About Fugro Roames
Fugro is the world’s leading geodata specialist, collecting and analysing comprehensive information about the Earth and the structures built upon it. Adopting an integrated approach that incorporates acquisition and analysis of geodata and related advice, Fugro provides solutions. With expertise in site characterisation and asset integrity, clients are supported in the safe, sustainable and efficient design, construction and operation of their assets throughout the full lifecycle.
Fugro’s Roames platform provides visualisation, reporting, and analysis capabilities through real-world 3D environments, and is powered by AWS Cloud. These models are developed by capturing images and data obtained from aircraft equipped with cameras and laser sensors, flying over customers’ infrastructure such as power lines, and then used by those companies to manage and maintain their assets.
Objectives
The ability to access 3D models of real-world environments, and receive real-time reports of infrastructure and assets, enables Fugro’s customers – particularly in emergency services – to assess damage and act accordingly. They use this information to pinpoint specific areas of need and work to get those communities back up and running after such events as natural disasters.
Fugro’s existing process for uploading data to the Roames platform involved images being transported on discs by courier, from their global aircraft sites, to a third-party data centre in Sydney. They were then “plugged in” by a third-party contractor, specially hired to complete the ingest process. From here, the images were rendered on the Roames platform in AWS Cloud and Fugro’s customers gained access to visualisation and reporting capabilities.
Fugro’s main objective was to optimise their data ingesting and processing activities by creating a more agile, dynamic, and controlled procedure for getting mission-critical data onto the Roames platform. The company wanted to ensure they had optimum control over how their customers’ data was processed – along with the ability to negate any potential problems in a timely manner, reduce the risk of double handling, and easily maintain equipment. Operational convenience was also a major priority for Fugro whose specialist team wanted to ensure a simplified and smooth process from start to finish.
Actions
Fugro established a high-performance network with direct connectivity between their Brisbane office and AWS Cloud – using virtual routing – enabling their specialist team to handle the company’s ingestion and processing operations in-house and deliver workloads to its Roames platform more quickly and efficiently.
Highlights
- Fugro established a Megaport Cloud Router (MCR) – Megaport’s Layer 3 virtual routing product – in Sydney, and connected to this router from a switch in their Brisbane office via a Virtual Cross Connect (VXC).
- The company then provisioned a VXC from the MCR to AWS Cloud, connecting their Brisbane office with the cloud at Layer 3.
- Working as remote router, the MCR setup enabled Fugro’s specialist team to directly manage and control the data extraction, analysis, and uploading process at their Brisbane office.
- This meant that Fugro could remove their infrastructure from the third-party data centre in Sydney and also eliminate the need for a third-party contractor to handle processing.
- The ability to manage their data upload process within the proximity of their office meant Fugro not only had increased operational convenience but also, their specialist team had the ability to easily negate any potential problems in a timely manner.
Benefits
By establishing a high-performance Layer 3 network between their office and AWS Cloud, using MCR, Fugro was able to:
- Optimise the process of uploading, processing, and rendering data on its Roames platform hosted in AWS Cloud by handling this in-house.
- Minimise the time taken to complete the entire process and thus give end users quicker access to mission-critical data.
- Eliminate any risk, time delays, and complications that could occur as a result of double handling data.
- Scale their Megaport connectivity up and down, as well as deploy data quickly and privately from their office to the cloud.
- Save on operational and infrastructure costs by removing the need for a presence in the third-party Sydney data centre and avoiding having to purchase a typically expensive router elsewhere.