Bentley Systems, Incorporated, a leading global provider of software solutions for advancing infrastructure, announced AssetWise CONNECT Edition. The CONNECT Editions of AssetWise and ProjectWise provide and share a connected data environment, upgrading a common data environment to fully realize the BIM potential of digital engineering models, created during CAPEX, for continuous benefits throughout the OPEX lifecycle. A connected data environment is vital to infrastructure advancement because CAPEX projects are repeatedly necessitated throughout the TOTEX service life of infrastructure assets to sustain their fitness for purpose—and the continuity of digital engineering models, as their “digital DNA”, can be a key enabler. Such a connected data environment, therefore, advances the convergence of engineering technologies (ET) with information technologies (IT) and operational technologies (OT).
During the Conference keynote by CEO Greg Bentley, the full span of the completed CONNECT Edition was underscored by invited presenters. Ray O’Connor, CEO of Topcon Positioning Group, demonstrated constructioneering, connecting engineers with surveyors and constructors through joint cloud services offerings. Jacques Lubetzki, executive vice president, Europe Zone, Bureau Veritas, then introduced inspectioneering, for engineers to contribute virtually to operations safety and asset integrity. Finally, David Epp, director Global ISV Alliances of Microsoft, described ongoing initiatives within its enabling Azure stack, including “cognitive services” which could be applied dynamically for infrastructure operational intelligence. Such unprecedented BIM advancements have become possible because Bentley’s connected data environment can make the information within digital engineering models secure, open, and live.
AssetWise CONNECT Edition
To uniquely enable comprehensive asset performance, AssetWise CONNECT Edition’s asset lifecycle information management services robustly support the capabilities previously offered separately through:
- eB;
- Exor;
- Optram;
- InspectTech;
- SUPERLOAD;
- APM (formerly Ivara); and
- Amulet.
AssetWise offerings are already utilized by 25 of the 50 largest Bentley Infrastructure 500 Top Owners, ranked globally by their net infrastructure value.
AssetWise CONNECT Edition’s connected data environment is made possible by the technologies now in common between design, construction, and operations work: intrinsic 3D geocoordination, accelerated by advances such as Bentley’s reality modeling; engineering precision; self-describing data; information mobility; and work process automation. Accordingly, information maintained through AssetWise CONNECT Edition inherently understands and can act upon its:
- Geospatial context;
- Reality context;
- Network and linear context;
- Digital engineering model context
- change integrity context;
- Reliability context;
- Enterprise IT context; and
- Lifecycle context.
AssetWise CONNECT Edition helps owner-operators manage their infrastructure assets for engineering integrity, compliance, and performance modeling, through these new subscription offerings, sized based on the scope of assets covered:
- Asset Lifecycle Information Management: providing structured control of asset information and managed change throughout the asset lifecycle;
- Asset Reliability: reducing risk associated with asset failure through proactive inspection and maintenance programs and smarter decisions for improved asset reliability, integrity, and performance;
- Operational Analytics: automating better operational decisions with data mining, aggregation, and calculation tools for right-time predictions and actions; and
- Enterprise Interoperability: facilitating the interoperation of multiple data sources for visibility of mission-critical asset information.
CONNECT Edition’s Comprehensive Modeling Environment: Applications
At The Year in Infrastructure 2015 Conference, MicroStation CONNECT Edition and Navigator CONNECT Edition applications were introduced. CONNECT Edition applications advance schema consistency and incorporate MicroStation CONNECT Edition innovations such as functional components and cross-discipline Documentation Center, for unprecedented intraoperability.
During 2016, a stream of CONNECT Editions of design, analytical, construction, and reality modeling applications have been released including AutoPipe, Descartes, Pointools, gINT, RM, LARS, SACS, MOSES, MAXSURF, SITEOPS, STAAD, and RAM. OpenRoads ConceptStation was introduced earlier this year, and OpenRoads Designer CONNECT Edition was announced at
The Conference. CONNECT Editions of AECOsim Building Designer, MineCycle, Promis.e, OpenUtilities, and OpenPlant, during the first half of 2017, will complete the cycle.
CONNECT Edition applications and services will be accessed by each user through Bentley’s new Connection Center, with personalized project profiles, “playbooks,” and dashboards. Significantly, Connection Center takes full advantage of Azure cloud services to enable a spectrum of new “just-in-time” personalized services from Bentley software and engineering experts and to assure that CONNECT Edition applications are always up to date.
ProjectWise CONNECT Edition and Commercial Innovations
ProjectWise for worksharing is already used by 44 of the 50 largest, and by 355 of the 641 Engineering News-Record Top Design Firms globally. ProjectWise CONNECT Edition, introduced at The Year in Infrastructure 2015 Conference, leverages Azure cloud services to extend its BIM-enabling Collaboration Center capabilities for comprehensive project delivery beyond organizations and users of on-premises servers. To date in 2017, Azure-provisioned ProjectWise and AssetWise services have achieved availability service levels above 99.8 percent.
CONNECT Edition servers are “UNLIMITED,” with no licensing charges for those either Azure-provisioned, deployed on-premises, or in any hybrid combination. ProjectWise services are instead charged for the value generated through their “consumption,” based on actual usage determined after every calendar quarter. Each unique user is charged for a Passport, which “universally” entitles access to, and usage of, connected environment data, including through “apps” for issue resolution, submittal and/or transmittal of deliverables, dashboard visibility, and more. Users may also be charged in a quarter for Visas to the extent of their actual usage of additional functionality. Accordingly, ProjectWise user organizations no longer bear fixed costs and charges are aligned with realized BIM outcomes.
At the Conference, Bentley introduced new ProjectWise CONNECT Edition cloud services for organizations seeking to institutionalize BIM advancements, purposefully propagating best practices in “going digital” through shared resources:
- Automation Center for standardizing repeatable workflows and deliverables;
- Components Center to share catalogs and to accumulate intelligence across design, fabrication, asset registry, and reliability experience; and
- Optioneering Center for leveraging parallel computing resources, including for cross-discipline design and analytical scenarios and insights.
ProjectWise CONNECT Edition Visas include:
- Design Integration Visa (work-sharing and integration workflows, to include Automation and Components);
- BIM Review Visa (including Navigator Clash Resolution, Schedule Simulation);
- BIM Standards Management Visa (to define standard workflow templates, Automation, Components, Forms);
- Optioneering Visa;
- Construction Management Visa (EADOC);
- Advanced Work Packaging Visa (ConstructSim); and
- Completions Visa (asset commissioning and handover).
Through Success Plans, Bentley Systems’ expert professionals can be virtually dedicated, through Azure cloud services, to ensure service levels:
- Enterprise Success Plans assign to Bentley responsibility for ProjectWise and/or AssetWise system administration and project provisioning;
- Project (or Business Unit) Success Plans virtually embed Bentley BIM and application experts, engineering-credentialed, to introduce and propagate BIM advancements, which can include leveraging Automation Center, Components Center, and Optioneering Center.
Uniquely, Success Plan services are also charged at the end of each quarter, per actual user covered.
Bentley’s Cloud Service Subscription program, a supplement to Bentley’s SELECT Subscription or Enterprise License Subscription, which are for desktop applications, uniquely enables “consumption-based” charges to work within predictable budgeting—without any “use-it-or-lose-it” risk. An annual Cloud Service Subscription contract value payment can be flexibly applied after each quarter to cover Passport, Visa, Term License, and/or Success Plan charges incurred, with any balance carried forward indefinitely.
