Information Management in Civil Engineering Infrastructural Development: with Focus on Geological and Geotechnical Information

In civil engineering infrastructural projects, information exchange and (re-) use in and between involved parties is difficult. This is mainly caused by a lack of information harmonization. Various specialists are working together on the development of an infrastructural project and are all using their own specific software and definitions for the various information types. The variety of information types adds to the differences regarding the use and definition of thematic semantic information. Also the source of the information may vary from surveyed and interpreted to designed objects. This makes harmonization of geo-information extremely difficult. Realistic 3D models describing and integrating part of the earth already exist, but are generally neglecting the subsurface, and especially the aspects of geological and geotechnical information. This paper summarizes the first steps undertaken towards the extension of an existing integrated semantic information model to include (above and on) surface as well as subsurface objects and in particular, subsurface geological and geotechnical objects. Standards, exchange formats and existing models used as a basis for the development of a core geological model as part of an integrated 3D information model are described in this paper. Examples of definitions of subsurface geological objects and required attribute information (to be) included in the integrated 3D information model are given. Web-based visualisation tools are, too, investigated to be able to access and visualise the model also in an application-independent environment.