Towards improving data interoperability for the reconstruction of existing buildings

Abstract

Digital representations of buildings are the supporting structures of various use-cases in the emerging field of data-driven decision making. From large scale applications in the context of city planning to the detailed evaluation of critical infrastructure they enable specialists to observe problems, interpret relationships, test solutions virtually and apply them in the real world. This is only feasible if the individual underlying digital model meets the requirements imposed by the analysis at hand. In practice, especially models of existing buildings are not easy to come by as the information describing the existing structure is often scattered across multiple different data sources in various formats. Previous research efforts have outlined methodologies which leverage machine learning, computer vision and subsequent semantic enrichment in order to achieve the (re)construction of such building models. However, these methods are generally not integrated with each other, nor do they consider being able to interface with a shared repository of building related data. In this paper we present a methodology which focuses on establishing a common context for all building related data by utilizing the Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) schema. In particular we focus on utilizing readily available geometric and semantic data originating from geographic information systems as a basis, subsequently referencing additional data sources in their corresponding context and finally outlining interfaces with downstream enrichment processes in both directions. Through incorporating contextualized (IFC) data into the early stages of the remodeling workflow, we outline an end-to-end process from the initial component-based data-acquisition to the as-built building information model. In establishing a standardized foundation for data exchange and collaboration it enables all stakeholders to work more seamlessly across different stages of the remodeling project