Infrakit OFFICE™ – Version 3.6.1

Infrakit OFFICE™ – Version 3.6.1

Highlights
SokoPro–Infrakit integration

We are pleased to announce the integration between Infrakit and Sokopro. The wish of the integration came originally from customers in order to improve information flow between the two software companies.

The integration has been successful and is now available to all of our customers. According to Fernando Korpi, Development Manager from SokoPro: “the biggest benefits of the integration are increased efficiency and transparency in data management and to make our customers’ day-to-day work easier.”

“As a result of the integration, we hope for a long and fruitful cooperation with Infrakit in the future”, tells Fernando Korpi.

SokoPro is a cloud service for data management, sharing and archiving. All the prestigious construction companies and real estate developers are using SokoPro for data management in Finland.

Faster cross-sections

On big sites, where Infrakit is used also as project data hub, the users have experienced system being slow. Actionsare now taken as new cross section tool optimizes the amount of data it uses for calculation of cross-sections. Nowthe speed of the view is not depending on project size, rather the amount of models user have selected to view.

Watch a video here.

User configurable as-built table

User can now change the order of as–built table columns like explained on video below.

Watch a video here.

Model elevation

Activate the terrain models on map and right click on top of the model. The elevation of the active models on that spot is displayed on pop-up menu. Note that it might take couple of seconds.

Watch a video here.

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Strabag visit in Finland

Strabag visit in Finland

Infrakit Group Oy welcomed a delegation From Strabag AG in our office and for a site visit to Destia on the Vt12 project near Lahti.

After the experience of working on two pilot projects with Infrakit, Strabag AG expressed the need for a visit in Finland, which took place on 11th and 12th November. We started with a great dinner on Sunday evening and had a great exchange of information on Monday at our office in Espoo. Strabag explained the systems they have created for the bidding phase of big projects. Furthermore, we showed them more what improvement can be done in design phase and on site.

On Tuesday it was time to visit the worksite of Destia to hear from Harri Taina how he is using Infrakit on his sites and why. Strabag considered this as very useful information and we will take this into the next project together.

Jan Van der Brandt
December 19, 2019

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New 3D view in Infrakit

New 3D view in Infrakit

Collaboration in 3D visualization of Infrakit

The 3D collaboration model of Infrakit allows the client, the designer and the builders to visualize design files and review them in design and site meetings. The cutting and measuring functions provide tools for verifying interoperability of multi-discipline design. With 3D collaboration model available in browser, the client can monitor progress of the work and lead the design and construction projects while keeping the entity well under control. How does the new 3D view differ from its predecessor?

Our 3D view has been completely redesigned, and the new version provides better performance, free zooming for different levels of detail, and viewing Pointscene point clouds and orthophotos in the same view together with design data. Everything purely in the browser without separate software installations.

Other new features include measuring the area and fitting the design to the screen. Progress does not stop here; other small improvements are coming, e.g. camera management improvements are now underway.

Highlights of the new release

Drone flight plan

Drones are used frequently on modern construction sites for providing enhanced situational awareness. Infrakit cannow be used to create flight plans for drones – simply draw an area and export in KML format as on the following video:

User configurable map tiles

As a new feature Infrakit allows the project admins to connect customized map tiles for projects.

Pointscene integration

Infrakit–Pointscene integration with orthophoto map tiles was initially introduced in spring 2019. Now theintegration supports also point clouds created by laser scanning or stereogrammetry. The source for the point cloudis entered to the dialog on new visualization page.

Model properties on visualization

Due to the new release, Infrakit is now able to visualize model properties. At the moment they are visible only on the legacy visualization page, but will be available on the new visualization page later as well. Right click on top of the model for object properties dialog:

Read full release notes here.

Linda Hakala
December 19, 2019

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What is meant by digital infrastructure construction?

What is meant by digital infrastructure construction?

Infrastructure construction has been considered a low-tech field, but significant changes have taken place in recent years. Due to the development of work machine automation technology in the 2000s, traditional land building production method shifted from digital 3D models into implementation before anybody even talked about digitalization. The leap in the 2010s is largely based on the development of consumer and cloud service technologies, as well as on infra construction applications capitalizing on the aforementioned. We now process infrastructure information models on mobile devices and monitor production in real time. During the past five years Destia has had approximately 50 construction projects annually that are being carried out utilizing information model designs and 3D machine control systems. We are on the forefront of digitalization in our industry.

Destia is a pioneer in model-based production, where digital road models and designs of earth
structures drawn up by designers are being transferred into production with construction machine control systems. The machines have an enhanced satellite positioning and 3D-contolling system, which the machine operator can use for high-accuracy constructing using 3D models. This method increases performance, improves quality and reduces material wastage. The designs, in other words, information models are being managed and shared by the machines through a cloud service, where the management and clients can examine the models and stay up to date on the progress of the projects.

A couple of years ago Destia started to develop and pilot a method of producing digital handover material during construction to replace the traditional quality documentation method done at the end of a project and to enable utilizing the materials in model-based systems in the future. Since then this method has rapidly gained a foothold in our projects. It was described in the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency’s infra model guidelines in 2017 and as a part of the Common InfraBIM Requirements of 2019, where the method has been refined and also included in earlier stages of infra projects requiring information exchange.

In Destia’s large-scale projects the model-based method is always implemented as thoroughly as possible and its features are continuously being developed. For example in the Vt 4 Kirri-Tikkakoski project the designs for dozens of bridges will go through the inspection and approval process of designers, construction management and the client entirely in a model-based method. This is being carried out for the first time in a project of this magnitude in Finland. Diverse utilization of drones as part of the model-based process has quickly become a part of the everyday procedure in all of our large-scale projects. Collecting and refining production data from separate sources has reached a new level, as comprehensive information about production is available via automatized analytics on project level as well as on company level.

The infra construction industry is, in fact very keen to benefit from new possibilities offered by digitalization, and individual leaps in development can be implemented in an agile fashion. For example VR headsets that we know from the gaming world have given a completely new dimension to understanding construction sites with an information model. In the future VR and AR headsets might very well become standard equipment on construction sites – the same way mobile devices are now used in examining information models and in documentation, utilizing positioning accuracy to centimeter level if necessary. At the moment it seems, however, that of all new construction site technologies the use of drones is growing most rapidly.

The notion of infra construction as an industry that is rigid and slow to develop can surely be discarded. The foundations for a new kind of digital infra field have now been created – the future will show where this development will take us.

Pasi Nurminen is the R&D Director of Destia Ltd. This blog is updated, and it was published earlier on destia.fi (in Finnish).

Pasi Nurminen
September 30, 2019

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Exciting, current and pioneering – Intergeo Stuttgart 2019

Exciting, current and pioneering – Intergeo Stuttgart 2019

This year on top of the agenda in Stuttgart is digitalization and innovation it brings in terms of BIM, virtual and augmented reality. It was the fourth time Infrakit participated in Intergeo. You still have time to visit us until Thursday 19th at our stand K1.033 in Hall 1. Meet some of our staff below:

Jan van den Brandt, Business Development Manager from Infrakit and Harri Taina, Surveying Chief from Destia Oy

Jan van der Brandt has been all four times with Infrakit at Intergeo: ” We as Infrakit like it very much when customers from the beginning of the company are visiting us at InterGEO! InterGEO is very successful again this year and we are happy to meet many new people from all over the world. Infrakit is more and more recognized as a perfect brand independent and open BIM cloud for the Infra industry”.

First day started with lively discussions.

Jonne Davidsson, CTO and Lauri Hartikainen, CEO from Pointscene

Pointscene solution improves worksite planning with drone mapping data. A new integration to Infrakit enables point clouds and orthophotos to be visualized in Infrakit. “We here to strengthen partnerships with data providers and looking for solutions to integrate Pointscene with. Infrakit partnership is important for us because we can serve our construction clients better”, Lauri Hartikainen explains. Read more about using drone data with planning here.

Visa Hokkanen, VP of Product and Henri Helisvaara, General Manager of Finland from Infrakit

Brand new addition to our team, Visa Hokkanen is responsible of product management, meaning working in a cross section of development, marketing and sales. Visa’s background is in machine control. “I have been following Infrakit from distance for years, and it has been nice to recognize that the positive atmosphere both in culture and business is truly in place. Intergeo is a great opportunity to meet our partner network, both customers and technology vendors. Here I have met several technology providers integrating to our API, stay tuned for new announcements!”

Anders Tiltnes, General Manager of Norway and Vuk Simic, Software Engineer from Infrakit

Vuk Simic, Software Engineer came from Serbia to meet our integration partners. Vuk is our expert in Infrakit API.

 

Welcome to visit us!

Linda Hakala
September 18, 2019

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Espoo-Salo rail line with model-based general planning

Espoo-Salo rail line with model-based general planning

A fast train service between Helsinki and Turku is a significant project both regionally and nationally. It will enhance labor mobility and have an impact on the operational environment, competitiveness, land use, and apartment production of companies. The project can be divided into four different parts: the Espoo urban railway line, the Espoo–Salo direct rail line, the Salo–Turku double track, and the Turku railway yards.

The aim is to devise a generally approved general plan for the Espoo-Salo direct rail line by the end of 2020. The Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency has provided Infrakit as an information model environment for the project, which has been dubbed ESA. The project has been divided into three different tasks, where a combination model will be compiled into one shared model in Infrakit. We interviewed Proxion’s Infrastructure Team Leader Henri Lindholm on the direct rail line. Proxion is involved in the project as an expert in information modeling and cost management and as an Infrakit user.

What makes the ESA project special?

“Very early planning and the length of the track, which is 95 km, is what makes the ESA project special. So far not that many general plans have been devised using information modeling, meaning that the project is also used to develop modeling in the general planning stage. During general planning the information modeling accuracy level is fitted to correspond to the requirements of the general planning stage and to serve the needs and objectives of general planning”, Henri Lindholm explains.

What are the objectives of the modeling?

”Objectives of the modeling in the project are specifically:

– Using models in planning and as meeting material

– Keeping initial data up-to-date during the project

– Assuring compliance and quality of planning solutions

– Integration of plans

– Utilizability of the information model in client’s quality assurance

– Reuse value of information”

What benefits does Infrakit bring into the project?

“We intend the combination model to be open to both the client and the stake holders during the planning. Infrakit’s browser-based user interface enables this, leaving no need for separate installable applications. We hope that the 2D map user interface of Infrakit will provide benefits for example to the option comparison of geometries.”

“A special challenge in this project is the long stretch of line (closer to 100 km) being planned, followed by a vast amount of data and of course a considerable amount of users for the combination model with diverse roles (client, experts of the client, planning consultants, stake holders).”

More information on the Espoo-Salo direct rail line can be found on the website of the Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency.

Linda Hakala
September 11, 2019

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