Driving AWV forward with BIM-OTL<strong>.</strong>

What we did

The Client

Agentschap Wegen & Verkeer (AWV) is responsible for building and maintaining road infrastructure in Flanders. To do this effectively, it has to have a handle on the current state of its assets at all times. This requires more than digitalization. BIM and OTL is needed too, both for its own processes and those with partners and contractors Pàu provided its support to AWV both on the technical side—with aspects such as a system for automatic release notes, geometric scripts and algorithms—and on the business side—such as analyses and support for team management, and UML.

The Case

Pàu was brought in at the implementation phase and had to hit the ground running with the multidisciplinary team already in place. 5 of us got to work on the BIM@AWV program. Pàu also brought in a team leader to steer the fast-growing team in the right direction. It was quickly all hands on deck finding ways to help integrate BIM into AWV’s internal way of working. On the external side, the ongoing aim is to promote the use of BIM in the market. As this was an innovative project, we relied heavily on iteration and Proof Of Concept (POC). The brand new concepts they came up with still had to be thought through and tested.    

Then, when a good idea is put forward, a research team conducts a POC to clarify the idea both inside and outside the organization. Not everyone is always on board with an idea and some conceptual issues are complicated to explain. But communication with stakeholders and change management is high on the list of priorities for AWV. The team’s output always has to stay in touch with business and stakeholder needs after all!

The Impact

This project fits us like a glove so we knew we’d be able to bring it to fruition.

 On the technical side, we did the following:

• Successfully setting up a BIM viewer
• Developing, testing, and Proof Of Concept for geometric algorithms
• Designing the BDC (=BIM Data Conversion component)

While on the business side:

• Effectively managing a team that more than doubled
• Launching OTL V1.0.0

The Conclusion

We supported Vlaamse Overheid AWV with an integrated way of working with data, BIM, and OTL.  We put together a team of people with complementary skills and backgrounds in data science, functional analysis, and 3D modeling. We empower the teams with a unique toolset in 3D, Autodesk Forge, and other web and mobile technologies.  Further, we give them the benefit of access to agile coaches and best practices, enabling them to develop at an accelerated pace.

Thanks to the positive experiences with our fellow digital professional experts in digital product design and development, we were able to advise and support AWV on their digital journey in BIM and OTL. As part of the AWV team and collaborating in a unique cross-functional integrated approach we combine our knowledge and the power of an enthusiastic team to pioneer the use of BIM in infrastructure projects, as well Asset Information management (AIM) in Flanders.

The images and pictures appearing in this article are the exclusive property of Agentschap Wegen en Verkeer (AWV).