Seeing the invisible: from imagined to virtual urban landscapes

Urban ecosystems consist of infrastructure features working together to provide services for inhabitants. Infrastructure functions akin to an ecosystem, having dynamic relationships and interdependencies. However, with age, urban infrastructure can deteriorate and stop functioning. Additional pressures on infrastructure include urbanizing populations and a changing climate that exposes vulnerabilities. To manage the urban infrastructure ecosystem in a modernizing world, urban planners need to integrate a coordinated management plan for these co-located and dependent infrastructure features. To implement such a management practice, an improved method for communicating how these infrastructure features interact is needed. This study aims to define urban infrastructure as a system, identify the systematic barriers preventing implementation of a more coordinated management model, and develop a virtual reality tool to provide visualization of the spatial system dynamics of urban infrastructure. Data was collected from a stakeholder workshop that highlighted a lack of appreciation for the system dynamics of urban infrastructure. An urban ecology VR model was created to highlight the interconnectedness of infrastructure features. VR proved to be useful for communicating spatial information to urban stakeholders about the complexities of infrastructure ecology and the interactions between infrastructure features.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2019.102559Published versio

Communicating Augmented Reality Devices Improving Technology Acceptance Among Electric Utility Field Workers

Augmented Reality (AR) is very useful for many different fields and purposes such as entertainment, education, military, navigation, industrial, or electric utility. Electric utilities find use in AR due to the flexibility of location and the real-time information sharing with visuals to keep employees safe and efficient. This exploratory study investigated the use of infographic templates as a way to introduce this new technology to line workers in the electric utility field. Infographics were used as a way to prime workers to be more aware of the technology and its possible uses as well as usefulness. Through the use of Communication Accommodation Theory and the Technology Acceptance Model, the researcher found evidence indicating that presenting information in a clear and interesting way increased electric utility workers desire to adopt the new technology through perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness (Davis, Bagozzi & Warshaw, 1989)

Implementation of Visualization and Modeling Technologies for Transportation Construction

State departments of transportation (DOTs) increasingly use visualization and modeling technologies for delivering transportation projects across the United States. Advanced and innovative technologies have the ability to improve various construction processes and tasks while making the construction process more efficient and productive. Visualization and modeling technologies, which include building information modeling for infrastructure, light detection and ranging, virtual reality, and augmented reality, are becoming more commonplace in transportation construction. Yet, the use of these technologies varies among state DOTs. The intent of this study is to investigate the use of visualization and modeling technologies for transportation construction. This study employed a triangulation research methodology including an extensive literature review, survey questionnaire of DOTs, and seven case studies. Results of the study show that 92% of state DOTs use visualization and modeling technologies for construction. Then, 81% of DOTs use visualization and modeling technologies for constructability reviews, 38% use them for documentation of as-builts and simulating bridge and structure construction, and 35% use them for quality management, inspections, and monitoring progress of work. The main barriers to using visualization and modeling technologies include legal concerns with using digital models as contract documents, incompatibilities in software and hardware between the DOTs and contracted parties, and the appropriate knowledge, skills, and abilities required to use visualization and modeling technologies for construction. The findings from this study provides valuable information for state DOTs to approach their implementation and use of visualization and modeling technologies for transportation construction delivery. &nbsp

Technology capabilities for an automated and connected earthwork roadmap

Purpose: The development of communication and artificial intelligence technologies has raised interest in connectivity and increased autonomy of automated earthmoving equipment for earthwork. These changes are motivating work to reduce uncertainties, in terms of improving equipment object detection capability and reducing strikes and accidents on site. The purpose of this study is to illustrate industrial drivers for automated earthwork systems; identify the specific capabilities which make the transformation happen; and finally determine use cases that create value for the system. These three objectives act as components of a technology roadmap for automated and connected earthwork and can guide development of new products and services. Design/methodology/approach: This paper used a text mining approach in which the required data was captured through a structured literature review, and then expert knowledge was used for verification of the results. Findings: Automated and connected earthwork can enhance construction site and its embraced infrastructure, resilience by avoiding human faults during operations. Automating the monitoring process can lead to reliable anticipation of problems and facilitate real-time responses to unexpected situation via connectedness capabilities. Research findings are presented in three sections: industrial perspectives, trends and drivers for automated and connected earthwork; capabilities which are met by technologies; and use cases to demonstrate different capabilities. Originality/value: This study combines the results of disintegrated and fragmented research in the area of automated and connected earthwork and categorises them under new capability levels. The identified capabilities are classified in three main categories including reliable environmental perception, single equipment decision-making toward safe outcomes and fleet-level safety enhancement. Finally, four different levels of automation are proposed for earthwork technology roadmap

Analysis of Portugal´s macroenvironment in the view of digital transformation of smes using the peste framework - exploration of technological factors

The digital transformation has revolutionized entire sectors in recent years. Yet, SMEs struggle to successfully implement such profound organizational transformations, endangering their competitiveness in the long term. Scholars study internal, company-related factors almost exclusively, whereas external factors are sparsely considered. Therefore, this thesis applies the PESTE framework to investigate external factors affecting the digital transformation of Portuguese SMEs. The following section explores technological factors (knowledge transfer and digital infrastructure and connectivity) in Portugal, analyzing the external environment on SMEs' digital transformation. Based on these findings, recommendations were developed, including interdisciplinary data collection processes, innovation hubs, tailored training, and trust seal

Innovative Approaches to 3D GIS Modeling for Volumetric and Geoprocessing Applications in Subsurface Infrastructures in a Virtual Immersive Environment

As subsurface features remain largely ‘out of sight, out of mind’, this has led to challenges when dealing with underground space and infrastructures and especially so for those working in GIS. Since subsurface infrastructure plays a major role in supporting the needs of modern society, groups such as city planners and utility companies and decision makers are looking for an ‘holistic’ approach where the sustainable use of underground space is as important as above ground space. For such planning and management, it is crucial to examine subsurface data in a form that is amenable to 3D mapping and that can be used for increasingly sophisticated 3D modeling. The subsurface referred to in this study focuses particularly on examples of both shallow and deep underground infrastructures. In the case of shallow underground infrastructures mostly two-dimensional maps are used in the management and planning of these features. Depth is a very critical component of underground infrastructures that is difficult to represent in a 2D map and for this reason these are best studied in three-dimensional space. In this research, the capability of 3D GIS technology and immersive geography are explored for the storage, management, analysis, and visualization of shallow and deep subsurface features

Decision-making in Software Evaluation: like to, want to and have to

This paper presents findings from three participative case studies in the selection of a Remote Assistance application. The needs for a Remote Assistance application were different: vanity project, commercial pressure, COVID-19 imposed travel bans. The case organisations had different motivations, different evaluation approaches and different decision flows. However, none of the organisations followed the formally described approaches of criteria definition, criteria ranking, score calculation and decision. The studies show chaotic and iterative processes which are influenced by participants’ attitudes and humours more than by formal procedures and business-school teachings. The motivations for IT-use appear to influence the decisions more than the (in-)formality of the evaluation process. The paper concludes with a discussion of the findings and proposals for further research

GIS and Augmented Reality applied to Field Service made available to digital multiutilities

Workforce Management is a business sector that can definitely benefit from the use of new technologies. Nevertheless, the innovation process had so far been slowed down by the considerable number of resources operating on field and by the risks involved with equipping them with mobile consumer devices (they would surely end up breaking, loosing, stealing …). In the last couple of years, a handful of visionary ICT companies, backed by far-sighted customers, decided to revert the conservative trend and introduce up-to-date technology, thus advancing innovation in the WFM process. As a result, technicians have been provided with mobile consumer devices (iPad, smartphones, …) and wearables (smart glasses, smartphones, …). Furthermore, Augmented Reality and GIS capabilities have been integrated in the mobile APP to offer the maximum support possible when on field. Indoor and outdoor positioning and navigation, off-road navigation, shape recognition, drones, and new frontiers such as Microsoft HoloLens, Kinect and Google Tango, are the near future of mobile technology. Beside the revolution undergone by field technologies, sophisticated scheduling Geoalgorithms have been added server side, in order to optimize the agenda of technicians, as well as amazing GIS tools and connectors to main ERPs and CRMs (e.g. SAP, IBM Maximo, Salesforce Dynamics, …). The purpose of the present paper is to outline the state of the art of the aforementioned technologies applied to WFM and made available to utilities. A case history of Italgas and the project GAStoGO is also included

Light Water Reactor Sustainability Program Advance

Reliable instrumentation, information, and contro