A main highlight of the conference was the presentation of the annual Be Inspired Awards, where engineering and construction firms submit projects which are then judged by an independent panel. There are three finalists from 18 different categories. In 2015 there was a record number of submissions, being 364 from 66 countries.

Amongst these, in the Innovation in Asset Performance Management category there were three very diverse projects. One of them was Network Rail (UK) and there development of the Linear Asset Decision Support (LADS) -project created by the Offering Rail Better Information Services (ORBIS) and the Asset Information operational teams. LADS is a software tool that can be accessed through an I-Pad or Laptop, for example. It collects all the relevant railroad track data necessary, and compiles it together for the railway engineers and on site managers to access the current track conditions at all times. This gives them reliable data to make immediate as well as long term decision on assets and defects, and maintenance work that need to be carried out. As Richard Schooled (Route Managing Director at Network Rail (Anglia) says; “LADS is a revolutionary decision support tool as it puts the data in the hand of the end user just when they need it”.

Another finalist was West Virginia Department of Transportation (WVDOT) with their development and innovation on the SUPER-LOAD system for oversize/overweight vehicles. In order to balance the safety needs of the motoring public, protect the infrastructure and meet the expectations of the commercial trucking industry, this fully automated tool, which has been transferred to Bentley MANAGE services, has proven to be extraordinarily efficient. It has increased permit issuance capacity from 25.4 percent in 2008 to 83.4 in 2014. The system calculates the optimum route based on vehicle parameters, such as weight, height and load specification, and the point of origin and destination. It then issues the permit to which you can apply the route determined by the system. Since this a web based application you can apply for a permit anywhere at any time.

The Winner of the Innovation in Asset Performance Management category was SA Water – Predictive and Operational Analytics Tools, Adelaide Metro Water Distribution Network – (Adelaide, South Australia, Australia). AssetWise Amulet provided decision support tools that deliver real-time operational analytics in the overall project. The SA Water interconnection project supplements the existing water supply network to provide an integrated system that enables Adelaide to meet immediate and future water needs. In the past Adelaide´s water supply was split into two systems that operated independently, namely; North and South. Due to demographical factors, such as population growth and special events such as prolonged drought, a solution needed to be found, and that was achieved by interconnection. This new system gives the majority of Adelaide access to more than one source of water - it interconnects water supply sources, reservoirs, the river Murray and the new desalination plant. It links them all together in order to provide a single citywide network. In 2013/2014, it saved AUD 3 million in electricity costs alone, together with a comparative reduction of more than AUD 400,000 over the last six months in network operations expenditure.

In regards to YII2015, may I say that rarely, if not ever, have I come across such a professionally organized event. I may add that I would have a long list of event organizers who should attend this one next year for the sole purpose of learning from Bentley Systems on how a successful event is done.

Kai Portman, Sales Director at Maintworld Magazine

YII2015 Conference