Morocco has risk management tools that allow areas affected by natural disasters to be easily detected, thanks to the Geographic Information System (GIS).

BIM (Building Information Modeling) Africa Summit 2023 brought together this week at the Mohammed VI Conference Center in Marrakech all actors in the BIM ecosystem, including software developers, architects, engineers or companies working in the field of construction, to discuss about the challenges and opportunities of the sector throughout the continent.

According to the organizers, the idea of the summit was to develop the BIM ideology throughout the African continent by inviting all its actors to share more information and chair round tables on the BIM sectors.

The summit presented some construction processes, in particular BIM and CIM (City Information Modeling). According to experts who participated in the annual meeting, BIM is a model for the design, development and construction of infrastructure, while CIM is the pace at which digital technology is deployed to improve sustainable cities and the environment. In other words, BIM models the specific components of a city, while CIM is broader and can model the global components of a city.

To manage these seemingly complex specifications, a series of tools have been developed, including computer programs and platforms that intervene in the organization of the data. One of them is usBIM Management, an integrated BIM system in the cloud. It facilitates real-time collaboration with colleagues, management of large buildings and infrastructure projects, and online work using any device, from anywhere.

Another tool is the usBIM.resolver platform, an online construction management platform that better manages any type of problem that arises in each phase of the construction project. It offers a powerful BIM coordination project tracking system. It is also the "most innovative" solution to control activities, meet deadlines, budgets and quality standards.

Alfonso Perna, International Market Director of ACCA Software, stated that Morocco is opening up to globalization and advancing new technologies. "I think Morocco is on the right path and is today the flagship of Africa, although it has a little more responsibility to be a good mentor to other African countries."

Radoine Hassan, director of the School of Architecture, Planning and Design at UM6P, spoke about Morocco's efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). To achieve the SDGs, “especially SDG 11 on resilient and sustainable human settlements, the intelligence of tools, particularly digital tools, will allow us to set objectives and measure the impact of our strategies, something we did not have before” , argument.

Although Morocco "masters" the optimization of building systems, the North African country will face other challenges at a higher stage. "I think it will be more complex when we move to the urban or territorial level," added Hassan.

Furthermore, these highly developed tools make it possible to easily detect areas affected by natural disasters thanks to the Geographic Information System (GIS) that Morocco has for risk management.

According to Hassan, "Morocco is prepared for this challenge, and universities such as the Mohammed VI Polytechnic University are equipped with large data centers, in addition to managing digital innovation and creativity to solve many human and environmental problems."

Since the growing generation is developing a keen interest in technology, training them in this field could pay off. However, all the experts who attended the summit agreed that this must be integrated into the curricula.

Moses Itanola, CEO of BIM Africa, believes that Africa has a robust and fast-moving youth population, and his advice is that “young people have to get involved, keep learning, explore new technologies, adopt new processes and progress themselves and, with time, the continent.

Among those attending the exhibition were students from various specialties, such as architecture and civil engineering.

“That means they are interested in the field of BIM,” said the Executive Director of the Moroccan group Continuum BIM, Ahmed Ayoub Rqaoui, who stated that universities have begun to implement BIM in their curricula. And he concluded: "The idea is that BIM becomes widespread in education and, in three or four years, it will spread throughout the country."

Source: MoroccoWorldNews