GeoBIM in Action with ACC: A Common Data Environment for Integrating BIM and GIS in Infrastructure Projects

JUAN CAMILO VALDES GIRALDO: Good afternoon. My name is Juan Camilo Valdés BIM manager in HEB Construction. Today, I'm going to be talking about GeoBIM in action with ACC, a common data environment for integrating BIM and GIS in infrastructure projects. Today, with me, we have the cospeaker Daniel Moral Trigueros, construction customer success manager from Autodesk, and Vincent Fredon, technical solution executive as well from Autodesk.

Between the three of us, we will going to go covering the learning objectives of the class, for which the intent is that we cover the integration of GIS and construction data and how we can utilize this in a infrastructure project and the benefits that will also bring during the lifecycle of the project.

We also cover the learning of overlaying 3D models on a GIS environment and identify the geographical impacts on infrastructure projects. And finally, combine BIM and GIS data in one environment and the benefits that this will bring in a coordination and construction design.

As part of the agenda, the intent is we go initially through the use of construction data and project management in ACC and discuss a little bit of how we can actually use ACC to capture some of these construction and capabilities of ACC. Then I'll cover a little bit of what we have achieved in our quality assurance management through ACC and also the utilization of digital forms in order to capture some of these data requirements as well, and construction processes.

The use as well of GIS on site and how to capture data using some of those capabilities. And finally, the integration of that data into a 3D model viewer. Afterwards, we will go through the GeoBIM connection that will enable the 3D model connection into your environment. The issues connection and the files or documentation connection as well to your ACC environment.

And finally, I'll cover a little bit of what is the effectiveness of a synergy between ACC and ESRI ArcGIS and the processes and coordination outcomes that this brings together.

So in terms of construction support, as a BIM team, we normally try to support and enable a CD or a conjunction of CD that is capable to manage formal correspondence, RF files, quality assurance, closeout coordination, traceability, model federation, that sort of processes that are common in the construction industry.

But as part of that as well, sometimes you need to have either one single environment or multiple environments, depending of the complexity of the project. With that, you're going to have processes that could be run in one environment and other processes in a different environment. In this case, I'll talk a little bit of approaches, for example, that we have in a small and midsized projects of infrastructure where, for example, in this case, we run everything in ACC.

However, sometimes you're going to have, for example, ACC as one common data environment. And then you have a connection, for example, to EDMS systems such more powerful that you will be able to run, for example, either the formal correspondence or RFIs, depending of how you're going to link those environments.

In this case, I'll cover-- for example, processes that we been able to achieve in ACC is the formal communication. So by having different types of formal correspondence, we are able to track and trace and communicate with clients and stakeholders through a formal communication channel. We also have the RFI process in which we have, for example, come with different approaches depending where-- when the RFI needs to go through a coordinator or not. And in that way, you are able to set it up in multiple-- in two different processes.

There are files as well. They can also get linked into the correspondence. And that approach has also enabled to use the assets to run through a quality assurance management as well. So we have developed as well a quality assurance process in a couple of projects in which they can be run either from a model perspective or as import of assets directly from Excel spreadsheet.

In this case, what you see, for example, on your screen is a quality assurance setup where the asset has been actually created through the model. And in every single click that you do in one of the components, you have all documentation required. And all verification activities that needs to happen in order to facilitate a QA closeout as well. As part of that, you can also see, for example, that some of those documentation requirements actually digital forms.

Now, that is data that you run or some of the processes that you run inside ACC. Now you have a different environment. Now you have the GIS data that you have access to or GIS data that you've been capturing during construction.

So what is that data? And what are the formats? Or how do you integrate with those? So for example, you have sometimes connection to existing data sources, such as for example, utility providers, geotechnical databases, city council data sets, or environmental data sets.

You also, for example, have construction or design uses of GIS. And you are able, for example, to develop applications such as survey walks, resource consent walks, or any other application inside the GIS environment.

You are able, as well, to run, for example, environmental data capture, so such as, for example, in this example, we run a species monitor. And in that way, you are able to keep track of your different species, trees, fish, and some other native species as well that needs to be monitored in the environment. And you are able to raise them in the GIS environment. And they reside there.

We also have access to applications as ground testing, archeological mapping, health and safety, tracking as well. Now, in terms of the ACC data or what the CDE is hosting, and then you have the GIS environment. Now, how can we bring the two together in a seamless way? Is with the GeoBIM connection. So Autodesk Construction Cloud and Esri they partnered, and they work under the GeoBIM add-in that enables that connection.

So in that way, what we are trying to achieve is being able to connect the information that you are hosting in your common data environment and pass it directly to your GIS environment. In this graph, what I'm trying to show is a little bit of what is covered in Autodesk Construction Cloud. So your CDE, you'll form a correspondent transmittals, RFIs, security management, or digital forms.

And how you can actually pass through the GeoBIM connection and the data exchange partial of this information from your CDE to your GIS environment, and then how you can also enable a coordination of management of issues from different three environments, but they are going into a single source of information which are actually hosted all in ACC.

Now, integrating the 2D and 3D with GeoBIM. So what we are trying to do is connecting your models that are hosted in ACC. And with that, they reside in one source of-- they are part of one source of information. That way, you always keep your models up to date into the two environments because they are connected through just one single environment.

They are easy to navigate in both environments. Then you are able to overlay the GIS data in the 3D view of GIS. That way, your model is part the model that you are having directly in your ACC environment, you are having it in your GIS environment. That way, you run a coordination of federated approach seamlessly and easier to manage as well.

With that, what you are able to achieve is have 2D data and 3D data in one place. What that brings into a table is what I normally call in the context of the federated model. So what is the context of a federated model? In infrastructure or linear projects, sometimes is actually complex to bring 2D data or GIS data into being federated model, or even the data sets are actually too big to be hosted in your model.

And that will restrict the access of people capable to open the model as well. Or even, for example, the imaginary or the ground model sometimes is too big to put it all in one federated model. And then you have to start splitting your federated model in multiple models, especially if you're managing your federated model through Navisworks and ACC.

So with this, you have access to connecting your models into a GIS environment and still bring all that capability from a GIS environment in a 3D approach. Now, with that, you now have your beam data that you're having. And you don't need to bring all your data from your BIM models that are heavy.

This is more like to bring a context of the full extension of your project. And then be able to overlay as you see in some of the images is, for example, that environmental information monitor capturing geological information that you have access to. A console data overlay with your model in one single environment.

Now, coordination through an integrated CDE. So what we are trying to achieve with this connection and what is available through our GeoBIM to do is enabling a connection of your 3D models to your GIS environment. Then connecting through GeoBIM your issue management as well, and the file and documentation.

So to cover, for example, some of the applications that we've been able to achieve and that have been well received by our team members is the enabling of the federated model through GIS. So what you can see is that the first picture, for example, is the components of the federated model. When you click, you have access to the model through just the GIS environment.

However, you also have access to the federated model through the GIS environment through the connection. So you can see that, for example, in the first image, in the background you do have the model with the background of the GIS, but as one of the hyperlinks is also the federated model.

So if there is information that is not part of the model that you have connected or you only have connected partially the model and not every single detail, but you are reviewing and you're going through a review or coordination process meeting and you want to actually have a better understanding of that specific area through the federated model, you just click. And if it's been linked, you are able to navigate your federated model as well in that GIS environment using the GeoBIM connection.

Now, in terms of issue management, what you are able to achieve as well is now you are in a GIS environment, you are being able to navigate the model. You have that integration between your models coming from your common data environment, but now you need to raise coordination issues.

So instead of having to go back to ACC and raise the issues there, now you can raise the issue directly in your GIS environment. And these issues are automatically being created in your ACC environment as well. So now you have a unified issue register which is easy to navigate and easy to create.

In terms of files and documentation, what you can see as well is that you can reference to components and the models that you have bring together from your ACC environment. You are also able to link your documentation to either components or different level set. So you have now a 2D data and 3D data in one space coming as well either from your GIS environment or even your documentation.

Giving you the capability to have a coordinated-- a place that you can run coordination meetings, easy to access 2D-- sorry, to access GIS data, documentation, and even your model either through a connection of the model or even to access your federated model as well.

Now, other things as well that had been well received, for example, or that has been bringing value as part of our coordinated design is some of the extra capabilities of a GIS that currently we don't have in ACC or the federated model in ACC and Navisworks.

So capability, for example, to select a component and understand which documentation is relevant to be a review on that specific component. So in this case, what you can see, for example, is that the team has selected one of the headstocks, and in the headstocks you are able to see the specification report, plus, they show drawings for that specific headstock as well. So now, the team is able to actually review and understand which documentation is relevant for that type of component.

Also, another important part is because the model is actually connected through GeoBIM, when you do the manual refresh of the models they are linked. In this case, they are meshes that are coming from the top level of the deck and on bottom level of headstocks. What you see is that every time there is an update into the model, the long section that has been previously set up to facilitate the easy use of this application to the team, they just click in the central line or horizontal alignment profile of this specific area.

And in that way, you get in a sort of way vertical alignment profile of your horizontal profile, which you can actually navigate and see and coordinate from a plan view with the vertical view in the divided view. So this is something that they have been using a lot, and it's something that we haven't been able to yet come with a solution in ACC or Navisworks.

Now, enabling a coordinated design and construction site as well. This has enabled the team to be able to raise coordination issues using GeoBIM or ACC in either environment and just facilitating that the team is able to actually jump into either of those environments depending of the needs they actually have and the information they want to review. And in that way, it's easy for them to just understand whatever information they actually access or need. The two environments are actually connected and all the issues that they raised they will go to the same centralized system.

That system also is integrated with Power BI reporting integration which they use on daily basis as well as their Power BI is actually automated in a refresh on daily basis directly through ACC. Those capabilities as well of having the issues that being either created from GeoBIM, ACC, or Navisworks, being linked to RFIs, correspondence, markups, or meetings has also something that they've been quite using. And you can see examples of, for example, the verification activities being actually attached as part of a closing RFI, for example.

Then the capability to, for example, review a 2D data and 3D documentation in one single environment without having to jump between environments has facilitate a lot the coordination as well on site and in the design coordinations catch ups as well. And finally, being able to see the projects in the full extent of the linear itself without having to divide it into multiple NWDs just to reduce the size.

However, yes, you are able to access the full extent of the federation just on the viewer of ACC. However, you don't have full the same capabilities that you have in ACC that's in Navisworks. And in that way, sometimes that becomes an issue. And you in GIS don't have that issue. So that is one of the value of having that context of federation. Plus, it's also overlaid with that GIS data or 2D data that sometimes you're not going to have available in your model federation approach.

Now, some interesting things that we've been able to achieve as well is as part of data capture that we go through the quality assurance process is utilizing the digital forms that are inside ACC. And that data that sometimes just resides in a form or dies in a physical form and then you either don't consume or that in order for you to consume, you need to go and review each form, extract, and then put it in a different data source or transform in a way that you can utilize it.

What we have achieved is that because all the forms are connected to the assets, the assets are unique and they are physical assets that we are able to track and we've been naming and we've been able to understand the location as well. What we are now doing, for example, is able as well on this specific project is connecting those digital forms into a GIS using FME to translate the data from the forms.

And in that way, being able to produce accessible graphs and live environments of the construction progress in a way that the client is now able to have a live access to the construction progress as well. That has reduced as well the amount of reports required, and the trust and visibility to the client has increased as well. The client also has access to both systems. So that's something that has been very well received. And the design team as well they are all having access to both systems, and they are able to review information in both systems.

Now, something that has also worked quite well is the tracking of snags or defects using the mobile app of GeoBIM. So because our snags or defects they actually run and they are integrated using the assets with the reference, they are required to raise all the snags and defects. Now, with the defects being raised with GeoBIM, they have a geospatial location, and that also has helped to just monitor the location as part of afterwards connecting it to the asset and give a full traceability of the closeout of the quality packages.

Now, overcoming some challenges and what this has enhanced in terms of our internal capability, it has increased the collaboration. It has helped to develop the understanding of a single source of truth and preventing people to work in multiple environments and control, that then we have no traceability or even how difficult is afterwards to actually understand which is the relevant information or the actual information that should be used.

Now, connecting the 2D and 3D experience in one has also been very well received and has overcome the challenges where people don't see the value of a 3D model or a BIM model because sometimes the 2D data is relevant as well. So when we bring the two together, they can now see that one is not better than the other one, it's the integration and how you manage that data and how you put it in use that can bring the benefit to a project.

Now, data collection and digitalization was something difficult at the beginning to introduce the digital forms. But afterwards, after being able to see that can actually consume the data directly from the forms, and how easy is to actually have metrics and being able to access that data at any time, and how easy is, for example, to produce different dashboards for concrete consumption, waste, and all that, or even the [INAUDIBLE] card has been very valuable.

Overcoming challenges in terms of easy to access training and setup has also very well received. And finally, the traceability, it has proved internally and to a client how traceable when following processes and connecting all relevant processes into one using the reference, and also facilitating a design in a coordinated environment either in GIS or ACC. That enables that traceability in the background.

Now, the key takeaway from the value of GeoBIM from our deployment has been the integration of that traditional 2D GIS data with the 3D BIM models that normally they don't talk together, and creating that multi-dimensional platform or environment where the two data sets can actually be integrated. And sometimes the real value there is that you don't need to bring all the GIS data into your federated model. That sometimes could be time and cost consumption. And you also don't need to translate every single model into a 2D plan.

So having this function, what in case is a project coordination accelerates your data review processes working in one single environment and hasten your decision-making capabilities by reducing the time consumption of jumping between two different environments or systems. Being capable on an automated way to pass GIS data into a 3D model viewer, and then connecting your 3D models as well into that 3D viewer. That is what GeoBIM enables for you to deliver a comprehensive analysis, saving time, and improving your outcomes.