Atkins Leverages OpenGround Cloud for Efficient Geotechnical Information Management
Technology Category
- Application Infrastructure & Middleware - Data Exchange & Integration
- Application Infrastructure & Middleware - Middleware, SDKs & Libraries
Applicable Industries
- Aerospace
- Cement
Applicable Functions
- Product Research & Development
Use Cases
- Construction Management
- Inventory Management
Services
- Cloud Planning, Design & Implementation Services
- System Integration
About The Customer
Atkins is a multinational engineering, design, planning, project management, and consulting services company based in London, UK. As part of the SNC-Lavalin Group, Atkins is one of the world’s most respected design, engineering, and project management consultancies, offering services ranging from civil and construction to aerospace. In 2016, Atkins was the UK’s largest engineering consultancy and the world’s 11th largest design firm. It employed approximately 18,000 people in 300 offices across 29 countries, with projects in over 150 countries. Atkins is also a leading international provider of geotechnical consultancy services with a geotechnical team of more than 300 professionals. The company has an impressive portfolio of prestigious and diverse geotechnical projects worldwide across its three geotechnical divisions: tunneling and underground space, energy geotechnics and specialist services, and infrastructure geotechnics.
The Challenge
Atkins, a multinational engineering and consulting services company, faced a significant challenge in managing geotechnical data across its diverse projects. The geotechnical team at Atkins used multiple technologies and applications that needed to work in harmony. The company needed to provide timely, detailed, and engaging analysis and deliverables to its clients, making geotechnical technology and data integration, as well as proper project workflows, crucial for efficiency and quality of service. To assess ground conditions, Atkins used Bentley’s OpenGround Cloud and established a detailed geographic information system using QGIS or ArcGIS. However, the process of manually exporting the geotechnical project data from OpenGround Cloud and importing it into QGIS or ArcGIS in the form of multiple CSV files was time-consuming and prone to errors.
The Solution
To address these challenges, Atkins turned to Bentley’s OpenGround Cloud technology, which the geotechnical team had previously used for querying data at various scales. The team specified a project in the cloud that is automatically linked via the API and ingested into an existing GIS system. Users could then log in within QGIS or ArcGIS to perform GIS analysis of the geotechnical project data. This data could be robustly queried, assessed, and enriched collaboratively across multiple practices with existing GIS processes and services. Integration with other Bentley geotechnical BIM technologies like PLAXIS® allowed for similarly integrated connections via the PLAXIS API to automatically import borehole data ahead of numerical analysis. Data could also be written to the OpenGround Cloud where applicable.
Operational Impact
Quantitative Benefit
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