SAN RAFAEL, Calif., Aug. 5, 2003 -- Autodesk, Inc., a design and digital content company, has announced that the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation is implementing an Autodesk civil engineering solution to create a collaborative design environment for its projects.
The Bureau of Reclamation, with regional offices throughout the western U.S., is the country's largest wholesale water supplier and the second-largest producer of hydroelectric power. Since implementing Autodesk's land development design and analysis solution, productivity at Reclamation's Pacific Northwest Regional Office Design Group has increased by nearly 50 percent.
The design office for Reclamation's Pacific Northwest region - one of five regions covering the western U.S. - initially selected the Autodesk solution for use by its designers and surveyors. The successful implementation of the solution - comprised of Autodesk® Land Desktop and Autodesk® Civil Design software - in the Pacific Northwest has led to a rollout of the solution to Reclamation's other four regions, with the goal of bureau-wide utilization.
"Prior to implementing the Autodesk solution, our design teams could not share information in a timely and effective manner," said David Jennings, program manager for the Pacific Northwest Regional Office Design Group. "The lack of standard tools for inputting and analyzing data meant that many extra hours were spent simply reformatting and renaming information. With Land Desktop, those extra steps are eliminated, allowing surveyors to spend more time obtaining and refining design data."
Autodesk Land Development Design and Analysis Solution Creates Central Repository for Survey Data
The Bureau of Reclamation selected the Autodesk land development design and analysis solution because it needed a central repository and standardized processes for the vast amount of design data collected by its surveyors for water development projects. Using the Autodesk solution, Reclamation's surveyors can now share data across teams and regions, and can input data directly into Autodesk Land Desktop from survey field gear.
"Autodesk Land Desktop is the field-to-finish solution that organizations like Reclamation need for data management from a wide variety of sources," said Pete Kelsey, CEO of K-Tek Solutions, the Autodesk authorized consultant that advised Reclamation on the implementation. "By standardizing the way data is labeled and stored and making the data easily accessible, teams can move projects more efficiently from the initial design phase all the way to final documentation."
With the Autodesk solution in place, the Pacific Northwest region has significantly boosted the number of specifications, or completed design packets, it produces to present to contractors for bids. The region's design office completed 52 specifications in 2002, versus 35 in 2001 - an increase of nearly 50 percent.
At the core of Autodesk's land development design and analysis solution, Autodesk® Land Desktop delivers specialized features such as coordinate geometry (COGO) and map creation, terrain modeling, alignments, and parcels. An easy-to-use interface and a centralized project data management feature help design teams share large amounts of drawing and project data accurately and efficiently. Designed for civil engineers, planners, or surveyors, Autodesk Land Desktop provides powerful, automated drafting and analysis tools; optimized Microsoft® Windows® interfaces; logical menus; 3D terrain models; robust TIN, contour, and point processing; and style-based controls that help users meet submittal requirements.
Autodesk® Civil Design 2004 software delivers engineering-specific capabilities for Autodesk® Land Desktop software, streamlining the design and drafting process for transportation engineering. Autodesk Civil Design 2004 is for all types and ranges of road, rail, runway, and channel design; site development and grading for commercial, industrial, institutional, and residential projects; and hydrology and hydraulics for projects ranging from roads to parking lots. Because this software is built for project collaboration, multiple team members can simultaneously access data such as roadway alignments and pipe runs. Autodesk Civil Design 2004 blends AutoCAD® 2004 and specialized engineering commands in the same environment to create one seamless solution.
Autodesk Subscription Program
The easiest way to keep Autodesk design tools up-to-date is through the Autodesk Subscription Program. For an annual fee, the program provides the latest versions of licensed Autodesk software, including extensions, offering a budget-conscious way to stay current with the latest technology. For more information about the Autodesk Subscription Program, visit www.autodesk.com/subscription.
About Autodesk
Autodesk is a design software and digital content company, offering customers progressive business solutions through powerful technology products and services. Autodesk helps customers in the building, manufacturing, infrastructure, digital media, and wireless data services fields increase the value of their digital design data and improve efficiencies across their entire project lifecycle management processes.
