BRIDGE-ing Big Data Workshop to focus on nation's infrastructure

Engineers and information technology experts will share insights and expertise on maintaining and improving the nation's infrastructure at the BRIDGE-ing Big Data Workshop Oct. 8-9 at the CenturyLink Center, 455 N. 10th St. in Omaha.

BRIDGE-ing Big Data will explore how using Big Data technologies and techniques can build and maintain smarter bridges to enhance the national transportation infrastructure. Bridge engineering administrators, designers and researchers, as well as individuals involved in Big Data generation, collection and decision-making, will analyze concepts and information to optimize bridge maintenance and management.

"In an era of increased demand on roads and bridges, shrinking resources and decreased funding, we still have the capability to utilize our best technologies and data to address aging infrastructure challenges," said Daniel Linzell, Voelte-Keegan Professor and chair of the UNL Department of Civil Engineering. "This workshop will provide discussion opportunities for technology leaders, researchers and engineers on how we can work together to optimize how we manage our infrastructure in the future."

The goal of the conference is to form a public-private consortium of representatives from industry, global organizations and the academic community to develop and innovate the next generation of intelligent bridge management systems.

Ray LaHood, former U.S. Department of Transportation secretary, will provide the keynote address "The Importance of Integrating Big Data into Infrastructure/Bridge Management," at 8 a.m. Oct. 9. LaHood served as transportation secretary from 2009 to 2013. Under his leadership, the U.S. built or replaced more than 350,000 miles of roadways, repaired 20,000 bridges and renovated or constructed 6,000 miles of rail track.

In addition to LaHood, workshop guests include:

> Alok Aggarwal, co-founder and former chair, Evalueserve

> Paul Barr, professor and interim department head, civil and environmental engineering at Utah State University

> Nick Bilton, columnist and lead technology writer, The New York Times

> Chuck Farrar, director of The Engineering Institute, Los Alamos National Laboratory

> Rory O'Rourke, managing director, DATUM Services Ltd.

> Jack Uldrich, best-selling author and prolific global technology speaker

> Mark van Rijmenam, founder of Datafloq

> Don Voelte, former CEO and managing director of Seven Group Holdings

For more information about the workshop, visit http://engineering.unl.edu/bridging-big-data-workshop or contact Phil Carter, coordinator of external/community relations for the UNL College of Engineering, at (402) 472-3198 or email pcarter2@unl.edu.