Top 5 Mobile Tools Civil & Structural Engineers Aren’t Using Enough

The global civil and structural engineering marketplace has set the level higher when it comes to the question of how complex is modern technology.

With new and more radical inventions, most of the work is simplified and made easier for the structural and civil engineering firms. However, the mobile reality and shift in technology we’ve been witnessing, has not found its optimal use by civil engineering consultants and structural engineering services.

If you think that mobile devices are able to replace the heavy lifting required by the tough set of engineering computers and machinery, you are definitely wrong. The mobile tools for structural and civil engineering are only meant to create a surge in productivity and deem the structural engineering services more efficient and organized.

So, how can every modern engineer upscale their productivity with some of the best mobile tools?

The Best Mobile Apps For Civil And Structural Engineers

FILE SHARING APPS (Google & DropBox)

Sharing files and documents between a computer and a mobile device is the first step to efficient work. Obviously, the digital world has built a bridge dedicated to making this possible, introducing engineers to cloud-based file sharing apps.

The most popular file sharing apps that civil and structural engineering firms can benefit from are DropBox and Google Drive. Both of them come with free and paid versions with limited and unlimited storage accordingly. And the main benefit?

Not only sharing is easier, but these apps allow editing and even creating new documents possible, while being seamlessly integrated with other engineering based project management based applications on every platform.

Although these tools can be applied to increase productivity in any geographic location, there is always a time to introduce productivity tools into areas where investment in infrastructure is an urgency. Coastal Louisiana can particularly benefit from this type of integration where the preservation of coastland is at an immediate risk. With the recent introduction of how Katrina has affected the hard hit southern coastal areas. an increase in project execution and completion is of mentionable priority.

ORGANIZATION & TAKING NOTES (Evernote & Notability)

Whether it’s storm water management put to practice or a civil engineering plan brought to life, the scope of engineering adopts overwhelming bits of information which if lost or not remembered, can result in many drawbacks. The digital world obviously has adapted and evolved with the right tools so this never happens. We introduce you to the best note-taking and organizational apps for structural and civil engineers – Evernote and Notability.

While Evernote and Notability have immediate differences in user interface design, both can be used to brainstorm and document the beginnings of larger engineering projects. . Both of the apps allow handwritten sketches, quick photo shoots as notes or even PDF files which are integrated into DropBox or your Google Drive account.

Oh, and did we mention that Evernote also supports group chats and top-notch project communication?

If you’re a google junkie, the streamlined modular organization of Google Keep can assist you with the same organizational features.

Presentations (SlideShark)

Civil and structural engineers all over regularly work with PowerPoint presentations. Creating presentations from scratch and giving them to clients and coworkers is now made easier – thanks to SlideShark. Productivity at its very best, isn’t it?

This app comes with an interface similar to the PowerPoint program all tech presentation creators know and love, but is also integrated to one’s DropBox account and makes creating and sharing presentations passive and effortless.

Calculations (MyScript Calculator)

Civil or structural engineers share the struggle that handwritten equations bring. Fortunately, the digital world has transformed our math scribbles into apps.

A great example of that is MyScript Calculator, which is perfect for civil engineers ready to crack engineering puzzles in the blink of an eye. MyScript Calculator solves equations easily by scanning every handwritten text into a digital version, and eliminates the need of additional tools or efforts for solving tough equations.

Editor and Reference Tools (iBooks and GoodReader)

Engineering companies deal with a lot of PDF files. More importantly, the civil and structural engineers are the ones struggled with the printed guides that are a real burden to carry everywhere. Mobile devices have brought significant change in this department as well, bringing PDF editor and reference apps to every engineer.

iBooks works great with stocking as many PDF based reference guides as possible into a simple and handy app. Dealing with a variety of documents suddenly becomes fun for every civil engineer, while if there are any documents involved, using GoodReader for a small one-time fee can be a worthwhile investment great for marking the documents or even changing PDFs directly from the phone.

Final Word

In the end, it is of utmost importance to signify the value of mobile devices in our life. Unlike viewing them through the prism of socializing and quick access to information daily, the digital mobile world has brought many advantages. Recent studies have shown that more than half of the jobs by 2020 will adopt the use of mobile technology. Every civil and structural engineer can give these apps a chance and redefine workspace activities in powerful and meaningful ways.