Insight Annual Buyers’ Guide 2026 www.pwemag.co.uk Plant & Works Engineering | 11 Adelana explained: “Planners use Trimble’s GIS (Geographic Information Systems) solutions to collect, organise, and visualise spatial data, such as terrain, existing infrastructure, and environmental conditions. This holistic view allows for better site selection, risk assessment (e.g., flood zones, seismic activity), and design optimisation, reducing costly surprises and rework. By turning complex data into easy-to-understand maps and visualisations, GIS helps project teams explain proposals to communities, gather feedback, and gain public support.” Drone mapping is another critical element. Equipped with sensors such as LiDAR and highresolution cameras, Trimble’s drones can rapidly capture detailed imagery and topographic data from areas that are difficult or dangerous to reach. “They make it possible to survey bridges, riverbanks or tunnel roofs without endangering workers or requiring extensive scaffolding,” Adelana said. The data collected through GIS and drones feeds into Trimble’s cloud-based analytics platform, a shared workspace where 3D models, plans and documentation can be reviewed in real time. Adelana added: “Trimble’s data analytics tools, by bringing all project data, including 3D models, drawings, and documentation, into a cloud based common data environment ensure all stakeholders (engineers, contractors, clients) are working from a single, reliable source of truth. This transparency improves communication, reduces rework, and streamlines the entire project lifecycle.” Capacity before construction The Uganda collaboration is designed not only to produce infrastructure plans, but also to strengthen local capability. Engineers Without Borders East Africa is leading efforts to involve student engineers and local professionals throughout the project’s lifecycle. “Local student engineers, mostly members of Engineers Without Borders East Africa, will be using the Trimble technology and gaining the training and experience needed to build these infrastructure masterplans,” Adelana said. “The knowledge and experience they gain can then be expanded to other villages and regions.” To make that happen, Trimble is assembling a task force of volunteer experts who will provide training and mentoring support. “Various business units of Trimble are providing both hardware and software, and the support for their use will be delivered as it would to any customer. A steering committee is meeting to decide exactly how that support will be delivered,” Adelana explained. Universities and technical institutions are also central to the model. According to Engineers Without Borders’ Katie Cresswell-Maynard: “Local technical education centres such as the engineering departments of universities are signing up to partner with the project, securing top level buy in from Deans and Heads of Department. This results in curriculum enhancements and real hands on experience for the students who will be part of the project delivery teams.” These students will not simply be observers. They will collect and analyse data, design masterplans and work alongside mentors from Trimble and EWB to validate their designs. Local government departments are also engaged to ensure that the plans align with policy priorities and regional development strategies. “All parties are working together to produce the required outcome,” Cresswell-Maynard said. She continued: “Through the engagement of multiple stakeholders the impacts will be sustained. All of this knowledge and experience stays locally after the initial 18 month project finishes, allowing generations of Ugandans to benefit.” Defining success Unlike many development projects, success here has a clear and measurable first step. “In the first instance, the master plans need to be created and delivered to the local stakeholders that hold the infrastructure budgets,” Adelana explained. “They need to be accepted. Once the budget has been released, the plans can then be implemented and the infrastructure built.” This approach responds directly to one of Uganda’s most persistent bottlenecks. “The frustrating thing in Uganda is that there are funds available to deliver the infrastructure that villages need to prosper,” Adelana said. “However, quite rightly, those authorities that hold the funds need to be convinced that a desire to deliver, for example, clean drinking water and drainage for a village are supported by the robust civil engineering and budgeting documentation so that they can become reality. This has been a challenge which the collaboration is tackling head on.” For Cresswell-Maynard, unlocking those funds represents not just a project milestone but a systems level change. “Up to 70% of people in Eastern Uganda lack access to the basics needed to thrive, and much of this is down to inadequate infrastructure,” she said. “Funds are available, but they’re not accessible because parishes lack the data, tools, and engineering capacity needed to deliver convincing masterplans. This project gives them the tools, data, and local skills to get projects underway.” Education as legacy For Engineers Without Borders, the Uganda initiative is also a continuation of a broader shift in its mission, from delivering one off projects to enabling long term, locally led engineering capacity. “The history of EWB shows that the way we work changes over time,” Cresswell-Maynard reflected. “We have moved from our origins of assisting in small, local engineering projects to focusing on the education of engineers on a global scale, aimed at producing the engineers of the future who put global responsibility at the heart of their thinking.” “This project maybe takes that one stage further,” she added. “The student engineers in Uganda already think in this way, and therefore this project is the practical side of that. It is where the rubber meets the road and that is why its outcome is so important for us.” EWB East Africa is currently engaging with local universities to recruit and train youth enumerators and engineers for data collection and analysis. “Through these partnerships, the most appropriate and motivated students are being selected to form project teams,” CresswellMaynard highlighted. “A brilliant part of the partnership with Trimble is that these students will have access to Trimble’s experts who can provide them with technical training on use of their software and hardware for application on the project, and who can also mentor them, guiding them to reflect on their future career.” Looking ahead The project is still in its early stages, but both organisations are already considering how it might inform future work. “It’s just a matter of weeks since the project began,” Adelana said. “It’s a bit early for lessons learned, but the prospect of Trimble and Engineers Without Borders International working together on similar projects in other regions is certainly one being explored.” EWB plans to measure the project’s outcomes in several ways, Cresswell-Maynard said, including the number of Ugandan members involved, the skills gained, and how those skills are applied elsewhere. She added: “We will learn a huge amount… Should this be a template for further projects in other areas of Uganda or around the world will become clearer over time.” While framed in practical engineering terms, the partnership reflects broader development priorities, including those within the UN Sustainable Development Goals such as clean water, resilient infrastructure and partnerships for progress. Ultimately, the Uganda collaboration shows how a technology company and a humanitarian engineering organisation can work together to translate data into durable change. By combining technical precision with local participation, Trimble and Engineers Without Borders are developing not only infrastructure plans, but also the next generation of engineers who will deliver them.
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