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Welcome to the Gutenberg Editor

July 24, 2023

Of Mountains & Printing Presses

The goal of this new editor is to make adding rich content to WordPress simple and enjoyable. This whole post is composed of pieces of content—somewhat similar to LEGO bricks—that you can move around and interact with. Move your cursor around and you’ll notice the different blocks light up with outlines and arrows. Press the arrows to reposition blocks quickly, without fearing about losing things in the process of copying and pasting.

What you are reading now is a text block the most basic block of all. The text block has its own controls to be moved freely around the post…

… like this one, which is right aligned.

Headings are separate blocks as well, which helps with the outline and organization of your content.

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

Handling images and media with the utmost care is a primary focus of the new editor. Hopefully, you’ll find aspects of adding captions or going full-width with your pictures much easier and robust than before.

Beautiful landscape
If your theme supports it, you’ll see the “wide” button on the image toolbar. Give it a try.

Try selecting and removing or editing the caption, now you don’t have to be careful about selecting the image or other text by mistake and ruining the presentation.

The Inserter Tool

Imagine everything that WordPress can do is available to you quickly and in the same place on the interface. No need to figure out HTML tags, classes, or remember complicated shortcode syntax. That’s the spirit behind the inserter—the (+) button you’ll see around the editor—which allows you to browse all available content blocks and add them into your post. Plugins and themes are able to register their own, opening up all sort of possibilities for rich editing and publishing.

Go give it a try, you may discover things WordPress can already add into your posts that you didn’t know about. Here’s a short list of what you can currently find there:

  • Text & Headings
  • Images & Videos
  • Galleries
  • Embeds, like YouTube, Tweets, or other WordPress posts.
  • Layout blocks, like Buttons, Hero Images, Separators, etc.
  • And Lists like this one of course 🙂

Visual Editing

A huge benefit of blocks is that you can edit them in place and manipulate your content directly. Instead of having fields for editing things like the source of a quote, or the text of a button, you can directly change the content. Try editing the following quote:

The editor will endeavor to create a new page and post building experience that makes writing rich posts effortless, and has “blocks” to make it easy what today might take shortcodes, custom HTML, or “mystery meat” embed discovery.

Matt Mullenweg, 2017

The information corresponding to the source of the quote is a separate text field, similar to captions under images, so the structure of the quote is protected even if you select, modify, or remove the source. It’s always easy to add it back.

Blocks can be anything you need. For instance, you may want to add a subdued quote as part of the composition of your text, or you may prefer to display a giant stylized one. All of these options are available in the inserter.

You can change the amount of columns in your galleries by dragging a slider in the block inspector in the sidebar.

Media Rich

If you combine the new wide and full-wide alignments with galleries, you can create a very media rich layout, very quickly:

Accessibility is important — don’t forget image alt attribute

Sure, the full-wide image can be pretty big. But sometimes the image is worth it.

The above is a gallery with just two images. It’s an easier way to create visually appealing layouts, without having to deal with floats. You can also easily convert the gallery back to individual images again, by using the block switcher.

Any block can opt into these alignments. The embed block has them also, and is responsive out of the box:

https://vimeo.com/22439234

You can build any block you like, static or dynamic, decorative or plain. Here’s a pullquote block:

Code is Poetry

The WordPress community

If you want to learn more about how to build additional blocks, or if you are interested in helping with the project, head over to the GitHub repository.


Thanks for testing Gutenberg!

👋

 

City of South Portland, Maine: Connecting design & construction to operations with a digital twin

August 27, 2021

Until recently, it hasn’t been possible for Tim Parks, senior CAD technician at the City of South Portland, Maine, to sit down at his desk and see the operational history and the 3D model of a pump at the Long Creek Pump Station facility in one place, even though the city maintains both sets of information.

South Portland is not unique in its need to access information about the assets and infrastructure they maintain across departments. Many owners find their data siloed between operations, construction, design and maintenance. When Tim approached Atkins and DTS, both members of the SNC-Lavalin group, to support him in breaking down some of the silos, we were excited to dig in because we have been developing new ways to connect data from within the VUEWorks asset management platform to 3D models. One approach to breaking down the silos is to connect information about a facility through a digital twin, or digital representation of the physical asset. The digital twin can be built in a way that connects many different things into a single place.

Figure 1: Data to Twins for End-Users

Most operators use some form of asset management system to keep tabs on items they feel most need to be tracked and maintained. Asset management systems are usually tabular in nature, displaying information about an asset inside a facility only as a name, with relevant information pulled from a database and displayed in a table. When new construction is completed, the owners are provided with intelligent 3D models that bring efficiency to the construction process, as well as contain unique information about the objects and assets being installed. These models often mature from inception through design and can be updated to contain information critical during installation. This information is often lost sometime between installation and operation/maintenance.

Figure 2: VUEWorks Facility Module highlighting a single asset with attribute information

If an asset is represented in a 3D model and is being tracked inside an asset management system, then the question Tim and many owners are asking themselves is: Shouldn’t there be a way to see all this information in one place? Operations and maintenance staff are often faced with a need to locate and work on assets without any idea where they are inside a facility beyond, at best, a room location. Bringing the digital models and asset information together provides immediate benefits to operations teams and is the initial step on the path toward a more accessible digital twin.

We began the process with South Portland by setting data and attribute standards. Because South Portland maintains a set of digital design and construction models of their facilities and assets, the asset information had to be extracted in a format that enabled it to be tied to the corresponding assets within their 3D models. Data standards make it possible to connect the virtual versions of the assets to the same asset within the VUEWorks database. Atkins developed a web-based platform that generates a digital view of the 3D models with a specific link for each asset inside the model, zoomed and highlighted, so users can see an asset in its location with the surrounding space represented. We were then able to create a digital twin of the facility by connecting the digital representation of assets within the facility model to the asset information Tim and South Portland had provided.

Figure 3: A view of the 3D model on the web with a specific asset (pump) highlighted

For more information:
Chris Harman
Technical Director
Atlanta, GA, USA
+1 678 247 2619
LinkedIn
Email Chris

Strategic Asset Management Planning: why parks need a plan, too

July 14, 2021

Much of the global population is acutely aware of climate change, and corporations have initiated efforts to reach NetZero emissions. It may come as no surprise that one of the most passionate groups in the asset management community are those in the Parks and Recreation sector. From converting large-area mowers from gas to propane to installing computerized irrigation systems for water conservation, the goal is to provide clean, safe and green spaces for communities. Accompanying this goal is a unique set of assets: playgrounds and swimming pools, boat docks and botanical gardens, pavilions, sports courts and zoos. These assets don’t maintain themselves; they require careful assessment and planning.

A strategic asset management plan (SAMP) combines asset management objectives with initiatives that provide the direction required for lower-level planning. This approach is gaining traction in the parks sector, and there may be more similarities than differences when compared with other asset management groups.

Signs are a good place to start. Most departments have some signage responsibilities—stop signs, speed limit signs, mile markers and caution warnings—that require maintenance and are often subject to normal wear and tear. Exposure to the elements can impact reflectivity, visibility and structural stability. While the signs may have different messaging, the general condition assessments and upkeep of these assets are effectively the same.

Safety requirements are common among multiple asset groups. Hiking trails and playground equipment, much like sidewalks and crosswalks, must be accessible and usually ADA compliant. This can present its own set of challenges, also not exclusive to the asset type. Regular inspections and preventative maintenance are standard approaches to meeting and maintaining these requirements, regardless of the department or group to which they apply.

Some park assets vary greatly from other assets: aquatic centers, sports fields and cemeteries often fall under park jurisdiction. In addition to following state reporting requirements for herbicides and pesticides, departments take special care to track pool chemicals and fertilizers, as well as maintain natural and synthetic turfs. Landscaping, mowing and irrigation all must be scheduled and completed to keep green areas well-maintained and inviting for residents.

Strategic asset managemenent plannng for parks

One of the most unique parks assets is trees. Unlike other standard assets that depreciate over time, trees increase in value with age. Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and Boise, Idaho, are two cities whose parks departments truly value their trees. By reversing the deterioration curve within VUEWorks®, the appreciating value of these assets can be tracked through the health, species/genus and diameter at breast height (DBH)measurements. While this model doesn’t apply to all assets, it can be applied to antiques, art and historic sites.

Ultimately, the overall goal in asset management is to enable data-driven decisions. Budget planning is an important piece of every successful parks group. Unlike toll roads and utilities that receive fee-based funding, many parks departments receive very limited funding from seasonal programs. Therefore, additional considerations must be taken when planning for annual spending:

  • Size (sq ft) of the facility, field or amenity
  • Safety compliance requirements
  • Use frequency level
  • Maintenance needs and costs
  • Environmental impacts/water conservation
  • Impacts on local wildlife

Many of these considerations are applicable to other asset types as well. While not all assets are equal, all are important to how efficiently and effectively a department can manage and maintain them. Allocating adequate funding to these maintenance efforts is a critical part of a SAMP. This may require unique configuration of the digital asset management solution to account for appreciating assets and a granular level of tracking for chemical components. Having an application like VUEWorks® that can be configured for unique requirements may be the first step toward success.

Choosing the right asset data collection vendor

June 4, 2021

Three years after the City of Plano, Texas collected pavement condition data, the Data Transfer Solutions (DTS) Mobile Asset Collection vans, or MAC vans, were back on the streets in north Texas. Because pavement distresses increase over time, it’s common practice to recollect condition data periodically to ensure roads are well-maintained and necessary funds are made available for improvements.

The Lonestar State is no stranger to MAC vans—more than a dozen cities, counties and municipalities rely on the fleet to collect and provide revised assessments every few years. These slow-ride routes provide valuable images of pavement distresses, right-of-way assets and GPS attributes that are crucial to capital improvement planning. The updated data is then imported into asset management software. Plano had a system in place for several years and only required data collection to keep it up to date. For some agencies, however, procuring an asset data collection vendor is done in parallel with developing or refining their Strategic Asset Management Plan.

MAC van

Selecting the right software can be tough. Software licenses are an investment, and if properly planned, configured and maintained, the return on investment is high. When possible, consider how many other departments will have asset management needs in the future. While some software is limited to certain asset types, DTS’ VUEWorks solution is asset agnostic. This can be an appealing option when a city’s utilities, parks and roads departments are all in the market for a solution.

Configurability and expandability are also important to bear in mind during the software selection process. VUEWorks is a configurable, commercial off-the-shelf solution with tons of growth potential. If the stormwater group needs to be added to a workflow, while the engineering department is ready to implement, and when warehouse inventory needs to be tracked, assigned and returned, VUEWorks can accommodate the expansion. If non-spatial building assets need to be collected and condition assessed, VUEWorks includes mobile applications, too.

An often overlooked benefit of contracting full services with a data collection vendor like DTS is the level of familiarity with a clients’ assets, processes and workflows. When budget constraints present challenges, project managers can ease the headache by developing a phased collection or implementation approach to space out the spending, minimizing the overall impact. It also opens the door to additional expert consulting resources within larger companies with multiple service capabilities, like DTS’ parent company SNC-Lavalin, a fully-integrated professional services and project management company, with offices around the world. This may be beneficial for custom development, business intelligence and decision support tools, GIS consulting, asset management program planning and more.

The bottom line: there is more than one approach to asset management. Considering requirements early in the process like data collection, planning, workflow, maintenance and analysis can ensure expectations are met, once in place. DTS can consolidate these services, creating a one-stop-shop for asset management needs.

SNC-Lavalin awarded $15 million USD contract for California Department of Transportation

April 22, 2021

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MONTREAL: April 22, 2021 – SNC-Lavalin Group Inc. (TSX: SNC) has been awarded a three-year contract with two one-year extensions to provide a Transportation Asset Management System (TAMS) for the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans). Under the contract, SNC-Lavalin’s Data Transfer Solutions (DTS) business will provide services that include implementing the TAMS solution, software licensing and maintenance, and optional post-implementation support.

“SNC-Lavalin recognizes the pace of technological change and the need to support client needs with robust digital solutions. We are at the forefront of this revolution and will continue to harness the disruptive potential of data and digital innovation to help clients automate their worlds, reduce their workload and organize their data through customized technology,” said Ian L. Edwards, President and CEO of SNC-Lavalin.

Caltrans contracted the company in response to federal and state law mandates for transportation agencies to implement a transportation asset management plan. DTS will provide an enterprise asset management software solution to highlight new business intelligence visualization for data as well as geographic information and organizational uses to make informed, performance and data-driven decisions.

“We understand Caltrans’ need for a robust system that provides next-level tracking, reporting and transparency,” said Allen Ibaugh, President, SNC-Lavalin’s DTS business. “Providing a one-stop-shop for visualization of state transportation assets, conditions, projects and performance metrics, we will deliver a cloud-based, integrated solution including VUEWorks®, the web-enabled integrated geographic information system for enterprise asset management. In addition, the Transportation Asset Management Decision Support tool (TAMSDT) will ensure Caltrans carries out its mission to provide a safe, and reliable transportation network that serves all the people and respects the environment.”

The new technology will serve as a centralized asset information repository with tools to improve transportation asset management, project nomination, project prioritization, scoping, funding and decision support.

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About Data Transfer Solutions
DTS (www.dtsgis.com) is a leader in asset management, geographic information systems and transportation solutions. From geospatial development on the Esri platform to cutting-edge .NET and Javascript techniques, we create customized technology and provide our clients solutions that automate their worlds and organize their data. DTS is a member of the SNC-Lavalin Group.

About SNC-Lavalin
Founded in 1911, SNC-Lavalin is a fully integrated professional services and project management company with offices around the world. SNC-Lavalin connects people, technology and data to help shape and deliver world-leading concepts and projects, while offering comprehensive innovative solutions across the asset lifecycle. Our expertise is wide-ranging — consulting & advisory, intelligent networks & cybersecurity, design & engineering, procurement, project & construction management, operations & maintenance, decommissioning and sustaining capital – and delivered to clients in four strategic sectors: EDPM (engineering, design and project management), Infrastructure, Nuclear and Resources, supported by Capital. People. Drive. Results. www.snclavalin.com

For more information:
Media
Maureen Nayowith
VP, Communications
U.S. & Latin America
+1 303.214.0840
Maureen.Nayowith@atkinsglobal.com

DTS starts work on drone mapping and data collection contract in Houston

April 5, 2021

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Houston, Texas, USA: April 5, 2021 – Data Transfer Solutions (DTS), a member of the SNC-Lavalin Group, was awarded a $3.8 million, three-year contract with a two-year extension option by the City of Houston to provide aerial mapping, imagery and condition data collection using drones. Under the contract, the Company is using the technology to capture 2D and 3D images to produce enhanced large-scale mapping and light detection and ranging (LiDAR) and imagery to assist the City in asset planning, scheduling and maintenance.

“Using drones equipped with technology like high-resolution cameras, LiDAR and multi-spectral imagers, we can capture data at a high resolution, with greater accuracy and at a lower cost than conventional airborne sensors,” said Allen Ibaugh, President, DTS business unit. “Our reports will support data-driven decision-making regarding the City’s infrastructure. They will also help the City make the best use of its financial resources by providing faster data collection and processing, reducing the required man-hours for ground inspections and reducing risk to field personnel.”

DTS provides drone data collection and mapping for geographical and topographic mapping, as well as disaster damage assessment, extracted resource and construction asset management, infrastructure corridor surveys and vertical structure inspections.

-30-

About Data Transfer Solutions
DTS (www.dtsgis.com) is a leader in asset management, geographic information systems and transportation solutions. From geospatial development on the Esri platform to cutting-edge .NET and Javascript techniques, we create customized technology and provide our clients solutions that automate their worlds and organize their data. DTS is a member of the SNC-Lavalin Group.

About SNC-Lavalin
Founded in 1911, SNC-Lavalin is a fully integrated professional services and project management company with offices around the world. SNC-Lavalin connects people, technology and data to help shape and deliver world-leading concepts and projects, while offering comprehensive innovative solutions across the asset lifecycle. Our expertise is wide-ranging — consulting & advisory, intelligent networks & cybersecurity, design & engineering, procurement, project & construction management, operations & maintenance, decommissioning and sustaining capital – and delivered to clients in four strategic sectors: EDPM (engineering, design and project management), Infrastructure, Nuclear and Resources, supported by Capital. People. Drive. Results. www.snclavalin.com

For more information:
Media
Maureen Nayowith
VP, Communications
U.S. & Latin America
+1 303.214.0840
Maureen.Nayowith@atkinsglobal.com