One of the leading global IT servicing companies has announced that they have created an intelligent software that will mean that cities will be able to get more value out of LED lighting which could lead to a cutting a four or five-year payback period to two or three years.
The property construction company Barratt Developments are looking to expand their network of sub-contractors. Companies that are based in the area around Fife are asked to get in touch with the housing development company. Barratt Development plc own two separate house construction companies. These companies are Barratt and David Wilson
The outcomes of a joint research project carried out by PCSG, Ordnance Survey and GroupBC will today be unveiled at the GeoBusiness show. The outcome of the research is a cloud-based platform called ‘GeoConnect+’ – a response to PCSG’s call to connect BIM information with geospatial data in a way
Leeds-based drainage contractor, Jet Aire, has appointed Simon Lawton to its board as non-executive chairman. Jet Aire’s board has been working with Simon since 2014 on various ad hoc projects. In the past six months, he has been closely working with the directors and senior management team to lay the
Over the past few years, the bridging finance sector in the United Kingdom has expanded and evolved beyond all expectations. Around six years ago, the collective industry was valued somewhere in the region of £750 million. As of 2017, it is now worth more than £4 billion. But despite such
One of the leading global IT servicing companies has announced that they have created an intelligent software that will mean that cities will be able to get more value out of LED lighting which could lead to a cutting a four or five-year payback period to two or three years. Tata Consultancy Services is a consultant and business solutions company and it is hoped that this scheme will help cities invest in costlier schemes like investing in LED lights quicker. This will then lead to an earlier reduction in energy consumption and it should also lead to the improvement of the public safety as the intelligent software has self-learning algorithms that will help to improve public safety by adapting to changes in traffic weather and people movement in real time. The software that has been created by Tata Consultancy Services is the TCS Digital Software & Solutions Group, Intelligent Urban Exchange. The software has been designed in order to enable Streetlight Optimization. It has been said that cities that use this new software solution will receive a boost for their smart city projects, and optimizing the costs spent on lighting schemes will help other areas of a smart city scheme develop at a quicker rate. These smart city programmes and software that has been put in place that will offer intelligent software has just started to be investigated. People in the industry believe that there is more beneath the surface which could lead to better smart city programs and networks created. The new software has been compared to the creation of the internet, as it is a new software that has potential for use in more and more different areas. The Intelligent Urban Exchange software should hopefully allow cities to cut their energy budgets by using more intelligent lighting. It is thought that street lighting uses up between 40% and 50% of the average cities energy budget. By delivering more intelligent street lighting, public safety can be improves as the lighting could be made brighter when crowds gathered or after an accident, and dimmed in order to save money when the weather is bad and no one is on the streets.
The property construction company Barratt Developments are looking to expand their network of sub-contractors. Companies that are based in the area around Fife are asked to get in touch with the housing development company. Barratt Development plc own two separate house construction companies. These companies are Barratt and David Wilson Homes. The Development company are intending on expanding the number of sub-contractors they have on their books as a way of meeting their expansion targets for the year. The constructors of new build properties around the UK are wanting to increase their contacts list while also making sure that the sub-contractors they include are skilled and qualified. They are hoping the new connections they make with companies or persons will help them build more and more houses in an attempt to meet the housing shortage and demand. It is thought that expanding their network the support for the Development company’s existing sub-contractors will be created. A wide range of companies are being called out to in order to be included as a Barratt Developments sub-contractor. This call out applies to larger companies as well as self-employed or sole traders in order to help the house builders expand support their workforce. This expansion also coincides with a number of new contracts that have been awarded to Barratt that will have work begin this year. The appeal in order to expand their workforce applies to any company who already works in the residential property building sector, or those in the commercial sector who are wanting to expand. Any company or sole trader that is able to provide a trade to Barratt Developments has been encouraged to contact them. The specific kind of trades that have been selected as desirable include Scaffolding companies, Mastic Sealant contractors, the painting and decorating trade, joiners, roofers, and pluming and electric skilled workers.
The outcomes of a joint research project carried out by PCSG, Ordnance Survey and GroupBC will today be unveiled at the GeoBusiness show. The outcome of the research is a cloud-based platform called ‘GeoConnect+’ – a response to PCSG’s call to connect BIM information with geospatial data in a way that helps large asset owners and operators manage large, disparate estates better. GeoConnect+ hosts and connects asset information with countless geospatial datasets including OS open data, OS mapping data, land and property data, flood, river, road network data and much more. One of the main objectives is to deliver a platform where you can not only discover information about what you are managing, but importantly, where it is located. A major revelation that presents a significant quick win is the platform’s ability to surface home grown geospatial data that is usually locked away in systems only available to GIS professionals. This ensures all users can benefit from such valuable data instantly through a browser. A 2D and 3D browser-based viewer has been developed which allows the federation, navigation and interaction of point clouds, models and geo-spatial data in context with the asset’s surroundings, combining the outside world with data about the inside. In 2015 PCSG’s Technical Director, Adrian Burgess, raised a challenge to connect BIM data with geospatial data. Two years later, Ordnance Survey and GroupBC, for the most part have met this challenge. The starting point for the research for the three organisations to work together was PCSG’s call to: -geo-locate BIM information so, not only can you find out what assets, spaces, systems and components you have in your estate, but where they are; -connect asset data to countless geospatial datasets via a common geo reference so you can understand ground conditions, surrounding natural and built environment constraints, boundaries and social-economic data about the local communities and more; and -securely share the BIM and geospatial data with many supply chain organisations. Over the past fifteen years, Ordnance Survey has embarked on a transformation to become geospatial data and analytics specialists in the UK. This research project was a good test of their new data infrastructure which is set up to allow controlled access to digital mapping information via new Application Programme Interfaces (APIs). GroupBC has, over a similar timescale, developed a business which has enjoyed a high level of success in supporting large portfolio asset owners in the management of asset data. This research project made use of their semantic BIM server to connect asset data with external third party data. PCSG continues to use the research project to test the value of connecting BIM and geospatial data to see if it genuinely resolves the problems faced by asset owner operators. Paul Griffiths from Ordnance Survey explains: “The theory being tested is that connecting data about thousands of geographically dispersed assets with geospatial, environmental and socio-economic data will be a key enabler and lead to significant savings through being better informed and the ability to make more cost-effective decisions.” While understanding the true value of connecting BIM and geospatial data sets together needs a lot more testing, the GeoConnect+ platform is already proving beneficial to some early adopters. Trevor Mossop, Technical Services Manager, J T Mackley & Co Ltd, states: “GeoConnect+ offers that ability to both simplify document access and ensure that all of the available documents, pertinent to a geotagged location, are bound together and returned from any device without reliance on understanding the search criteria. This is critical to our staff and clients and is a massive step forward in the usability of the Common Data Environment, where accessibility and ease of use dictate buy-in by staff on any project.” Our GeoConnect+ tool is directly linked from our Common Data Environment Paul Meredith, Information Manager, Thames Water says: “Our GeoConnect+ tool is directly linked from our Common Data Environment and this gives staff quick and very easy access to verified data and information about the environment. This not only speeds up project delivery, particularly during the options stage, but also means a significant reduction in project risk. We are excited about the possibility of using Geo Connect+ to produce address lists and as a possible interface for site-based and mobile staff to load and access site documentation.” Sanjeev Shah, CEO at GroupBC believes there will be significant demand to connect a vast array of data in the future, and connecting geospatial data is just the start. PCSG is asked all the time about how to connect data from in-house finance and resource systems, building management systems and IoT sensors. This information is extremely valuable in their respective systems but will be even more so if they are connected to assets, helping asset owners to get a better handle on space usage, costs, revenues and maintenance activities, reduce running costs and optimise comfort levels for occupants. The GeoConnect+ project marks the latest initiative by PCSG to drive improved performance across the built environment sector.
Leeds-based drainage contractor, Jet Aire, has appointed Simon Lawton to its board as non-executive chairman. Jet Aire’s board has been working with Simon since 2014 on various ad hoc projects. In the past six months, he has been closely working with the directors and senior management team to lay the foundations for the next phase of the company’s growth in providing professional drainage solutions to commercial, industrial and domestic clients. Simon has an extensive track record as a finance director in rapidly growing entrepreneurial businesses, notably Tribal Group Plc which he helped to grow from a start-up to a £250m+ (sales) business over a 10-year period. He was also a founder trustee of the Tribal Group Foundation – funding health and education projects in Africa, India and Nepal – and spent two years in Sub-Sahara Africa working on various investment projects, including a 5-star island tourist resort in the Indian Ocean off Mozambique. In 2013, Simon helped to co-launch a new start-up support service business, Benula Capital Limited, focusing on the recruitment and HR market. Benula currently holds equity stakes in several companies (UK and International) to help them execute an accelerated growth strategy by providing strategic, financial and development advice and coaching to talented owner managers. Jet Aire managing director, Charlie Kirk, said: “I am delighted that Simon has agreed to accept the role of non-executive chairman. His advice will be invaluable to us as we continue to drive the business forward. Jet Aire continues to enjoy sustained and consistent growth – since 2014 the business has doubled in size, sales and profitability. The company has ambitious growth plans over the next three to five years. We continue to build on solid foundations and have an excellent management team in place.”
Over the past few years, the bridging finance sector in the United Kingdom has expanded and evolved beyond all expectations. Around six years ago, the collective industry was valued somewhere in the region of £750 million. As of 2017, it is now worth more than £4 billion. But despite such extraordinary growth, misinformation as to what the industry both offers and represents remains widespread. Even among those who could potentially benefit from these kinds of financial services, there are significant holes in Britain’s bridging knowledge. What Is Bridging Finance? As the name suggests, bridging finance refers to a specific type of financial service/product that can be used to ‘bridge’ a temporary gap or shortfall. More specifically, when a relatively large sum in needed as quickly as possible for a variety of purposes, bridging loans can usually help. Though also available in comparatively small sums, as much as £25 million can be offered in the form of bridging finance – always with a repayment period of two years maximum. Once again, the idea being that this kind of financing is turned to when facing a very temporary financial shortfall – hence the loan being paid back in full comparatively quickly. Generally speaking, bridging loans are secured either on business assets or property. As is the case with most other examples of secured loans, the fact that collateral is put on the line means that the application process and qualification criteria are both relatively simple. Not only this, but secured loans also enable bridging loan rates to be brought down to absolute rock-bottoms – typically in the region of 0.5% to 2.0% per month in the case of bridging loans. How Are Bridging Loans Used? The majority of bridging loans are used for business purposes and are popular among property investors and developers. For example, should an investor need a substantial cash injection to cover an urgent property refurbishment, purchase a property at auction for an unmissable price or simply find themselves with shortfalls to cover, a bridging loan can be provided in next to no time at all. In addition, this type of financing is also proving popular in many other areas of business. One example being the new business startup, where it is relatively common to come across unexpected expenses and financial shortfalls while the business is being established. If a business owner in question is confident that the shortfall will be temporary, they can put up the required collateral and receive the financial backing they need. But it’s also becoming more common for domestic borrowers to consider bridging loans. For example, if you find the home of your dreams for an outstanding price though a sale on your current property has not yet been agreed, a bridging loan could be ideal. This would allow for the purchase of the new property to go through, with the balance for the bridging loan then being repaid when the existing property is sold. In the right circumstances, bridging loans excel over and above conventional loans in that they are quicker, simpler and often more affordable. – https://www.bridgingloans.co.uk
