AEC Insights from the 2023 Esri UC (Part One – Empowering the Industry
As part of our summer spotlight series, Dawood’s Director of Geospatial Technologies, Jodie Gosselin, GISP, shares her experience from the 2023 Esri User Conference (UC). Jodie describes how her passion for leading with innovation was reignited, and how geospatial technologies are poised to transform the AEC sector.
Data migration was one popular UC utility theme—what’s your perspective on this topic?
I participated in discussions around Esri’s new Utility and Pipeline Data Model (UPDM), where common experiences revolved around planning and migrating to the UPDM. Southern Company Gas, for example, highlighted their need for a companywide shift in their data management mindset. Through Agile methodology, Dawood’s team builds custom Esri solutions integrated with the UPDM, helping clients align with industry standards.
What other sessions stood out?
Integrating GIS and BIM was a focal discussion during the UC’s Design and Engineering Special Interest Group session. I enjoyed hearing more shared experiences from other large AEC firms and champions illustrating how changing stakeholder minds, internal structure, and legacy tools were necessary to stimulate technological adoption across the supply chain. These firms are holding their subcontractors to the same standards of innovation. A common theme was building industry sustainability through synergistic, multi-purpose geospatial tools similar to Dawood Technologies.
Excerpt from 2022 Geospatial World/Esri/Autodesk Report
Where are these technologies heading?
Esri’s launch of over 30 pre-trained GeoAI models, now baked into ArcGIS Pro, marks a significant milestone in the AEC industry. This was abundantly apparent throughout UC design and engineering discussions. AI applications automate feature extraction from point clouds and imagery to streamline workflows and enhance efficiency. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and we all should work together to transform our industry one step at a time. It’s important to set realistic data capture and digital twin expectations to harness the value of GeoAI.
