September 2023: AASHTOWare Bridge Management Newsletter
The AASHTOWare Bridge Task Force product update is provided to keep all AASHTOWare Bridge Management (BrM) software users apprised of recent activity related to the development of the software. The Task Force is committed to providing quarterly updates to maintain communication between the Task Force and those interested in the product.
BrM 6.7 Planned Patch Release(s)
BrM 6.7 was released to the user community in March 2023. It is the last full version of the BrM 6.X software. The Task Force will issue patches to the user community to 6.X on an as-needed basis. Each patch will be prioritized to provide the most important updates with the least amount of impact to the agencies.
The first patch, BrM 6.7.1, is nearing completion. It will include various fixes reported by agencies since the release of BrM 6.7, as well as Optimizer performance and processing time enhancements, plus additional updates and features. The exact release date is still being determined.
As always, the Task Force recommends upgrading to the latest version of BrM, including patch releases, to take advantage of new features, fixes, and upgrades.
BrM 7.0 Update
The development of BrM 7.0 is well underway, and we are excited to demonstrate the new software! The first walk-through occurred on August 31, 2023. Following the walk-through, Mayvue provided login credentials to contributing agencies to access a BrM 7.0 demo site where contributors can see, touch, and feel the new software. This 7.0 demo site will be available until Mayvue updates the contributor cloud-hosted sites to the BrM 7.0 platform. This is scheduled to occur following the second BrM 7.0 walk-through scheduled for October 4, 2023. This upgrade will include the migration of the sites’ early 7.0 release databases to the BrM 7.0 format as well, along with many new page updates throughout BrM. From there, Mayvue will continue to upgrade the contributor sites as development and testing progresses.
The plan is to have Mayvue provide eight walk-throughs to demonstrate the development progress of BrM 7.0. These walk-throughs allow Mayvue to showcase new features, design changes, and performance improvements, while enabling agencies to ask questions, provide feedback, and steer the direction of BrM 7.0 along the way.
We look forward to talking more about BrM 7.0 at the BrMUG and ultimately getting the new software into your hands as soon as possible.
2023 BrMUG (Boise, ID)
BrMUG is next week! This year’s user group meeting will be held on September 19th and 20th at The Grove Hotel in Boise, ID. Please make sure you are registered and review the agenda. It is going to be an action-packed two days with exciting presentations from both users and Mayvue alike. You can find all the needed information here.
We hope to see you there!
BrM Dashboards Continue to Improve!
The BrM 6.7 release provided agencies with the ability to create flexible/configurable dashboards by querying the database. The dashboards are already being heavily adopted, some of which will be demonstrated at the BrMUG. There will also be an after-hours training session on the first day to dive further into the setup and improvement of dashboard queries. We have seen examples of dashboards for inspection management, load ratings, work candidates, and optimization results – and the users are just getting started.
The Task Force recently authorized a dashboard enhancement feature that will be made available to users as part of a BrM 6.7.1 patch release. Currently, users must ‘rebuild’ their dashboard queries in each of their environments. This enhancement reduces risk and saves time by enabling the export and import of dashboards from test to production environments. This feature will be ported into the BrM 7.0 version of the software as well.
AASHTOWare Bridge Mobile Inspection powered by Mayvue
Member Departments and Associate Members wishing to use the AASHTOWare Bridge Mobile Inspection powered by Mayvue can license this application through AASHTO. This is an add-on to the enterprise version of BrM. The mobile application enables agencies to conduct inspections via Android and Apple phone or tablet devices remotely. It works offline and online to allow inspectors to collect inspection information without an internet connection.
Finally, the Task Force would like to recognize Rhode Island DOT, South Carolina DOT, and Idaho Transportation Department for purchasing the AASHTOWare BrM Mobile Inspection powered by Mayvue with their FY2024 BrM license. Each agency is in various states of implementation and working with Mayvue to roll it out to their inspectors. We look forward to showcasing their experience in a future quarterly product update.