(http://bit.ly/1NULX8R)

Knowledge for Surveying, Mapping & GIS ProfessionalsContact (/contact)

Advertising(/advertising/)

Search

Subscribe Free(/newsletter)

(https://twitter.com/geoinformatics1)

(https://www.facebook.com/GEO‐Informatics‐1654598884785185/timeline/)

Navigate to...

(http://www.geoinformatics.com/)

From UAV to BIM – How UAV data fits into the Scan toBIM work flow

Homepage (http://www.geoinformatics.com)  /  Editors Desk(http://www.geoinformatics.com/category/editors‐desk/)  /  From UAV to BIM – How UAV data fitsinto the Scan to BIM work flow

23 March 2016

We are moving towards a world where 3D is the expected format,whether it is in games, the cinema or indeed the world ofconstruction and surveying. For the next generation to enter theconstruction workforce this will be the new normal. However,there is no doubt that its adoption in a commercial sense is beinghastened in the construction industry by the shift towards theadoption of BIM (Building Information Modelling). The embracingof information rich BIM technologies will be a catalyst for new

more efficient ways of working at all stages of the building project life‐cycle.

Major projects all require multidisciplinary engineering infrastructure, from design & projectmanagement to enabling works, site clearance, remediation and environmental impact assessmentand so on. These projects will consequently benefit from being information intelligent with thisinformation being able to be viewed holistically. To be information rich requires the input of largeamounts of spatially accurate data all through the project.

Contrast this with the traditional method of surveying which involves capturing one point at a time; aprocess which can be slow, predisposed to human error and necessarily selective. Increasingly thoughthe requirement is for a faster process with visual feedback. Given as mentioned above the workforceis changing and increasingly comfortable with a 3D in‐line environment it is not unreasonable toexpect modern surveying techniques to deliver a similar scenario.

(http://www.geoinformatics.com/wp‐content/uploads/2016/03/Nieuwe‐afbeelding‐15.bmp)Theavailability of 3D data is not just a technological advancement in surveying techniques but it deliversa fundamental shift in how survey data can be used. In a nutshell it brings the real world to thedesktop and this means that (in addition to saving time and money on the survey process) 3D dataprovides the tools to appraise existing conditions, monitor construction progress, carry out structuralassessments, record as‐built conditions and generally enhance asset management.

Delivery of an information rich environment can be achieved through ‘Scan to BIM’ a process whichtakes scan data, traditionally from laser scanners and turns it into solid surface models usingautomated software. The data is in the main captured via a laser scanner which is a fantastic tool forcollecting point cloud data, providing incredible accuracies and detail. The main drawback with laserscanners is the static nature in which they collect data. Laser scanners collect points by spinninglasers beams from an accurately known location and measuring the time taken for the light to reflectback to the scanner. Since light can only travel in a straight line, if there are any objects in betweenthe scanner and the target, a shadow is cast causing holes in the data. To overcome this limitationthe scanner has to be moved around on site to ensure all the details are captured. Selecting suitablescanner positions requires a lot of experience and skill, and each time the unit is moved, a lot oftime is taken setting it up. Even with the most skilled users there are still surfaces, such as roofs,which cannot be captured.

UAVs are an alternative solution which readily addresses the need to capture inaccessible areas suchas roofs. UAVs are best utilised when scanning the externals of buildings due to their speed. This datacan then be merged with for example, laser scan data collected for the building internals to producea complete point cloud of the whole building, inside and out.

Unlike laser scanners, UAVs are able to scan roof tops meaning that a full and complete data set cannow be achieved, and due to their mobile nature they suffer much less from shadowing from nearbyobjects. As well as producing point clouds a UAV survey also provides hundreds, if not thousands ofimages of a building from every angle providing a much greater depth of information than could beachieved from ground based scanning techniques. With improvements in positioning accuracies,developments with software and a continual improvement in understanding from drone operators,point accuracies have now been demonstrated and validated down to just a few millimetres. A UAVsurvey will provide clients with accurate point cloud data which can be processed and imported intoBIM software such as Autodesk Revit & Archicad to create an intelligent 3D model.

It should be noted that achieving high data tolerances requires skilled operators who know how tocapture the data, understand surveying principles to generate accurate points and who have theexperience of operating in challenging environments. This is equally true however with alldevelopments in surveying or indeed more broadly whereby a balance has to be found betweentechnology and employee capability.

With data from both internal and external sources the survey workflow must therefore use a multi‐threaded approach to provide an economic solution to BIM modelling. For example, terrestrial laserscanning can be used to capture the inside of a building, a UAV can be used to capturephotogrammetry that can be processed to give data on the externals and of the surrounding area andmobile laser‐scanning can be used to capture engineering grade information about access roads.Integrating all of the information from different sources enables a complete representation of abuilding that can be used for a variety of purposes including redesign, visualization of the buildinginside and out for prospective customers and as a historical record.

At each stage of the construction process, UAV Scan to BIM can be used for verification as it is a quickand effective tool for checking the real world against design plans. Any damage or deformation inbuilding structures or roofs can easily be modelled using UAVs and can be easily integrated into BIMworkflows.

Below is the “UAV Scan to BIM” workflow:

Tweet 0

Building Information Models are on the way to providing the depth of information that tomorrow’sclients will come to expect and are undoubtedly much richer than the previous 2D representations.There is a far higher density of knowledge captured and layered with BIM. What the UAV can do isessentially capture reality and transfer it to the desktop to be manipulated in endless ways. This isonly possible because the survey is capturing millions of points of data where as traditional methodsare only able to capture at most a few thousand.

This is going to be a very exciting and transformational era; there will be significant changes in theway buildings are managed starting from design, right the way through the building’s lifecycle.Moving from traditional surveying and the data that provides to a radically different approach with itswealth of data may feel like a brave move currently but there is a point in the not too distant futurewhen UAV surveys and laser scans will be the norm.

The advantages of UAV scans are already available here and now and additionally offer a low costadvantage meaning the only barriers to adoption really are those who fear the process of change.

Related Posts

0Like

GeoFIT AmericasAdopts SimActive’sCorrelator3D™ forUAVs(http://www.geoinformatics.com/geofit‐americas‐adopts‐simactives‐correlator3d‐for‐uavs/)

GEO Business 2016Launches PopularFREE to attendWorkshopProgramme(http://www.geoinformatics.com/geo‐business‐2016‐launches‐popular‐free‐to‐attend‐workshop‐programme/)

3D Laser MappingProvide the solutionfor monitoringcoastal instability(http://www.geoinformatics.com/3d‐laser‐mapping‐provide‐the‐solution‐for‐monitoring‐coastal‐instability/)

OGC calls forProposals for aFuture City PilotPhase 1 project(http://www.geoinformatics.com/ogc‐calls‐for‐proposals‐for‐a‐future‐city‐pilot‐phase‐1‐project/)

GeoFIT AmericasAdopts SimActive’sCorrelator3D™ forUAVs

(http://www.geoinformatics.com/geofit‐americas‐adopts‐simactives‐correlator3d‐for‐uavs/)

GEO Business 2016Launches PopularFREE to attendWorkshopProgramme

(http://www.geoinformatics.com/geo‐business‐2016‐launches‐popular‐free‐to‐attend‐workshop‐programme/)

3D Laser MappingProvide thesolution formonitoring coastalinstability

(http://www.geoinformatics.com/3d‐laser‐mapping‐provide‐the‐solution‐for‐monitoring‐coastal‐instability/)

OGC calls forProposals for aFuture City PilotPhase 1 project

(http://www.geoinformatics.com/ogc‐calls‐for‐proposals‐for‐a‐future‐city‐pilot‐phase‐1‐project/)

(http://bit.ly/1oJaepv)

(http://bit.ly/1UWn8um)

(http://bit.ly/1nzczlD)

(http://magazine.cmedia.nl/cmedia‐geoinformatics‐2‐2016/)

Latest News Editors Desk

Zagreb, the center of European GI(http://www.geoinformatics.com/zagreb‐the‐center‐of‐european‐gi/)

(http://www.geoinformatics.com/zagreb‐the‐center‐of‐european‐gi/)

Populair

DigitalGlobe and Big Data – The Necessity of aPlatform‐based Approach(http://www.geoinformatics.com/digitalglobe‐and‐big‐data‐the‐necessity‐of‐a‐platform‐based‐approach/)

(http://www.geoinformatics.com/digitalglobe‐and‐big‐data‐the‐necessity‐of‐a‐platform‐based‐approach/)

Teledyne Optech lidar approved for use inOSIRIS‐REx asteroid mission(http://www.geoinformatics.com/teledyne‐optech‐lidar‐approved‐for‐use‐in‐osiris‐rex‐asteroid‐mission/)

(http://www.geoinformatics.com/teledyne‐optech‐lidar‐approved‐for‐use‐in‐osiris‐rex‐asteroid‐mission/)

Esri Unveils ArcGIS Earth to the World(http://www.geoinformatics.com/esri‐unveils‐arcgis‐earth‐to‐the‐world/)

(http://www.geoinformatics.com/esri‐unveils‐arcgis‐earth‐to‐the‐world/)

All Articles(http://www.geoinformatics.com/blog/)

Earth‐i releases new sample imagery fromDMC3 / TripleSat constellation(http://www.geoinformatics.com/earth‐i‐releases‐new‐sample‐imagery‐from‐dmc3‐triplesat‐constellation/)

(http://www.geoinformatics.com/earth‐i‐releases‐new‐sample‐imagery‐from‐dmc3‐triplesat‐constellation/)

(HTTPS://TWITTER.COM/GEOINFORMATICS1)

(HTTPS://WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/GEO‐INFORMATICS‐1654598884785185/TIMELINE/)

© Copyright 2016 by CMedia B.V. and cannot be reproduced, in whole or in part, without prior authorizationfrom CMedia B.V.

GeoInformatics

DIGITAL MAGAZINE (HTTP://WWW.GEOINFORMATICS.COM/DIGITAL‐MAGAZINE/)

CONTACT DETAILS (HTTP://WWW.GEOINFORMATICS.COM/CONTACT‐DETAILS/)