Bentley Systems has acquired US-based NoteVault, a provider of voice-based field automation for construction management.
Bentley Systems‘ latest acquisition (announced on 3 June 2020 – no value given) is NoteVault, a San Diego, California-based provider of voice-based field automation for construction management. According to Bentley:
“the acquisition expands Bentley’s SYNCHRO digital construction environment with industry-leading mobile field applications to track and manage labor, materials, and equipment.
“Together, these comprehensive offerings further extend the value of digital twins across construction management, enabling projects to combine immersive 4D models of the construction progress with detailed up-to-date reports on resource expenditures, enabling more effective management of cost, schedule, and risk, leading to better project outcomes.”
Notevault
NoteVault was profiled in Extranet Evolution in October 2014. It reduces the need for hand-written notes often compiled from memory. Time and date-stamped daily reports (effectively, site diary entries) can be rapidly created by voice, text, email, app (iOS and Android) or Evernote, and securely stored in NoteVault. They could then be viewed online, issued as alerts or notifications, or published as PDF reports with searchable data. Integrations then enabled data to be shared with solutions including CMiC, Trimble’s Prolog, Viewpoint, Spectrum and Autodesk’s Constructware. PDFs could also be filed to Box or Sharepoint locations.
Today NoteVault is used widely by both large and small construction companies across the ENR Top 400 Contractors. It offers natural language automated speech-to-text, augmented with automated machine learning, and human transcription to ensure accuracy.
Because it has been engineered specifically for construction site mobile field reporting, NoteVault recognises construction-specific language for accurate transcription, and enables automated translation so non-native English speakers can submit daily reports more easily using their native language.
SYNCHRO integration
With NoteVault on their mobile devices, construction professionals can help synchronize status reporting effortlessly while saving time and money, reducing the risk of contractual disputes. Dustin Parkman, Bentley’s vice president, project delivery, says:
“Digital twins continue to transform the way projects are delivered and operated. Inherent in every digital twin is a stream of continuously updated data, and for construction, automating the semantic interpretation of field reports can now be one of the richest sources of live project information. With the addition of NoteVault’s market-leading resource tracking capabilities, the SYNCHRO 4D construction environment delivers the most comprehensive construction digital twin solution available. We are excited to continue advancing the scope of construction digital twins.”
Peter Lasensky, CEO of NoteVault, says:
“Bentley’s vision for transforming construction through digital twins is the perfect vehicle to expand the reach and impact of our innovative voice-based field automation solutions. Updating 4D construction models through insights gleaned from our software for field-captured reporting fully extends the power of voice and positioning technologies together. Combining NoteVault and SYNCHRO is a natural next step in our overall mission, with Bentley, to drive greater efficiencies in construction.”
Bentley’s YII2020 goes digital
Bentley Systems has announced (9 June 2020) that its annual technology conference, Year in Infrastructure, is going digital for 2020. The global COVID-19 pandemic has plainly meant the event was unsustainable in its traditional face-to-face format.
Originally set to be hosted in Vancouver, Canada, during the week starting Monday 12 October, it has now been moved online on 20-21 October. The awards programme (where I have been a judge in previous years) will now see finalist presentations online from 5 October through to 16 October. Awards winners’ presentations will be from 12.30pm EDT on Wednesday 21 October.
