Bentley Systems’ director of public policy and advocacy Matt Gijselman has an unusual job. His company may have a reputation for digital twins in buildings and building information management or BIM systems for huge infrastructure projects, such as the UK’s High Speed Rail 2, but that is not what he is working on.
His job, he says, is more about digitally “twinning” the social, environmental, and governance systems that enable or constrain a potentially better outcome for all. He is working on the broad landscape that underpins projects rather than the projects themselves.
It means digitally mapping — quantifying and digitising — the massive amounts of underlying data and parameters associated with community capacity for resilience, environmental opportunities, and limits, as well as the policy and political networks that allow the full flowering of potential — or hold it up.
Once the digital mapping is complete, the idea is that everyone benefits. We are all in possession of more of the relevant facts and there is better connectivity between all the moving parts.
As Gijselman’s boss says, “we are building a playing field so that other people can play a better game of rugby.”
It is big picture thinking and, as far as Gijselman knows, there is no-one else working on these goals — at this scale globally, at least, and in private hands.
The team is modest but growing, and it is strategically dispersed across various continents. It is ambitious in its agenda because its goal is to also build connections with people so that the huge number of actors that deliver the built environment can better understand the landscape that they are working on, the connections between their strategic objectives and specific tasks.
Australia, says Gijselman, is particularly well placed to seize excellent opportunities for creating better communities and neighbourhoods over the next decade.
Effective digital transformation on mega projects can save around 20 per cent in each of time, inputs, and costs, he says. However, there is far greater potential in stretching the digital horizon to policy beyond individual projects.
“The way that we have been doing things is not in the way that we can keep doing them,” he says.
“We need to change everything, from getting a new way of approaching household bin collections through to big, purposeful national policy changes around circular economies in redesigning delivery of construction and delivery of neighborhoods and communities.”
One of those communities that Gijselman is currently helping to redesign is Western Sydney, working with Business Western Sydney on the Western Sydney Rivers Task Force to ensure communities have useful access to blue infrastructure.
He says that there is a huge disparity in access to blue infrastructure between people who live in the eastern parts of that city and those who live in the west, in part due to geography but also due to policy decisions.
“If you have to drive an hour round trip to a pool in Sydney, it is a shame. There are many great things that come from access to blue infrastructure, and it is not just the health benefits. It is also civic benefits, community benefits, and, obviously, economic benefits.
“Governments really need to look at how they consider blue infrastructure and community infrastructure going forward,” Gijselman says.
“What are we trying to do is, in the broader sense, is help government get a better understanding of blue infrastructure in Western Sydney and, from that, make better decisions—be that investment decisions or otherwise — around utilisation of everything from rivers and streams through to public pools.”
To meet this goal, Gijselman is keen to develop a digital twin for the rivers in Western Sydney.
“Creating a 3D map is probably the first thing, the second would be mapping water quality. The third would be mapping transport access, including aspects such as disability access. Then, you could map growth areas for population versus access to green infrastructure and really build out a proper understanding of what is available. After that, you can figure out how to respond and improve the facilities for those communities where they are.”
Gijselman says that there is nothing like this in Australia yet, but he is hoping to leverage Bentley Systems’ strong relationships with water utilities to get it started. He admits that it will be “expensive and a bit cutting edge,” but points to the digital twin of the whole island of Singapore to show it can be done.
He also points to “incredible opportunities” for digital transformation across a whole range of policy areas — from water, mining, energy, and rail to road infrastructure.
“For me and my team, it really is an opportunity to look for allies, collaborators—disruptive collaborators — to bring a different approach to how government can be doing things. It is also about what industry could be doing to support the digital transformation across a whole range of areas, including water.”
Communities need to be onboard for best outcomes
That different approach includes more involvement from local communities.
He says that it is important to ensure that people do not feel left behind, which could turn people away from the concept of digital smart cities.
The first thing, according to Gijselman, is to ensure there is always great infrastructure. Next, it is critical to engage people “where they are” in terms of systems, processes, and approaches, and keeping it “customer centric.”
“There is a deep irony, I think, for local governments looking at how they can support digital transformation to meet needs in their community, but actually not bringing the community along in that journey.”
Gijselman believes that Australia has great opportunities to reinvent how cities are designed over the next decade.
“Whether it is offshore wind farms, high speed rail, or Olympic infrastructure, we have an opportunity through digital transformation to meet the productivity requirements that all these projects will need. There is a decade of opportunity to line things up and, looking around the states and territories, there are digital twins happening or about to happen in most of them.
“There are some bright clouds ahead, and some really big opportunities that we can tap into for the next decade.”
