Nextbitt presents field services solution that combines BIM and augmented reality

The Portuguese asset and facilities management solutions company presented its innovative field services solution using augmented reality (AR) and BIM (Building Information Modeling) during the Microsoft event, Building the Future 2020, which took place in Lisbon.

BIM is an advanced Autodesk tool used in 3D modeling that enables smarter and more efficient conception, design, construction and management of buildings and infrastructures. According to Miguel Salgueiro, a partner at Nextbitt, the company was one of the pioneers in this area by integrating the technology into an asset management solution: "We were the first company in Portugal to take on this challenge and, from what we've seen, even internationally".

He explained that the novelty is already being used in the country "in a large building belonging to a major client", which he cannot yet disclose, but that "within the next month they will have three more international clients for the solution".

In addition to the innovation made by integrating BIM technology, the new platform also has an augmented reality component, developed in collaboration with KIT-AR. Thus, the solution can be used with the Hololens headset from Microsoft or other manufacturers, but the big disruption is, according to Miguel Salgueiro, the possibility "to be used on any smartphone via the Android app" developed by Nextbitt.

It is for these reasons that the national company has no doubts about the solution's differentiation from what is available on the market. It "allows the owner of the asset, from the design to the use of the building, to have everything on a single platform combined with management indicators without the manager having to interrupt their activity to get this data". On the other hand, "it makes it possible for a technician to enter this chain and just use a cell phone to do everything and work on and offline".

The company's main objective is that "the technology they develop is not only focused on asset management but also adds value," explained the Nextbitt partner.

Regarding 2019, Miguel Salgueiro said that the year in which the company celebrated its fourth anniversary was one of "business consolidation" and "bigger projects for big clients". Regarding the strategy for the future, the executive stressed that the company wants "to be the benchmark for the maturity it employs in projects and to push clients towards innovation".

News source available at: Business IT