AssetWise Completes Bentley’s CONNECT Edition

Bentley Systems has announced AssetWise CONNECT Edition. The CONNECT Editions of AssetWise and ProjectWise provide and share a connected data environment, upgrading a common data environment to fully realise the BIM potential of digital engineering models, created during CAPEX, for continuous benefits throughout the OPEX lifecycle.

A connected data environment is vital to infrastructure advancement because CAPEX projects are repeatedly necessitated throughout the TOTEX service life of infrastructure assets to sustain their fitness for purpose—and the continuity of digital engineering models, as their “digital DNA” can be a key enabler. Such a connected data environment therefore advances the convergence of engineering technologies (ET) with information technologies (IT) and operational technologies (OT).

Presentation on Stage

During the Year in Infrastructure Conference keynote by CEO Greg Bentley, the full span of the completed CONNECT Edition was underscored by invited presenters. Ray O’Connor, CEO of Topcon Positioning Group, demonstrated constructioneering, connecting engineers with surveyors and constructors through joint cloud services offerings. Jacques Lubetzki, executive vice president, Europe Zone, Bureau Veritas, then introduced inspectioneering, for engineers to contribute virtually to operations safety and asset integrity. Finally, David Epp, Director Global ISV Alliances of Microsoft, described ongoing initiatives within its enabling Azure stack, including ‘cognitive services’ which could be applied dynamically for infrastructure operational intelligence. Such unprecedented BIM advancements have become possible because Bentley’s connected data environment can make the information within digital engineering models secure, open, and live.

AssetWise CONNECT Edition

To enable comprehensive asset performance, AssetWise CONNECT Edition’s asset lifecycle information management services robustly support the capabilities previously offered separately through different applications. AssetWise offerings are already utilised by 25 of the 50 largest Bentley Infrastructure 500 Top Owners, ranked globally by their net infrastructure value.

AssetWise CONNECT Edition’s connected data environment is made possible by the technologies now in common between design, construction, and operations work: intrinsic 3D geocoordination, accelerated by advances such as Bentley’s reality modeling; engineering precision; self-describing data; information mobility; and work process automation.

Accordingly, information maintained through AssetWise CONNECT Edition inherently understands and can act upon its:

• geospatial context;
• reality context;
• network and linear context;
• digital engineering model context;
• change integrity context;
• reliability context;
• enterprise IT context; and
• lifecycle context.

AssetWise CONNECT Edition helps owner-operators manage their infrastructure assets for engineering integrity, compliance, and performance modeling, through these new subscription offerings, sized based on the scope of assets covered.

CONNECT Edition’s Modelling Environment: Applications

At The Year in Infrastructure 2015 Conference, MicroStation CONNECT Edition and Navigator CONNECT Edition applications were introduced. CONNECT Edition applications advance schema consistency and incorporate MicroStation CONNECT Edition innovations such as functional components and cross-discipline Documentation Center, for unprecedented intraoperability.

During 2016, a stream of CONNECT Editions of design, analytical, construction, and reality modelling applications have been released including AutoPipe, Descartes, Pointools, gINT, RM, LARS, SACS, MOSES, MAXSURF, SITEOPS, STAAD, and RAM.

OpenRoads ConceptStation was introduced earlier this year, and OpenRoads Designer CONNECT Edition was announced at the Conference. CONNECT Editions of AECOsim Building Designer, MineCycle, Promis.e, OpenUtilities, and OpenPlant, during the first half of 2017, will complete the cycle.

CONNECT Edition applications and services will be accessed by each user through Bentley’s new Connection Center, with personalised project profiles, “playbooks,” and dashboards. Significantly, Connection Center takes full advantage of Azure cloud services to enable a spectrum of new ‘just-in-time’ personalised services from Bentley software and engineering experts and to assure that CONNECT Edition applications are always up to date.

ProjectWise CONNECT Edition and Commercial Innovations

ProjectWise for worksharing is already used by 44 of the 50 largest, and by 355 of the 641 Engineering New-Record Top Design Firms globally. ProjectWise CONNECT Edition, introduced at The Year in Infrastructure 2015 Conference, leverages Azure cloud services to extend its BIM-enabling Collaboration Center capabilities for comprehensive project delivery beyond organizations and users of on-premises servers. To date in 2016, Azure-provisioned ProjectWise and AssetWise services have achieved availability service levels above 99.8 percent.

CONNECT Edition servers are ‘UNLIMITED,’ with no licensing charges for those either Azure-provisioned, deployed on-premises, or in any hybrid combination. ProjectWise services are instead charged for the value generated through their “consumption,” based on actual usage determined after every calendar quarter. Each unique user is charged for a Passport which ‘universally’ entitles access to, and usage of, connected environment data, including through ‘apps’ for issue resolution, submittal and/or transmittal of deliverables, dashboard visibility, and more. Users may also be charged in a quarter for Visas to the extent of their actual usage of additional functionality. Accordingly, ProjectWise user organizations no longer bear fixed costs and charges are aligned with realized BIM outcomes.

At the Conference, Bentley introduced new ProjectWise CONNECT Edition cloud services for organizations seeking to institutionalize BIM advancements, purposefully propagating best practices in “going digital” through shared resources.

Through Success Plans, Bentley Systems’ expert professionals can be virtually dedicated, through Azure cloud services, to ensure service levels

Success Plan services are also charged at the end of each quarter, per actual user covered. Bentley’s Cloud Service Subscription programme, a supplement to Bentley’s SELECT Subscription or Enterprise License Subscription which are for desktop applications, enables ‘consumption-based’ charges to work within predictable budgeting—without any ‘use-it-or lose-it’ risk. An annual Cloud Service Subscription contract value payment can be flexibly applied after each quarter to cover Passport, Visa, Term License, and/or Success Plan charges incurred, with any balance carried forward indefinitely.