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I-model, back to talent

The technological evolution in the computing area is complex, Moore's law has faithfully demonstrated that it will not be possible in two years to use Windows 7 without being seen as prehistoric. AutoCAD 2013 is already playing in the forums and we still have not finished chewing What's New in AutoCAD 2012, Almost everything today is disposable, light, is in the My documents, In the USB, in the mail or even in the cloud.

Unfortunately the speed with which the processes walk, is not always at that rate; This presents a barrier of sustainability because it is very easy to implement a new technology; But it is not as simple to change a regulation or to build a procedure that uses that technology in a uniform way in different offices without that we stick of nose with people closed to the change or policies of resistance by good or bad intention.

Bentley has been showing the theme of I-model (digital twin) for two years, when I remember seeing the matter as a super smoked. Last year I could see something working, and this third year I am satisfied to see a positive stubbornness on the same subject that more than a cliché has a very well thought-out philosophical principle, under the name “Let's get back to talent".

Although Bentley Systems is characterized by -excesivo- creative ingenuity, to the extent of losing usability for users -Not smoked-, it is redeemable, it is not associated with bad practices of taking its users from wave to wave, constantly changing the conventional way of working. We have seen this for years, in the constancy in the dgn format that has hardly changed due to the requirement of 16 to 32 bits, the interface that the user dominates and now the concept of (digital twin) seems to further confirm that philosophy.

Be inspired 2011b

What happens is that the term "Let's get back to talent”Seems not to be consistent with our times. Almost everything is made up -We believe- but many of today's little inventions address our need to do things more efficiently. We have very advanced technologies, and we can communicate with our children on the other side of the world with a simple click on Skype or Whatsapp, We can follow up on a project with TeamViewer, chat with the girlfriend from the mobile, etc. But we have great difficulties to keep our equipment free of viruses, the connection to a wireless with Windows 7 is almost an act of faith and we are completely sure that next year could be more critical.

This happens because the association of consumerism with technological innovation is a pretty fatal marriage. Very little of what we do now with advanced tools we can assure is sustainable in the future 5 years; Although it is the same procedure as 30 years ago. We are also very critical of traditional procedures, forgetting that if they do not exist on paper they will never work in an automated way, and in general we forget the context and question those who smoke the same pipe with another type of tobacco in two UTM areas.

Be inspired 2011b

The graphic above shows the three principles of Bentley's proposal to return to talent. I had a hard time getting Greg to step aside for the photo, but I finally did one that is barely dirty from the monitor panel; schematically shows:

  • The data, taken to digital modeling of real life.
  • The integration of projects, through the confluence of multiple disciplines
  • The management of real objects in connection with modeling.

It will seem fanciful, but it reflects the three products that Bentley hopes to insist on for the next 10 years:

  • Microstation, work table on which different Engineering, Architecture, Construction tools operate. Taking the simple dgn to another level (digital twin) although it is still a dgn but with the embedded enrichment of users of tools such as Bentley Map, Power Civil, Open Plant, or any other that what it does is add alphanumeric attributes to the model.
  • ProjectWise, as a connection tool. Whether on the USB, on the hard drive, on the mobile or in the cloud, it is the way any discipline will interact.
  • AssetWise, as a management tool. This is more recent but it is clearly conceptualized, with it the rules are integrated that take the model back to the field again, constantly reminding us that the shape is just a lying trace of reality and the complex chain an imitation of a floating platform to 15 miles out to sea.

Be inspired 2011bA pity that this bet of Bentley will remain in its users; Unless one of the brothers aspires to be a politician or engages in religious philanthropy. But for those of us who have been observing this way of thinking, we find very valuable learning for multiple disciplines of life; right now I intend to summarize some of that essence with the contextual breeze of Amsterdam:

I find it very interesting, the refreshment of what it means to return to talent; That beyond presenting us canned solutions at the table challenges us to dream about New ways To take advantage of it Magic Lamp. And the fact is that the talent is in what we do with conventional tools, see what the “Damn"The Hoover Dam Bypass can make us forget that the design was made with simple tools such as Microstation, not to mention Expressway Bridge Design in Lu Zhuojun's AutoCAD / Microstation hybrid.

Back to talent means thinking beyond. After 3 years I finally understand with some clarity what they meant by the I-model (digital twin), not because she was an astral stoner but because she was ahead of Charlotte's time in 2008. It's funny –And unusual- the joint work they have done with AutoDesk, in search of the millions of users of the dwg / dxf format, although the gain in the opposite direction is not proportional since the I-model can only be made with Bentley software; neither will AutoCAD users run for Microstation to hear the word hypermodel.

Going back to talent means thinking about the end user.  Who would have thought at that time that a dgn / dwg file could be viewed from the Windows browser or Outlook. But now it is a reality, it is not only possible to see the vector that even Google can, but also to zoom, pan, touch the object, see its attributes, layouts, rotate it in 3D or make it visible individually (isolate). This is because, as he sensed it at that time, Bentley hoped that his dgn file would cease to be a format unknown to the world, and for this he thought of the end user who passes over the pedestrian bridge even if he has no idea how it is calculated the shear at L / 4.

Be inspired 2011b

Returning to talent means insisting on the same goal.  Although the strategies can change, the user must see that we are going to the same place; Just like that failed attempt by Microstation Athens, almost no one noticed and now the improved interface that we have from XM is accepted by its users. Similarly, the insistence on the I-model (digital twin) must be maintained despite the fact that the BIM concept is not yet marketable; but data mobility is now opening doors to popularize the concept, although it will be under another name –I wish and not iBIM, I do not believe because Jobs already died-.

In good time for Bentley Systems, recent acquisitions (Pointools, Raceway, AECOSym) only confirm that they are hell-bent on keeping their users in search of sustainable innovation, for talent. Current alliances with Microsoft, Adobe, and possibly Google in the future will help make a bigger impact.

Be inspired 2011b

Just reiterating what he was saying two years ago: Bentley through the I-model wanted to We accepted the dgn as a popularized pdf. Your software may not arrive at the supermarket, just out of the box, but what seems certain is that the results generated with your product will be able to be seen by anyone who understands the real world.

Golgi Alvarez

Writer, researcher, specialist in Land Management Models. He has participated in the conceptualization and implementation of models such as: National Property Administration System SINAP in Honduras, Management Model of Joint Municipalities in Honduras, Integrated Cadastre-Registry Management Model in Nicaragua, Territory Administration System SAT in Colombia . Editor of the Geofumadas knowledge blog since 2007 and creator of the AulaGEO Academy that includes more than 100 courses on GIS - CAD - BIM - Digital Twins topics.

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