Infrastructure engineering software company Bentley Systems has entered into a non-exclusive commercial agreement with Internet of Things (IoT) remote monitoring specialist Worldsensing.

It said the aim of the deal was to “strategically accelerate the adoption of Infrastructure IoT, further unlocking value for infrastructure designers, constructors, and owner-operators in their use of infrastructure digital twins”.

As part of the agreement, Worldsensing is taking over Sensemetrics’ Thread connectivity device business from Bentley. This will help the IoT firm expand its hardware portfolio offering and provide new options to its customers related to adaptive sensor integrations or active sensor management. Its connectivity devices will also be fully integrated with Bentley’s Sensemetrics software and iTwin IoT cloud services.

Thread can connect high-power or high-speed sensors and stream sensor data to the cloud for analysis. It is a fully autonomous sensor connectivity device with optional integrated 4G/LTE cellular modem and wireless mesh networking. Each broadband device also serves as a gateway for wireless smart sensors.

Bentley acquired US-based sensor data specialist Sensemetrics in 2021.

Worldsensing CEO Ignasi Vilajosana said: “The acquisition of Sensemetrics’ Thread connectivity device business will expand our portfolio and allow us to provide more options to our customers. We are pleased to become a preferred sensor connectivity partner for Bentley’s iTwin IoT digital twin cloud services, confirming our position as the reference connectivity platform for mining, construction, rail, and infrastructure monitoring.”

Bentley Systems corporate development vice president Justin Schmidt added: “We are excited to partner with Worldsensing and believe that this strategic agreement will bring significant benefits to our respective user bases.

“We are confident that the combination of Worldsensing’s expertise in IoT solutions and our leadership in infrastructure digital twin software will create a powerful offering for the market.”

Bentley Systems has also become the lead investor in Worldsensing’s Series D round of funding.