IMGIS 2023 Takeaways + Relevant Events

RedfordHudson · ‎10-18-2023

Infrastructure is the foundation that supports our societies. It is the skeleton and circulatory system of our cities, and yet, not too long ago, I knew next to nothing about it. That changed at IMGIS.

IMGIS 2023 was a phenomenal experience. For three days, I dove into the infrastructure ecosystem, explored the minds of its leaders, and discovered the key role that ArcGIS plays in this industrial dance:

Lee Brinton and Andrew Creek of Esri showed me how ArcGIS 3D, as an agent of visualization, analysis and immersion, can be used by AEC stakeholders to upgrade their project workflow.
Brian Hiller of 1898 walked me through the process of using reality capture, point clouds and meshes to build immersive digital twins and guide construction projects.
Chris Surbey of Ener-I.AI demonstrated how Esri’s Utility Network Model is utilized for network digitalization and energy intelligence.
David Totman of AutoDesk introduced me to the power of GeoBIM and how this technology is accelerating the most ambitious construction projects of today, including the Beijing Daxing International Airport. He also imparted a gem of knowledge: GIS is generally useful for mapping the “macroscale” or region-wide areas, while BIM is useful for addressing the “microscale” or building interiors. AutoDesk and Esri have come together in some sort of alliance to combine these two technologies—these two scales—to give firms intelligence over the full spectrum of scale.
Patrick Wallis of Esri’s Built Environment Lab showcased his research in using GIS to optimize passive energy flows and minimize carbon emissions via smart architecture design. He also demonstrated how generative AI can be used to try out many different building/architectural configurations and identify the optimal one.
Micah Callough of Esri enlightened me to knowledge graphs as the new data structure that will encapsulate multimodal datasets and support dynamic digital twins.

Overall, this conference gave me truly invaluable insight into the infrastructure management industry. Kudos to all the coordinators, speakers and exhibitors!

I’m always searching for more events like this. For others engaged in this search, here are some other events that stand out: