Connecting Disconnected Data to Drive Efficiency and Sustainability for National Highways

The Challenge

National Highways faced critical challenges in managing the vast amounts of data generated across its projects. These challenges included:

• Data Definition and Delivery: Defining necessary data and ensuring its timely delivery to the required standard proved challenging. This included structured and unstructured data, documents, and geospatial information, all crucial for effective decision-making.
• Unlocking Siloed Asset Data: As-built asset data was trapped in various disconnected systems, hindering a unified view of the infrastructure. Accessing and integrating this data was crucial for informed design and construction processes.
• Lack of Unified Performance Metrics: National Highways needed a single source of truth for key performance indicators (KPIs) to share with their supply chain partners. This would enable data-driven decisions and provide insights into project performance and sustainability.

Essentially, National Highways needed to establish a foundation for a digital twin of their road network to facilitate efficient and effective digital design and construction processes. This required a solution that could integrate disparate data sources, provide a unified view of information, and enable data-driven decision-making.

Our Solution

Cohesive was selected based on our extensive industry experience and proven track record in delivering value to linear asset owner-operators. We understood the complexities of integrating disconnected datasets and presenting them in a meaningful way for decision-makers.

Our solution involved the development of the Business Information Framework (BIF), a platform providing National Highways with a single-window view into their diverse data landscape. This platform:

• Integrated Disparate Data Sources: BIF brought together structured, unstructured, geometric, and geospatial data, providing National Highways with actionable information rather than raw data.
• Utilized a Robust Technology Stack: The BIF was built on Cohesive’s DataConnect platform, Bentley iTwins, and BCDE. This technology stack was configured to provide an intuitive interface for accessing design, asset, and project control data.
• Enabled Connected Data Environment: BCDE served as the connected data environment for the project information model, while iTwins facilitated access to federated 3D data across the organization.
• Integrated with Existing Systems: The solution integrated with Bentley ProjectWise for design data and Bentley AssetWise for asset data, including structures, geotechnical, and drainage information.
• Provided Comprehensive Functionality: Key functionalities included project controls reporting, visualization of as-built asset information from over 40 datasets, information delivery planning assurance based on ISO19650, and data governance for improved data quality from the supply chain.

In addition to the BIF platform, Cohesive provided advisory services on organizational design, digital strategy, and policy, ensuring alignment with National Highways’ digital objectives.

The Client Benefits 

The BIF has significantly improved National Highways’ ability to manage and utilize its data, resulting in:

• Improved Decision-Making: The BIF provides a reliable and easily accessible source of information, enabling users to quickly search, filter, visualize, and analyze data to inform critical decisions.
• Enhanced Asset Delivery and Operation: The platform facilitates improvements in asset delivery, operation, and optimization.
• Streamlined Data Management: Information from design systems, project controls, health & safety, and finance is standardized, integrated, and shared in a single location, promoting sustainability, cost savings, and operational efficiency.

What’s Next

National Highways plans to expand the use of the BIF across more major projects and continue leveraging the platform to drive data-driven decision-making throughout the asset lifecycle. This includes further integration with existing systems and exploration of advanced analytics and machine learning capabilities to unlock deeper insights from their data.