This Digital Publication Also Focuses on Rebalancing Technology Portfolios for Optimum Productivity, the Impact of 3D Mapping on Geospatial Information, and More
Exton, Pa. – The latest issue of BE Magazine (www.be.org), published by Bentley Systems, Incorporated, begins with an article by Damian Rinaldi, a contributing writer for Software Magazine, that is a must-read for everyone involved in software licensing and its management. In the article, Rinaldi makes clear the changes that are afoot in software delivery methods, licensing, and update management practices. He discusses the current challenges in measuring and assigning value to software, and explains the benefits of the subscription model and the trend towards acquiring software as a service.
Joe Croser continues to explore the topic of software value in the article titled “Software Licensing Made Simple.” Croser, who is global marketing director for Bentley platform products, says that in order to accommodate increased globalization, infrastructure organizations are demanding more effective ways to manage and rebalance their software portfolios to adapt to changing business requirements. He explains, “Bentley’s Annual License Exchange gives organizations the opportunity to rebalance their technology portfolios for optimum productivity in the year ahead – replacing old and underutilized licenses with new technology more suited to the changing business needs of a distributed enterprise.”
Next up – “Building Roads to Reduce Traffic Congestion in America’s Cities: How Much and at What Cost?” – presents an eye-opening look at the United State’s road capacity requirements over the next 25 years. “Traffic delays will increase 65 percent and the number of congested lane-miles on urban roads will rise by 50 percent,” say David Hartgen, M. Gregory Fields, and Robert Poole, Jr., authors of this article and the Reason Foundation study upon which it is based.
In “Democratizing the Third Dimension,” Styli Camateros, vice president, Bentley Geospatial, discusses the proliferation of 3D maps and the impact of this technology on providers and consumers of geospatial information. This impact includes major opportunities for better decision making and saving money. Says Camateros, “The city of Toronto invested $4.2 million Canadian in its Enterprise Stereoscopic Model project. The return on investment has been astonishing – an estimated $7.4 million Canadian just in its initial year.”
This issue of BE Magazine also brings the first in a series of articles on change management. Authored by Vern Owens, construction manager, ConocoPhillips Alaska, Inc., the article begins with the premise that the development of every project is a process of change. “None of us should shy away from it, deny it exists, or try to avoid it. Instead, we should embrace it and, most importantly, manage it effectively and early,” says Owens. However, he adds that in the latter stages of a project, when the ability to change the result is the lowest and most expensive, we need to strive for a zero change culture – following the guidelines provided.
In his column “The Last Word,” CEO Greg Bentley uses the results of a recent U.S. Department of Labor study to focus on an unexpected phenomenon in the architectural and engineering professions: lagging productivity. The study points out that the output per hour for architects and engineers in the United States grew steadily between 1997 and 2003, but the productivity of these professions in terms of dollars per hour only increased by an average of 0.6 percent annually over this period. Says Mr. Bentley, “Under these conditions, it’s apparent that architects’ and engineers’ hourly earnings must have actually regressed relative to all other professions.”
Mr. Bentley continues, “I’m afraid this points out that there is a disparity between increased throughput and the value of the work we do. We keep pace through increasing productivity in economists’ terms by adding new value to each hour of work – beyond merely doing the same things faster.” Technology that allows working at a higher level of abstraction, he says, can enable us to add more value with each hour of architects’ or engineers’ work. But taking advantage of this technology, he explains, will require changes in workflows, the adoption of best practices, and easier access to professional training to upgrade software skills.
As always, readers of BE Magazine will also find a variety of inspiring user success stories; how-to articles that help architectural, engineering, and construction (AEC) and geospatial professionals as well as owner-operators become better connected and more productive; a global roundup of AEC and geospatial news; practical technical notes; commentary on issues critical to the AEC and geospatial communities; and more.
To experience BE Magazine’s latest digital issue and become a subscriber, go to www.be.org. To contribute to the editorial content of future issues, please submit success stories, feature articles, news items, commentary, or letters to BEmagazine@be.org.
About BE Magazine
BE Magazine, which is electronically distributed to nearly 200,000 readers, is dedicated to Bentley users and their work improving the world’s infrastructure and increasing quality of life. It is part of a program that also includes the BE Conference, BE Newsletter, BE Awards of Excellence, BE Careers Network, and BE User Groups. BE, which stands for “Bentley Empowered,” represents the achievements of Bentley users, how Bentley can help them reach their goals, and the common vision and causes Bentley and users share.
About Bentley
Bentley Systems, Incorporated provides software for the lifecycle of the world’s infrastructure. The company’s comprehensive portfolio for the building, plant, civil, and geospatial verticals spans architecture, engineering, construction (AEC) and operations. With 2005 revenues of $336 million and more than 2000 colleagues around the world, Bentley is the leading provider of AEC software to the Engineering News-Record Top 500 Design Firms and major owner-operators and was named the world’s No. 2 provider of GIS/geospatial software solutions in a recent Daratech research study.
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