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The article discusses how Big Data has changed how many urban planners, engineers and contractors analyze traffic patterns to plan transportation projects. Topics discussed include the entry of Big Data into the field of mobility analytics and companies that have entered the space including StreetLight Data, AirSagem and Arup.

The article reports that the city New Orleans in Louisiana will hire a team of engineers to study the problems that led to severe flooding following heavy rainfall on August 5, 2017. Topics discussed include the revelation that some of the city's pumps were not working and the power system that operates those pumps was severely crippled, the Sewerage and Water Board and requirements of an effective food management.

The article discusses the decision of U.S. president Donald Trump to leave the Paris Climate Accord and seeks other alternatives to address the environmental and energy objectives and presents an obituary for engineer and publisher Peter Moran.

The article discusses how design engineers in the U.S. avoid problems caused by harmonic distortions. It suggests the use of reactors to reduce harmonic distortion. It mentions the use of options such as addition of passive harmonic input filters, active harmonic input filters, and multi-pulse transformers.

Two letters to the editor and corresponding replies are presented in response to the articles "Just Because You Can Doesn't Mean You Should" in the May 2014 issue and "Designer Copy/Paste" in the June 2014 issue.

The article reports on the planned renovation to an abandoned Pier 57 in Manhattan, New York City. Topics mentioned include the insights of Peter Koklanos, senior structural engineer with McLaren Engineering Group, on the pier renovation, the plan by McLaren to repair corroded concrete elements of the pier, and the insights of Frank Fusaro, partner with Handel Architects, on the preservation of historic integrity of the pier.

The article discusses the adoption of Section 1525 of the Map-21 legislation by the American Concrete Pipe Association (ACPA) which addressed the provision of autonomy for state engineers to determine the pipe material to be used in projects dealing with the national highway system.

The article focuses on the working of Engineering News-Record regarding publishing reports related to World War I raged in Europe and the U.S. in April 1917 and also emntions that ENR urged engineers to help create the U.S. fighting machine.

The author reflects on the great jobs of the construction team of engineers from the Turner Construction Co. in the U.S.

The article discusses checklist tasks which can be considered when a renewed lease on Operations and Maintenance (O&M) is given by engineer. Topics discussed include the adequate air-control, the adequate inlet of the condenser water pump, and the selection of the existing pump due to the discharge balancing valve.

The author discusses the diversity of the Louisiana Associated General Contractors Inc. (LAGC) being known as the only statewide construction association that services all fields including general contractors, subcontractors, and even some design companies. He mentions the excellent working relationships of LAGC in the design community with architects and consulting engineers. He also notes the role of the association in the state's commitment to educating and training the future workforce.

The article discusses the annual "summer session" conference held at the Stanford University in September 2016. Topics include views of Martin Fischer, director of Center for Integrated Facilities Engineering (CIFE), on need of safer construction and Request for Information (RFIs), effort of automobile firm Tesla automobile to conflate work of building factory to produce cars into redesign resource- fabricate-erect process, and how efficiency gains are less credited to technology.

The article discusses how Professional Engineers Ontario (PEO), provincial licensing body for engineering practice, are making an effort to launch what could become system of mandatory continuing education and mentions that PEO will propose survey if members to determine hours spent on education.

The article focuses on the retrofitting project of the heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) in the campus administration building. Suggestion on the importance for the engineers to meet with the owner of the building to discuss specific building standards to be applied to the project is offered. Information on the important elements that will be included in the design process of the HVAC system of the project is also offered.

The article offers information on various events and issues related to engineered systems in the U.S. which include Danfoss' EnVisioneer of the Year award competition, a cleanroom technician training seminar, and LonMark Resource Files computer software from LonMark International.

The article reports on the publication of a report on engineering analysis and case studies about the effects of tsunami loads by a subcommittee sponsored by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) in 2012. The report highlights the possibility of designing taller buildings and structures that can resist the effects of tsunami. ASCE will send its teams of engineers in Japan to learn some lessons from the tsunami events.

The article offers information on the American Society for Healthcare Engineers' (ASHE) 48th Annual Conference and Technical Exhibition to be held at the Washington State Convention Centre in Seattle from July 17-20, 2011.

The article reports on the Guidelines for Performance-Based Seismic Design of Tall Buildings Version 1.0 published by the Pacific Earthquake Engineering Research Center (PEER) at the University of California, Berkeley. Structural groups and building departments sees the guide as an important, industry-changing document because it will allow practicing engineers to design safer, more reliable buildings. It also addresses soil- foundation-structure interaction modeling.

The article offers an update on several architects and engineers in the U.S. as of March 2010. It reports on President Barack Obama's nomination of Stephen T. Ayers to be Architect of the Capitol in Washington, D.C. It cites the promotion of controller Ron Gasper to chief financial officer at David Evans and Associates. It mentions that engineer Thomas R. Kuesel died on February 17.

The article reports that 10 structural engineers from the U.S. went to Haiti to assess the condition of buildings slightly damaged in the magnitude-seven earthquake on January 12, 2010. The engineers use the rapid evaluation safety assessment method of the Applied Technology Council. Unsafe buildings are tagged red by the group and green if they are safe to occupy. Lack of transverse reinforcement, poor-quality concrete and severe lack of symmetry were among the problems observed by the engineers.

The author discusses the role of owner's representative in building projects. Topics discussed include best project delivery system is the cost-plus-a-fee contract or construction management (CM) contract, engineers or architects are helpful in CM contracts, active bidding participation; and tracking of general conditions costs.

The article presents the hiring by Jacobs Engineering Group of Robert V. Pragada as president of its industrial business unit, Marvinetta Hartwig who joined Stanley Consultants as transportation group manager, and the obituary for engineer and philanthropist Sidney Epstein.

The article profiles Robert G. Harris, construction manager for Louisville's 1.2-billion dollar Downtown Crossing, who is one among the "top 25 newsmakers" selected by the journal for their contribution to the construction industry. He is credited for coordinating a team of state engineers and design-build team members on three-tower cable-stayed bridge connecting downtown Louisville to points north.

The article profiles Maria Ayerdi-Kaplan, executive director of the Transbay Joint Powers Authority (TJPA), who is one between the "top 25 newsmakers" selected by the journal for their contribution to the construction industry.

The article offers information on the use of Cx-3 ATC/FPT and TAB-3 software in conducting engineering procedures in a construction phase. It discusses how design engineers must use standardized equipment checklists for installation, consider the use of smart software, and provide the owner with system training using the operator manuals. It also notes how commissioning engineers must perform functional performance testing (FPT), and how TAB engineers must use the flow diagrams.

The article announces that Theodore Zoli, vice president and bridge technical director in the New York City office of HTNB Corp., has been chosen as one of the recipients of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation's grant for his work on bridge design and security reinforcement.

The author discusses irresponsibility of engineers who violated their ethical code that led to structural failure of the Skywalk Memorial Plaza in Kansas City, Kansas. Topics discussed include violation of ethical code that led to the death and injury of people; professional engineers who issued sealed design drawings without performing calculations; and misconduct risks that can take lives of many people.

The article offers information on a building program (BP) for a Multiplex Movie Theater Project in Roanoke, Virginia. Details about the basis of design (BofD) and the heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) equipment are discussed. The factors considered by the engineer in designing the HVAC system are also noted.

The article describes how Lev Zetlin was a Russian-born, charismatic, creative structural engineer who surrounded himself in his New York City practice with very bright, young, well-educated engineers. Once he liked anyone, the first thing he would do was give him or her a copy of Machiavelli's "The Prince" to read and discuss with him. One of LZA's approaches to management involved pushing young employees into the deep end of the pool, encouraging them to take initiative.

An obituary for bridge engineer Herbert Rothman is presented.

The article offers tips on how the engineering team can do the commissioning process based on air traffic control (ATC) software. Design engineers should supervise the project using an Internet access during the warranty phase. The facility engineer should also have work order in the area before the completion phase. In addition, the team should make a deferred seasonal demonstration, which is heating the system in the heating season.

The article provides information on the basic principles and tips for effective contract commissioning on engineering construction phase in the U.S. The issue of Engineered Systems for "Design & Construction Administration for the 21st Century," features the comprehensive information on the 60/40 rule including quipment O&M manual for the service contractor guidance in working the construction phase. Commissioning engineer is also recognized as vital to have an effective commisioning team.

This article reports on the investigation into the collapse of a garage-section in Jacksonville, Florida, on December 6, 2007. Safety investigators have moved in behind search-and-rescue teams that swarmed the site. Speculation about the cause centers on an inspector's report that describes cracks in slabs and beams. But engineers, contractors, building officials and the owner all are declining to comment, citing the ongoing investigation.

The article discusses the role of design engineers during the warranty phase of a project. To determine what metering and control components are required, design engineers need to work closely with the facility engineer. Data collection and data analysis are deemed as the foundations of peak facility management.

This article focuses on the effort of the Arizona State University to launch the School of Sustainability in September 2007. According to school director Charles Redman, this is the first graduate class at the school where civil engineers are in class right alongside people who want to save the polar bears. The school offers bachelor's and master's degrees and a Ph.D. in sustainability. It is the first school of its kind to focus solely on sustainability education and the first to offer undergraduates a track to pursue majors in it.

The article reports that after days of searching for survivors of the magnitude 8.0 earthquake that struck Peru on August 15, 2007, rescuers turned to recovering bodies and President Alan Garcia called in engineers. It took two minutes to reduce Pisco, population 120,000, to rubble when the quake struck just off the coast of southern Peru. The National Earthquake Information Center in Golden, Colorado, placed the depth of the epicenter at 39 km off the coast of central Peru, at the boundary between the Nazca and South American tectonic plates.

The article announces the American Society of Heating Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers' Technology Awards for 2007 where Matt Younger, principal of Stantec Consulting, has been awarded for designing the Washington Department of Veterans Affairs in Retsil, Washington, Pierre Roussel and Jacques Lagace have been awarded for designing a thermal plant, and Daniel Pare of International Business Machines Corp. (IBM) has been awarded for designing an IBM semiconductor packaging facility.

The article provides tips for heating, ventilation, air conditioning, refrigeration design engineers in boiler replacement. Design engineers should give consideration for the completion of a hydraulic model analysis of the hot water distribution under all operating conditions. They should also check with the boiler equipment manufacturer when designing a primary-variable flow relative to minimum flow. Replacement of a boiler needs timing, as well as a temporary boiler.

The article offers tips for heat and ventilation engineers on how to replace a 20,000-cubic feet meters supply air system serving an office building. Engineers must have a Test and Balance firm document heating and ventilation existing conditions of the building. They must optimize the central air system's energy consumption as it pertains to the type of supply air system.

Several letters to the editor in response to articles in previous issues including "Take an Engineer to Work," by Howard McKew in the March 2005 issue, and regarding various topics including the heating, ventilating, and air conditioning industry are presented.

The article reports that to speed up ground settlement at the site of a Vietnamese powerplant, French engineers are vacuuming water from a 16-meter-deep layer of compressible clay. Final ground levels are due to be reached in under half the 18 months needed when using conventional gravity drainage, claims the contractor. Another, less urgent 110,000 sq m of the site is due for conventional treatment, costing about 25% less, says Marc Lacazedieu, deputy general manager of subcontractor Menard-Soltraitement SA, Nozay, France.

The article reports that South Florida's 730-sq-mile Lake Okeechobee has been likened to "a sleepy, fat baby, stirring into tantrums when winds rock her awake." But the dike-encircled lake also is a killer, having burst its banks in hurricanes twice in the 1920s, killing thousands. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is confident that the dike, which protects 40,000 people, can withstand the winds of strong hurricanes. It is isolated from the sea so storm surge is limited to what the wind could do with lake water.

The article reports on the risk of California's 1,600-mile Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta levee system. Water resource managers and engineers say that the old and frail network has a protection level strong enough for only a 100-year flood event, offering less security than floodwalls in New Orleans, Louisiana. A magnitude 6 quake nearby, they say, could shut Central California's water delivery system, which serves 20 million people--two-third's of the state's population. Engineers say the options for improvements and paying for them are as varied as the politicians, engineers and geography of the system.

The article reports on scientists using ground-penetrating radar to locate unseen materials and to scan the molecular makeup of those materials. The new radar method has the attention of some pavement engineers who are on the hunt for more accurate, non-destructive test methods. Jacksonville, Florida-based Ellis & Associates Inc. has hired Electronic Pavement and Infrastructure Charting Inc. (EPIC), Tomball, Texas, to handle scans for recent quality-control projects and was pleased with the results. Florida Department of Transportation is experimenting with EPIC's radar system in order to check the compaction of asphalt pavement during construction.

This article reports that state engineers in Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi began assessing damages and preparing emergency repair bids last week. Two of four lanes of Alabama's Cochrane-Africatown U.S.A. Bridge over Mobile Bay remained closed last week as engineers assessed damage to suspension cables. Alabama Department of Transportation's officials estimate it will take 90 days to fix. Hurricane Katrina also dropped a 700-ft-long section of the eastbound U.S. 98 causeway over Mobile Bay by 10 ft and sucked soil from under westbound lanes. In Mississippi, the Bay St. Louis bridge and another bridge along U.S. 90 were both lifted up by the surge and destroyed. The Port of Mobile suffered minimal damage and is now open, but the ports of Biloxi and Gulfport in Mississippi and Bayou La Batre in Alabama remained closed last week.

This article reports that engineers in Great Britain are replacing a road crossing over rail and subway tracks at one of the busiest terminals in London, England while trains continue to run underneath. The $120-million project to improve access to Paddington Station involves lifting an old bridge and launching a new one beneath it. Alan Monnickendam, partner with superstructure's designer Cass Hayward Ltd., says that on a less challenging site, the new bridge would have been pretty unremarkable. Monnickendam leads design work on a turnkey contract worth about $50 million.

The article presents helpful hints regarding application of engineering design. For design phase application, the design intent is to provide a space environment based on the design criteria like: clean space classification, space temperature, humidity level, space filtration, space pressure, air changes, outdoor air, supply air flow, and so on. During the design phase, the commissioning engineer should review the design intent document, as well as design review for design intent compliance. The commissioning engineer should review the design documents for accessibility to equipment, as well as for commissionability.

Presents letters to the editor commenting on various issues related to engineering systems. Comments on engineers making critical design decisions; Appreciation of the article "Take an Engineer to Work," published in the journal "Engineered Systems;" Discussion on the calculation of fuse current values; Guidelines that are followed subsequent to the process of fuse values determination in the United States.

The article informs that there is a rift growing between Florida and the Army Corps of Engineers over the construction of the $8-billion Everglades restoration program, say officials close to the project. Federal and state officials are at odds over an accelerated, independently funded restoration program signed last year by Governor Jeb Bush. Florida has broken with the Corps' serial approach to project design, approval, bid and build. The state's streamlined process conducts multiple preliminary steps concurrently with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969's oversight requirements.