Platform on civil engineering, underground infrastructure, energy, construction equipment & construction machinery
Sensors that monitor overpasses 24/7, algorithms that automatically recognize damages, drones that perform inspection flights. New technology is radically changing the asset manager's profession. And these smart solutions are desperately needed, observes Dennis Jansen consulting group manager Asset Management at engineering and consulting firm Antea Group.
In mid-2022, Antea Group - together with Arcadis and Movares - took part in a round-table discussion with the Lower House about the replacement task. Jansen: "In it, we outlined that the Netherlands has one of the best infrastructural networks in the world. But, that much of that infra was built between World War II and the 1990s. This is now coming of age and showing defects. Its availability is coming under pressure and with it our prosperity."
After decades of focusing on new construction, the emphasis is shifting to the maintenance and management and replacement and renovation of existing infrastructure. Jansen: "Then we are talking about thousands of assets that we have to deal with. Not only does this require a billion-dollar investment and the involvement of many organizations, it also demands knowledge of people. This while we are already short of qualified subject specialists."
In the roundtable discussion, the engineering firms stressed the importance of new solutions and perspectives. Jansen: "How do you as policymakers, users and managers make the smartest possible use of your money and capacity? What ambitions and risks do you want to manage? Are we still going to assess bridges and viaducts in purely theoretical terms, or are we going to look at what their function is and what minimum requirements are necessary for that?"
In addition, new technology is going to be crucial. Jansen: "Antea Group is busy developing these new concepts. The Smart Bridge is a great example of this. In Leeuwarden, we equipped a viaduct with sensors to measure and predict its actual residual life span based on real-time information. Right now we know that the viaduct has a longer lifespan than theoretically expected. Every year that the municipality can maintain this viaduct longer saves a substantial amount of money. Besides savings, the goal is also to gain better insight. With this insight, replacement and renovation can be spread out more."
Automatic Damage Image Recognition (Winner of the Vernufteling 2021) is another such concept that - together with various authorities - is already being experimented with. For example, at the railroad bridge near Weesp. Jansen: "Here we used an inspection drone to visualize the construction. Within 48 hours, an algorithm assessed all 10,000 images for damages such as corrosion, degradation and coating problems. These were then put into a 3D model (digital twin) of the bridge. A consultant then prepared a consulting report based on this data."
This approach shortens the inspection process from an average of four weeks to two weeks and increases the quality of the inspection process. But the biggest gain is in the deployment of the specialist. "For example, he no longer has to go through all the damage images one by one, but can focus on his analysis and solutions thanks to the preliminary work of the algorithm. In short, you put your consulting power where it adds value. The hours you save can be put back into another project."
Several Smart Solutions have now outgrown the pilot phase. The main task now is to build up the evidence base and convince managers that these are reliable alternatives. Jansen: "It's great that we are given the space to put new applications into practice with clients. Because, where management knowledge, IT and data science meet, there is still an awful lot to be gained."
