We challenge the accepted

Innovation is fundamental to our core as a solutions company. It builds resilience and flexibility into our bold strategy. To us, innovation is not simply “digital” or “tech.” It’s wider — it’s about applying creativity to solve a problem that drives value for our clients.

Supercharging innovation

In FY22, to further innovation and idea development, we created: The Innovation Enablement team — a team of people around the globe trained in common innovation techniques and frameworks who can provide innovation facilitation services for clients. And for more hands-on development for big ideas, our Accelerator team is made up of some of the brightest minds in Jacobs who work with our teammates globally to develop the next game-changing ideas.

To help us coordinate and track new concepts, we deployed Launch Pad, an idea management platform that makes idea collection and collaboration easily. Within the platform, our teams can take part in challenges to share ideas, collaborate with others, and ultimately get support to bring ideas to life. One of the first challenges? The Linda Fayne Levinson Sustainability Innovation Challenge, named after our longstanding Director of the Board and trailblazing advocate for women in business, Linda Fayne Levinson. The Linda Fayne Levinson Sustainability Innovation Challenge is a new annual innovation campaign to build upon the innovative ideas Jacobs’ teams across the organization are already thinking about, aligned to our hero brands Beyond If℠ and PlanBeyond℠. Funding is awarded to one or more ideas that have the potential to make the greatest positive impact in addressing the climate crisis and/or maximizing sustainable outcomes. Our Chief Financial Officer Sustainable Solution Awards also encourage innovation in embedding sustainability into the solutions we provide and reward winners with their ability to donate to a charity of their choice.

And, to help teams across our company develop their ideas using the Beyond If method, we launched our Beyond If Innovation Methodology Playbook that explains the way we innovate, helping our teams think differently about their ideas and how to move them forward.

Ideating for tomorrow

We developed the Solution Station, a single place to explore solutions created by our colleagues across Jacobs. The platform showcases Jacobs-developed and Jacobs-owned tools, products and solutions that are ready for use in solving our clients' toughest issues. To date, the Solution Station has more than 1,400 active monthly users and more than 70 solutions to offer.

And in line with our bold strategy, we focused on developing next-generation cloud, cyber, data and digital solutions such as:

• AquaDNA: a real-time predictive analytics platform that integrates IoT sensor data to manage the performance of wastewater pump cleaning and sewer networks.
• Aviation Suite: a suite of software tools that provide navigation, airdrop and mission planning solutions for public and private sector aviation customers.
• BlackStack: a software platform that accelerates sensor data collection and performs real-time edge data processing and analytics; bypasses traditional extract, transform and load (ETL) processes by leveraging artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML).
• Flood Modeller: modeling software to simulate flow of water through river channels, drainage networks and floodplains (includes Flood Viewer and Flood Cloud.)
• GeoPod®: an integrated hardware (cameras and GPS/Inertial Measurement Unit) and custom software system that enables geographically distributed imagery mapping.
• Intelligent O&M: a data analytics solution that aggregates and analyzes plant data to manage and optimize water and wastewater treatment plant operations and maintenance (O&M).
• KnackStack: a Hybrid Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) that enables software development through accredited DevSecOps IT infrastructure; automates data security and access control to enable computation, development and communication.
• StreetLight InSight: a Software as a Service (SaaS) platform that provides human mobility, supply chain efficiency and social value analytics through its machine-learning algorithms.
• Track Record Facilities: a construction management platform that documents and tracks construction projects; includes Track Record (TR) Engage, TR Facilities, TR Insight, TR Safety and TR Facilities Survey product offerings.