Information Management and the Challenges Faced in Construction

When discussing Information Management, it’s worth starting with what is included under the umbrella term, in the Architectural, Engineering, Construction and Owner/Operator (AECO) industry.

Information management in construction touches upon the collecting, organising, and disseminating information related to a construction project. This information can include design plans, cost estimates, and schedules. It also covers data generated during construction, such as progress reports and quality control data. During the operational phase, Information Management encompasses project approval documentation; contracts, agreements, facilities operations, as well as property management information.

Effective Information Management is critical for ensuring that all stakeholders have access to the information they need, to make informed decisions as well as reduce the risk of errors and delays on a construction project.

The term is sometimes interchangeably used alongside BIM Management, but there are significant differences between the two. BIM management is a subset of information management, but it specifically focuses on the 3D digital model of the building and the data associated with it. On the other hand, information management encompasses all the information related to a construction project, including but not limited to BIM.

So, what are the gaps we want to highlight?

The construction industry has faced several challenges in recent years. Some of the most notable include:

Labour Shortage

Due to the impacts of Brexit and an aging workforce, the construction industry needs more young people to enter the sector. BIM / Information Managers have increasingly been changing jobs, putting pressure on companies who lose their knowledge and skillset. Thus, leading to increased competition for skilled workers and higher labour costs. Therefore, buying in expertise as needed starts to become a very viable option.

Increasing Costs

The overall cost of materials and labour has been rising, resulting in more difficulties for construction companies to compete and remain profitable. Additionally, there’s an increasing demand for more sustainable, energy-efficient, smart buildings - which consequences in a higher price tag overall.

Delays and Budgets Overrun

Construction projects often need more time and budgets overrun, making costs increase and overall profitability decreased. That is due to factors such as changes in the scope of the project, lack of proper planning and other unforeseeable outcomes.

Lack of Productivity

The industry continues to heavily rely on manual labour and manual processes, and there is a lack of technology integration in many projects. Additionally, with training quite often seen as a “nice to have”, finding more efficient and new ways of working will be missed, contributing to further productivity issues.

Complex regulatory and legal environment

The construction industry is heavily regulated. Compliance with various codes, laws and standards can be both complex and time-consuming. Despite the benefits, this can lead to added delays and costs.

Climate change and Natural Disaster

Climate change is also a challenge faced, causing increased natural disasters such as floods, droughts, and hurricanes, damaging construction sites, and delaying project progress.

The above list is not exhaustive but shows the main issues the industry has been encountering lately. Majority of these can be dealt with the use of effective Information Management. As the process helps with planning, relocating and effectively using all the resources involved in the venture.

How can Symetri help you?

Symetri offers BIM consulting services, software solutions and training courses which help our clients use Information Management effectively. Working with us can be the first step to addressing the lack of productivity and bridging the gap in a labour shortage.

Our multinational BIM consulting team are experienced in all stages of projects on a worldwide scale, and can support you with:

-       BIM Standards, methods and procedures

-       BIM Management documentation

-       BIM documentation peer review

-       Digital implementation and BIM strategy development

-       Or we can even be part of your team for one or several projects that you need support on.

If you would like to discuss your requirements or any of our BIM Consulting services, please contact us to see how we can help by calling us on 0345 370 1444 or emailing info@symetri.co.uk.

 

INFODRAINAGE STANDARD VS ULTIMATE

A drainage design software platform called InfoDrainage makes it possible to create Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS), Green Infrastructure, and traditional drainage systems. Both storm and foul networks are supported, permitting 1D and 2D simulations of multiple storms simultaneously.

InfoDrainage comes in two distinct tiers: Standard and Ultimate. InfoDrainage Ultimate offers all the features of the Standard edition in addition to 2D analysis and integration with Civil 3D. These features are discussed in this blog, along with some of the restrictions of the Standard version and, if available, any alternative workflows.

2D ANALYSIS

INFODRAINAGE ULTIMATE

A 2D analysis that shows the depth and speed of the exceedance flows in a plan view can be used to assess the flood danger to property or people during an extreme event.

INFODRAINAGE STANDARD

InfoDrainage Ultimate is the only product that offers this functionality.

CIVIL 3D INTEGRATION

INFODRAINAGE ULTIMATE

Using a special ribbon, which is available for Civil 3D 2020 and later versions; pipe networks, surfaces, and catchments from Civil 3D can be easily exported to InfoDrainage. Parts mapping can be used to choose the InfoDrainage connections and junctions that will substitute the Civil 3D pipes and structures after the network has been exported from Civil 3D as a storm or foul network. If there are numerous iterations between InfoDrainage and Civil 3D, this mapping will be remembered, and templates of this correlation can also be saved for use in other drawings.

In Civil 3D, the import procedure can build a new pipe network or update an existing one, making it easier to synchronise any changes made to the design. If the network in InfoDrainage includes any elements (such as ponds, swales, cellular storage, or open channels) without an equivalent structure or pipe in Civil 3D, those elements will be included in Civil 3D using polylines, feature lines, corridors, and surfaces. Multiple barrel connections are also supported and will appear in Civil 3D as multiple pipes.

INFODRAINAGE STANDARD

InfoDrainage Standard does not include a dedicated ribbon in Civil 3D. Although some InfoDrainage objects can be transferred using an intermediate file format, like AutoCAD, LandXML, or a shape file, it is frequently necessary to manually update and even model those objects in Civil 3D. Additionally, the Standard edition of Civil 3D only allows for manual updating of Civil 3D items (such as pipe diameters or slopes).

Using the Standard version necessitates exporting each object from Civil 3D to an intermediary file format and then importing that file from InfoDrainage, whereas the Ultimate version will export all the objects (pipe networks, surfaces, and catchments) and their properties simultaneously.

For pipe networks and surfaces, it is possible to use the LandXML format. A small inconvenience is that the Pipe and Structure names differ slightly between Civil 3D and InfoDrainage (e.g., "MH1" in Civil 3D vs. "MH1 (SWS)" in InfoDrainage, with "SWS" standing for the network name. Exporting to a CAD format is an option if LandXML does not produce the desired outcomes for the pipe network. This will result in the pipe network being exported to AutoCAD as a 2D polyline, requiring the creation of the pipe network in Civil 3D and the manual entry of the appropriate levels, pipe, and structure sizes.

InfoDrainage Standard does not allow straight import of civil 3D catchments. The Civil 3D model must be exported to an AutoCAD format prior to importing the catchments from that file. Since the catchments will be generated in InfoDrainage from polylines, the catchment names and runoff coefficients must be manually edited to match the values of the Civil 3D catchments.

It is possible to create new objects or change existing ones when importing an InfoDrainage file into a Civil 3D drawing that already exists. The diameters, slopes, and other dimensions of current pipes and structures can all be updated using this. A Civil 3D network can be modified to match the InfoDrainage file by adding new branches or removing old ones. This is not feasible with the Standard version; you would have to manually compare the two networks to look for those changes.

Similar to how you would export them, pipe networks and surfaces can be imported into Civil 3D using the LandXML file. The LandXML file does not contain stormwater controls (such as ponds, swales, cellular storage, etc.) or non-pipe connections (such as channels), so they must be imported separately. They can be imported as 2D polylines from Civil 3D using a shape file. The objects would then need to be modelled using Civil 3D tools. They are brought immediately as 3D objects using feature lines and surfaces by the InfoDrainage Ultimate ribbon.

Using a shape file, catchments can be imported into Civil 3D as 2D polylines. You then need to create each catchment from a polyline, rename them, assign a structure, and update the runoff coefficient using the values from InfoDrainage.

This video provides a quick comparison of these tasks performed in InfoDrainage Standard and Ultimate, or just in InfoDrainage Ultimate if no other workflows are available for the Standard version.

 

Do you need more help in Civil 3D? Take a look at our wide range of Civil 3D courses here. Alternatively, please do not hesitate to contact SYMETRI  on 0345 370 1444 or email us at info@symetri.com for more information.