BIM and GIS: Connecting the Data of What with the Data of Where
Once upon a time, there was the world of BIM and the world of GIS. One was design data, the other was location data. One was for built space, the other for the relation of objects to the Earth’s surface. And integrating data between the 2 systems wasn’t easy. It took practice, and usually a few workarounds.
Then, in 2017, Autodesk, a leader in BIM, and Esri, a leader in GIS, announced a new partnership. And ever since both companies have been working to create a seamless integration. As Autodesk CEO Andrew Anagnost said when the partnership was announced, “It will enable teams to connect the data of what—the models you create—with the data of where.”
Chris Andrews, group product manager at Esri, has not only seen the partnership firsthand—he’s helped to forge it. He took to the stage in the Theater at AU Las Vegas 2018 to share his experience and perspective. “We’re working with Autodesk to enable the appropriate types of [BIM and GIS] information to flow across from one side to the other—to the right people at the right time,” he said.
Rick Ellis is someone who’s been working with GIS for his entire career. As the founder of CADapult Solutions, a CAD services consultancy focused on infrastructure, Ellis helps clients get up to speed with the possibilities and the workflows for the latest digital tools every day. He sat down with us for a 1-on-1 talk as part of our Explainers series. Watch and learn about how to get some GIS in your BIM, and some BIM in your GIS.
Related learning
Want to dive deeper into the integration of BIM and GIS? Check out these related AU sessions.
BIM Plus GIS Equals Better Decision-Making
The new InfraWorks Connector for ArcGIS is the perfect illustration of how BIM and GIS can work together to enable better decision-making. Mark Kauffman leads this industry talk on using the Connector feature to build a better context model.
Autodesk Plus Esri: Data at the Center
The Autodesk-Esri partnership is improving design workflows and project lifecycles. In this industry talk, Rafael Fernandes and John Sayre show you how to efficiently integrate GIS data into your workflows, and how to build better context models for design.
Leverage Esri Online and BIM 360 to Make Dynamic InfraWorks Project Models
In this instructional demo, Dave Lawrence walks you through how to create InfraWorks models using Esri online data, prepare data for import to InfraWorks using ArcGIS model builder, and how to publish InfraWorks models to BIM 360.
