Geospatial aspects of building information modelling (BIM) based utilities management

The concept of Building Information Modelling (BIM) which was originally used for construction design has developed with increasing BIM dimensions from 3D, 4D, 5D, 6D, 7D to 10D and with the addition of semantics to 3D objects so that BIM allows it to be developed in broader management such as utility and assets management. In a utility management system, object data acquisition process will face some problem in varying object’s dimensions and location require the merging of several 3D data which is collected from different equipment with different accuracy and precision which for this research using the High Definition Surveying (HDS) method from Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS) and Handheld Laser Scanning (HLS) instruments. The problem that arises is in point cloud data merging process with different point densities, in this paper merging data will use Helmert 3D transformation method. Another problem is in the objects georeferencing into the Earth coordinate system. A georeferenced system is needed to integrate all of utility object into a utility management system in a building. This process is necessary if the development of utility database management will be linked with the creation of 3D models in the bigger scopes such as smart cities or narrower scopes such as smart buildings. The end result is a georeferenced BIM-based utility database management system, which allows for spatial analysis or automation using coordinate systems embedded in 3D objects.