Collaboration, digital twins, and efficiency: A winning combination for sustainable and resilient infrastructure

financialexpress.com:

By Rodrigo Fernandes

In the book ‘The Art of Taking Action’, author Gregg Krech wrote, “We are all depending on each other, as we weave our lives, families and communities together. So, when we do not carry our weight, the fabric gets a buckle in it.”

I’d like to think that designing, building, and operating infrastructure plays a significant role in weaving our lives, families, and communities together, as Krech said. And with that, we carry the weight of advancing that infrastructure for a more sustainable, environmentally friendly existence. 

In fact, as climate change continues to throw the world off balance, numbers show it is the designers, builders, and owner-operators of infrastructure who will need to lead the transition to low-carbon solutions, waste reduction, and energy conservation. 

Empowering Action for Sustainable Infrastructure

In 2015, all UN member states adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development with 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs) for humanity and the planet. 

Using an infrastructure lens, we can zoom in on one goal to empower organizations in their effort to design, build, operate, and maintain infrastructure sustainably: Goal #17, to “strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development.” 

Empowering effective implementation and collaboration through partnerships requires a data-centric approach. Most data, while abundant, is typically siloed in different formats, multiple repositories, and various disciplines across the supply chains. Using a data-centric approach removes these boundaries and provides open access to extract value for problem-solving.

Likewise, digital twins enable organizations to visualize and analyze data to