Bentley Case Studies Atkins Leverages OpenGround Cloud for Efficient Geotechnical Information Management

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	Atkins Leverages OpenGround Cloud for Efficient Geotechnical Information Management Bentley

Atkins Leverages OpenGround Cloud for Efficient Geotechnical Information Management

Bentley

Technology Category	Application Infrastructure & Middleware - Data Exchange & Integration Application Infrastructure & Middleware - Middleware, SDKs & Libraries
Applicable Industries	Aerospace Cement
Applicable Functions	Product Research & Development
Use Cases	Construction Management Inventory Management
Services	Cloud Planning, Design & Implementation Services System Integration
Challenge	Atkins, a multinational engineering and consulting services company, faced a significant challenge in managing geotechnical data across its diverse projects. The geotechnical team at Atkins used multiple technologies and applications that needed to work in harmony. The company needed to provide timely, detailed, and engaging analysis and deliverables to its clients, making geotechnical technology and data integration, as well as proper project workflows, crucial for efficiency and quality of service. To assess ground conditions, Atkins used Bentley’s OpenGround Cloud and established a detailed geographic information system using QGIS or ArcGIS. However, the process of manually exporting the geotechnical project data from OpenGround Cloud and importing it into QGIS or ArcGIS in the form of multiple CSV files was time-consuming and prone to errors. Read More
About Customer	Atkins is a multinational engineering, design, planning, project management, and consulting services company based in London, UK. As part of the SNC-Lavalin Group, Atkins is one of the world’s most respected design, engineering, and project management consultancies, offering services ranging from civil and construction to aerospace. In 2016, Atkins was the UK’s largest engineering consultancy and the world’s 11th largest design firm. It employed approximately 18,000 people in 300 offices across 29 countries, with projects in over 150 countries. Atkins is also a leading international provider of geotechnical consultancy services with a geotechnical team of more than 300 professionals. The company has an impressive portfolio of prestigious and diverse geotechnical projects worldwide across its three geotechnical divisions: tunneling and underground space, energy geotechnics and specialist services, and infrastructure geotechnics. Read More
Solution	To address these challenges, Atkins turned to Bentley’s OpenGround Cloud technology, which the geotechnical team had previously used for querying data at various scales. The team specified a project in the cloud that is automatically linked via the API and ingested into an existing GIS system. Users could then log in within QGIS or ArcGIS to perform GIS analysis of the geotechnical project data. This data could be robustly queried, assessed, and enriched collaboratively across multiple practices with existing GIS processes and services. Integration with other Bentley geotechnical BIM technologies like PLAXIS® allowed for similarly integrated connections via the PLAXIS API to automatically import borehole data ahead of numerical analysis. Data could also be written to the OpenGround Cloud where applicable. Read More Log in to view content
Contents

Technology Category

Application Infrastructure & Middleware - Data Exchange & Integration

Application Infrastructure & Middleware - Middleware, SDKs & Libraries

Applicable Industries

Aerospace

Cement

Applicable Functions

Product Research & Development

Use Cases

Construction Management

Inventory Management

Services

Cloud Planning, Design & Implementation Services

System Integration

Challenge

Atkins, a multinational engineering and consulting services company, faced a significant challenge in managing geotechnical data across its diverse projects. The geotechnical team at Atkins used multiple technologies and applications that needed to work in harmony. The company needed to provide timely, detailed, and engaging analysis and deliverables to its clients, making geotechnical technology and data integration, as well as proper project workflows, crucial for efficiency and quality of service. To assess ground conditions, Atkins used Bentley’s OpenGround Cloud and established a detailed geographic information system using QGIS or ArcGIS. However, the process of manually exporting the geotechnical project data from OpenGround Cloud and importing it into QGIS or ArcGIS in the form of multiple CSV files was time-consuming and prone to errors.

About Customer

Atkins is a multinational engineering, design, planning, project management, and consulting services company based in London, UK. As part of the SNC-Lavalin Group, Atkins is one of the world’s most respected design, engineering, and project management consultancies, offering services ranging from civil and construction to aerospace. In 2016, Atkins was the UK’s largest engineering consultancy and the world’s 11th largest design firm. It employed approximately 18,000 people in 300 offices across 29 countries, with projects in over 150 countries. Atkins is also a leading international provider of geotechnical consultancy services with a geotechnical team of more than 300 professionals. The company has an impressive portfolio of prestigious and diverse geotechnical projects worldwide across its three geotechnical divisions: tunneling and underground space, energy geotechnics and specialist services, and infrastructure geotechnics.

Solution

To address these challenges, Atkins turned to Bentley’s OpenGround Cloud technology, which the geotechnical team had previously used for querying data at various scales. The team specified a project in the cloud that is automatically linked via the API and ingested into an existing GIS system. Users could then log in within QGIS or ArcGIS to perform GIS analysis of the geotechnical project data. This data could be robustly queried, assessed, and enriched collaboratively across multiple practices with existing GIS processes and services. Integration with other Bentley geotechnical BIM technologies like PLAXIS® allowed for similarly integrated connections via the PLAXIS API to automatically import borehole data ahead of numerical analysis. Data could also be written to the OpenGround Cloud where applicable.

Impact #1	The integration of geotechnical data into the OpenGround Cloud common data environment enabled Atkins’ team to collaborate across multidiscipline teams at a project level. By dynamically linking OpenGround Cloud to their existing GIS teams using the Web API, geotechnical engineers gained an accessible database for work-in-progress GIS mapping together with geotechnical constraints from other project teams such as ecology, heritage, and contaminated land. This approach allowed Atkins’ geotechnical engineers to use best practices in GIS data management and visualization and collaborate more effectively across the organization and its partners. Additionally, the ability to rapidly query and assess GIS enhanced geotechnical data at various scales across multiple projects offered further benefits.

Impact #1

The integration of geotechnical data into the OpenGround Cloud common data environment enabled Atkins’ team to collaborate across multidiscipline teams at a project level. By dynamically linking OpenGround Cloud to their existing GIS teams using the Web API, geotechnical engineers gained an accessible database for work-in-progress GIS mapping together with geotechnical constraints from other project teams such as ecology, heritage, and contaminated land. This approach allowed Atkins’ geotechnical engineers to use best practices in GIS data management and visualization and collaborate more effectively across the organization and its partners. Additionally, the ability to rapidly query and assess GIS enhanced geotechnical data at various scales across multiple projects offered further benefits.

Benefit #1	Lowered project and geotechnical risks through the use of OpenGround Cloud
Benefit #2	Improved tender design to consider a wider range of site properties, reducing ground-related risk
Benefit #3	More effective planning of ground investigations, leading to cost reductions

Benefit #1

Lowered project and geotechnical risks through the use of OpenGround Cloud

Benefit #2

Improved tender design to consider a wider range of site properties, reducing ground-related risk

Benefit #3

More effective planning of ground investigations, leading to cost reductions

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Overview

Atkins Leverages OpenGround Cloud for Efficient Geotechnical Information Management

Operational Impact

Quantitative Benefit