Evolving Role of Geospatial Information In AEC

Source: wikimedia

While the use of geospatial for sustainable and resilient solutions in the realm of AEC has been amply demonstrated, there are challenges that need to be addressed, mainly around interoperability, scalability, inclusion, and openness. By Prof. Arup Dasgupta

The abbreviation AEC which stands for Architecture, Engineering and Construction applies to human-made environments like habitations and infrastructure such as roads, railways, airports, dams, parks, gardens, etc. AEC requires information for planning, design, implementation and management. This information can be graphical like engineering drawings, site maps and alphanumerics like bills of material, cost and project schedules.

Managing these data sets require systems for creation, modification, storage and retrieval. Such systems initially were based on paper documents and ledgers but as AEC activities became more complex, computers were used to develop software systems to aid the creation of efficient systems of data creation and management.

Geospatial Technology Evolution and AEC

Computer graphics have enhanced engineering documentation through Computer Aided Design, CAD which enables the digitization of engineering drawings. CAD also impacted mapping and led to the evolution of Automated Mapping and Facility Management, AM/FM which again was a precursor to the evolution of Geographical Information Systems, GIS. Another computer software, Data Base Management Systems, DBMS provided the means to digitally store alphanumeric data. DBMS is used in conjunction with CAD in AM/FM systems. GIS took this a step forward and enabled the close integration of graphics and alphanumeric data and the use of the integrated data in analytical processes.

Going a step beyond AM/FM, Building Information Management, BIM integrates 3D CAD with mechanical, electrical,

BIM SUCCESS STORIES IN INDIA

Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) used BIM for design, fabrication, construction, operations, and maintenance of the new terminal-2 at the Kempegowda International Airport.

The Aurangabad Industrial City (AURIC) is among India’s first wellplanned, greenfield industrial Smart Cities. Techture, one of the consultants on the Bidkin Industrial Area stretch of the AURIC city project, assisted in the project’s BIM-enabled virtual construction, including the design of the roads, utilities, and highway structures.

The India International Convention and Expo Centre (IICC) in New Delhi had The BIM Engineers as one of the design consultants on the project. They deployed the latest technological know-how in BIM to build the dynamic facilities of IICC.

plumbing, infrastructure, architecture, and other information in a computer visualization environment. It provides several levels of detail from the basic footprint of the construction to the internal details of the building. BIM is also being integrated with GIS to provide a comprehensive information system that covers the construction details in the context of its geographical location as well as in terms of its natural and human-made environment.

The ability to visualize and analyze the data contained in the integrated GIS and BIM has resulted in evolution of Digital Twins. Here the entire physical environment can be replicated as a digital model and any modifications and additions which are planned can be visualized and their impact analyzed before committing action on the ground. Digital Twins incorporate both as built and as proposed in the model which enables the efficient management of new projects.

Present Status

A perusal of the recent publication by the Association of Geospatial Industries on “Role of Geospatial Technologies for Urban Affairs in India” shows that the use of geospatial technologies is limited to the use of GIS in urban planning.

A quick survey of some of the key players in India reveals that usage of GIS ranges from a meagre five percent to an optimistic 100 percent! The interesting fact is that the corresponding use of BIM ranges from from zero to 85 percent, clearly illustrating that the usage is more of an ‘either-or’ rather than a truly integrated use.

There are no examples of Digital Twins in the Indian context but there is hope expressed that it could ultimately be used in the future in twenty-five to forty percent of the projects.

Courtesy: NICDC

In the AURIC city project, BIM-enabled virtual construction was used in, including in the design of the roads, utilities, and highway structures.

The Future is Promising Viraj Voditel, CEO and Co-founder

of Techture, has this to say about the three technologies:

 GIS: One of the areas which are slightly unexplored but is becoming a more common

The BIAL project team used BIM to manage the entire project lifecycle from design, fabrication, and construction to operations and maintenance.

Courtesy: Autodesk

use case moving forward is

Indoor mapping. That is where

BIM, GIS and even Digital Twins need to converge and provide an effective solution. Maybe over the next 3-5 years, these things will become more crucial for the industry.  BIM: As more and more projects are transitioning to

BIM, our adoption will increase asymptotically towards 100% in the coming years.  Digital Twins: We are seeing a rise in the use of Digital Twins for projects. Earlier, when this term was not coined and used in the way it is today in the industry, there was definitely a need for interlinking BIM models with Asset management information and documents, although that was a more static linkage. Now, with

IoT devices and the possibility to relay real-time or near real-time data to BIM models,

Digital Twins are becoming a reality. We expect some stronger adoption in the next 2-3 years.

Parveen Sharma, CEO, The

BIM Engineers opines, “We are always willing to stay ahead of the competition and we keep reinventing ourselves. Our R & D team is very strong and we can envisage implementing Full life cycle Digital Twin technologies in our projects within 18-24 months from now.” Bharat Lohani of IIT Kanpur is confident of introducing Digital Twins within a year.

Benefits of GIS, BIM and Digital Twins

In general, the feeling is that adoption of these technologies will benefit all - administration, industry and the general public.

Administration

Rajan Aiyer, MD, Trimble feels that the administration will be able to earn the trust of the people by completing projects - whether it is infrastructure build-out, smart cities, agriculture, transportation and logistics, land administration, natural resources, etc. - and accelerating the growth of GDP.

Viraj has similar views. He avers that administration will benefit from increased visibility of project-wise information because these technologies enable data collection and standardization in a manner that can be used for decision-making using dashboards and other intuitive interfaces. This information can also be used to improve and collect important statistical data and make informed choices and policies in the future.

Industry

Parveen adds that BIM is a blessing to the AEC industry. It benefits all the stakeholders from the Owners, Architects, Interior Designers, Structural and MEP Services consultants, contractors, sub-contractors, manufacturers (of equipment), and the Facility Management and the operation team, all can get the required data from the BIM process and can make their life better and managed. He also points out that “BIM and Digital Twins cater to the growing need as per human requirements, less travel, more convenience, community living, co-working, etc are some important requirements, and BIM and Digital Twin cater to these specific problems. The technology approach has to adopt a holistic view covering a wide variety of the challenges that are happening in our industry.”

Viraj anticipates “More progress and productivity leading to advanced innovation.” He continues “As we solve challenges of today, certain other challenges of tomorrow arise and we also look to optimize the solutions of the past. This will lead to advancements in hardware and software and in turn, processes and mindsets.”

Rajan adds, “Employment growth with skilled workers in these technologies will enable industry to benefit from using these solutions for faster growth and greater profitability.”

Public

“Public will gain from seeing their tax money used for greater public good and economic growth of India,” says Rajan. Viraj adds, “They will be able to visualize how the built environment around them is changing and the impact

that it will have, in a positive manner. Have a better understanding of how the tax they’re paying is being utilized for the betterment of the community and increased transparency on the financials. Additionally, digital twins will focus on the lifecycle aspects of infrastructure, which will mean that the quality of assets is maintained for many years, thus leading to better quality of life.”

Resistance to Change

The future hope and benefit notwithstanding there is resistance to the adoption of new technologies. Some of the reasons have been identified as costs, unwillingness to change and fear of transparency. Specifically, Viraj feels that, “Rising costs of technology seem to be the most practical of resistances. Though this aspect is usually overlooked when a Proof of Concept or research-based activity is undertaken, actual adoption of technology in the AEC industry is very price sensitive.”

On the issue of cost, Rajan Aiyer says “Resistance will also be in the form of whether Capex should be spent on these technologies (as an after-thought) which is wrongly believed to affect margins negatively. The truth is that the TCO is greatly reduced by using these technologies, the customer can bid more intelligently using the data from projects, and finish projects with higher quality and ESG, in shorter time and with greater safety.”

Parveen feels that “the old generation generally avoids experiments and the ‘no change required’ attitude is the biggest hurdle in technology adoption but gradually things are changing.” Echoing this in a different way Bharat lists the customer's willingness to move to new models as possible resistance.

“The biggest resistance will be from employees who do not want transparency of workflow processes and adherence to standards”, adds Rajan.

Overcoming Resistance

There are some interesting views relating to technology, costs, funding, policy and behavioural change. Viraj advocates more open standards which will enable lesser vendor lock-ins and in turn reduce the costs. He adds that, “If possible, certain grants (like the BCA Singapore BIM Grant)

THE KEY FACTORS FOR URBAN DESIGN IN THE CONTEXT OF SDGS BY 2050, 86 PERCENT

of a country’s population will reside in cities posing a huge challenge to local governments in low-income and lower-middle-income countries, where urbanization is happening the fastest.

RAPIDLY URBANIZING CITIES

have to be supported with transformative development initiatives, such that governments, institutions, and organizations can fulfil their commitments to meeting the SDGs and promote opportunities for increased prosperity.

INTEGRATE THE SDGS

into the portfolio of urban projects that will drive transformation in cities and build the capacity of local governments to achieve sustainable urban development by 2030.

and schemes should be introduced to encourage adoption.” He also adds that, “…there is also a mindset change needed in organizations adopting technology where there should be sufficient official guidelines to set the right expectations of different stakeholders when working with new tech.”

Parveen opines that, “The push has to come from both sides (The government and the private sector). Some government policies related to Digital Twin and BIM implementation will steer the process and the resistance will dramatically decrease.”

Echoing this Rajan asserts, “The powers-to-be in the customer organizations have to educated on the efficacy of these solutions in increasing their margins, transparency and accountability, complete more projects with less resources and time and thereby overall business profitability and growth. This is true for govt, public and private sector entities.” Bharat also stresses the need for educating the end-users.

Technical Issues

The integrated use of GIS and BIM and extension to Digital Twins is very promising but as the earlier sections illustrate, the full extent of the promise is yet to be realised. It is necessary to understand that there are differences between GIS and BIM at the data level, process level and application level. They have different standards which have to be harmonised.

For example, BIM uses local coordinate systems while GIS uses a geographic coordinate system. For 3D data, BIM uses the Industry Foundation Classes, IFC model which is an open standard for the construction industry. On the other hand, GIS uses an open model CityGML. Further, IFC and CityGML have different classifications for the different Levels of Detail, LoD. There are differences at the semantic level as well due to the different ontologies being used.

There are problems at both the process and applications levels as well which is aptly summed up by Viraj when he says that, “…there is a lack of uniform standards and best practices. Due to this reason adoption is stunted for the projects where it begins, but never ends.” He goes on to say that “…technologies are still not fully matured. For example, loading a 3D model is not as fast as streaming a movie on Netflix, and navigating a 3D model is not as intuitive as navigating a PDF document. Hardware limitations are still there. These things will further improve with time as there is a greater interest and additional research on various related topics.”

Digital Twins, brings together many technologies including GIS, BIM, IoT and many other technologies that are a part of

Industry 4.0. Digital Twins requires synchronization of technological heterogeneity so as to enable support for scenario playing and solution-space exploration. Digital Twins need to have a long lifespan to be useful, therefore the definitions used have to be dynamic. The systems have to provide continuity and must be scalable. Solutions such as these are still a work in progress.

As Viraj puts it, “However advanced BIM & Digital Twins become, they will remain technologies that are implemented through the use of tools and relevant products.”

Socio-economic Issues

Apart from this, there are larger issues which relate to socio-economic factors like Rural-Urban migration and the resultant growth of mega cities whose resources are already stretched and even broken in some cases, particularly in the context of disaster management and climate change. AEC has to therefore address the issues of sustainability and resilience of cities and infrastructure.

It is useful to see what industry leaders have to say in this context. Viraj agrees that organizations do not focus much on the Human habitat situation. Apart from intangible motivations like saving the environment, serving humanity, etc., there is a need for some kind of tangible motivation provided to serve as an important opportunity cost in a practical manner. As an example, architecture firms need to be incentivized financially, or through awards, recognition, certifications, etc, to deliver designs that care more for the habitat and the environment.

Tools are not the solution. BIM may be used to optimize solutions. But we are at such a stage in the industry that we should encourage organizations to address sustainable urban development. The tools will catch up eventually.

One of the biggest ways these technologies can help us move towards those goals by 2030, according to Viraj, is through the use of Common Data Environments (CDEs). These platforms enable the right information to reach the right people at the right time, which in turn improves decision-making and removes silos. The right decisions and the ability to measure how they impact the environment, in an accessible and convenient way would be very important catalysts in this journey.

Courtesy: Auric Hall / IMK Architects

Sustainable building material like polycarbonate roof and marble has been used in the Auric city project.

Parveen says that, “We have to admit that Climate Change is a real problem and we need to change the way the Design and Construction industry is working. Futuristic development needs to consider the environmental factors. We should design the future infrastructure to be energy efficient and eco-friendly. Industry 4.0 will cater to these challenges and will find a win-win situation for all the stakeholders.”

“Digitial Twin concept is applicable for any interaction between physical and digital world whether it is an agriculture field, forest, ocean, mines, refineries, utilities, airports, ports, water bodies etc. The underlying concept is environmentally sustainable and responsible growth in every industry. Sustainable development is a key goal of the digital twin and underlying solutions that companies like Trimble provide. This is applicable for urban mass housing, rail, airport, roads, mines, forests, etc”, believes Rajan.

Conclusion

The use of Geospatial technologies to evolve sustainable and resilient solutions in the realm of AEC has been proven. There are two major needs to be addressed. One is the evolution of the technology itself, particularly from the points of interoperability, scalability and openness. The other is to internalize the requirements of sustainability and resilience by mainstreaming social inclusion in all types of projects and throughout all project phases.

Prof. Arup Dasgupta

Managing Editor arup@geospatialworld.net