O BIM como instrumento para gestão da manutenção e operação de edificações: um panorama atual

Existe una brecha en el conocimiento sobre la aplicación de BIM para Operación y Mantenimiento (O&M), fases que tienen un gran impacto en los costos del ciclo de vida de un edificio. Esta investigación tiene como objetivo establecer una descripción general del uso de BIM para la gestión de O&M de edificios. Para ello, se llevaron a cabo revisiones de la literatura sobre: ​​(1) el uso de BIM para la gestión de O&M de las instalaciones; (2) los Mandatos para la implementación de BIM; (3) las experiencias y metodologías para implementar BIM para la construcción de O&M. Finalmente, se realizó un análisis crítico de los datos y se encontró que el uso de BIM para O&M tiene potencial para varios tipos de edificios, pudiendo resolver problemas que van más allá de la gestión de las actividades de mantenimiento. Además, se destacaron los potenciales de integración entre BIM y varias tecnologías, como nubes de datos y realidad aumentada, lo que permite el análisis y actualización en tiempo real de la información. Sin embargo, el uso de BIM para O&M es todavía un campo de investigación emergente y necesita avances. La investigación para desarrollar metodologías para la integración BIM-O & M dirigidas a empresas públicas y los estudios de caso en Brasil son ejemplos de estudios que deben realizarseExiste uma lacuna no conhecimento sobre a aplicação do BIM para Operação e Manutenção (O&M), fases que apresentam grande impacto nos custos do ciclo de vida de uma edificação. Esta pesquisa objetiva estabelecer um panorama do uso do BIM para gestão de O&M de edificações. Para tal, foram realizadas revisões na literatura sobre: (1) o uso do BIM para gestão O&M das instalações; (2) os Mandatos para a implementação do BIM; (3) as experiências e metodologias de implementação do BIM para O&M de edificações. Por fim, uma análise crítica dos dados foi feita e verificou-se que uso do BIM para O&M tem potencial para variados tipos de edificações, podendo solucionar problemas que vão além da gestão das atividades de manutenção. Além disso, destacou-se as potencialidades da integração ente o BIM e diversas tecnologias, como nuvens de dados e a realidade aumentada, o que permite análise e atualização em tempo real das informações. Porém o uso do BIM para O&M ainda é um campo de pesquisa emergente e necessita de avanços. Pesquisas para desenvolvimento de metodologias para integração BIM-O&M voltadas para empreendimentos públicos e estudos de caso no Brasil são exemplos de estudos que precisam ser feitos.There is a gap in the knowledge about the application of BIM for Operation and Maintenance (O&M), phases that have a major impact on the life cycle costs of a building. This paper aims to establish an overview of the use of BIM for O&M on building management. For this, literature reviews were carried out on: (1) the use of BIM for O&M management of facilities; (2) the Mandates for the implementation of BIM; (3) the experiences and methodologies for implementing BIM for building O&M. Finally, a critical analysis of the data was made, and it was obtained as a result that the use of BIM for O&M has the potential for various types of buildings, being able to solve problems that go beyond the management of maintenance activities. Also, there were potentialities of integration between BIM and several technologies, such as data clouds and augmented reality, which allows analysis and updating of information in real-time. However, the use of BIM for O&M is still an emerging field of research that needs advances. Research to develop a methodology for integrating BIM-O&M aimed at public enterprises and case studies in Brazil are examples of studies that need to be done

Advancements in multi-view processing for reconstruction, registration and visualization.

The ever-increasing diffusion of digital cameras and the advancements in computer vision, image processing and storage capabilities have lead, in the latest years, to the wide diffusion of digital image collections. A set of digital images is usually referred as a multi-view images set when the pictures cover different views of the same physical object or location. In multi-view datasets, correlations between images are exploited in many different ways to increase our capability to gather enhanced understanding and information on a scene. For example, a collection can be enhanced leveraging on the camera position and orientation, or with information about the 3D structure of the scene. The range of applications of multi-view data is really wide, encompassing diverse fields such as image-based reconstruction, image-based localization, navigation of virtual environments, collective photographic retouching, computational photography, object recognition, etc. For all these reasons, the development of new algorithms to effectively create, process, and visualize this type of data is an active research trend. The thesis will present four different advancements related to different aspects of the multi-view data processing: - Image-based 3D reconstruction: we present a pre-processing algorithm, that is a special color-to-gray conversion. This was developed with the aim to improve the accuracy of image-based reconstruction algorithms. In particular, we show how different dense stereo matching results can be enhanced by application of a domain separation approach that pre-computes a single optimized numerical value for each image location. - Image-based appearance reconstruction: we present a multi-view processing algorithm, this can enhance the quality of the color transfer from multi-view images to a geo-referenced 3D model of a location of interest. The proposed approach computes virtual shadows and allows to automatically segment shadowed regions from the input images preventing to use those pixels in subsequent texture synthesis. - 2D to 3D registration: we present an unsupervised localization and registration system. This system can recognize a site that has been framed in a multi-view data and calibrate it on a pre-existing 3D representation. The system has a very high accuracy and it can validate the result in a completely unsupervised manner. The system accuracy is enough to seamlessly view input images correctly super-imposed on the 3D location of interest. - Visualization: we present PhotoCloud, a real-time client-server system for interactive exploration of high resolution 3D models and up to several thousand photographs aligned over this 3D data. PhotoCloud supports any 3D models that can be rendered in a depth-coherent way and arbitrary multi-view image collections. Moreover, it tolerates 2D-to-2D and 2D-to-3D misalignments, and it provides scalable visualization of generic integrated 2D and 3D datasets by exploiting data duality. A set of effective 3D navigation controls, tightly integrated with innovative thumbnail bars, enhances the user navigation. These advancements have been developed in tourism and cultural heritage application contexts, but they are not limited to these

Reconstruction and recognition of confusable models using three-dimensional perception

Perception is one of the key topics in robotics research. It is about the processing of external sensor data and its interpretation. The necessity of fully autonomous robots makes it crucial to help them to perform tasks more reliably, flexibly, and efficiently. As these platforms obtain more refined manipulation capabilities, they also require expressive and comprehensive environment models: for manipulation and affordance purposes, their models have to involve each one of the objects present in the world, coincidentally with their location, pose, shape and other aspects. The aim of this dissertation is to provide a solution to several of these challenges that arise when meeting the object grasping problem, with the aim of improving the autonomy of the mobile manipulator robot MANFRED-2. By the analysis and interpretation of 3D perception, this thesis covers in the first place the localization of supporting planes in the scenario. As the environment will contain many other things apart from the planar surface, the problem within cluttered scenarios has been solved by means of Differential Evolution, which is a particlebased evolutionary algorithm that evolves in time to the solution that yields the cost function lowest value. Since the final purpose of this thesis is to provide with valuable information for grasping applications, a complete model reconstructor has been developed. The proposed method holdsmany features such as robustness against abrupt rotations, multi-dimensional optimization, feature extensibility, compatible with other scan matching techniques, management of uncertain information and an initialization process to reduce convergence timings. It has been designed using a evolutionarybased scan matching optimizer that takes into account surface features of the object, global form and also texture and color information. The last tackled challenge regards the recognition problem. In order to procure with worthy information about the environment to the robot, a meta classifier that discerns efficiently the observed objects has been implemented. It is capable of distinguishing between confusable objects, such as mugs or dishes with similar shapes but different size or color. The contributions presented in this thesis have been fully implemented and empirically evaluated in the platform. A continuous grasping pipeline covering from perception to grasp planning including visual object recognition for confusable objects has been developed. For that purpose, an indoor environment with several objects on a table is presented in the nearby of the robot. Items are recognized from a database and, if one is chosen, the robot will calculate how to grasp it taking into account the kinematic restrictions associated to the anthropomorphic hand and the 3D model for this particular object. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------La percepción es uno de los temas más relevantes en el mundo de la investigaci ón en robótica. Su objetivo es procesar e interpretar los datos recibidos por un sensor externo. La gran necesidad de desarrollar robots autónomos hace imprescindible proporcionar soluciones que les permita realizar tareas más precisas, flexibles y eficientes. Dado que estas plataformas cada día adquieren mejores capacidades para manipular objetos, también necesitarán modelos expresivos y comprensivos: para realizar tareas de manipulación y prensión, sus modelos han de tener en cuenta cada uno de los objetos presentes en su entorno, junto con su localizaci ón, orientación, forma y otros aspectos. El objeto de la presente tesis doctoral es proponer soluciones a varios de los retos que surgen al enfrentarse al problema del agarre, con el propósito final de aumentar la capacidad de autonomía del robot manipulador MANFRED-2. Mediante el análisis e interpretación de la percepción tridimensional, esta tesis cubre en primer lugar la localización de planos de soporte en sus alrededores. Dado que el entorno contendrá muchos otros elementos aparte de la superficie de apoyo buscada, el problema en entornos abarrotados ha sido solucionado mediante Evolución Diferencial, que es un algoritmo evolutivo basado en partículas que evoluciona temporalmente a la solución que contempla el menor resultado en la función de coste. Puesto que el propósito final de este trabajo de investigación es proveer de información valiosa a las aplicaciones de prensión, se ha desarrollado un reconstructor de modelos completos. El método propuesto posee diferentes características como robustez a giros abruptos, optimización multidimensional, extensión a otras características, compatibilidad con otras técnicas de reconstrucción, manejo de incertidumbres y un proceso de inicialización para reducir el tiempo de convergencia. Ha sido diseñado usando un registro optimizado mediante técnicas evolutivas que tienen en cuenta las particularidades de la superficie del objeto, su forma global y la información relativa a la textura. El último problema abordado está relacionado con el reconocimiento de objetos. Con la intención de abastecer al robot con la mayor información posible sobre el entorno, se ha implementado un meta clasificador que diferencia de manera eficaz los objetos observados. Ha sido capacitado para distinguir objetos confundibles como tazas o platos con formas similares pero con diferentes colores o tamaños. Las contribuciones presentes en esta tesis han sido completamente implementadas y probadas de manera empírica en la plataforma. Se ha desarrollado un sistema que cubre el problema de agarre desde la percepción al cálculo de la trayectoria incluyendo el sistema de reconocimiento de objetos confundibles. Para ello, se ha presentado una mesa con objetos en un entorno cerrado cercano al robot. Los elementos son comparados con una base de datos y si se desea agarrar uno de ellos, el robot estimará cómo cogerlo teniendo en cuenta las restricciones cinemáticas asociadas a una mano antropomórfica y el modelo tridimensional generado del objeto en cuestión

Automatic semantic and geometric enrichment of CityGML 3D building models of varying architectural styles with HOG-based template matching

While the number of 3D geo-spatial digital models of buildings with cultural heritage interest is burgeoning, most lack semantic annotation that could be used to inform users of mobile and desktop applications about the architectural features and origins of the buildings. Additionally, while automated reconstruction of 3D building models is an active research area, the labelling of architectural features (objects) is comparatively less well researched, while distinguishing between different architectural styles is less well researched still. Meanwhile, the successful automatic identification of architectural objects, typified by a comparatively less symmetrical or less regular distribution of objects on façades, particularly on older buildings, has so far eluded researchers. This research has addressed these issues by automating the semantic and geometric enrichment of existing 3D building models by using Histogram of Oriented Gradients (HOG)-based template matching. The methods are applied to the texture maps of 3D building models of 20th century styles, of Georgian-Regency (1715-1830) style and of the Norman (1066 to late 12th century) style, where the amalgam of styles present on buildings of the latter style necessitates detection of styles of the Gothic tradition (late 12th century to present day). The most successful results were obtained when applying a set of heuristics including the use of real world dimensions, while a Support Vector Machine (SVM)-based machine learning approach was found effective in obviating the need for thresholds on matchscores when making detection decisions

Algorithms for Geometric Optimization and Enrichment in Industrialized Building Construction

The burgeoning use of industrialized building construction, coupled with advances in digital technologies, is unlocking new opportunities to improve the status quo of construction projects being over-budget, delayed and having undesirable quality. Yet there are still several objective barriers that need to be overcome in order to fully realize the full potential of these innovations. Analysis of literature and examples from industry reveal the following notable barriers: (1) geometric optimization methods need to be developed for the stricter dimensional requirements in industrialized construction, (2) methods are needed to preserve model semantics during the process of generating an updated as-built model, (3) semantic enrichment methods are required for the end-of-life stage of industrialized buildings, and (4) there is a need to develop pragmatic approaches for algorithms to ensure they achieve required computational efficiency. The common thread across these examples is the need for developing algorithms to optimize and enrich geometric models. To date, a comprehensive approach paired with pragmatic solutions remains elusive. This research fills this gap by presenting a new approach for algorithm development along with pragmatic implementations for the industrialized building construction sector. Computational algorithms are effective for driving the design, analysis, and optimization of geometric models. As such, this thesis develops new computational algorithms for design, fabrication and assembly, onsite construction, and end-of-life stages of industrialized buildings. A common theme throughout this work is the development and comparison of varied algorithmic approaches (i.e., exact vs. approximate solutions) to see which is optimal for a given process. This is implemented in the following ways. First, a probabilistic method is used to simulate the accumulation of dimensional tolerances in order to optimize geometric models during design. Second, a series of exact and approximate algorithms are used to optimize the topology of 2D panelized assemblies to minimize material use during fabrication and assembly. Third, a new approach to automatically update geometric models is developed whereby initial model semantics are preserved during the process of generating an as-built model. Finally, a series of algorithms are developed to semantically enrich geometric models to enable industrialized buildings to be disassembled and reused. The developments made in this research form a rational and pragmatic approach to addressing the existing challenges faced in industrialized building construction. Such developments are shown not only to be effective in improving the status quo in the industry (i.e., improving cost, reducing project duration, and improving quality), but also for facilitating continuous innovation in construction. By way of assessing the potential impact of this work, the proposed algorithms can reduce rework risk during fabrication and assembly (65% rework reduction in the case study for the new tolerance simulation algorithm), reduce waste during manufacturing (11% waste reduction in the case study for the new panel unfolding and nesting algorithms), improve accuracy and automation of as-built model generation (model error reduction from 50.4 mm to 5.7 mm in the case study for the new parametric BIM updating algorithms), reduce lifecycle cost for adapting industrialized buildings (15% reduction in capital costs in the computational building configurator) and reducing lifecycle impacts for reusing structural systems from industrialized buildings (between 54% to 95% reduction in average lifecycle impacts for the approach illustrated in Appendix B). From a computational standpoint, the novelty of the algorithms developed in this research can be described as follows. Complex geometric processes can be codified solely on the innate properties of geometry – that is, by parameterizing geometry and using methods such as combinatorial optimization, topology can be optimized and semantics can be automatically enriched for building assemblies. Employing the use of functional discretization (whereby continuous variable domains are converted into discrete variable domains) is shown to be highly effective for complex geometric optimization approaches. Finally, the algorithms encapsulate and balance the benefits posed by both parametric and non-parametric schemas, resulting in the ability to achieve both high representational accuracy and semantically rich information (which has previously not been achieved or demonstrated). In summary, this thesis makes several key improvements to industrialized building construction. One of the key findings is that rather than pre-emptively determining the best suited algorithm for a given process or problem, it is often more pragmatic to derive both an exact and approximate solution and then decide which is optimal to use for a given process. Generally, most tasks related to optimizing or enriching geometric models is best solved using approximate methods. To this end, this research presents a series of key techniques that can be followed to improve the temporal performance of algorithms. The new approach for developing computational algorithms and the pragmatic demonstrations for geometric optimization and enrichment are expected to bring the industry forward and solve many of the current barriers it faces

Urban Informatics

This open access book is the first to systematically introduce the principles of urban informatics and its application to every aspect of the city that involves its functioning, control, management, and future planning. It introduces new models and tools being developed to understand and implement these technologies that enable cities to function more efficiently – to become ‘smart’ and ‘sustainable’. The smart city has quickly emerged as computers have become ever smaller to the point where they can be embedded into the very fabric of the city, as well as being central to new ways in which the population can communicate and act. When cities are wired in this way, they have the potential to become sentient and responsive, generating massive streams of ‘big’ data in real time as well as providing immense opportunities for extracting new forms of urban data through crowdsourcing. This book offers a comprehensive review of the methods that form the core of urban informatics from various kinds of urban remote sensing to new approaches to machine learning and statistical modelling. It provides a detailed technical introduction to the wide array of tools information scientists need to develop the key urban analytics that are fundamental to learning about the smart city, and it outlines ways in which these tools can be used to inform design and policy so that cities can become more efficient with a greater concern for environment and equity