Highlands Ranch, Colorado — March 21, 2019 — Two of Arcadis’ digital initiatives and one innovative project with New York City have earned recognition from the Environmental Business Journal. These awards highlight Arcadis’ ongoing commitment to combining the latest cutting-edge technologies and digital innovations with subject matter expertise in natural asset design and consulting. The recognitions include:
New Practice Area: Augmented Reality
In 2018, Arcadis launched a practice area specializing in Augmented Reality (AR) technology. Leveraging hands-free AR headsets, technical experts in office locations around the world can remotely view and walk through project sites, offering guidance and support to field staff who view digital models and designs projected over real-world surroundings. This measure not only reduces costs for both Arcadis and our clients, but also provides real-time access to safety insights and improvements that can protect employees immediately. The benefits of AR extend to stakeholder communication as well. During a site remediation project last year, Arcadis used AR to demonstrate the complexity and scale of a groundwater plume from the comfort of a conference room.
“It’s exciting to bring innovative solutions, such as AR, to our clients and to see the immediate impact they have on transforming how we’re working and sharing information with each other,” said Allison Yanites, who leads Arcadis’ AR practice.
Investment in Innovation: Techstars
Arcadis has partnered with global network Techstars to spark city-related innovation.During a three-month accelerator program, which launched earlier this month, Arcadis will provide expertise, mentorship and insights to 10 early-stage startups, and in turn, the startups will share their learnings and observations to help Arcadis bring the latest industry innovations to clients. As part of the Arcadis City of 2030 accelerator, powered by Techstars, the startups are developing ideas around seven themes: urban planning, mobility, resiliency, citizen-city engagement, housing shortage, field collaboration and workplace wellness.
Project Merit: Arcadis Helps New York City Develop Plan to Reduce Truck Traffic by 63 Percent
Using advanced data analytics, Arcadis spent a year studying data about waste truck traffic and commercial customers in New York City. Data revealed that one block may see trucks passing through up to 400 times in a single day. The team designed a framework that divides the five boroughs into 20 commercial waste zones and optimizes waste hauling routes. Once fully implemented, New York City will eliminate about 18 million miles of truck traffic every year, a 63 percent reduction.
“Over the past few years we’ve transformed the way we help cities manage emerging challenges using the latest digital advancements,” said Peter Glus, Arcadis senior vice president. “Combining advanced data analytics with an intimate understanding of local challenges, we’ve laid the foundation to transform how New York City experiences waste truck traffic.”
The awards were accepted on March 20 by Allison Yanites and Brooke Bonkoski.
