Bim and Gis: When Parametric Modeling Meets Geospatial Data

Abstract

ABSTRACT:Geospatial data have a crucial role in several projects related to infrastructures and land management. GIS software are able to perform advanced geospatial analyses, but they lack several instruments and tools for parametric modelling typically available in BIM. At the same time, BIM software designed for buildings have limited tools to handle geospatial data. As things stand at the moment, BIM and GIS could appear as complementary solutions, notwithstanding research work is currently under development to ensure a better level of interoperability, especially at the scale of the building. On the other hand, the transition from the local (building) scale to the infrastructure (where geospatial data cannot be neglected) has already demonstrated that parametric modelling integrated with geoinformation is a powerful tool to simplify and speed up some phases of the design workflow. This paper reviews such mixed approaches with both simulated and real examples, demonstrating that integration is already a reality at specific scales, which are not dominated by "pure" GIS or BIM. The paper will also demonstrate that some traditional operations carried out with GIS software are also available in parametric modelling software for BIM, such as transformation between reference systems, DEM generation, feature extraction, and geospatial queries. A real case study is illustrated and discussed to show the advantage of a combined use of both technologies. BIM and GIS integration can generate greater usage of geospatial data in the AECOO (Architecture, Engineering, Construction, Owner and Operator) industry, as well as new solutions for parametric modelling with additional geoinformation.

Using Drones and 3D Modeling to Survey Tibetan Architectural Heritage: A Case Study with the Multi-Door Stupa

“…Consequently, it provides a digital representation of architecture and the surrounding environment with different LoD options, but also serves as a bridge between remotely sensed data and terrestrially surveyed data. For example, once a 3D model (point cloud, mesh, and the Industry Foundation Classes (IFC)-format model) of the Multi-Door Stupa has been obtained, it could be integrated with the geospatial terrain, streets, and water data automatically retrieved from Autodesk InfraWorks' existing repositories (Figure 11), which include OpenStreetMap's buildings, highways, and railways, or orthophotos from BingMaps and DEM (e.g., United States Geological Survey (USGS) or Aster datasets) [41,42]. Terrestrially surveyed results such as CAD drawings, SketchUp models, and point clouds can also be georeferenced with the existing data.…”

Highway Alignment Optimization: An Integrated BIM and GIS Approach

“…As a GIS tool can provide accurate information regarding vertical highway alignment, more accurate results can be produced as compared to the results that were generated by conventional methods. A previous study confirmed that an integrated BIM-GIS model is a powerful tool for simplifying and speeding up the planning and design process [39]. Geospatial information is important in infrastructure projects and the GIS model can perform geospatial analyses; however, the GIS model lacks the necessary instruments for parametric modelling that are available in BIM.…”

Built Heritage Information Modelling/Management. Research Perspectives

“…In fact, the accustomed syntactic approaches targeted to such integration do not allow a complete exchange of semantic and geometric information from BIM to GIS field and vice versa. It is worthy to point out the recent study on the 14 c. bridge across the Adda River at Lecco, which besides the elaboration of the HBIM themes of 3D survey and parametric modelling through NURBS , has developed the topic of linking BIM model and geospatial data useful in the infrastructure domain (Barazzetti and Banfi 2017). The relationship ifcOWL-CityGML is being further explored in several ongoing researches (Matrone et al 2019).…”