Imagine a future world without the raw materials necessary to make much of the resources and tools we depend on.

After decades of slow changes and being seen amongst the lowest technologically advanced disciplines, the civil construction industry’s adoption of new technologies is accelerating at a stunning speed.

To successfully run operations, it’s crucial to monitor main key performance indicators (KPIs). However, many KPIs are not directly measurable because of the nature of the process. Having soft sensors in place to infer essential KPIs provides the right insight for optimal efficiency. Soft sensors have been used in the industry for many years, but the main applications vary—let’s have a look.

Companies are formally starting to think about and change how they impact the world around them. As businesses, we are recognizing that the long-term health of our industries is directly tied to our support of our people, local communities, and the environment. It’s uniting in the pursuit of sustainable development that underlines our goal of positive change.

The need to decarbonize the economy and adapt to a changing energy landscape is a key challenge for large energy users. New technologies are providing increasingly cost-effective solutions to mitigate the impact of carbon and optimizing energy use has the potential to generate a positive return on investment in the near term while simultaneously working towards a low-carbon future. David Anders starts us off with part one of our energy optimization blog series.

Hatch experts Yale Zhang and Thessy Moodley discuss Digital Twin technology, focusing on value delivery and improvement opportunities without getting caught up in the hype.

Federal government restrictions on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions stipulate a clear limit for industrial GHG producers. But there is another reliable option to minimize the impact: replacing fossil fuels with biomass where possible.

The need for energy storage has risen significantly over the years with an increase in the amount of intermittent renewable energy sources coming online. Batteries offer a flexible and modular solution.

Studying the tails of distributions is essential for risk management. Whether in probabilistic risk assessment or even in qualitative hazard studies, risk management aims to understand tail events. Risk measures such as value at risk or expected shortfall are essentially measures of the distributions’ tails. So, if you’re concerned about your project cost overrun risks, for example, you’re worried about the tail of the cost distribution.

When it comes to affecting positive change with community engagement, there are countless factors in calling it a success. Terms like “listening”, “communication”, and “inclusion” are typically top of mind. But while there’s a rigid emphasis placed on efficient project management, there are elements that are sometimes overlooked which contribute largely to a project’s outcome–trust and respect. Here’s a personal look at a recent engagement with the Stony Point First Nation community on their housing development project at former Camp Ipperwash.