A Gis-based Integrated Information Model to Improve Building Construction Management: Design and Initial Evaluation

Computer and information technologies offer significant potential to improve management practices in the construction industry. However, even though all parties involved in construction rely on computers to perform their tasks, the exchange of information among the different participants during the phases of a facility is still primarily paper-based. This paper presents a GIS-based integrated visual database model that allows for effective use of computer and information technologies for communication, project documentation, and knowledge sharing among the different participants throughout the lifecycle of a facility. The model allows for (1) accessing and retrieving construction information related to a certain construction element; (2) reporting and providing feedback from the field on the work progress, quality assurance, and inspection; and (3) evaluating the performance of the construction crews and generating cost and historical data for future reference. The proposed model is built using GIS as the base platform, and uses the 2D visual representation of the construction element (i.e. the 2D CAD drawing) as the least common denominator between the different participants throughout the life-cycle of the facility. Information related to the different construction elements, such as physical and functional characteristics and project life cycle information, is linked to the 2D CAD drawing and organized in tables and forms stored in an integrated database. The paper also reports the results of an initial evaluation of the model in the settings of a construction project.