IDS Wins the Esri Analytics to Insights Award

Posted by Massoud on
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From left to right: Serge Vanasse, IDS VP Business Development and Partners, Jack Dangermond, Esri Founder and President, Mahmoud Halfawy, IDS Founder and CEO, Fiona Hatfield, Esri Canada Partners Manager, and Jeff Peters, Esri Director Business Development.

Press Release

Regina, SK, Canada-  March 10, 2020

IDS (Infrastructure Data Solutions, Inc.), the global leader in infrastructure asset management optimization and data analytics software, is proud to receive Esri’s Analytics to Insights Award.  Esri, the world leader in geospatial software technology, recognized IDS Asset OptimizerTM software at the 2020 Esri Business Partner Conference in Palm Springs, California.

“IDS is greatly honored to receive this prestigious award. Our partnership with Esri and seamless integration with Esri’s ArcGIS technology helped us provide the most advanced and cost-effective infrastructure planning, optimization, and analytics solution in the world,” said Dr. Mahmoud Halfawy, IDS Founder and CEO. “I’d like to extend a heartfelt thank you to Esri Canada for their support, and to our incredible team who made this possible.”

IDS Asset Optimizer demonstrated how effective implementation of GIS technology can help managers of critical infrastructure assets draw valuable insights from their data, better plan large-scale asset renewals, and make better-informed decisions faster. Asset-intensive organizations such as water/electric/gas utilities, municipalities, transportation agencies, transit authorities, airports and sea port authorities, use Asset OptimizerTM to effectively collaborate and share information, predict assets performance and risk, and optimize decisions for all types of assets in one integrated system.

IDS Asset OptimizerTM unique cloud-based AI-powered Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) architecture can efficiently and simultaneously handle tens of thousands of assets and support hundreds of users.  Asset OptimizerTM subscription-based licensing ensures fast and cost-effective deployment, enabling organizations of all sizes to optimize asset management decisions and meet regulatory requirements. Implementing cutting-edge analytics and optimization algorithms, Asset OptimizerTM enables organizations to implement ISO 55000 standard, develop long-range risk-based plans and perform capex/opex trade-off analysis. Through integration with work management systems, such as Cityworks, Asset OptimizerTM also supports the development and management of multi-year capital programs across the entire organization.

Learn more about IDS Asset OptimizerTM
Read Esri Press Release Esri Press Release
Read Esri Canada Press Release Esri Canada Press Release

55,309 structurally deficient bridges in the U.S. in 2016

25 Years of U.S. Bridge Data Reveals Steady Condition Improvements and Highlights Big Challenges Ahead

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Sustained funding and improved practices over the past 25 years have led to a steady improvement of the condition of U.S. bridges. The latest National Bridge Inventory (NBI) data released by the U.S. Federal Highway Administration reveals a remarkable decline of structurally deficient bridges to 55,309 (9% of nationwide inventory) in 2016 from 118,757 (21% of the inventory) back in 1992. Since last year alone, the number of deficient bridges dropped by 2,735. However, the number of functionally obsolete bridges nationwide has dropped slightly from 80,461 in 1992 to 75,703 bridges in 2016.

Between 1992 and 2016, the number of structurally deficient bridges has been on a downtrend in most states. New York has seen the largest reduction from 9,884 (57% of the state inventory) to just 1,885 (11%). Other significant reductions were in Missouri (27%), Mississippi (21%), and Oklahoma (20%). The five states with the highest number of structurally deficient bridges in 2016 are Iowa (4,931), Pennsylvania (4,410), Oklahoma (3,414), Missouri (3,147), and Nebraska (2,326). California continues to have the highest total deck area of deficient bridges, followed by Louisiana, New York, Illinois, and Pennsylvania.

Downtrend of structurally deficient bridges in the U.S. between 1992 and 2016
Downtrend of structurally deficient bridges in the U.S. between 1992 and 2016

“Despite overall condition improvements over the past 25 years, big challenges lie ahead,” says Infrastructure Data Solutions, Inc. (IDS) President Dr. Mahmoud Halfawy. Approximately 1 in 5 bridges in the U.S. is in need of some improvement. The analysis undertaken using NBI Benchmarking™ software also reveals that the total deck area of bridges built in the 1960s and 1970s represents almost 35% of the total deck area of nationwide inventory. Many of these bridges will soon be due for major rehabilitation or replacement.

“Based on our analysis, the average age of bridges nationwide is 36 years, and given that the average design life of most existing bridges is 50 years, a big wave of structurally deficient bridges is expected to spike over the next 20 to 30 years.” With current levels of funding available to agencies, it is extremely challenging to keep up with the expected needs. “To sustain past progress, agencies will need to get aggressive in implementing new efficiencies and introduce innovation in bridge preservation, programming, and project delivery.”

Analysis results of National Bridge Inventory data can be accessed at NBIBenchmarking.com