A confluence of innovations and events has come to the rescue of aging bridges. IS has developed a bridge performance management platform based on Internet of Things (IoT) technology and enterprise cloud architecture: IntelliStruct TM. It gives bridge managers the power to precisely measure bridge performance and manage bridge life cycles to minimize risk and maximize mobility, all within limited budgets. IS expertly leverages technologies such as low-cost sensors, IoT, edge computing, wireless communication, mesh networks, big data analytics, and machine learning to enable “smart bridges”. Smart bridges offer the opportunity to drastically improve the real-time knowledge of the health of a bridge, and precisely manage the bridge for safety, efficiency, and longevity. Managers can prevent bridge restrictions and closures, and direct budgets for maximum impact.
This is imperative as our traffic loads increase, while our infrastructure deteriorates.![]()
Our bridge monitoring systems help with both real time data on structural behavior, as well as identifying trends and changes over time
“Intelligent Structures combines advanced sensor technology with highly customizable edge computing and cloud-based enterprise software to deliver the critical information owners need to optimize the management of bridges,” says Doug Thomson, CTO, Intelligent Structures.
Intelligent Structures is on the forefront of delivering smart bridge solutions. Leveraging advanced information technology, IS’s bridge performance monitoring and decision support platform enables bridge managers make highly informed, fact-based decisions. With smart bridges, everyone benefits: safety and mobility for people and users, and economy for budgets. With IS, bridge owners have the ability to track key data on the performance of their bridges including a periodic digital signature (performance snapshot), component defect monitoring (for critical components), live load testing, and continuous monitoring. This gives owners the data to enable real-time management, as well as critical optimization of fleet planning and management over a 10-20 year horizon. Bridge owners see returns on implementation of IntelliStruct of over 50 percent IRR for individual bridges as well as application to strategic operations management of their entire fleet of bridges.
Looking to the future, IS is developing advanced analytics using the data collected to build a database of how different bridges perform. They will apply machine learning to this data to help all bridge designers and managers become more efficient. The industry must change. Bridges are failing, and there is not enough budget to keep up with the current bridge management processes. Innovation is required to do more with less. IS delivers the solution with IntelliStruct. With smart bridge technology, the life of bridges can be extended, and the lifetime cost of operating a bridge can be reduced by 30-50 percent. “If we don’t innovate, in 10 years we’ll have autonomous vehicles traveling over crumbling bridges inspected by people using hammers and chains,” concludes Westcott.
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Company
Intelligent Structures
Headquarters
Menlo Park, CA
Management
Brian Westcott, CEO
Description
Established since 2015, Intelligent Structure creates high performing structures for a safer and more productive world. Intelligent Structures provides an innovative end-to-end enterprise solution for bridge performance management. It is a Information system and decision support company allowing infrastructure executives to make fact based decisions. The company deals in commercial enterprise software systems, industrial automation, IoT, sensor networks and structural health monitoring. Intelligent Structure enables robust and effective leveraging of technology demands, proper policy and strategy