic modeling iPad app from Autodesk displays building area and volume and also allows for sun diagramming. Related Links: FormIt on iTunes Autodesk YouTube Video of FormIt in Action At first glance, Autodesk's FormIt app looks like SketchUp, Trimble's 3D modeling tool. But Autodesk says this app does more, such as adding more site information to the building information model. Users can pinpoint site location on imported satellite images and run sun diagrams, among other features. The app debuted at Autodesk University 2012, Las Vegas.Matt Jezyk, senior manager of the AEC
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