The Internet of Things is at Work in Our Cities this Winter

The “Internet of Things” – it’s everywhere right now!

The “Internet of Things” or IoT, for short, refers to the next evolution of the internet when everyday objects are networked to the web and each other. Smart watches, connected cars, appliances, houses, and more – very soon every physical thing will be accessible through the internet.

In government, the uses are also equally infinite - from monitoring the building energy use (currently happening over at the General Services Administration) to tracking vehicle locations and maneuvers (being explored by the DoD).

Free White Paper: DOTs Explain How They’re Transforming Transportation Infrastructure Design

According to the McKinsey Global Institute, roads are the world’s top infrastructure segment in terms of investment. Here in the U.S. increasing traffic and an aging infrastructure is making it more important than ever to build new or rehabilitate existing transportation systems. These projects are becoming increasingly larger and complex, yet funding levels have continued to drop and traditional design methods aren’t cutting it anymore.

3 Major Ways Transportation Agencies Are Using Google Solutions

When you're responsible for managing transportation infrastructure, field personnel and vehicles, having up-to-date information about locations and status is mission critical. To optimize resource coordination, central operations must be able to pinpoint infrastructure, assets, and employees. And communication channels must be strong to keep field workers and headquarters staff on the same page.

Here’s just a few ways that transportation agencies are using Google Solutions:

How to Optimize Your Road and Highway Designs Affordably with an AutoCAD Workflow

With roadway design and construction outsourcing costs rising and growing pressures to maximize tax dollar value, state and local governments are increasingly looking for better ways to improve transportation design projects – on a lower budget. Outsourcing has its advantages, providing convenient access to skilled expertise while helping agencies ease their workload. The process, therefore, of moving this function back in-house is often easier said than done.

What’s Trending in Transportation Project Design?

By Joe Hedrick, LS, EIT Infrastructure Solutions Team Manager, IMAGINiT Technologies Some of the largest states and construction firms in the United States have begun to adopt 3D modeling software such as AutoCAD® Civil 3D® software for engineering design. Many state departments of transportation are already looking at the benefits of 3D modeling over traditional 2D programs. This trend has also begun to percolate from the national and state level down to cities and counties. DOTs and engineering consultants who have made the move to 3D have begun to explore some of the opportunities for greater efficiency, improved designs and better cost management that the use of 3D models provide. Here are some of the ways modeling software has transformed large transportation project design and development.

It’s Time to Drop the Foam Board and Better Visualize Projects before they’re Built

Ever wished you could give project teams and stakeholders a better view of what a project will look like before it’s even built? Instead of using a combination of foam board, superimposed computer graphics and aerial photographs to present a make-shift model of future projects, what if you had access to sophisticated visualization tools that can help you truly convey design intent?