The announcement today that Autodesk and Pitney Bowes Software will align as partners in the AEC market marks the continued convergence of CAD/ BIM and GIS. Autodesk gains the analytical GIS capabilities of Pitney Bowes to help its customers improve insight and efficiency, while Pitney Bowes gains access to a huge global market that is willing and eager to spend money to transform their business process. This alliance also further defines the playing field, with this team addressing similar approaches of both Esri and Bentley. In addition, Hexagon and Trimble also play a tangled role in this next market, with much to be worked out in the coming year in terms of their own offerings and alliances.
This is certainly big news heading into a new year where ‘City 2.o’ received the TED Prize. There’s a clear market for combining sensor and systems for greater insight into our built environments. The market that IBM defined as “smarter planet” technology is beginning to translate into big business across the globe, with continued call for smarter city technologies. In addition, there’s an ongoing need for better building site intelligence, including insight into environmental impacts. Both cities and development-oriented AEC companies stand to benefit from the new offerings.
I like this alignment from a number of different angles, and I think it has a good chance to make an impact. Chief among the advantages is that it’s an alignment of complementary technologies for targeted solutions, where very little overlap in capabilities existed. That seems to be a key piece for this partnership to have longevity.
I’ll post more details tomorrow after I’ve had a chance to speak to representatives from both Autodesk and Pitney Bowes Software.
