Welcome to AECWeekly! Jon Hansen, of Autodesk and former Assistant Rescue Fire Chief for Oklahoma City, and well versed in the ways of emergency response and recovery, was on his way to Pensacola where the task force was going to Gulf Shore Mississippi first to meet with the Florida task force there and on to meet another task force in the New Orleans area. Read what he has to say about Autodesk's contribution to the response and recovery effort, as well as what two AEC firms are doing to help provide emergency housing for those displaced by Hurricane Katrina.
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Industry News
On the Job After Hurricane Katrina
By Susan Smith
[ Click to Enlarge ] |
How is Autodesk planning to help out in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina? I asked.
“One of the things I think, is they just need information. For the first rescue attempts with the urban search and rescue teams in New Orleans, responders went into the neighborhoods without any maps, just to get into the houses quickly. Now what they're doing, with the help of maps is, they're going back in and systematically marking those locations of hazardous materials, or where they have found a victim they'll mark that area so a team can come in and recover the body.
“In our Crisis Command Software program, we've got a system that combines a GIS system with a CAD system so we've got the mapping component and the building component. Now our developers have put together a search and rescue portion of that where they go through these areas they can use their markings and have a specific way that we mark that's recognizable throughout the country, so we all know what these markings mean. We've taken those simple sets and put them into a program where they can take a tablet PC and mark those areas and either do one of two things : either transmit them back electronically or put them on a drive and download them, then put them on the server when they get back to the command post. It's a better way to log and keep records.”
What changes have been made to Autodesk software to adapt to the various emergency response efforts you've been involved with?
“We prepare by learning,” said Hansen sagely. “We take the Oklahoma City incident, 9/11, Florida hurricanes last year, and we try to make the system better and more user friendly. That electronic toolbox that we send out to men and women on the front lines is something created with the intent of taking care of all your needs - mapping, building and design needs. Concerns have to be dealt with, such as, knowing what's in a structure and what the structural loads are and what is outside the building, i.e. - what's the infrastructure doing, which way are the sewers running, if we've got contaminated floodwater trapped in a sewer where is that going to end up, etc. If we have some hazardous material in that system, where is that eventually going to end up?”
“We try to pull it all into one system so we don't have to get out of a program and re-enter a program to try to do that. my stake in this is to help create that system, where you have GIS and CAD, and utilities, your critical infrastructure, all of that combined into a system that is user friendly for the emergency responders.”
“Every time we work one of these disasters in our country, we take a good look at what Autodesk has done with the emergency response offering, and ask how can we improve this, what can we add to it to make their life and job easier. We've added a search component to aid search responders, and to keep a record of the search - we've added some areas where we can help people with shelter management where they can log people in and electronically and keep track of people as they move from shelter to shelter. We've got a system where we can help them identify ME and mortuary folks, distinguishing marks on victims, etc. We can keep track of that information to help in the ID process of victims.
Over the next months, we'll bring in other tools like Buzzsaw. We've got that very secure big information storage bucket that we've made available for storage of critical data where users can pull the data out as they need it. We'll be thinking of civil engineering products and about rebuilding and recovery and getting citizens back home.”
At seven days post landfall, what are your first areas of response?
“Still today I think one of the biggest challenges we face is body recovery, getting those victims identified and back to their loved ones so they can close that chapter out. We're working on that, and making those neighborhoods as safe as we can by identifying hazardous materials, etc. If there's anyone to rescued then we will be focusing on that first, but the focus as it shifts to recovery will be those victims and recovery to their families, and getting families safely back into their neighborhoods to start the rebuilding process.”
How is the Autodesk “task force” distributed?
“We've got Autodesk family working throughout the country. Almost every Autodesk facility has been working on this emergency. We're not forgetting our everyday customers, but one of our priority shifts is Katrina. They've got a couple of shifts that are working full time on nothing else but Katrina issues and everybody else at the company is making contact with customers, families, different government agencies so that we can assist at any level, be it on the street (as today ) but also back in the planning areas in planning the future as to how we are going to get the Gulf Coast back on its feet. Carol Bartz has made every resource available to the recovery effort.”
Last year Autodesk helped set up a MapGuide website out of the Florida Emergency Operations Center. Will that be done in the Louisiana area?
“Unfortunately for New Orleans, the mayor was working out of a building with no power. Some of the Emergency Operations folks and the governor have been working for days without power. As soon as those systems come back online, we stand ready to duplicate what we did in Florida and assist them in establishing a good information system that can get information out to the citizens. That's one of the biggest challenges we have right now is getting those systems available to people.”
How will Autodesk products work with the existing systems that disparate agencies from different levels of government or private industry may have?
“We seamlessly blend into any level of government or private industry that's trying to help as well.
It takes a seamless system they can integrate into not only existing systems but new systems they might come up with on the local, state or federal level - not forgetting our private industry partners that are involved as well.”
Managing Temporary Housing Solutions Post Katrina
Two prominent AEC engineering firms have been called upon by the Federal Emergency Management Agency to identify and manage temporary housing solutions for those left homeless by Hurricane Katrina.
CH2M HILL, a global full service engineering, construction, and operations firm, has been tasked by FEMA to identify and manage temporary housing solutions for more than 7,000 people in Alabama displaced by Hurricane Katrina. The company has begun immediate work and deployment of field teams.
A CH2M HILL team is coordinating its efforts through FEMA's Housing Area Command Center in Baton Rouge, La., and plans to expand its Montgomery, Al. office for purposes of identifying housing solutions. Potential venues include state parks, mobile homes, RV parks, former hospitals and cruise ships. Once sites have been identified, CH2M HILL will coordinate all logistics and ensure essentials including electricity, water and sewer systems are in operation.
Bechtel National, Inc., has been selected by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to assess and provide for emergency needs in areas hardest hit by Hurricane Katrina. Their first order is to provide short term housing for residents of Mississippi.
Bechtel has a long history of emergency response and restoration work, including disaster relief. Its efforts have included providing expertise in critical areas such as hazardous materials, communications, environmental contaminants, agency coordination, and occupational health during the rescue and cleanup effort at New York City's Ground Zero after the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001; providing support to the U.S. Air Force and NATO in 1999 to build the first U.S. government-sponsored camp for Kosovo refugees in Albania; and volunteering more than 100 engineers to make structural safety assessments in San Francisco and Oakland and help the city of San Francisco with rescue and recovery efforts after the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake.
NASA Contact Info
NASA Update to Katrina Aftermath The latest information about NASA facilities affected by hurricane Katrina. NASA's toll free telephone number for family members seeking information about people who may sheltering at either Stennis or Michoud, or if you are trying to locate employees who work at either facility, please call 877/470-5240.
NASA has established a public website to convey important contact information to NASA employees and contractors impacted by Katrina and for general public information.
Acquisitions/Agreements/Alliances
Oce Technologies, B.V., has announced it has entered into a strategic alliance with MacDermid ColorSpan, Inc. to market ColorSpan products. As part of this agreement, Oce will sell specific ColorSpan wide format inkjet printers worldwide. These products will carry the Oce brand and will be fully supported by Oce's award- winning service and support organization. Specific products will be announced at a later date.
Announcements
Autodesk, Inc. announced that it will unveil its "What is Real"-themed stand (#7.420) at the International Broadcasting Convention (IBC) in Amsterdam, Sept. 9-13, 2005. Autodesk will showcase its media and entertainment solutions that are designed for broadcasters, film studios and post-production facilities to realize ideas for digital film to high- definition (HD) television and standard-definition video content.
Autodesk, Inc. also announced that it has seen rapid demand for its Autodesk TV Suite from broadcasters and post-production houses around the globe. From Tokyo to Rome, the Autodesk TV Suite is being used to realize ideas for high-definition (HD) and standard-definition (SD) television content.
Availl Inc., a provider of real-time WAFS and storage software, announced Gerdau Ameristeel the second largest minimill steel producer in North America, has achieved significantly faster engineering turn-around time and lower wide-area networking (WAN) costs by using Availl WAFS software to create a global network for sharing CAD files. Uniting engineering offices throughout the U.S., the Availl-powered network lets Gerdau Ameristeel access large CAD files stored thousands of miles away at local access speeds -- assuring that users work from the most current copy, and reducing bandwidth by as much as 95 percent.
Genzyme Corp. announced that its world headquarters building, Genzyme Center, has received the highest rating issued by the U.S. Green Building Council, the nation's foremost authority on environmentally responsible building practices. Genzyme Center earned a Platinum certification under the Council's LEED(R) (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System(TM), which was created to define "green" building by providing a common standard of measurement.
Geac Computer Corporation Limited, a global enterprise software company dedicated to addressing the needs of CFOs, this week announced results for its first quarter of fiscal year (FY) 2006, which ended July 31, 2005.
First Quarter and Other Financial Highlights
@Last Software, Inc. is hosting the first SketchUp user conference entitled 3D Base Camp. The conference will be held October 5-7, 2005, in Boulder, Colorado, and will highlight a workshop by Michael Ashbridge and Wes Thierry of Google Earth. The keynote address will be delivered by author and publisher Stewart Brand.
- Net cash provided from operating activities was $7.9 million for the first quarter ended July 31, 2005, compared to $2.2 million for the first quarter of the prior year.
- Software license revenue from internally developed new products increased to approximately 27% of total license revenue.
- Cash balance increased 65.5% to $192.1 million, up from $116.1 million a year ago.
- Following the quarter, August software license revenue increased 61.9% compared to August of last year.
- Board of Directors commits to share repurchase program.
Appointments
Bentley Systems, Incorporated announced that Anne-Marie Walters, director of marketing, Bentley Plant, has been elected to the Engineering and Construction Contracting (ECC) Association's executive board. The ECC, an affiliate of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE), is an organization of owners, contractors and suppliers that serves the interests of the process, refining, pharmaceutical, power, and general manufacturing industries.
New Products
Geac announced the immediate availability of Geac MPC 7, a major new release of its flagship integrated performance management software. Early adopter customers praised Geac MPC 7 for its new enterprise collaborative planning capability, enhanced consolidation functionality and new reporting capabilities.
Informative Graphics Corporation (IGC), a provider of content visualization, secure publishing and collaboration technology, announced the version 6.0 release of its ProjectDox(TM) project communication and collaboration software, designed to assist construction management firms in maintaining control of critical project documentation and correspondence for retail, office and corporate facilities and many other types of AEC projects.
Axiom announced the release of a new version of Title Block Manager -- Axiom's title block management solution. Title Block Manager automatically extracts information stored within title blocks and creates an editable database.
Upcoming Events
| NAHB - 2005 Fall Board of Directors Meeting | |
| Date: | September 7 - 11, 2005 |
| Place: | Reno Hilton
Reno, NV USA |
| The Fall Board Meeting will be held at the Reno Hilton Hotel in Reno, NV September 7-11, 2005. Please check back for more details in the coming weeks.
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| The First International Conference on Built Environment Complexity | |
| Date: | September 11 - 14, 2005 |
| Place: | University of Liverpool
Liverpool, United Kingdom |
| The becon conference is part of an exciting international event offering academic and non-academic participants a unique opportunity for learning and interaction from over 30 different academic disciplines and a range of non-academic sectors, providing a unique opportunity for participants to present and discuss their relevant specialism.
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| Australian Structural Engineering Conference 2005 | |
| Date: | September 11 - 14, 2005 |
| Place: | Newcastle, Australia |
| Technical Program
ASEC 2005 will have a strong and diverse program covering a wide range of topics pertinent to the Structural Engineering industry. The conference will provide an excellent opportunity for participants to share ideas, review current industry trends and discuss the future of Structural Engineering. The program will be held over 3 days featuring internationally recognised Plenary and Keynote speakers. Suggested program topics include: • Case histories • Concrete • Steel • Timber & masonry • New & other materials • Analysis & design • Bridges • Fire • Dynamics • Construction • Natural hazards • Heritage • Structural assessment • Structural remediation • Corrosion & rehabilitation • Marine infrastructure • Standards & BCA • Deteriorating infrastructure • Structural project management • Risk and liability
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| HRC International Historic Preservation Education Symposium | |
| Date: | September 12 - 14, 2005 |
| Place: | University of Bath
Bath, United Kingdom |
| The Historic Resources Committee of the American Institute of Architects (AIA/HRC) will hold a symposium in Bath, England, on the state of historic preservation architecture education internationally, featuring sessions held in the historic Bath Assembly Rooms and on the campus of the University of Bath, as well as tours of historic sites in Bath and environs.
The symposium will further the dialogue between academicians and preservation practitioners to define the context, issues, approaches, and strategies to integrate preservation values into first professional degree programs while also addressing European educational models.
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| IABSE Symposium - 'Structures and Extreme Events' | |
| Date: | September 14 - 16, 2005 |
| Place: | Lisbon, Portugal |
| A commercial exhibition is planned at the Symposium venue. This offers a unique opportunity for companies to display their projects, products and services.
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| Prague: 20th-Century Architecture in Transition | |
| Date: | September 17 - 23, 2005 |
| Place: | Hotel Alcron
Prague, Czech Republic |
| Conference Overview
Once the realm of the great Austro-Hungarian Empire, the heart of Central Europe is enjoying a cultural, economic, and political renaissance after emerging from a century of tumult and turmoil. The AIA Committee on Design conference in Prague will explore design of buildings, sites, and the city in relationship to the political, social, cultural, and economic transitions and the permanence of the historical, climatic, and geographic environment. The architectural heritage of the hundred-spire city of Prague provides the background for Czech Modernism of the 20th century. The conference will focus on the architecture and society of the Interwar period, referred to as the Golden Age of Modernism. To be examined are works of Art Nouveau, Czech Cubism, Functionalism, Socialist Realism, and new developments since the Velvet Revolution and Velvet Divorce. At the crossroads of Europe, the cross-fertilization of ideas between Czechs and other cultures is evident in the arts and architecture of Prague. Conference Highlights • Stay in Prague’s Jazz Age Hotel Alcron, just off Wenceslas Square. Tour and discuss the Old Town Square, Hradcany Castle, and the Charles Bridge. Visit and discuss the Art Nouveau Obecni dum (Municipal House), the Cubist Dum u cerne matky bozi (House of the Black Madonna), and the Functionalist Baba Housing Estate. • Take an all-day tour to Brno to explore and discuss Mies van der Rohe’s Villa Tugendhat and the permanent exhibition pavilions built in the Interwar period. • Meet with award-winning Czech architects, including Ladislav Labus and Josef Pleskot, and noted architectural writer Vladimir Slapeta, Hon. FAIA.
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| Sinkholes and the Engineering and Environmental Impacts of Karst™ | |
| Date: | September 24 - 28, 2005 |
| Place: | Double Tree Hotel
San Antonio, TX USA |
Sessions on the following topics are tentatively planned, but all practical papers are welcome.
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| 4th ASEE AaeE Global Colloquium on Engineering Education | |
| Date: | September 26 - 30, 2005 |
| Place: | Sydney, Australia |
| This event is the major annual gathering of leaders in engineering education internationally. Since its inception in 2002 in Berlin, the colloquium has strived to be a conference with very topical themes, with speakers selected from around the world for their expertise and ability as speakers.
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| Product Lifecycle Management Road Map 2005 | |
| Date: | September 28 - 29, 2005 |
| Place: | Dearborn, MI USA |
| At Product Lifecycle Management Road Map 2005 join Donald H. Brown, leading industry analysts from CPDA, key industry players, and front-line implementation experts as they discuss their experiences in addressing strategic PLM topics. Find out about their successes in making technology work by linking it across the whole product lifecycle, the obstacles they encountered on the way, and how they developed strategies to overcome them. Product Lifecycle Management Road Map 2005 represents a strategic conference focused on the issues confronting end users in design and engineering. Presentations will cover collaboration across the whole enterprise, knowledge capture and reuse, PLM interoperability, Open CAD and tight integration, up front simulation early in the design cycle, up front manufacturing constraints, the business benefits of PLM; and more. Join the CPDA team in Dearborn, MI on September 28 & 29 to find out how PLM can deliver immediate results to your bottom line.
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| 2005 Annual Meeting & Design Awards | |
| Date: | September 28, 2005 |
| Place: | The Music Center at Strathmore
North Bethesda, MD USA |
| The Design Awards Program of AIA Maryland is held each year in September. It seeks to honor and bring attention to distinctive works of architecture created by Maryland architects. The program is dedicated to recognizing and applauding works of architecture exhibiting design excellence and promoting public awareness and appreciation of the diversity, quality and scope of Maryland architecture
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