GIS makes BIM, Schedule and Cost available to all

The working environment of architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) firms is changing and changing fast. Several factors are accelerating the change—ranging from generational shifts to the pervasiveness of high-speed connectivity and the availability of transformational technologies. These factors and others are affecting the way AEC firms think about projects and how they perform their work.

The effort to win work, plan the designs, engineer the solution, construct the project, and manage our critical infrastructure is performed by distributed teams using a mix of graphical and data-rich software solutions. While the planners, architects, engineers, and builders have historically worked together toward common goals, their solutions were not integrated, and these were interoperated only with great effort by the users.

Over the years, teams have been challenged to bring CAD and the technologies of building information modeling (BIM) and geographic information system (GIS) together to improve the waterways, roadways, and infrastructure that surround us and enable us to live our lives. In the past, the data, the applications, and the professional expertise have been siloed, limiting the productivity, accuracy, and collaboration of project teams.

The methods used by successful teams to operate internally and deliver work to their clients and their community have made great leaps forward. The ever-growing demand for greater productivity, plus the growth and importance of distributed workforces, has changed the way AEC firms use digital workflows to plan, design, build, and operate their projects.

Every week, we are seeing more infrastructure projects illustrating the use of GIS in AEC workflows. Engineers have streamlined their workflows by combining Autodesk Civil 3D and Revit and Esri? ArcGIS? software into compelling project information solutions. In parallel, GIS professionals have access to accurate and timely engineering data in 2D, 3D, and nonvisual formats directly from the CAD and BIM tools.

By combining CAD/BIM, schedule and cost information in a GIS environment, we are able to create visually appealing and dynamically usable applications for our project teams. 

Through the geo-integration of multi-disciplinary data, stakeholders at every level can more comfortably interact and better understand the project from pursuit through operations and management.

- Darin Welch, HNTB -

Using the ArcGIS platform, AEC firms are easily obtaining, sharing, and analyzing data of all types and formats, saving time and resources. ArcGIS used as the basis of coordination and communication is bringing AEC projects to life through geographic context, allowing teams to engage, collaborate, and gain insights through improved access to information.

GIS applied to AEC challenges is delivered as much more than digital maps. GIS is a very powerful means of cataloging and providing content to project stakeholders from every discipline. ArcGIS tools can be combined with BIM 360/Revit design files and 3D visualization techniques, providing data that is searchable and more readily available to end users throughout the project life cycle.

Delivered through mobile and desktop formats, GIS helps ensure that all team members are enabled to make the most informed decisions using information they can trust—even if that information is managed elsewhere.

To learn more about this topic and how the application was created by the team at HNTB, register now for a great webinar.

See you there.