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Cambridge Centre for Smart Infrastructure and Construction

Transforming infrastructure through smarter information
 

National Engineering Day champions engineers making a difference in the world – #EngineerBetterLives. This year's Royal Academy of Engineering National Engineering Day celebrates engineers across the country who are working on projects and products that are improving lives.

CSIC’s research and collaborative projects values data to support better decisions to deliver a safe, more sustainable, economically equitable and resilient infrastructure system – that enables people and the planet to flourish.

“Only by learning much more about the real performance of our infrastructure, through sensing and data analytics, can we make step changes in how we design, construct, operate and maintain our built environment,” said Professor Lord Robert Mair, Founding Head of CSIC. “There is an urgent need to exploit digital technologies to establish a smart and sustainable infrastructure industry that enables society to flourish. Only by doing this can we reduce carbon, increase resilience and preserve resources.

CSIC’s short film ‘Data, performance, decision-making’ features a number of projects introduced by CSIC Research Associates and Investigators which demonstrate the real-world impact of the Centre’s work. Opening the film, Dr Jennifer Schooling OBE, Director of CSIC, explains the critical role of infrastructure: “Infrastructure is the bones and arteries of the built environment we all depend on for society to function. When they work well, these interconnected systems of transport networks, utilities are the foundation of a flourishing society, providing a healthy environment for us. But as they age, this becomes more challenging. CSIC is advancing the use of data and digital tools to better understand the real performance of our infrastructure systems so that our infrastructure remains safe and meets the needs of the world we live in today – not just addressing global and time-critical challenges such as climate change but building a sustainable future for people and the planet.”

• Watch the CSIC film ‘Data, performance, decision-making’ here

• Read CSIC’s monthly Smart Infrastructure Blog series that features the latest thinking from the cutting edge of smart infrastructure and construction here

• Read more about the Royal Academy of Engineering National Engineering Day here

 

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