Platform on civil engineering, underground infrastructure, energy, construction equipment & construction machinery
Not least because of the introduction of three major changes from the central government that are intended to ensure that the construction and infra sector will work differently and deal better with integral challenges. Reason for GOconnectIT and Geodan to join forces as companies and use high-end geo-IT solutions to take the infrastructure sector to version 2.0 in order to meet all the challenges.
"The Dutch government and implementing organizations have always led the way in mapping the subsurface," says Bert Scholten, director of Geodan. "Moreover, from 2010 something special happened in which the Netherlands is internationally the only one: the Basisregistratie Ondergrond (BRO). The contracting industry has been obliged to use the BRO for large infrastructure works since January 1, 2021. As Geodan, we are experts in analyzing that data for the specific applications. GOconnectIT, in turn, ensures that that data is available in the right place at the right time. Make use of that," is our advice. Edwin van Rooijen, director of GOconnectIT, adds: "Various road construction projects have been halted in the past because of issues that could have been prevented the moment the BRO was consulted."
Another challenge the infrastructure sector has to "deal with" is the CROW 500 guideline on careful digging. Van Rooijen: "This guideline is about preventing excavation damage to cables and pipes and has been in force since 2017. However, it was not enforced to give the sector time to implement the guideline. From Jan. 1, 2022, it will be actively enforced. This will oblige groundworkers, network operators and public space managers, among others, to gather information about the subsurface and underground assets in advance, assess risks, and so on. Many parties are not yet aware of exactly what is going to happen to them. Again, this requires data to be able to do automated analyses, so that fewer damages are made during execution and smarter and safer work can be done."
The third aspect that affects the (underground) infrastructure is the Digital System for the Environment Act (DSO), especially focused on licensing and supervision. According to Bert, it is the biggest change in the law since World War II that also affects a lot of things. "It centralizes all permit counters. The legislation will not take effect until July 1 next year, but it can already have an impact on the preparation of large infrastructure projects."
GOconnectIT has incredible domain knowledge with many specialists in the infrastructure sector. "Since 2010, we have greatly accelerated companies active in underground infrastructure by bringing tablets to the market and in the field to optimize processes and work smarter and safer," says Edwin. "Geodan in turn is the specialist in the Netherlands in the field of data and advanced technology in various sectors. They can work magic with data and combine it with techniques such as 3D, VR, AR, AI and machine learning. By joining forces, we can bring both technology and data to the contracting industry to meet all future challenges as well as comply with legislation. Without technology and data, we are not going to be able to handle the societal task we need to tackle. Innovation is crucial."
