Technology : Software & I.T. News

Launch of new innovation lab will enable development of intelligent digital solutions for smarter buildings & flexible micro grids

Priva – one of the world’s leading building controls manufacturers – has launched a new innovation lab to accelerate the development and deployment of technology and software solutions that enable better, healthier buildings and smarter approaches to energy use. From its base in De Lier, Holland, Priva Lab for Innovation

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3D Repo receives Epic MegaGrant for new Digital Twin platform in AEC

3D Repo, creators of cloud-based design collaboration in Building Information Modelling (BIM) today announced that it has received an Epic MegaGrant, which will be used to build a new data delivery platform for the AEC industry. Harnessing the power of Unreal Engine’s advanced real-time technology, 3D Repo has created an

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PAGABO LAUNCHES DIGITAL PLATFORM TO REVOLUTIONISE PROCUREMENT

NATIONAL framework provider Pagabo has launched its central procurement technology platform, which places everything at the fingertips of its users. It gives clients and suppliers access to a fully integrated procurement process through intelligent dashboards that provide real insights into projects, suppliers, social value and all the relevant information they

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Is It Too Late To Start Using The CRM In Your Business?

Customer relationship management is a business development tool designed to help organizations manage their interactions with customers easily. Its automation features send alerts when a customer completes a particular action, when it is time to perform an activity such as follow up a contract, download a white paper or even

Read More »

How Software Can Support a Growing Field Service Business

If you run a field service business that is in the process of growing, it is essential you use software to support your operations and decision making. Read on to find out more. The Advantages of Going Paperless By using software for a field service business, your company can evolve

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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

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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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Latest Issue
Issue 326 : Mar 2025

Commercial : Software & I.T. News

Launch of new innovation lab will enable development of intelligent digital solutions for smarter buildings & flexible micro grids

Priva – one of the world’s leading building controls manufacturers – has launched a new innovation lab to accelerate the development and deployment of technology and software solutions that enable better, healthier buildings and smarter approaches to energy use. From its base in De Lier, Holland, Priva Lab for Innovation (Lin) has been developed in response to the major energy challenges faced within the built environment supply chain. Together, building and construction are responsible for 39% of all carbon emissions in the world[1], with operational emissions (from energy used to heat, cool and light buildings) accounting for 28%.  The Lab’s growing suite of smart building technologies will also help organisations to participate in the ‘energy transition’. This will make it easier for carbon-conscious businesses and the public sector to take advantage of smarter, more flexible approaches to energy consumption. It will also enable more efficient balancing of demand from green, renewable sources.  Technology suite The Lin Lab capitalises on sophisticated digital twin technology and artificial intelligence (AI) to bring new, data driven solutions to the smart buildings / smart energy market. The launch portfolio is focused on two technologies: ecoBuilding – an already proven technology which is an intelligent layer of cloud-based software that sits on top of an existing building management system. Already deployed in sites across Europe, ecoBuilding uses digital twin and AI technology to learns how to balance indoor climate control against external factors such as fluctuations in energy tariffs and make continuous operational improvements to a buildings.  ecoGrid – a cloud-based smart microgrid solution which enables fully-automated balancing of energy consumption, demand and storage by optimising the flows between the connected energy elements. It makes buildings with renewable energy sources even more self-sufficient and ready to connect to energy grids at a local level.   Commenting on the launch of Priva’s Lab for Innovation Peter Vandendriessche, VP Strategy & Commerce, said: “We are extremely excited to share Priva’s Lab for Innovation with the world. We are a business that never stands still; we always look to the future. The Lin Lab will act as an important accelerator for cutting-edge technologies that will re-shape the way our customers and partners use – and resource – energy. In doing so, it will be possible to embrace the smart energy revolution and accelerate the journey to Net Zero emissions. We very much look forward to inviting you all to the Lab as soon as we are able.” Online profile To support the launch of Priva’s Lab for Innovation a comprehensive website has been developed which includes case studies and references of ecoGrid and ecoBuilding as well as regularly updated content on topics around energy in the built environment. To explore the Priva Lab for Innovation, click here: www.privalabforinnovation.com

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3D Repo receives Epic MegaGrant for new Digital Twin platform in AEC

3D Repo, creators of cloud-based design collaboration in Building Information Modelling (BIM) today announced that it has received an Epic MegaGrant, which will be used to build a new data delivery platform for the AEC industry. Harnessing the power of Unreal Engine’s advanced real-time technology, 3D Repo has created an infinitely scalable 3D rendering and data delivery platform that allows AEC users to share and view massive and complex 3D engineering models online. Dr Jozef Dobos, CEO at 3D Repo, said: “Over the past two years we’ve seen a gradual shift from BIM to Digital Twins, with more and more clients requesting high visual fidelity for both engineering and client presentation purposes, and the ability to explore vast 3D scenes in real-time. “Our new digital twin streaming solution is a major breakthrough that will enable AEC professionals to collaborate remotely using very large and complex 3D models across the web. 3D Repo is delighted to receive the Epic MegaGrant to help push the boundaries and improve efficiency and quality of construction in the UK.” Via open APIs, the 3D Repo version control cloud connects with Unreal Engine, where pre-optimised assets are dynamically loaded directly into a running game, giving users the ability to log-in via their 3D Repo credentials and seamlessly retrieve any of their assets on the fly. This is made possible through a persistent storage layer rather than parsing and baking assets into a new game executable each time an asset revision is created. Ken Pimentel, AEC industry management at Epic Games, said: “The new 3D Repo data delivery platform for Unreal Engine enables remote collaboration using very large and complex 3D models through the power of Unreal’s real-time technology. “AEC professionals are running into a wall trying to visualise large-scale projects using existing solutions, and this effort shows what’s truly possible when innovative teams collaborate for a mutual goal.” The integration library is now freely available for download at https://3drepo.com/downloads/#plugins

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PAGABO LAUNCHES DIGITAL PLATFORM TO REVOLUTIONISE PROCUREMENT

NATIONAL framework provider Pagabo has launched its central procurement technology platform, which places everything at the fingertips of its users. It gives clients and suppliers access to a fully integrated procurement process through intelligent dashboards that provide real insights into projects, suppliers, social value and all the relevant information they need. My Pagabo simplifies the full tender process, allowing clients to track projects from initial engagement, right through to completion. The new platform is designed specifically to create a smarter, faster and easier way of working for everyone involved, and has seen the team dedicate more than 6,000 hours of time into the development. All the information clients may need will be centralised within the dashboard and separated out into several key sections. Clients can view the frameworks available to them and digitally sign the client access agreement for others within the platform. They will also be able to see all of the suppliers available to them, with each one having an individual profile showing the key company information, case studies and good news stories. My Pagabo also has integration that allows clients to view the Creditsafe score of all suppliers on the platform. The platform gives clients the ability to input all the necessary data for their organisation, and to onboard all the team members involved in procurement processes. Live projects can be viewed, and new ones can be started quickly and easily from the projects section. Julian Penna, business analyst at Pagabo, said: “After pouring quite literally thousands of hours into the development of My Pagabo to ensure we have created the most effective procurement technology possible; we’re thrilled to be fully launching the platform to kick off the new year. “The key thing for My Pagabo is providing a simple and central process, combined with instant access to all the information users need within a central platform. It brings procurement into the future through the use of digital and will allow clients to manage their complete procurement processes – including all correspondence – in a central location. As well as the obvious benefits of streamlining, time saving and less physical paperwork, clients will be able to manage the entire process from the outset starting with an expression of interest, through the tendering and awarding process – all backed up with a dedicated customer support service. Charlotte Brogan, design and build manager at Wildgoose Construction, who has been involved with the beta-testing of My Pagabo, said: “I’ve found using the My Pagabo platform easy to use and it’s made the procurement process very simple. The platform has allowed us access to frameworks that we’re eligible for, to register interest and submit important documents, which saves us a lot of time. “The construction industry is always changing. A lot of new technology is coming in, there’s lots happening around training new members of staff, and projects are having to find more efficient ways of working. The My Pagabo platform helps to streamline that, it addresses all of these items in the procurement stages, which is where we need to get that push. There’s only so much you can reduce costs in construction without compromising on quality, and this platform helps us to narrow down costs right at the start of a project.” Anne Giliker, procurement manager at Red Kite Learning Trust, who has been using the My Pagabo platform, said: “The My Pagabo platform allows me to manage my tenders and see where everything is up to at each stage of them as I go through. It’s incredibly simple and organised, allowing me to access all of the latest information that’s coming through from suppliers and I can see where everybody is during the entire process.” Simon Toplass, chief executive at Pagabo, said: “Our mission at Pagabo is to provide the industry with the best procurement processes possible, and the launch of My Pagabo really underlines this digital-first approach that is needed within the industry. “Social value is always at the heart of everything we do – and My Pagabo is no different. Users will be able to view our overall social value statistics for our network of frameworks, but the platform will also be fully integrated with Social Profit Calculator. This means that clients will be able to effectively and accurately measure the end-to-end, real life impact of their projects. “We believe that technology is there to help, not hinder us and this new platform will do a lot of the heavy lifting for our clients – saving them time, allowing them to engage with suppliers like never before, and making the whole end-to-end experience much better for clients.” Working with an independent specialist solicitor, Pagabo has put security and data protection at the forefront of activity, with terms of services, and acceptable use, privacy and cookie policies all in place to protect the data of all users. The platform will be free to use for all Pagabo clients. For more information about My Pagabo, please visit https://www.mypagabo.co.uk/.  

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Property industry’s seismic shift places technology at its core

A seismic shift in the way homes are bought and sold has placed technology at the core of the property industry. And that’s where it is set to stay, according to a tech entrepreneur who is celebrating the first anniversary of his software launching today. Yourkeys launched its sales progression platform for new homes in January 2020 and soon added a feature to facilitate remote sales. CEO Riccardo Iannucci-Dawson believes remote viewings, reservations and sales progression, born of necessity, will remain a vital part of the sales process. He said: “Yourkeys came about in a bid to fix slow and broken processes in the property market. As we sought to automate transactions, we identified a need to process remote reservations from overseas buyers. Then lockdown hit and the whole industry was working remotely. “We launched our online reservation feature and immediately saw 60 to 70 per cent of transactions becoming fully remote. “Since then, while face-to-face viewings have resumed, more than 60 per cent of reservations are still taken remotely. “Buyers’ expectations have changed. They want to complete the administrative tasks associated with buying a home at a time that suits them. They don’t see the need to travel to the development to reserve once they have seen the home they want to buy.” Yourkeys connects mortgage providers, conveyancers, search providers and even CRM systems. The company’s technology will be available to estate agents by the middle of 2021 and there is scope for further diversification. Riccardo said: “The past year has demonstrated that a whole host of tasks associated with residential property sales can be digitised. While some advances were necessitated by the health crisis, the industry has discovered that technology can solve many problems and transform outdated processes. “Crucially, this is a change that the industry has embraced. Perceptions have shifted and there is a real openness to consider new tech solutions.” Yourkeys currently works with more than 50 new homes developers and agents. It has 9,000 homes listed on its platform, with a total value in excess of £2bn. More than 70 per cent of all sales through Yourkeys progress to exchange in 28 days or fewer. Riccardo said: “While it’s easy to refer to a number of ‘properties’ or ‘units’, these are people’s new homes. We take great satisfaction in helping our clients to provide a better customer experience and to progress the sale as quickly and seamlessly as possible.” For more information on Yourkeys, or to book a demo, see Yourkeys.com.

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Is It Too Late To Start Using The CRM In Your Business?

Customer relationship management is a business development tool designed to help organizations manage their interactions with customers easily. Its automation features send alerts when a customer completes a particular action, when it is time to perform an activity such as follow up a contract, download a white paper or even sign up for a free trial. This therefore shows that CRM system is right for every business process and the CRM features can be utilized at any stage of the business. It is therefore never too late to use a CRM Creatio in business but the timing of actions must be correctly calculated. However, a good number of companies wait too long to start implementing CRM. as a result, they deal with many issues for long before they finally settle on a suitable system. During this time, they lose leads, overwork employees and provide inferior customer service. In this article, we look at the sections of business that use CRM and the essence of using the software at that particular stage of business. It is however important to have this information handy before acquiring a CRM software at any stage of a business. Acceptance: make sure workers and other key stakeholders have clear understanding of the benefits this application brings to the business and that they fully embrace the installation. Understand the problem: stakeholders should have clear understanding of the kinds of problems the software is coming to solve. Training and implementation: how will the management encourage adoption? Who will need to access the system? How will the teams learn about the system? Features: what features of the system are needed by your business? There Is No Insight Into The Performance Of Sales Teams An effectively progressing business needs a clear insight into how each team is performing or contributing to the success. If your organization is lacking, unable or even unsure on how best to track sales activities and business processes, then it could be the right time to acquire a CRM system. You may be asking for instance; how much time do your ales reps spend closing deals? Or how fast do they respond to leads? It won’t be very easy or even possible to improve sales if in the first place they are not being tracked. Important Data Is Missing Or Getting Lost Building lasting relationships with customers is more than just remembering their names. It is about memorizing what they purchased last, offering integrated customer service, following up on previous interactions and tracking additional opportunities. CRM gives you a centralized customer data storage and access portal making it easier to follow up on past interactions with them. If your business is struggling with missing customer information, this is the right time to start using the system and improve the company’s relationships. Your Employees Are Overworked Research shows that employees spend only about 36% of their time selling. This shows that a big volume of workhours is wasted by sales people and customer service teams handling and managing customer data. This could be in the form of time wasted checking email campaigns, logging phone calls or updating contact data. This is the right time to acquire a good CRM system in order to centralize contents and automate processes. This reduces time spent checking the statuses of campaigns or updating contact information. As a result, employees spend more time doing other tasks that help them increase productivity. Lack Of Personalized Customer Service Many people say they prefer personalized treatment as opposed to robotic business interactions. This is why one will not care about waiting too long in a queue at a shop where he gets more personalized services at a higher price instead of acquiring similar services at the next shop with poor customer relationship management. If your business is suffering the wrath of poor customer service, this maybe the right time for you to start using CRM in your business.

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How Software Can Support a Growing Field Service Business

If you run a field service business that is in the process of growing, it is essential you use software to support your operations and decision making. Read on to find out more. The Advantages of Going Paperless By using software for a field service business, your company can evolve to entirely paperless operations. By transferring from a paper system to a software solution, you have the tools to: ·       Provide electronic invoicing. ·       Store data in the cloud online, so it can be accessed anytime and anywhere by anyone who has permission. ·       Capture information in pre-formatted and photo-enriched forms to help avoid errors. ·       Use instant messaging services to ensure all field teams and service centre staff are connected. ·       Save costs on things like paper, ink cartridges, printers, and photocopiers. Software Helps to Provide Accurate Estimates Pen and paper or spreadsheets are still commonly used by field service businesses like electrical contracting companies to come up with estimates. But manually estimating the cost of jobs is an inefficient way to work compared to using a software solution for electrical bidding and other field service bids. Manually estimating costs can lead to all kinds of issues. Most importantly, it can lead to services being priced incorrectly. With the right software, field service businesses have a system that gives them a precise overview of the time, expenses, and margins for every specific job, ensuring that accurate estimates can be given. It’s 2024. It’s time for contractors to update their tech. Quality FSM software and a device like a smartphone or tablet are all you need to do anything business-related on the fly. Aside from the work itself, of course. Software Helps to Solve Scheduling Problems One of the biggest logistical problems field service technicians and dispatchers encounter is scheduling issues. Scheduling challenges can become even more problematic as a field service company grows. Manually tracking where technicians are and where they have been can be difficult. But software alleviates that problem. The best field service business software provides accurate scheduling tools and can alert technicians in the field instantly. Most software also enables you to optimise appointment bookings so that technicians can plan the best routes to jobs and notify customers if they are running late.   Software Enables Field Service Businesses to Respond in Real Time The best software enables your business to respond in real time, which means many of your operations can become more efficient. For example, software allows your company to: ·       Optimise travel times for technicians, meaning they can arrive faster and spend less time in traffic jams. ·       Optimise service times, due to the fact that technicians have access to online details about things like customer data and spare parts. ·       Optimise workloads of technicians, because the ability to work more efficiently in all areas enables technicians to perform more service calls each day. Benefits like those above enable field service businesses to increase their productivity, and therefore, accelerate growth. Field Service Businesses Can Measure Growth with Industry-specific Data To grow a field service business, you need to be able to measure and track your company’s progress. To ensure you can do that, use a software solution where you can integrate your business parameters into the platform. Each business has its own specific Key Performance Indicators. After you have identified your specific KPIs, ensure your software can retrieve and analyse reliable field data for things like the number of service calls performed and the adherence to service legal agreements. Software Can Improve Customer Satisfaction If you want your field service business to grow, you must continually provide customer satisfaction. If you have problems with factors like schedules, timekeeping, and accounts, your customer satisfaction rates will soon drop. But as seen above, software solutions can help you avoid such issues. By utilising the right software solutions, your business will have all it needs to improve its performance and increase its productivity; both of which will help to foster business growth.

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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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