Dive Brief:

• Underground utilities are being brought into the information-modeling universe so designers and engineers can include the data in models for civil engineering and construction projects.
• Bentley Systems has created a product called Subsurface Utility Engineering (SUE) to integrate information from sources that include CAD, GIS, surveys and databases and use it to produce a 3-D model of a site.
• For both civil projects and buildings, the models should help resolve conflicts in the design phase of projects.

Dive Insight:

SUE is built on Bentley's OpenRoads BIM system for multidisciplinary civil engineering projects, but the ability to create 3-D models of existing utilities should benefit companies that use other platforms, too.