In Government, Green is Taking Root (and we have the proof)!
Tomorrow, April 22, is Earth Day 2011 and the global organizers of this annual celebration of our planet are once again asking us all to make a pledge to help achieve “a billion acts of green.”
Now, we all know that, as the U.S. economy’s largest consumer of energy, the Federal government is grappling with significant energy issues – but it’s not all bad news. 
From the multiple benefits of cloud computing, building information modeling (BIM), virtualization, and smart grids to simple acts like putting lighting controls in the hands of office workers, the federal government is already achieving specific gains in its sustainability and green efforts as mandated 2009’s Executive Order 13514.
So, in honor of Earth today we picked our “best of” articles and insights that show just how the public sector (and those that serve it), with the help of technology, can and is, going green.
Greener Priorities
Going green is a complex business, but if you are interested in a sweeping view of the many activities and steady progress the U.S. government is making, read What’s on the Government Green “To Do” List This Year? This article gives you a quick insight. For a deeper dive, it offers a free download of the latest “On the Frontlines” e-magazine “The Greening of Government”.
Greener Forests (with some help from Google :))
Take a look at how Google is helping scientists model the effects of climate change by bringing together 25 years of satellite imagery into its new Google Earth Engine.
For more on how Google is helping the government manage it’s greening efforts, take a look at: https://www.dlt.com/EarthDay
Greener Meet-Ups
If you’ve ever attended a conference or training event on the scale of Autodesk University (which draws on average 30,000 visitors each year), then you can no doubt imagine the carbon footprint of such events – thousands of airplane seats, endless binders and handouts, tons of plastic water bottles.
But even as the in-person attendance at the 2010 event in Las Vegas grew 16 percent from 2009, the carbon footprint was reduced by four percent over 2009. Here’s how they did it: Autodesk University Goes Green. Plenty of ideas here for the next agency or industry event you attend!
Greener Buildings
In October last year, (GSA) issued a new mandate requiring that all federal building construction projects and “substantial” renovation projects achieve a minimum LEED Gold certification in their quest to improve energy efficiency.
Through video tutorials and more, read how the Feds can meet those GSA LEED mandates.
You might also want to take a look at how BIM solutions inform energy-efficiency improvement decisions in this webcast.
Don’t Forget to Celebrate Earth Day with a Pledge
It doesn’t matter whether you personally commit to recycling every can of soda you drink, or take action across your office to car pool once in a while. Every act counts. Whatever you do, share your pledge here and show your support for our Earth.
Additional “Green Gov” Resources
From the multiple benefits of cloud computing, building information modeling (BIM), virtualization, and smart grids to simple acts like putting lighting controls in the hands of office workers, the federal government is already achieving specific gains in its sustainability and green efforts as mandated 2009’s Executive Order 13514.
So, in honor of Earth today we picked our “best of” articles and insights that show just how the public sector (and those that serve it), with the help of technology, can and is, going green.
Greener Priorities
Going green is a complex business, but if you are interested in a sweeping view of the many activities and steady progress the U.S. government is making, read What’s on the Government Green “To Do” List This Year? This article gives you a quick insight. For a deeper dive, it offers a free download of the latest “On the Frontlines” e-magazine “The Greening of Government”.
Greener Forests (with some help from Google :))
Take a look at how Google is helping scientists model the effects of climate change by bringing together 25 years of satellite imagery into its new Google Earth Engine.
For more on how Google is helping the government manage it’s greening efforts, take a look at: https://www.dlt.com/EarthDay
Greener Meet-Ups
If you’ve ever attended a conference or training event on the scale of Autodesk University (which draws on average 30,000 visitors each year), then you can no doubt imagine the carbon footprint of such events – thousands of airplane seats, endless binders and handouts, tons of plastic water bottles.
But even as the in-person attendance at the 2010 event in Las Vegas grew 16 percent from 2009, the carbon footprint was reduced by four percent over 2009. Here’s how they did it: Autodesk University Goes Green. Plenty of ideas here for the next agency or industry event you attend!
Greener Buildings
In October last year, (GSA) issued a new mandate requiring that all federal building construction projects and “substantial” renovation projects achieve a minimum LEED Gold certification in their quest to improve energy efficiency.
Through video tutorials and more, read how the Feds can meet those GSA LEED mandates.
You might also want to take a look at how BIM solutions inform energy-efficiency improvement decisions in this webcast.
Don’t Forget to Celebrate Earth Day with a Pledge
It doesn’t matter whether you personally commit to recycling every can of soda you drink, or take action across your office to car pool once in a while. Every act counts. Whatever you do, share your pledge here and show your support for our Earth.
Additional “Green Gov” Resources
- Green Building Retrofit & Renovation SmartMarket Report – Building a Case for the Benefits of “Green” Construction
- Empire State Building Sustainability Project
- Utility White Papers - For more insights into how utilities are addressing design aspects with sustainability in mind, take a look at this collection of free utilities white papers.
Check out our Earth Day tag for more articles related to a greener government today and tomorrow.
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This interview was originially posted by GovDesignHub here.
Brandon Norris
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Article authored by Dan Williams and originally posted to GovDesignHub here.
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Brandon Norris
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Brandon Norris
Channel Partners, Digital Design
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Carly Bell
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Out of sight, out of mind. It’s all too easy to forget about asset maintenance when the assets themselves aren’t right in front of you. During the COVID-19 pandemic, this became more evident as employees went home and logged into a virtual workplace instead of coming to a physical space.
Carly Bell
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Carly Bell
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Carly Bell
Digital Design
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Carly Bell
Digital Design
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Carly Bell
Digital Design
Article originally posted to the GovDesignHub here.
Brandon Norris
Digital Design
Article originially posted to the GovDesignHub here.
Brandon Norris
Digital Design
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Brandon Norris
Digital Design
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Carly Bell
Digital Design
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Carly Bell
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Carly Bell
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Here are a few tips to help you get the most out of your IWMS and keep up with all the changes thrown your way.
1. Collect as much (accurate) data as possible
Carly Bell
Digital Design
Another release of Civil 3D just became available, just as you probably finished installing the latest 2020 “fix.” That was somewhat sarcastic, but I do some see much needed improvements to Autodesk Civil 3D 2021 and all other 2021 products. But we can’t just look at what’s new in our hero product, but all other complimentary products as well, so I will briefly mention a few of those.
Civil 3D Version Interoperability
DLT Solutions
Digital Design
A new version of AutoCAD is now available.
DLT Solutions
Digital Design
From design, construction, to facilities management, the need for closer ownership is clear.
Shaun Gaffrey
Digital Design
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Caron Beesley
Digital Design
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Caron Beesley
Digital Design
AutoCAD 2021 is here!
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Let’s break down what’s new.
Caron Beesley
Digital Design
Article originally posted to GovDesignHub here.
If you’ve made the move from AutoCAD to Revit, congratulations. But what do you do with that huge library of details that you amassed over years of working on CAD projects? As you transition to Revit, recreating AutoCAD details is a hassle and trashing them is out of the question.
The good news is, you can use details right in your Revit project – straight from AutoCAD.
Caron Beesley
Digital Design
Article originally posted to GovDesignHub here.
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Caron Beesley
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Caron Beesley
Digital Design
If your job involves capturing existing field conditions as part of the design and construction process, you’ll know it’s a tedious, manual, often analog and inaccurate process, which often leads to costly re-work.
Whether you’re renovating a building or involved in a large-scale infrastructure project, the process goes something like this:
Holly Chapman
Digital Design
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Holly Chapman
Digital Design, Uncategorized
When we launched GovDesignHub in the spring of 2018, we had one goal in mind – to address the lack of resources, discussion, and analysis available online for those who practice in government digital design ecosystem.
Today, we’re proud to be the only website that showcases government design projects and the technology used to support them and deliver content to help public sector organizations accomplish their missions.
In the words of one of our top contributors, Lynn Allen, of Autodesk fame:
Holly Chapman
Digital Design
What do a Facebook data center, a railway, an expressway, an office building extension, and a cancer center have in common?
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Holly Chapman
Digital Design
Want to win a free pass to Autodesk University (AU) 2018? Earlier this summer, we announced that we’ll be awarding a full conference pass for you or a chosen nominee at your agency or department to attend Autodesk University 2018 in Las Vegas from November 13-15th.
Holly Chapman
Digital Design
Autodesk introduced its Autodesk Collections a couple of years ago and there’s never been a better time to make the switch from individual product subscriptions to a collection. Thanks to a limited time offer from Autodesk, your agency can save 20% on the remaining months of your existing term if you switch by October 25, 2018.
But what’s the buzz about collections and why make the move?
Why Make the Move to Autodesk Collections?
Holly Chapman
Digital Design
It’s that time again, when agencies rush to spend their remaining year-end budget before the September 30th “use it or lose it” deadline. One-third of federal budget dollars are spent in the last quarter of the year, often in a wasteful manner. But for those in the field of digital design – there are many opportunities to make value-based investments using taxpayer dollars before it’s too late.
1. Training
Holly Chapman
Digital Design
Download the eBook here!
If you’re one of the millions of people who’ve been lucky enough to hear Lynn Allen present, you’ll know her as the queen of AutoCAD tips and tricks and all-round Autodesk technical evangelist, but she also knows quite a bit about the latest disruptive technology – BIM.
Caron Beesley
Digital Design
Building information modeling (BIM) is poised for greater adoption by federal, state, and local government agencies. In Wisconsin, for example, publicly-funded projects over $5 million are required to incorporate BIM and 3D software from initial planning concepts to bidding documents and project closeout. Many DoTs, including MassDOT, FDOT, and CALTRANS are also embracing BIM for infrastructure projects.
Grace_Bergen
Digital Design
It’s hard to imagine a world without digital. But as you look around you, much of the physical world was designed and constructed using traditional 2D blueprints and is yet to be captured in a digital format. This creates a challenge for AEC professionals to incorporate these as-built designs into re-build or renovation projects.
Traditional imaging techniques like photogrammetry aided in this process by allowing engineers to piece together photographs of as-built conditions and weave in GPS coordinates to create interactive 3D models, see below:
Grace_Bergen
Digital Design
As the demand for geospatial data grows, mobile mapping technology has advanced significantly in recent years allowing AEC professionals to collect extremely accurate, precise data from LiDAR sensors mounted on the back of a vehicle while driving at speeds up to 70 miles an hour.
DLT Solutions
Digital Design
Rich3D, GovDesignHub explain how they delivered complex helicopter and military vehicle 3D virtual training via a ubiquitous tool – an Adobe Acrobat document.
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Grace_Bergen
Digital Design
For government organizations and municipalities, ensuring everyone is on the same page in terms of core competencies is an essential prerequisite to the success of any digital design or engineering project. With the pressure to do more with less, knowledge gaps can stymie team productivity, lower your return on investment in software tools, and make everyone’s lives a lot more difficult.
Grace_Bergen
Digital Design, Uncategorized
New York City Department of Design and Construction (NYC DDC) handles some of the most exciting and dynamic architectural and infrastructure challenges in the world.
Grace_Bergen
Digital Design
Bolstering the U.S. manufacturing sector is a message that has played into election campaign promises and White House administration policy for decades. The reality is a different story.
Grace_Bergen
Digital Design
Civil 3D 2019 is here. But what’s new and should you make the upgrade? Look out for webinars, blogs and insights from the civil community in the coming weeks that will no doubt make the case for the 2019 release. In the meantime, if you’re looking for a quick digest of what’s new and notable, we’ve pulled together thoughts and appreciations from a couple of industry experts who’ve already had a sneak peek at Civil 3D 2019.
Here’s what they’re telling us:
Civil 3D 2019 – “Things I Appreciate Out of the Gate”:
DLT Solutions
CAD General, Digital Design, Technology, Tips and How-Tos
Late in 2017, Autodesk and ESRI announced a new partnership to “advance infrastructure planning and design”. The relationship was positioned as helping build a bridge between building information modeling (BIM) and GIS technologies.
But what does the relationship mean for government infrastructure projects?
Taking 3D Contextual Design to the Next Level
DLT Solutions