BUILT ENVIRONMENT DATA INTEGRATION USING nD MODELLING

Using n-Dimensional (nD) modelling techniques in the European Union funded IntelCities project (6.8 Million Euros, Framework 6 Integrated Project) the “Built environment Data Integration System” (BDIS) has been produced. BDIS combines building scale and urban scale data to give a holistic view of the built environment, and thus support the purchase and refurbishment of buildings. This paper will introduce BDIS and its sub systems for converting various spatial data sets into appropriate formats necessary for the integration of 2D geo-spatial data, 3D Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) building data and non-spatial data. This paper also shows, through examples and demonstration, that commercial services could be developed from BDIS. The benefit of this development would be the provision of the wide range of information necessary to support building projects through one system. Furthermore, based on the integrated nD-modeling database, holistic analysis of the project becomes possible. The system would support remote cooperative planning, analysis and decision-making by the design team. This paper also describes the software development of BDIS and in particular addresses integration issues.