Cesium and Bentley: Revolutionizing 3D Visualization and Digital Twins in Infrastructure
The recent acquisition of Cesium by Bentley Systems represents a significant milestone in the advancement of 3D geospatial technology and its integration with digital twins for infrastructure management and development. This combination of capabilities promises to transform the way built and natural environments are visualized and managed, offering a more robust and versatile platform for real-time visualization of geospatial and engineering data.
1. More realistic context visualization: beyond the surface
One of the key benefits of Bentley's acquisition of Cesium is the ability to integrate a much more accurate and realistic visualization of the geospatial context, including not only the surface, but also the subsurface. It will be interesting to see the integration of Cesium into Bentley's solutions. geotechnics Seequent or Plaxis cone and above all the possibility of inventorying the reality of the territory in an integrated way. As expressed by Nicholas Cumins, CEO of Bentley,
“A 3D geospatial view is the most intuitive way for operators and engineering service providers to search, query and visualize information about infrastructure networks and assets.”
This capability is crucial for large-scale infrastructure projects that need to take into account not only what is visible on the surface, but also what occurs underground, such as pipelines, underground cables, and geological conditions associated with the design of infrastructure such as a dam or building.
Cesium, with its open standard 3D Tiles and ability to process large volumes of 3D data, enables subsurface data to be visualized with unprecedented accuracy. This integration with Bentley’s iTwin platform opens up new possibilities for creating detailed and realistic models of built and natural environments, facilitating better decision-making in construction and operation projects. For example, companies will be able to analyze geospatial and engineering data in a single environment, from the surface to deep soil layers, improving project planning and safety.
2. Improving Interaction with Geospatial Context for Architecture, Engineering and Construction
The combination of Cesium's capabilities with Bentley's iTwin platform enables richer interaction with the geospatial context in industries such as architecture, engineering, construction, and infrastructure operations. Interactive 3D visualization has become an essential component for these industries, facilitating project planning and monitoring at all stages. We already expect to see this adoption in the background of tools such as OpenRoads o WaterGEMS.
Komatsu, one of the world's leading manufacturers of construction equipment, is a clear example of how this technology can transform the industry. According to Chikashi Shike, a Komatsu executive,
“Cesium and Komatsu brought a new approach to the construction industry by leveraging advanced visualizations to provide more accurate insights and enable our customers to make better-informed decisions.”
Cesium, with its open platform and focus on interoperability, facilitates the integration of engineering models, real-time construction data and subsurface data into a single visual environment, allowing for more accurate tracking and comparison between architectural plans and reality on the ground. This capability is crucial for infrastructure projects that require millimeter accuracy, enabling better management and execution throughout the project lifecycle. Implementing this technology helps mitigate risks, improve efficiency and reduce costs, especially in complex projects where interaction with the geospatial environment is vital to their success.
3. Better Team Performance with OGC 3D Tiles Standard
One of Cesium’s key highlights is its leadership in the adoption of the OGC 3D Tiles standard, which has been widely adopted by the geospatial community and enables the efficient visualization and transmission of large 3D data sets. This standard has been key for applications on platforms such as Unity and Unreal Engine, significantly improving the performance of the equipment when processing large amounts of geospatial data in real time.
As Patrick Cozzi, CEO of Cesium, explained,
“The combination of our two organizations and our shared commitment to openness will provide new growth opportunities and create greater value for an already thriving developer ecosystem.”
With the adoption of 3D Tiles as a community standard by the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC), this technology enables both small startups and large corporations to access complex geospatial data without sacrificing performance. This flexibility is essential for managing large-scale infrastructures, where real-time data transmission and accuracy are paramount.
Furthermore, by using an open standard like 3D Tiles, interoperability across different platforms is ensured, allowing developers from various industries to take full advantage of Cesium’s 3D visualization capabilities and geospatial modeling tools in combination with Bentley. This synergy improves hardware and software performance, providing a seamless experience in visualizing and analyzing complex data.
4. Promoting the Adoption of Digital Twins in the IoT Context
Another key aspect of this acquisition is the potential it offers to drive the adoption of digital twins in the context of the Internet of Things (IoT). Bentley has already made significant progress in creating digital twins through its iTwin platform, and the integration of Cesium further strengthens this capability by providing a 3D geospatial environment to model and monitor infrastructure and assets in real time.
Digital twins enable the virtual representation of physical assets, allowing operators to monitor, analyze, and optimize infrastructure performance. Cesium’s ability to integrate IoT data and combine this information with real-time engineering and geospatial data is essential to improving critical infrastructure management. According to the press release, with the integration of Cesium into Bentley’s platform, digital twins can be created that span from vast infrastructure networks to precise details of individual assets, enabling more efficient monitoring of infrastructure health and better decision making.
The Komatsu example is again relevant here, as with the integration of Cesium into Bentley, Komatsu can enrich its digital twins to include engineering models, subsurface data, and real-time data from IoT sensors. This enables a more complete and accurate view of construction projects, resulting in safer and more efficient operations.
Conclusion
During my recent participation in the Year in Infrastructures event, I remember seeing a team of young people, who came from the development of applications for games, who in a test laboratory demonstrated the integration of 3D Tiles into visualization, no longer in the logic that we have seen until now but as streaming.
The acquisition of Cesium by Bentley Systems Komatsu represents a powerful union that expands geospatial 3D visualization and digital twin capabilities in the infrastructure sector. The ability to integrate surface and subsurface data, improve geospatial interaction, optimize performance through the use of open standards such as 3D Tiles, and boost the adoption of digital twins in the context of IoT, offers a robust platform for managing complex infrastructures. This acquisition will not only benefit large companies such as Komatsu, but will also open new opportunities to the entire architecture, engineering, construction and operations industry, providing an essential tool for the digital transformation of infrastructures worldwide.
