A boundary and voxel-based 3D geological data management system leveraging BIM and GIS

Geological information is a prerequisite of civil engineering infrastructure projects. However, the modeling, representation, update, and exchange of geological information are challenging because they are managed by heterogeneous data models supported by two-dimensional (2D) representation that lacks volumetric information, 3D visualization, and integration. This study presents a novel geological data model using BIM and GIS to facilitate three-dimensional (3D) modeling and management of geological information. The proposed geological data model contains significant geometric, semantic, and spatial information, for which the IFC and CityGML ADE is extended. The BIM and GIS data has been mapped using IFC and CityGML. Moreover, the proposed geological data model uses a boundary and voxel geometric representation for the geological data. Algorithms are developed to create an efficient 3D geological boundary and voxel model based on the developed geological data model. Furthermore, the voxel size, number, and attributes can be updated efficiently, enabling the representation of geological information at different scales. Subsequently, the proposed BIM-GIS framework is demonstrated in a case study using geotechnical investigation data from a city. A questionnaire survey was conducted to verify the practical implications of the proposed method. Consequently, it was found that the proposed method improves geological data management efficiency and the geological information exchange process, which further facilitates the analysis by providing effective 3D visualization, inhomogeneous geological information, and enhancing integration.