The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey’s (PANYNJ) Engineering Department is large and complex, with six divisions and 42 individual units covering everything from design and construction to project management and controls and asset management. The Digital Transformation program is connecting all parts of the organization using digital technology, so they can perform as one Engineering Department with common processes and shared data.

The program’s vision is to connect the collective intelligence of the Department’s people, enabling creativity and problem solving while supporting collaboration to develop solutions that keep the Department advancing. To date our Digital Transformation team has identified hundreds of opportunities to improve processes, data management, technology, and the Department’s organizational design under four key strategic themes: digitize and automate, project delivery, customer experience, and culture of innovation.

Designing the Department’s digital future

As part of the discovery phase, we helped investigate the PANYNJ’s Engineering Department, unit by unit, to better understand key stakeholder and business needs. We identified pain points with processes and workflows in each unit, considered possible solutions, and prioritized these improvements. We’re using digital technology to help implement these improvements — enhancing tools, systems, and processes to make work easier, faster, and smarter for PANYNJ employees, enabling them to better serve communities in the region. With numerous initiatives completed and underway, we have a glimpse of the department’s digital future:

A shared portal provides a centralized common environment or metaverse where project teams can easily find information about their projects and use tools such as AI to create an augmented reality of the Department’s data. Every asset is geolocated within the portal. A virtual command center uses AI to provide users with current information on assets, project status, and predictive analytics, instantly generated with interactive platforms. Incorporating organization-specific machine learning algorithms, AI uses all accessible data to provide quantitative insights, create reports, and anticipate outcomes. Digital twins help teams predict outcomes and get ahead of potential problems.

Implementing data governance strategy and developing custom digital solutions

Providing a central location for everything the Department’s people require is one of the Digital Transformation program’s strategic initiatives. Another is to provide answers to their questions. We’ve combined solutions for both initiatives in a conversational AI tool called PAula Virtual Assistant. By implementing our data governance strategy — creating a file management system, standardizing data collection, and migrating legacy data — we’ve enabled artificial intelligence and process automation for PAula and unlocked the data-driven decision-making process.

Many of our other digital solutions are project delivery systems. This is a natural extension of our work with this multi-modal agency. For example, we developed the SCRApp (Sustainable Construction Reuse Application) for use by all PANYNJ construction programs to reduce construction and demolition waste materials. As part of the Vertical Transportation Assets initiative, we created a centralized assets database and a mobile application to collect inspection data in the field. On projects such as the George Washington Bridge Capital Plan, we’ve developed custom business intelligence (BI) dashboards and integrated our cloud-accessible and highly visual tools to help with enterprise asset management and in identifying IIJA funding. We’ve also developed tracking tools for priority repairs and potholes; project management information systems for estimating, contracts, and scheduling; an SIG (secure internet gateway) dashboard; and an automated budget management system for the Agency’s Major Maintenance Program.

In the area of virtual design and construction, we’ve incorporated asset inventory into BIM (building information modeling) software, developed BIM and CAD compliance tools, and created a BIM assessment and training platform. GIS data can now be integrated with BIM to facilitate information sharing between construction and operational data.

Connecting as one Engineering Department to support world class delivery

Over the course of the Digital Transformation program, we’ve used interim milestones to keep track of progress while improving project delivery, adding new solutions and services, and providing quick wins to the Department’s people. We created a framework of operating procedures for the PANYNJ’s Engineering Department that are easy to understand and follow, supporting automation and standardization within daily tasks.

We developed a shared services approach to managing resources for innovation and improvement initiatives and focused on finding the intrinsic value for every human being involved. By continually reevaluating data, especially as technology advances, we’ll help keep the Department ahead of the innovation curve.