Implementation of Rapid As-built Building Information Modeling Using Mobile LiDAR

Abstract

The need for development of reliable and efficient real-time data acquisition systems has recently attracted a great deal of attention in the construction industry, basically due to the demands for highly frequent updates in most visualization, optimization and coordination-related applications. The predominant data that has been used in the construction industry so far is rather less accurate. Moreover, the conventional methods of data acquisition are based on fieldwork that is timeconsuming, expensive and labour-intensive. Accuracy of original data and efficiency of data acquisition could be enhanced using new lidar technologies. Lidar is the advanced remote sensing technology that is able to provide 3D data with centimetre to millimetre level accuracy effectively and efficiently. However, the implementation of 3D data for accurate as-built creation is still challenging especially for openings and fine details of the construction objects in an indoor environment. This paper presents a framework for rapid as-built modelling using 3D point cloud data captured by a handheld lidar. The procedure involves five key stages from data capturing to create a final model. This paper reports the implementation of the framework using the state-of-the-art mobile lidar to analyse fine details of a sample building. Lidar data of a sample building in an indoor environment is captured using a mobile laser scanner and is analysed after registration and segmentation processes. The reconstructed model using the as-built data is compared with the existing 2D AutoCAD plans of the sample building and the traditional measurements in order to verify the accuracy of the proposed method. The results of this on-going study confirm that the proposed model development technique can serve as a reliable tool for accurate development of rapid as-built building models (rABM). The accuracy ranges from 5 to 30 mm, depending on the object size and position. The proposed algorithm was shown to be highly efficient in identifying the main visible components in the buildings. INTRODUCTION New technologies such as 3D laser scanners and building information modelling (BIM) offer great possibilities in the construction engineering area (Love et al. 2014; Porwal and Hewage 2013; Volk et al. 2014). Since the new technologies 209 Construction Research Congress 2014 ©ASCE 2014