case study
The construction industry currently generates around 40 percent of the world’s energy-connected carbon emissions. With communities around the world increasingly adapting to the challenges that climate change poses, green energy projects are on the rise. In Australia, ACCIONA, a key player in the infrastructure market, is at the forefront of sustainable engineering and construction. The company leverages geographic information system (GIS) technology to enhance project development and execution, gaining company-wide efficiencies.
ACCIONA has integrated GIS technology, specifically ArcGIS Online, to enhance sustainable engineering and construction practices, leading to significant improvements in project efficiency, data security, and cost savings.
Key benefits of using ArcGIS Online include streamlined workflows, reduced site visits, and better coordination among teams, as well as support for tracking embodied carbon in materials and facilitating local procurement.
ACCIONA plans to further leverage geospatial technology for more ambitious projects, including the construction of large-scale wind farms and renewable energy transmission zones, aligning with their commitment to a low-carbon economy.
Since entering the Australian market in 2002, ACCIONA has been a partner in a wide range of public and private-sector contracts. These include iconic projects like the Legacy Way tunnels in Brisbane, a 41-kilometer bypass for the Toowoomba Highway, and the Adelaide Desalination Plant. The company remains steadfast in supporting major construction projects such as tunneling, highways, railways, wind farms, and renewable energy transmission zones.
Moving away from bespoke development, ACCIONA is now prioritizing sustainable engineering and construction. Driven by a determination to remain at the forefront of the industry, ACCIONA leadership collaborated with Esri to develop spatial capabilities for construction projects through ArcGIS Online.
Construction projects, from tunneling to highway building, require a comprehensive understanding of landscape, subsurface property, stratum analysis, and visualization. Sharing crucial information like drawings and design surveys is necessary for a smooth workflow. Coordination between different departments and stakeholders working on the same project is also important. Additionally, understanding, calculating, and then acting on the carbon cost of transporting materials and its maintenance is also crucial in construction projects.
Esri’s ArcGIS Online—a secure and scalable software as a service (SaaS) for geospatial workflows—has streamlined construction workflows for better understanding and timely delivery. Leon Bowers, national GIS manager for ACCIONA Geotech, explained that teams often have to visit a site repeatedly due to multiple requests from different individuals. By providing authentic information from the GIS, there are benefits and financial savings to be gained.
Dual boring machines used at Sydney Metro West Central Tunneling Package.
He adds that while many projects take teams to remote rural areas, others are in metropolitan locations, making commuting time-consuming and ultimately costly. Now, engineers can access that same information as aerial imagery and site photos from ArcGIS Online in the office. This has greatly saved time, money, and improved employee safety from not having to travel, making it a more sustainable mode of work.
“Given the size of our business, some 3,000 in Australia, over 60,000 globally, and many thousands employed as suppliers and partners—the ability to share data and the GIS insights across regions, time zones, and countries is invaluable,” added Bowers. “It means we bring the best people to the project—no matter their location—all through the power of location intelligence and integration with other systems such as [a] building information model (BIM).”
ArcGIS Online has brought together multiple project disciplines to improve holistic decision-making. It also provides a user-friendly window into ACCIONA’s common data environment and works in tandem with survey and BIM as a key part of digital engineering.
“If GIS can help avoid utility service strikes or finish a construction project ahead of schedule, then our AEC users make better financial returns,” shared Peter Wilmot, senior account executive at Esri Australia.
Since implementing ArcGIS Online, ACCIONA has benefited from various tools and data models that support the company’s sustainability objectives. These tools assist in tracking embodied carbon in construction materials, including volumes and types of material used. Additionally, ArcGIS Online aids in employing local workforces by mapping travel considerations and social responsibilities to communities. Furthermore, the software has helped to facilitate local procurement and chain of custody processes, allowing the calculation of carbon costs associated with transportation. Lastly, ACCIONA has made ArcGIS accessibility a key requirement of their clients’ digital engineering expectations.
In addition to the costs and time-saving benefits, using ArcGIS has helped improve data security and access to critical construction information by having all data accessible in one platform rather than many disparate systems.
“For us, safety is the number one priority that has human, reputational, and monetary implications, which is why to create efficiencies, GIS helps in providing people with the information they need when they need it,” said Bowers. “Particularly, it’s a really easy way for people to come and get information from survey or BIM teams which traditionally required heavy applications on laptops and other systems. GIS manages our risk from a data security perspective.”
A roadheader machine in the Western Harbour Tunnel, Sydney, Australia.
ACCIONA’s future plan with geospatial technology includes integrating ArcGIS Online wherever possible. The company aims to improve the pattern of working that better supports effective collaboration across construction partners, subcontractors, and clients. Bowers said the company plans to accomplish this by taking advantage of the latest technology as soon as it’s available. He also wants to leverage new capabilities from licensing as opposed to making huge infrastructure investments.
“We want to be at the cutting edge of technology,” shared Bowers. “GIS in our industry is already using 3D. We feel that the 3D tools within ArcGIS Online are better suited to integrating with BIM 3D survey, and that’s probably where we’re heading.”
Moving forward, the company has been focusing on applying geospatial technology to more ambitious sustainability projects.
“We’ve recently made a major shift in supporting infrastructure outside of transport, and that includes wind farms and renewable energy transmission zones.” Bowers added that they are currently constructing one of the largest wind farms in Australia.
With a continuing commitment to economic, environmental, and social progress, ACCIONA has taken a geographic approach towards driving the transition to a low-carbon economy in Australia and New Zealand. The advances they have implemented using GIS technology have successfully improved every stage of the project life cycle, from plan to plank.
Given the size of our business, some 3,000 in Australia, over 60,000 globally and many thousands employed as suppliers and partners—the ability to share data and the GIS insights across regions, time zones, and countries is invaluable. It means we bring the best people to the project—no matter their location—all through the power of location intelligence and integration with other systems such as BIM.
Learn more about the products used in this story
Esri offers multiple product options for your organization, and users can use ArcGIS Online, ArcGIS Enterprise, ArcGIS Pro, or ArcGIS Location Platform as their foundation. Once the foundational product is established, a wide variety of apps and extensions are available.