Connected Geotechnical Workflows Enable Dynamic Communication Mitigating Cost Pressures and Project Risk

Large transportation projects frequently encounter issues in management of Geotechnical data, including collection, analysis, transfer, accessibility, and version control. These difficulties can lead to inefficiencies, causing cost pressures and impact the ability to communicate project risk in a timely fashion. Historically, the absence of centralized databases and effective data management frameworks bottle neck the engineer’s ability to process and interpret geotechnical data effectively. Commonly “dead end’s” form in digital data transfer as paper or pdf files are exchanged, leading to time consuming processes for digitising when updating interpretations or utilising the data elsewhere. Consequently, decision-makers and stakeholders risk lacking access to crucial data or relying on outdated geotechnical information. We propose a dynamic, connected workflow that streamlines the data transfer between applications, enhancing communication of project risk from ground conditions. Connecting cloud-based site investigation with interpretation software allows the geo-professionals the confidence to know that the latest data is being used and new data can be easily utilised to update the interpretation from a single source of truth. Additionally utilising cloud connections between interpretation software and Geotechnical analysis software, ensures numerical analysis can be consistent and quickly rerun when the Geological interpretation changes. Having subsurface interpretation in a cloud environment provides capability for more efficient communication and collaboration with all key stakeholders. It provides designers access to the latest geological interpretation which can then be utilised within their designs. The paper will include examples where these benefits are being realised on existing projects of various scales.