An Integrated BIM-GIS Framework for Utility Information Management and Analyses

Abstract

Currently, utility information such as alignment and owner information is mostly managed in 2D CAD files or 2D geographical information system (GIS) models, which have limited capacity for analyses and are sometimes not updated. This paper presents an integrated 3D framework based on building information modeling (BIM) and GIS technologies for managing and analyzing utility information. In the framework, underground utility networks are modeled and represented in GIS software to facilitate visualization. Semantic information such as owner information and inspection records are also included in the 3D representations of utilities in GIS software. The GIS models are then integrated in a BIM environment based on ArcGIS using our developed BIM-GIS integration framework. The BIM-GIS framework supports various analyses such as clash detection. Clashes between existing utility networks and the designed pipelines can be identified and resolved virtually ahead of time. Changes of the utility models can also be updated conveniently in the integrated BIM-GIS framework. An example scenario that is used to test and evaluate the developed framework will be presented in this paper.