Technology : Software & I.T. News

Legal Ways to Get Paid Backlinks with Real Traffic

One of the most effective strategies for promoting your website is implementing backlinks. Most likely, today, there is not a single site owner left who does not know about this strategy. Also, everyone is well aware that a mistake with backlinks’ implementation can lead to search engines’ penalties. How to

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Winvic developing first embodied carbon analytics AI system

‘AI System for Predicting Embodied Carbon in Construction’ (ASPEC) Winvic Construction Ltd, a leading main contractor that specialises in the design and delivery of multi-sector construction and civil engineering projects, has once again secured Innovate UK funding as part of a cross-sector multidisciplinary research group. Winvic, University of the West

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Understanding the Standard Trading Platform

A trading platform is usually software operated by an online broker or independent trader to open, close, and manage market positions. This platform simplifies complicated activities like maintenance of hedge or funded accounts, counting, and adding a pre-determined number of traders per month. As for the growing popularity of Forex

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Benefits of digital assets in the built environment

Potential applications of digital twins Demand for high-quality housing and public infrastructure is continuing to rise in the UK. While the construction industry wants to deliver new buildings quickly, it must also take measures to construct new and retrofit existing buildings effectively and sustainably. Embracing digital technology is one way

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Winvic Developing AI Enabled Health & Safety Site Software

Digital-first Contractor Winvic set to Develop AI Enabled Software to Send Personal Site Risk Alerts to Team Winvic, the University of the West of England (UWE Bristol) and One Big Circle Consortium secure Innovate UK Funding for Computer-Vision-SMART. Winvic Construction Ltd, a leading main contractor that specialises in the design

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Bentley Systems Announces Availability of OpenGround Cloud

Bentley Systems Announces Availability of OpenGround Cloud

Bentley Systems, Incorporated, a leading global provider of comprehensive software and digital twins services for advancing the design, construction, and operations of infrastructure, has announced the availability of OpenGround Cloud, a new cloud service that enables geotechnical professionals to access reliable geotechnical data for better engineering decision support and to

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Yourkeys and ContactBuilder put CRM and sales progression ‘on autopilot’

Yourkeys and ContactBuilder have announced an alliance which enables housebuilders to put their lead management and sales progression ‘on autopilot’. Yourkeys is the first platform to fully digitise the new homes sales process, from onboarding and reservation through to exchange and completion. It recently introduced a function which allows sales

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Field Service Management: 5 productive softwares

A reputable manager’s most valuable asset is their ability to skilfully organise the vast network of tasks and plans spread out before them and assign them to a crew according to their expertise and skills. All of these tasks require close supervision and can not be fulfilled successfully unless one

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Latest Issue
Issue 324 : Jan 2025

Commercial : Software & I.T. News

LEARND AND RELAYR JOIN FORCES TO DE-RISK BUILDING MANAGEMENT & GUARANTEE ORGANISATIONS BETTER BUILDINGS

Relayr and learnd have joined forces to provide businesses across the UK with an innovative new concept that transforms the way systems within a building are managed and maintained. Learnd, which launched its ‘Building Performance as a Service’ offering in early 2020, will integrate relayr’s capability with its own extensive domain expertise to create better buildings for customers – and it’s a pledge which is backed up by powerful insurance partner HSB. For example, through partnership with relayr and HSB, learnd will be able to guarantee retail customers that their stores are offering maximum shopper comfort or guarantee a hospital that the conditions on its wards are optimised for patient care. “At HSB, we’re excited to be part of bringing this level of assurance, guaranteeing peak performance, to commercial property owners and occupants,” says John B. Riggs, Senior Vice President of HSB Applied Technology Solutions. Learnd’s Building Performance as a Service offering is suitable for any sector that operates commercial premises including critical infrastructure, healthcare, retail, education, government and business offices. relayr’s expertise in the digitisation of assets will provide the support for learnd’s capabilities by adding data processing and data analytics, combined with business enablement. CEO and learnd co-founder, John Clifford, explains: “Our partnership brings together the best IoT solutions from relayr, insurance products from HSB and our market-leading subject matter expertise within buildings, to achieve something that has never been done before. “Learnd’s customers will have absolute certainty that their buildings will perform as they need them to, whilst actually spending less over the long term. The guaranteed outcomes approach means organisations can focus on their core activities – whether that’s teaching children or healing people, 100% confident that learnd will make their buildings better.” Josef Brunner, relayr CEO, adds: “This partnership between relayr and learnd is a visionary yet highly practical move, combining relayr’s digitisation skills and learnd’s experience in industry. It allows learnd to deliver their innovative ‘Building Performance as a Service’ offering – driving a step change in the buildings industry that is long-overdue.” Relayr’s manufacturing customers are already using relayr’s solutions to build pay per use business models, now more businesses and more industries can follow in their footsteps. For more information visit: www.relayr.io  and  www.learnd.co.uk

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Legal Ways to Get Paid Backlinks with Real Traffic

One of the most effective strategies for promoting your website is implementing backlinks. Most likely, today, there is not a single site owner left who does not know about this strategy. Also, everyone is well aware that a mistake with backlinks’ implementation can lead to search engines’ penalties. How to avoid fines and get high-quality results? In this article, you will find the legal ways to get more backlinks, strengthen your SERP positions, and attract live and convertible traffic. Besides this, you can visit this link to learn more about how to buy backlinks for seo.   Backlinks and Their Role in Attracting Traffic The essence of a backlink is that your link is referenced on another site with relevant and unique content. Often, blogs and sites with similar topics cooperate in exchanging such backlinks and thus, target audiences. Also, the backlinks from websites with a high domain authority are a vital component for effective SEO promotion. Accordingly, the goal of each site is to create all the conditions to get included in the list of authoritative sites. The authority of a web resource means that you have something useful to offer to users. However, your site’s authority score is not just about the availability, quality, and quantity of backlinks. User behavior, social sharing, and some technical aspects of your site are also important. But there is one caveat when it comes to backlinks. No matter how much you work on other factors in the context of SEO, you cannot achieve top results without them. The Thin Line Between SEO Optimization Success and Failure The pitfall in the backlink case is that you can quickly aggravate your situation by doing the wrong thing. Google is focused on providing a good user experience. For this reason, they will not allow those sites to reach the top that simply has links without real usefulness. This will work against the site owner by getting bad results with the search engines.  It’s not a secret for search engines how SEO specialists work, so it’s effortless for them to track down so-called illegal actions. How can you get backlinks without the risk of getting banned? Let’s look at this further. What Links Should You Use? Before we start analyzing the ways to get backlinks, let’s talk about their essential characteristics. Here are a few points that a “working” link should have. The usefulness of content: Every link you create should offer a great user experience. The content should be useful for the link to pass as a trustworthy one. Authority: If you post backlinks on a “dead” site, your link will not carry any usefulness. If you post your link on authoritative sites, the link will accordingly be considered useful. For example, Google highly values ​​links from Forbes. This example allows you to understand the importance of choosing the right place for content placement. Relevance to the target audience: If you are selling bridal bouquets, it is unlikely that a link surrounded by content on the topic of medical services will be useful. Opt for a web resource about preparing for the wedding, and such an approach will make a difference. Correct link placement: The search engine should find your link without obstacles. If it isn’t surrounded by the necessary content, it will not carry value. But if it is placed either at the beginning or at the end of the text with relevant keywords – it will be effective. Your page with a link must be indexed by search engines; otherwise, it will not play any positive role. How to Get Started Backlink Building Now that you get an idea of ​​what links should look like, it’s time to talk and how to create them legally. You have several ways to solve this issue. Manual Link Building You can find sites that match your target audience and have a good reputation with the search engines. Next, you need to agree on the terms of content placement and create content that will meet not only the requirements of the partner’s site but also the passing criteria of search engines. Next, you will need to do this with at least ten reputable sites. This method is legal and efficient, but very time consuming and even expensive. Many problems can arise here. For example, you have to wait for your content to be published, which can take a long time. There is also a risk that you will face scammers who will not publish your content at all or release it on some dead sites with no traffic flow. Professionals-Assisted Backlinks Strategy Development Today there are no barriers to use paid backlinks. Such companies offer to take algorithms, as mentioned above, into their own hands. The advantage of this method lies in that you do not waste your time but still get links to relevant and quality resources. Usually, companies have a base of quality resources that will provide live traffic, and they will be able to negotiate with a large number of sites. It will be much faster and cheaper than doing it yourself if you have no experience. Which method to choose depends on you. It is easier for someone to work independently, while for others, cooperation with professionals seems a more attractive option. If you decide to deal with this issue on your own, do not forget to count in all the search engines’ relevant requirements. The Final Words Once you know the backlinks’ base building specifics, little is left. Decide how you will implement this part of the SEO strategy and start promoting your site to increase your rankings and the number of sales.  Of course, implementing this strategy with the help of professionals is an excellent option. But if you trust yourself, it makes sense to try to do it, relying on your own expertise.

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Winvic developing first embodied carbon analytics AI system

‘AI System for Predicting Embodied Carbon in Construction’ (ASPEC) Winvic Construction Ltd, a leading main contractor that specialises in the design and delivery of multi-sector construction and civil engineering projects, has once again secured Innovate UK funding as part of a cross-sector multidisciplinary research group. Winvic, University of the West of England (UWE Bristol), Edgetrix Ltd and Costain make up the consortium that will use the £800,000 funding to develop the first embodied carbon analytics AI system of its kind over the next two years. The project entitled ‘AI System for Predicting Embodied Carbon in Construction’ (ASPEC) will predict the carbon output on building and infrastructure projects based on BIM designs, materials carbon data and lessons learnt on past projects. Its aim is in line with article eight – Carbon Capture – on the government’s 10 Point Plan for a green industrial revolution, which was launched last week. While construction organisations continue to make advances in how they address both embodied and operational carbon emissions, current calculation methods for the former are onerous; with no design support calculation solution, there is no efficient way for design teams to proactively drive down the embodied carbon and carbon footprint of projects. The revolutionary technology will therefore be crucial in propelling constructors and material manufacturing firms to meet the UK government target removing 10MT of carbon dioxide by 2030. Furthermore, a 50 per cent reduction in carbon emissions has been set through the Construction 2025 strategy and the target for 2050 is to bring all greenhouse gas emissions to net zero. In the UK alone, building stocks are responsible for 40 per cent of the UK’s total greenhouse gas emissions (UKGBC, 2020) Buildings and construction together account for 36 per cent of global final energy use and 39 per cent of energy-related carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions (UNEP, 2018) The proposed ASPEC therefore has three components, to meet the tangible needs of the industry: AI-based Embodied Carbon Calculator (ECC) – This system will predict the embodied carbon cost of any project from a scheme’s BIM model. It will use historic embodied carbon data from previous construction projects and accurate ‘carbon factors’ to develop machine learning models. The creation of the ECC will lead to a dramatic reduction in the time it takes to calculate embodied carbon, bringing the process down from potentially days and weeks of data collection and calculation to a matter of a few hours. Embodied Carbon Analytics and Simulation Platform (ECAS) – This cloud-platform will undertake what-if analyses of the embodied carbon of schemes during the design phase. The tool will use advanced big data analytics to identify alternative design specifications that would reduce the embodied carbon of a project. A user of ECAS will be able to simply change the selection of a building material and obtain an instantaneous embodied carbon figure. BIM-based Design Support Tool for Embodied Carbon Analytics (B-DST) – This solution will also support design teams during the design stages of construction projects. It will integrate with existing BIM development software via an Application Programming Interface (API). Tim Reeve, Winvic’s Technical Director and project lead, commented: “Following the announcement of government targets paired with BREEAM sustainability requirements, construction organisations and clients have worked hard to reduce emissions, but the task certainly isn’t simple. That’s why we believe that utilising the most up-to-date AI and advanced big data analytics techniques in a way that has never been done before will be transformational for Winvic’s green agenda and pave the way for significant changes across the whole industry. Having the ability to optimise schemes and see embodied carbon costs as real-time design and material changes are applied will naturally lead to quantifiable reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, and having technology that automatically estimates the embodied carbon cost of any digitally designed project will make the delivery of many project tasks much faster. It’s very exciting to be working on ASPEC – our third Innovate UK funded initiative – with Costain, UWE and Edgetrix and together we aim to deliver these two primary benefits of the project to the industry as early as Autumn 2022.” Dr Lukman Akanbi, Associate Professor at UWE Bristol, said: “Through the ASPEC project, we as academics hope to contribute our technical know-how and expertise in Big Data Analytics and Artificial Intelligence to help move the UK one-step closer towards the realisation of her clean growth strategy and 2050 net-zero carbon target. In addition, UWE Bristol is a university that’s environmentally aware and is aiming to be carbon neutral by 2030, so it’s great that we are taking a lead in a project that is looking to help achieve these aims.” Muktar Tijani at Edgetrix, commented: “This ASPEC project provides a simpler, more accurate and innovative approach to predicting embodied carbon in construction projects. As a rapidly growing construction tech-company, Edgetrix is delighted to be part of this project and are committed to helping organisations commence their Net-Zero journey through our expertise in carbon-cutting and modern tech-solutions”. Crucially, Winvic and its project partners will develop a Common Data Environment (CDE) to eradicate the challenges that arise from having multiple, siloed datasets. The huge amounts of data that are generated from different phases of construction projects will be documented and stored in one system; it is this data nucleus that will facilitate the machine learning technologies, providing industry professionals with the insights to make more eco-friendly decisions on materials used. For more information on Winvic, the company’s latest project news and job vacancies please visit www.winvic.co.uk. Join Winvic on social media – visit Twitter @WinvicLtd – and LinkedIn.  

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Understanding the Standard Trading Platform

A trading platform is usually software operated by an online broker or independent trader to open, close, and manage market positions. This platform simplifies complicated activities like maintenance of hedge or funded accounts, counting, and adding a pre-determined number of traders per month. As for the growing popularity of Forex industry, developers are introducing different types of trading platforms. Some platforms only feature individual companies’ work processes and become invalid to others. So, finding an all-in-one platform that covers most types of trading can often raise a question. This article features MetaTrader software and discusses the diverse aspect of this platform. MetaTrader – A trading platform MetaTrader, or MT for short, is an independent trading appliance that is not bound to represent or company or specific analysis method. This software is free to download, and anybody can reach it from its developers’ website. It is a standard market gadget to analyze the financial market. It includes different signals, mobile trading, and other authoritative market catalysts that enliven a trader’s motivation and enhance their transaction and business experience. It is like the one gateway to access all branches of Forex dealing. The full free online demo version is fully functional and provides all premium services. But those who are looking for the best paltfrom can look for the SaxotraderPro. Visit their website here and see the features. However, without having advanced knowledge, you should not trade with real money. Instead, go for the demo trading experience. MetaTrader’s Features MT wraps all essential tasks a broker undertakes daily. It makes it a great tool for the Forex industry. Market Indicators This master-tool has pre-installed indicators that signal all imminent market events. Besides, an operator can download other customized and free MT indicators from the directory. After downloading them, he can move these indicators to a selected currency pair’s chart. Elegant Expert Advisors Program This exclusive program is one of the most notable features. The “Expert Advisors” are coded in MetaQuotes Lang 4, which allows an operator to implement an automated dealing strategy. He can optimize the program to harmonize with him where necessary. “Expert advisors” is one of few tools that are behind MT’s massive acceptance all over the world. It can be built with the “Meta Editor” function. The device may seem eccentric to new users. However, they can reach several forums and the MQL4 Community for help and guidance. Market Watch This portion will reflect the latest and on the moment market condition. A user will get a comprehensive list of ruling world trends and all the instruments a broker needs to run his exchange business. The “Market Watch” comprises some fundamental units than an investor needs to understand to understand the current situation and figure out a way to achieve their goal. Customization Scope Many brokers underrate this unique and unparalleled feature of the MetaTrader. It offers them with massive customization options to modify almost every element of the software, as necessary. From language setting to chart color selection, the customization gives extreme flexibility to the users. Even they can position every window where they want them to be. Users can formulate their scripts and indicators for any task and exceptional function. Terminal, Trade, & Account History This option can be found in the footer of the website. You can watch the execution of other orders or execute orders yourself here. The trade window shows all open deals at that time. The account history section shows all the details of the past deals till the present date. Alert If the alert tab is activated, it allows setting new alerts for almost every little nuances and events like any update on sale, buy-in, any shift in stock-price, etc. Conclusion No tools come with complete perfection. But when it comes to Forex trading, few instruments will enhance a trader’s productivity like MetaTrader. It is widely revered as an almost self-contained Forex marketing appliance.

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Benefits of digital assets in the built environment

Potential applications of digital twins Demand for high-quality housing and public infrastructure is continuing to rise in the UK. While the construction industry wants to deliver new buildings quickly, it must also take measures to construct new and retrofit existing buildings effectively and sustainably. Embracing digital technology is one way to make these improvements. Here Peter Barker, managing director at BIM academy and contributor to built environment event Futurebuild, explores some potential applications of digital twins in construction. Many design and construction companies now use digital tools to find a more accurate, cost-efficient and sustainable way of working. Building Information Modelling (BIM), for example, has played a vital role in digitising the built environment and has changed the way that the sector interacts with data. Now, project managers are exploring how digital twins can further improve the design, operation and evaluation of buildings. Planning Traditionally, architects have used 2D models to collaborate on designs and communicate them to stakeholders. However, it can be difficult to clearly visualise the final building in 2D format and misunderstandings and design errors may result, increasing the time and budget required to complete the project. BIM is now widely used by architects to create 3D geometric models of buildings during the design phase, with embedded data on the building’s properties and performance. Architects can use this model to communicate their interpretation of a brief to a client. At a glance, clients can see the entire configuration of the space, as well as factors such as material quality, estimated performance and anticipated budget. While BIM creates the digital information required to create the model, architects can now build digital twins to dynamically link their designs to physical assets. Using the two concepts allows architects to rapidly and reliably test designs to ensure that all parties are happy with the design and fix any errors before construction begins, reducing waste and costs. Creating a digital twin can also be useful during retrofit projects to test simulations of new ideas and find the optimal materials and processes before investing further into the renovation project. Prediction Digital construction technologies can also improve how occupants use and maintain buildings. Effective preventative maintenance in larger buildings, such as office blocks, hospitals or other public buildings, relies on early involvement of an informed and engaged building management team that knows what information they need from architects and contractors about assets and systems. Instead of relying entirely on traditional information such as manuals, sharing BIM and digital twin data with the client gives operators the information they need at their fingertips so that they can be more proactive. They can collect and analyse real-time data about assets and measure their performance. So, when parts of the building are nearing the end of their intended lifespan, building management teams can plan effectively for repair or replacement work. Performance Architects will often determine target performance requirements of a building right at the beginning of a project. Before BIM and digital twins, it was difficult to measure actual performance against predictions. Evaluating asset performance and occupancy often required anecdotal information from clients, which can be subjective and less accurate. Now, digital tools can help us to understand much more about buildings once they’re complete. Embedding sensors into a building and connecting them to the digital twin can help clients and the industry gather unbiased and key performance data about the building. Sensors can gather data such as environmental conditions, energy usage, how well products perform, how clients use the space and even the wellbeing of the occupants. For example, sensors may detect that some rooms in a large building are only used for ten per cent of the day — so building management may want to change the function of that space to use it more effectively. A 2019 report from the Committee on Climate Change identified that UK buildings are not fit for the future. We must build and retrofit millions of homes and buildings to improve their quality while also reducing emissions. The more data we collect about our buildings with BIM and digital twins, the better we can evaluate their performance and make improvements. Futurebuild’s Digital Impact spotlight offers a platform for existing and emerging digital technologies in the built environment. If you’ve developed a disruptive and innovative technology, we want to showcase it. Register your interest to exhibit here.

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Winvic Developing AI Enabled Health & Safety Site Software

Digital-first Contractor Winvic set to Develop AI Enabled Software to Send Personal Site Risk Alerts to Team Winvic, the University of the West of England (UWE Bristol) and One Big Circle Consortium secure Innovate UK Funding for Computer-Vision-SMART. Winvic Construction Ltd, a leading main contractor that specialises in the design and delivery of multi-sector construction and civil engineering projects, is working on a second Innovate UK funded project, which aims to keep site staff even safer; the three organisations involved will together leverage the latest real-time image and machine learning technologies to detect, recognise and track hazards on a construction site, which will then alert nearby operatives via IoT enabled, GPS devices. Dubbed as Computer-Vision-SMART, the ‘Computer Vision and IoT for Personalised Site Monitoring Analytics in Real Time’ project will run for two years. The Big Data Enterprise and Artificial Intelligence Lab (Big-DEAL) at UWE Bristol, and Bristol industrial intelligent video specialists One Big Circle are the two other organisations in the consortium that were successful in their application for an Innovate UK – the UK’s innovation agency – Smart Grant. They will share the £600,000 research pot with Winvic. Smart grant is the new name for Innovate UK’s ‘Open Grant Funding’ programme. Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation, is investing up to £25 million in the best game-changing and commercially viable innovative or disruptive ideas through its ‘Open Grant Funding’ programme. How the Technology Works Interior and exterior site cameras will continuously capture video images. Via Artificial Intelligence (AI), any hazards – from moving heavy machinery to overhead works to people operating without the correct Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) – will be identified. Over the length of this project the machine learning models will be able to make an increasing number of intelligent predictions over the time of the project. Safe space radii, or zones, will be predetermined and applied to each hazard. Exact operator and hazard locations are understood through a geographic information system (GIS). When an operator enters a hazard zone, the individual – and when appropriate other members of the site team – will receive a personal alert via an app on a wearable or mobile device. Managers can also review alerts and relevant video segments from a laptop-based app. In the event of an operator being identified of not wearing appropriate PPE, the person and Project Manager will be alerted of the issue. Each hazard radii will comprise four zones (SAFE): Safe: a site worker is in a safe location and won’t receive an alert; Alert: a site worker is alerted to a possible risk; Full alert: a site worker receives a consistent alert; Escalate: there is a site wide alert of an immediate health and safety concern. The Requirement for Innovation A clear need for the development and widespread use of digital technologies within construction health and safety was identified: Existing vision-based approaches to construction site monitoring only focus on areas such as site security, dispute avoidance and time-lapse project progress, and applications to improve people’s safety are lacking. Furthermore, HSEQ managers and operatives depend on self-reporting or warnings from co-workers, which can simply come too late to avoid an incident. Consequently to achieve a zero-harm target, health and safety best practice must be reimagined utilising effective digitisation alongside appropriate social interventions; delivering a solution where social and technical systems overlap. Two Winvic project sites will take part in the initiative to develop the technology over the 24-month period.  UWE Bristol and Winvic are also partners on the Conversational BIM Project; another AI-enabled development to create a voice activated, BIM model connected headset, which will allow users to retrieve any and all project design and construction information with a simple vocal request.  Tim Reeve, Winvic’s Technical Director is leading the Computer-Vision-SMART project on the main contractor’s team. He commented: “Utilising intelligent digital technologies in construction to deliver projects more rapidly, cost-effectively and safely is a passion of Winvic’s and this forward-thinking health and safety initiative is truly ground-breaking. It’s a privilege to be working with UWE Bristol on a second AI-enabled project, and with One Big Circle also on-board, we have a very dedicated and eager consortium team. There is a clear gap in this area of construction safety, where social and technical efforts can successfully converge, and with the solution that has been conceived will come better opportunities than ever before to reach our zero-harm aim. It’s a very exciting time in the world of digital transformation, and our achievements over the next two years will generate a significant leap forward for safety across the whole of the construction industry.”             Olugbenga Akinade, an Associate Professor at UWE Bristol and Principal Investigator, said: “This Computer-Vision-SMART project will enable us at the Big Data Enterprise and Artificial Intelligence Lab to employ our expertise in computer vision and sensor fusion technologies to improve safety on construction sites. The project is pivotal to our strategy to push the frontiers of construction research and to address industrial needs using innovative digital technologies. “The Innovate UK Smart grant provides us with a unique partnership opportunity with Winvic and One Big Circle to address a unique gap in the construction industry. We are convinced that Computer-Vision-SMART will deliver a step-change which will enable us to explore the socio-technical overlap of behaviour-based safety on construction sites. The project will further mature our capabilities in delivering high impact research and to establish UWE Bristol as a business-facing university.” Founder and Director of One Big Circle, Emily Kent, added: “As specialists in intelligent video and integration our purpose is to provide digital video solutions to real world challenges, especially in industrial environments, thereby increasing safety and enhancing operations. The power of a collaboration such as the Computer-Vision-SMART group means we can steer our video and computer vision expertise according to industrial need, working closely with others who are also experts in their own fields. We have been successful with this approach in highways and rail previously and are very excited

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Bentley Systems Announces Availability of OpenGround Cloud

Bentley Systems Announces Availability of OpenGround Cloud

Bentley Systems, Incorporated, a leading global provider of comprehensive software and digital twins services for advancing the design, construction, and operations of infrastructure, has announced the availability of OpenGround Cloud, a new cloud service that enables geotechnical professionals to access reliable geotechnical data for better engineering decision support and to improve collaboration across the entire supply chain. OpenGround Cloud offers a complete solution for planning, data entry, borehole log production, lab data management, reporting, visualization, and more. The cloud service improves collaboration across multidisciplinary project teams and significantly increases the value of geotechnical data by making it easily accessible to key project stakeholders. “OpenGround Cloud provides a single enterprise repository of multiple data sources for all ground investigation projects—a long-sought improvement for geotechnical and geological professionals. It eliminates the need to retain copies or to exchange data and ensures that everyone in the supply chain has the correct access rights to the most current version. As a result, OpenGround Cloud helps minimise project delays due to encountering unforeseen ground risks during construction,” said Scott Devoe, senior director, geotechnical information management, Bentley Systems. Geotechnical project team dynamics and the applications and services they require to manage natural resources are changing rapidly. Relevant geotechnical data is typically dispersed across various applications and devices and can be cumbersome to gather and consolidate, complicating the effective and timely use of this data. Now, with OpenGround Cloud, geotechnical engineers can readily access reliable, high-quality current and historical geotechnical data for the modeling, simulation, and analysis of infrastructure projects’ ground conditions. “From a risk management perspective, we are now able to more easily identify the gaps in data, to highlight risk items and, if required, assist in the planning of targeted ground investigations. From the tender process, when local site data availability is limited, through to detailed design, we are now able to undertake data-driven assessments to aid in our decision-making,” commented Richard O’Brien, principal process engineer with Atkins. “OpenGround Cloud gives us the ability to determine and cross-reference the organization’s geotechnical parameters and correlations with those available from literature sources. Tender design is made more efficient and we can consider a wider range of site properties leading to reductions in geotechnical risk. Ground investigations are planned more effectively taking into consideration multidiscipline and multiproject data leading to reduced costs. And, detailed designs are delivered from a more complete perspective, which leads to greater value for the client,” Richard added.

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Yourkeys and ContactBuilder put CRM and sales progression ‘on autopilot’

Yourkeys and ContactBuilder have announced an alliance which enables housebuilders to put their lead management and sales progression ‘on autopilot’. Yourkeys is the first platform to fully digitise the new homes sales process, from onboarding and reservation through to exchange and completion. It recently introduced a function which allows sales proceed without the customer being present in response to the COVID-19 crisis. ContactBuilder is the gold-standard customer relationship management (CRM) package specifically designed for housebuilders. The alliance means that housebuilders will be able to take reservations using the Yourkeys platform from inside ContactBuilder’s CRM system. This will help them to retain house buyers, reduce the time to exchange contracts by around half, and save many hours currently spent by sales staff on progression. Yourkeys CEO Riccardo Iannucci-Dawson said: “This marks a significant moment for Yourkeys. ContactBuilder is one of the leading CRM suppliers to housebuilders and, by integrating our platform, we have immediately made it accessible to ContactBuilder’s sizeable client base. “Many of our clients have adopted ContactBuilder’s CRM ahead of the launch of our collaboration, so together we have created a ready-made audience who will immediately benefit from the two systems working together. “Managing leads and progressing sales are functions which have caused many a headache for housebuilders. Now they can switch both functions to autopilot and focus their efforts on selling more homes, supporting the wider economic recovery.” Yourkeys will automatically create documents to manage ID checks, deposit payments and mortgage updates. This information is securely held in a document store within ContactBuilder. Yourkeys will then link to one of 1,100 law firms and 1,400 mortgage brokers to progress the sale, with real-time updates visible to all parties. Danielle Mitton, operations director of ContactBuilder, said: “ContactBuilder’s fundamental strength is its ability to streamline a housebuilder’s sales process by collating leads from multiple sources and empowering users to efficiently manage the sales process through to reservation. Our alliance with Yourkeys provides the next logical step and allows the sale to be managed right through to completion.” Yourkeys launched in January and already has 46 clients, as housebuilders increasingly seek to digitise their entire sales process. June had been a record month for new home sales activity through the platform. The numbers were six times higher than April and showed a 50 per cent increase since May, demonstrating pent-up demand. July’s figures were higher again. With the government announcement about the Stamp Duty holiday, this is set to increase transactions significantly.  ContactBuilder was established in 2008 and currently provides a CRM platform for over 50 of the UK’s most forward-thinking housebuilders, ranging from small, local developers through to top 10 PLCs. Throughout the recent lockdown period, interest in ContactBuilder has increased dramatically due to it being the perfect solution for home-workers, with access to the system available from any internet-connected PC, tablet or smartphone. For more information or for a free demonstration, go to Yourkeys.com. To find out more about ContactBuilder’s lead-management platform and to arrange a free demonstration, see Contact-Builder.co.uk.

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Field Service Management: 5 productive softwares

A reputable manager’s most valuable asset is their ability to skilfully organise the vast network of tasks and plans spread out before them and assign them to a crew according to their expertise and skills. All of these tasks require close supervision and can not be fulfilled successfully unless one dedicated all their time to close surveillance. However thanks to digital softwares and apps, now these tasks have become considerably easier and can be regulated using only the screen of your laptop. Further highlighting the solution we have compiled here an excellent software guide for field managers to profit from. WorkForce: This is an all-in-on solution for go-getters. WorkForce is the silver lining you need for your work. This is a simple but innovative software that is based on cloud technology. Comprising of many components, it offers a wide variety of digital and visual tools for assistance in almost all areas concerned with management. WorkForce is specialised for field service management owing to its unique set of functions that aid with: Communication: Whether you have a small team or a large crew, this software is optimised to make communication easier and quicker. Your office staff can easily stay connected with field staff and give prompt instructions. WorkForce also allows you to see their live locations and assign jobs using their drag-&-drop feature. Collaborate effortlessly using WorkForce’s quick and responsive functions. It eliminates wasted time and increases productivity by a large margin. The best part is you can even attach notes and plans while you assign a job to make the project easier to understand and get your idea conveyed. Productivity: WorkForce boosts sales and productivity by converting wasted time into work. This app eliminates all paperwork and excel spreadsheets and has digitalised everything from quoting, invoicing to project agreements and payments. All under your fingertips! Receive quick job notifications and progress updates in one touch and save photographs, pdfs and documents in one click for future references. You can even send updated job reports and follow-ups for unpaid invoices and incomplete projects. WorkForce is definitely a game-changer when it comes to management work and will make ease in your work by a large magnitude. 2. Eye On Task: This software makes co-ordination a walk in the part with its new and innovative concepts. Not only can you communicate with your team effectively and quickly but also form and dissolve teams as well. This app gives you autonomy to choose whatever option suits you best and is optimal for your work. Eye on task truly does keep a keen eye on your projects and will act as your virtual assistant by filing all your tasks, projects and jobs neatly for future references. 3. OptimoRoute : This is the optimum route for all field service managers. OptimoRoute is an extremely professional app that lets your formulate and send plans on the go. Not only can you mark and make editions to your plans but also make them better using their innovative functions. It creates ease for field workers as well as it allows you to send them routes with proper GPS directions and also allow you to track your workers and their orders. You can even request analytics for future projects! 4. FreshDesk: This software is specifically designed to fit the needs of field managers as it prioritises communication and coordination. It offers excellent customer engagement options so you can build trust and solid relationships with your customers. FreshDesk also reduces wasted time and offers handy solutions to resolve most of your problems. It even used no-code boys to simplify difficult workflows. 5. Field Motion: As the name suggests this app puts into motion all your tasks and projects and allows you to track them efficiently. Not only does it offer easy communication between your office and field staff but also makes job assignment a walk in the park. Field Motion is optimum for managers who prefer an easy to use, simple interface with complex and innovative tools. Conclusion: These softwares will not only track all your productivity progress but also increase it considerably so invest efficiently in the proper software for more fruitful results.

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CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT: THE METAMORPHOSIS OF A CONSTRUCTION PROJECT

Construction management is a complex field that involves the supervision of a construction project so that it goes according to plan. A construction manager manages the project to go in line with the budget and the timeline. They should make it achievable while ensuring they meet the building codes, design and specifications. A project manager can also be charged with hiring on-site workers, setting the finances, timelines, setting a communication strategy and generally developing a potential strategy for the project’s success. For construction to come to fruition, it undergoes five significant processes that every construction manager should familiarize themselves with. Initiation Before the project begins, the necessary stakeholders(it could be the owner of the construction and the construction manager) must create and develop a business case to determine if the project is feasible. Feasibility is the practicality of the project, which involves the identification of the project’s objective and need. The business case includes the recommended course of action. The necessary stakeholders conduct an examination study to determine whether each action identifies the project’s objective and come into a final recommendation. If the project is feasible, they initiate the work plan and write the project initiation document (PID). Planning During the planning of the construction project, it involves the identification of each activity that will take place as well as resource allocation. The team identifies all the work, the project’s task and the strategies for producing the required resources. A project plan outlines the activities, tasks, and timeframes involving the work. The project manager plans the preparation of the project finances by providing an estimate in terms of labour, equipment and material costs. It is also known as scope management. Then there is the creation of the last quality plan that shows the communication plan, risk management plan, control measures and an acceptable plan. The communication plan outlines the framework to be used to avoid conflicts and misunderstandings. The risk plan identifies risks beforehand, such as cost and timelines that may not be met or resources shortage. The acceptance plan outlines the criteria that will be useful in gaining the client’s acceptance in the project’s execution. Execution Execution involves the implementation of the project by putting the work into motion at the site. The project manager should continually monitor progress, maintain control and communicate during each stage of the project’s implementation. Appropriate adjustments are made during implementation and recorded as variances from the original plan. A construction project management accounting software comes handy in monitoring cost expenditures, task implementation during construction and the project’s progress. The construction manager uses the information to control the direction of the project to go hand in hand with the project plan and also to measure the performance. If there is any deviation, the team makes corrections immediately. Performance and monitoring Performance and monitoring happen concurrently with the execution phase. The manager updates the stakeholders on the progress of the project during team meetings. The status reports should highlight the probable endpoints in terms of time, costs and the project’s quality. This phase is crucial to measure progress and performance and ensure that the project is in line with the original project plan. In this stage, it’s also important that construction teams need to be Covid-19 compliant to ensure excellent performance. The construction industry needs to abide with existing health and safety protocols to avoid facing legal consequences. Construction managers can use a project management software or service software to easily monitor field workers remotely. This way, managers or supervisors can monitor a wider range of workers and projects, and save time and effort commuting from one construction site area to another.  Using the right performance and monitoring tools, managers and other team members will have one place to check accurate data, promoting good collaboration and productivity. Supervisors can immediately update the management of the project status, employee performance, project issues, photos, videos, and other relevant information. Through this, the management can make seamless and sound decision, making for a successful construction project. The closure phase of the construction This phase marks the project’s fruition. There is the termination of supplier contracts, initiation of the final budget account and handing over the project documents to the building owner. Then there is the communication of the project’s closure. The construction manager may hold a meeting to what if the team met the project’s objectives and where goals weren’t accomplishable and why. It helps in improving future projects. Takeaway Construction management is no longer confined in one setting or place at a time because managers can multitask with the help of advanced technology, such as software programs. Proper implementation of various stages in the construction project includes careful planning, objective execution, performance monitoring, and compliance with government laws. From start to finish, you can use the above guide to help achieve your short-term and long-term goals for your construction business.

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