A Case Study of Embedding Real-time Infrastructure Sensor Data to BIM

Abstract

One of the premises of Building Information Modeling (BIM) is to provide a repository for all building-related data throughout its life cycle. However, the use of current models developed in existing BIM-based software rarely goes beyond the construction phase. During a facility's management, these models are treated as static information sources that contain the as-built data. Making BIM-based models dynamic to represent the real-time building information introduces various opportunities for facility managers to obtain accurate information about the state of various systems. In this paper, we introduce an approach used to connect the sensor data to the IFC-based BIM. We use a geothermal bridge deck deicing system, which involves embedded sensors as a case study. The real-time monitoring of these sensor data is crucial for assessing the state of the bridge deck under different climate conditions. First, we describe our model in Revit and use the data we collected from temperature sensors. These sensor data subsequently is fused into the IFC-based BIM and processed for visualization through the development of new add-ins in Revit. Finally, all the sensor data should be monitored easily in BIM for condition assessment.