Urban Infrastructure is a critical accelerator for economic and social development. It is thus imperative to ascertain continuous growth of the sector in terms of project planning and execution. It is here that 3D design, engineering, simulation and implementation over a collaborative business experience platform carries immense potential to provide a single source of truth, thereby enabling them to design, monitor and execute in an efficient and seamless manner. The role of business experience platforms has become all the more critical in the current scenario that calls for the use of emerging and most advanced technologies that are both safe and contactless.
With an aim to address some of the key challenges faced by city planners, municipal corporations, infrastructure players and building construction segment and to showcase the capability and impact of the 3DEXPERIENCE platform and VIRTUAL TWIN EXPERIENCE, we conceptualized and organized virtual event- The World After: Sustainable and Resilient Urban Future. The event offered insights on current and upcoming technology trends accelerating development of infrastructure projects in India.
The virtual event was attended by more than 1000 participants via a vibrant interactive digital interface offering all the experiential elements of a conventional on-ground event. During the online seminar, Dassault Systèmes’ domain experts explained how the virtual twin experience had transformed the development of urban infrastructure. Our speakers highlighted how Dassault Systèmes has emerged as a catalyst and enabler in driving innovations in Smart Cities and government initiatives on 3D city project management and pandemic planning, infrastructure projects – such as highways, roads, airports, bridges, tunnels, stadiums, etc. – and undertaking architectural benchmarks in construction projects and real estate.
Delivering the welcome note, Deepak NG, Managing Director, India Dassault Systèmes, stated the focus on three sectors – Infrastructure, Manufacturing and Life Sciences. Of these three, infrastructure plays a key role in developing the nation and supporting its economic and employment ecosystem. At Dassault Systèmes, we emphasize on building a sustainable city for a resilient urban future, which includes creating virtual twin experience for smart cities, large infrastructure projects and building constructions.
The key note of the event was delivered by Sylvain LAURENT, Executive Vice President and Chairman, Infrastructure & Cities Board – Dassault Systèmes who shared insights on the virtual twin experience and how city administrators can engage in collaborative planning and execution of infra projects, driving greater efficiencies through upfront construction simulations. Sylvain also showed how Dassault Systèmes could help assess the safety of buildings to contain virus spread and gave a global perspective about how the virtual twin can benefit countries at large via planning pandemic emergencies.
Guest speaker, Dr K Rajeswara RAO, IES, Additional Secretary – NITI Aayog, Government of India, noted that the Government of India’s focus was on inclusive and sustainable urban development. He revealed that the COVID-19 outbreak is teaching many lessons, particularly in urban areas, where the use of technology is helping the administration and municipal bodies to strengthen the delivery of services. Delivering the industry keynote, Jayant Damodar PATIL, Whole Time Director and Senior Executive Vice President, L&T spoke about of digital and smart solutions built by the company for the smart cities across India.
This was followed by an engaging panel discussion on Modern Age Technology Transforming Urban Development. Moderated by Mohd. Ujaley, Senior Special Correspondent, ET Government, the panelists included- Manoj Kumar, Member Projects, NHAI, Charulata Somal, Managing Director, KUIDFC, Ajay Nandan, Executive Director, Railway Board, Vijay Devnath, General Manager, CRIS, Ministry of Railways, Dr C. B. Amarnath, Strategy Head at L&T ECC and President, India BIM Association and Deepak NG, Managing Director, Dassault Systèmes . The session brought to fore several benefits of adoption of emerging technologies in ensuring efficiency and business continuity. The session also highlighted the efficacy of Dassault Systèmes ’ 3DEXPERIENCE platform in meeting project deadline and managing cost for infrastructure.
Akhilesh SRIVASTAVA, CGM – Technical, National Highways Authority of India in his session on Smarter and Resilient Road Infrastructure for the next Urban Future advocated adoption of digital technologies to improve operational efficiency and enhance collaboration. In another session- Smart City Case Study: Stakeholders’ Coordination on Virtual Rennes, Guillaume LENOËL, Construction, Cities and Territories Solution Experience Senior Manager – Dassault Systèmes and Fabrice SERVANT, Strategic Sales Director, Construction, Cities and Territories – Dassault Systèmes presented a case study on the use of company’s 3D virtual twins in a planned French metropolis named Rennes to ensure effective collaboration between stakeholders which is transforming government design practices while improving project quality and cost stability.
Independent Business Transformation Consultant, John STOKOE, spoke on The Digital Construction Revolution. He mentioned how we are on the verge of a new transformation revolution. Through its exponential growth and computing power, digitization embraces every aspect of our lives. Relevant data is key to future sustainability and certainty, he stressed.
Dr S Selva KUMAR, IAS – Skill Secretary to the Government of Karnataka, noted how the country’s rapid growth had led to a shortage of skilled human resources, despite the growing population. He also discussed at length, several initiatives taken by the Government of Karnataka to bridge the skill gap. This includes establishing Skill Development Entrepreneurship and Livelihood Department and setting up 12 Centres of Excellence in the state. He also highlighted that urban infrastructure projects are one of the ways for moving government money to the public, whereby it can be circulated, allowing the economy to improve faster.
The virtual conclave also witnessed a session on Transforming City, Building & Infrastructure with Dassault Systèmes by Simon HUFFETEAU, Vice President, Construction, Cities & Territories – Dassault Systèmes and Prasad PANDIT, CC&T Industry Process Leader – Dassault Systèmes. The session highlighted how productivity in the manufacturing world had almost doubled over the past 25 years. Yet, productivity in the construction sector has been lagging. In the present pandemic, 3DEXPERIENCE platform can play a pivotal role in managing the crisis by helping authorities take the right decisions.
And finally, the event featured dedicated break-out sessions with deep dive discussions about how Dassault Systèmes ’ 3DEXPERIENCE platform can redefine the three specific sub-segments in the Construction, Cities and Territories segment: Cities & Infrastructure and Buildings & Facilities.
This virtual event The World After: Sustainable and Resilient Urban Future is just one of the many initiatives in our long journey, which is aimed at ushering in sustainability, innovation, aesthetics and future ready approach in urban development.
