VISIONARY THINKING
TO MAKE ENGINEERS
FUTURE-PROOF
ALREADY, THE WAY ENGINEERS
COMPETE FOR FUNDING IS
CHANGING RAPIDLY.
IT'S GENERALLY TRUE THAT
THE FINANCE AVAILABLE
HAS TO SHOW THAT IT IS
MEETING A WIDER RANGE
OF SOCIAL, ECONOMIC AND
ENVIRONMENTAL OBJECTIVES
AND MORE AND YET MORE
NEEDS TO BE ACHIEVED.
CONSEQUENTLY, THERE IS
ALREADY A MOVE TOWARDS
BOTH THE REGIONAL AND
SUB-REGIONAL POOLING
OF RESOURCES FOR LARGER
SCHEMES AND A GREATER
COLLABORATION BETWEEN
NETWORKS THAT HAVE,
HISTORICALLY, BEEN
MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE.
THIS CHANGE IN APPROACH
HAS HUGE RAMIFICATIONS
BUT THE SUMMARY IS THAT
ENGINEERS WILL HAVE TO
CONTINUOUSLY GIVE EVIDENCE
THAT THEIR PROJECTS AND
INITIATIVES WILL BENEFIT THE
LOCALITY AND COMMUNITIES
THEY SERVE.
IN OTHER WORDS, THEY WILL
HAVE TO MAKE A BROADER
BUSINESS CASE THAN `THIS
ROAD NEEDS BUILDING'. WHAT
WILL THE IMPACT OF THIS
ROAD BE ON THE REGIONAL
ECONOMY? WILL IT ENCOURAGE
PARENTS TO DRIVE THEIR
CHILDREN TO SCHOOL AND NOT
USE PUBLIC TRANSPORT? WILL
IT ENCOURAGE CYCLING AND
WALKING TO REDUCE OBESITY?
WILL PEDESTRIANS FEEL
SAFE USING IT? WILL IT CUT
CO2 EMISSIONS THROUGHOUT
THE REGION?
BY GIVING ENGINEERS ACCESS
TO BUSINESS DATA, SYSTEMS
SUCH AS EXOR'S CAN AND
WILL HELP THEM MAKE A
MORE COMPLETE CASE AND
GIVE THEM ACCESS TO
TANGIBLE, DEMONSTRABLE
EVIDENCE THAT BACKS UP
THEIR PROPOSAL.
Looking back: the
best way of predicting
the future.
The road ahead, from our perspective, has to be
about more openness and collaboration. Surely, the
way forward is about learning from the past and using
this knowledge to confidently predict the future.
By making data more accessible, more mobile,
more modular, more intuitive, more holistic and
more immediate, we suddenly allow more brains to
get involved in creating better ideas. When we bring
hundreds of experts together, from different global
locations, we stand a far better chance of solving
a problem or creating a better way to do something.
Exor technology being developed now will allow this
scenario to become reality. Imagine a group of people,
all in the right place at the right time, maintaining
the infrastructure in the way that is best for everyone:
engineers, finance department, utility companies
and road users.
Imagine being able to predict the results of impending
global warming to the extent that you could model
how the highway network would cope with flooding,
in real time. On a hand-held device, if you wished.
Imagine taking a longer term view than the end of a
budget cycle. Minimizing disruption by planning work
years in advance and doing proactive instead of
reactive maintenance.
Let's bring everyone together at a time that suits them,
using web enabled technology. Let's use probabilistic
modeling to influence our decision about what to fix,
rather than go for the worst first approach. Let's allow
people to view their proposed actions in the context
of what everyone else is doing. Let's act in parallel
instead of in series.
Let's find ways to speed up the rate of innovation and
accelerate its adoption. So that you don't have to wait
decades to benefit from what they're doing elsewhere
on the planet. We could save money and minimize
disruption. Cut CO
2
emissions. Prevent accidents.
Simply put, what we are working towards is not simply
bringing data together but also the people who use it.
Centralized information. Widespread access.
The democratization of knowledge for the next
generation of engineers.
We can all benefit from being ahead by seeing ahead.
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EXOR 37