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What is Software Engineering?

Did you know that software engineering is a branch of computer science?

All technology fields are built on the principles of computer science, which encompasses a wide variety of subfields, including artificial intelligence (AI), neural networks, technology for computing, and operating system development. As technology advances, we use computers in nearly all things we do. However, computing fosters creativity in all branches of the engineering field and offers solutions to a wide range of complex challenges that come with some projects’ scope of work.

Software engineering includes designing, improving, implementing, creating, testing, and maintaining complex computer programs. To create software solutions for end users, software engineers combine their expertise of programming languages with engineering principles. Some of the fundamental duties of a software engineer, also known as a software developer, include, but are not limited to, building and maintaining software systems, testing and assessing new software applications, and optimizing software. A software engineer must like problem-solving and possess good analytical abilities; as software engineering requires both strong communication skills and technical expertise, skill development is necessary.

All projects in civil engineering are completed using software. Therefore, every stage of a project, including drafting, recordkeeping, design, visualization, and assessment phases, involves the usage of software by engineers. Some of the top software used in civil engineering are:

  • AutoCAD Civil 3D: A civil engineering drafting software with a wide range of design, analysis, and simulation features, Civil 3D is unquestionably the most popular application in the sector.
  • MicroStation: A computer-aided design (CAD) software platform for two- and three-dimensional design and drafting. Architects, engineers, and construction professionals can use this software to make their vision a reality.
  • Microsoft Project: This is Microsoft’s project management tool, and it is intended to help a project manager create timetables, allocate personnel to assignments, monitor progress, control costs, and assess workloads.
  • Bluebeam: A multi-tool PDF editor called Bluebeam's Revu, or just Bluebeam, enables us to easily generate, change, and annotate PDF files.

 

By Decire Gonzalez KC'S BLOG • • • • • • • • 0 Comments

The Difference Between Septic and Sewer Systems

Did you know that plumbing processes have been in use for between five to seven thousand years?

Ancient engineers developed irrigation caverns to supply water to agricultural societies. As towns and cities grew, they began to use those caverns to redirect liquid waste away from settlements. The Romans are largely credited with having pioneered this technology ahead of The Dark Ages, when all progress towards the development of wastewater management systems ceased almost entirely.

Today, septic and sewer systems are our two primary wastewater management methods. Although both collect, process, and dispose of the harmful pathogens in human waste, there is one major difference between them: sewer systems are provided and maintained by municipalities, while septic systems treat wastewater on-site and are the responsibility of a private homeowner.

In a septic system, wastewater is directed from a home or facility into a septic tank, where solid and liquid waste is broken down and released into a drainfield, a network of perforated pipes laid in gravel-filled trenches. Drainfields typically measure between 18 and 36 inches wide and are located up to 100 feet underground, and without them, septic tanks would overflow and create unsanitary runoff. Wastewater flows into the soil through holes in a distribution pipe inside of the drainfield, destroying residual bacteria and sewage solids in the process. Septic systems are more common in rural areas, which typically lack centralized sewer systems.

Conversely, public sewage systems are connected to many homes and businesses. In a sewage layout, a network of pipes carry waste from lots to a municipal treatment facility, where it is purified before being released back into the environment. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) “the majority of Americans – or four in five households – rely on sewer over septic.”

Civil engineers are closely involved in the wastewater management process from beginning to end, providing designs for domestic or industrial treatment plants, pumping stations, and sewage systems and overseeing their construction; restructuring outdated layouts; and conducting feasibility studies for various wastewater-related projects. Civil engineers also prepare environmental documentation, help wastewater companies obtain the licenses and permits they need to operate, and collaborate with state agencies to ensure that treatment plants adhere to federal regulations.

For more information about the difference between septic and sewer systems, visit https://www.epa.gov/npdes/municipal-wastewater.

Picture: Cloaca Maxima, one of Rome’s ancient sewer systems. Courtesy of Science Magazine.