Q. How is the BIM+Geospatial trend catching up?
BIM+Geospatial specifications, standards, guidelines and best practices were first identified by Bruce Kenneth Forbes, Director of the Harvard University Design Automation Project and his associates in the early 1980s. The Harvard team (with the assistance of others from MIT, Cornell University Syracuse University, Ohio State University, Carnegie Mellon University, and Stanford University and others) made use of Bi-Directional, Tri-Directional and Quad-Directional Connectivity Techniques to blend, sync and mash up “Big Data” from A/N|CAD|BIM|GIS Point Solutions and Legacy Systems.
Q. Do you see an acceleration in the recent times?
Yes, ARCHIBUS Intelligent-Enterprise Information Modelling Elements, Frameworks and Apps have empowered the today’s BIM+Geospatial systems and have enabled great advancements for BIM and GIS Application Professionals and casual users alike. For instance, the ARCHIBUS Federated Eco-System Affiliates have deployments for over 22 million buildings and properties that are managed from over 44,000 sites in over 190 countries by over 8 million users.
Q. Which are the sectors BIM+Geospatial is coming up in a big way?
The use of ‘Intelligent’ BIM+Geospatial (Combined with CAD and Alpha/Numeric Point Solutions) via i-EIM driven Quad-Directional Connectivity and other applications has enabled the evolution from ‘smart’ properties, buildings and cities into ‘intelligent’ properties buildings and cities… enabling significant advancements from Intelligent Cities 1.0 to Intelligent Cities 2.0 to Intelligent Cities 3.0. Ubiquitous BIG Data, which enables ubiquitous access of data, information, knowledge & wisdom, Intelligent-Enterprise Asset Management (i-EAM), Intelligent-Building Information Modelling (i-BIM), Intelligent-Geospatial Infrastructure Systems (i-GIS),and Intelligent-Enterprise Resource Planning (i-ERP) for everyone, is greatly enhanced with Intelligent BIM+Geospatial apps that readily empower ‘intelligent’ individuals and communities.
Q. What have been the new trends and innovations in this field?
Intelligent-Geospatial Information Systems (i-GIS) and Intelligent Building Information Modelling (I-BIM) Solutions have been under development since 1986 when they were first introduced by Bruce K. Forbes, IFMA Fellow, at the Annual International Facility Management Association (IFMA) Conference. The evolution from isolated/standard/vendor specific apps and solutions to “intelligent” apps and solutions which are multi-vendor enabled and optimized empowers BIM+Geospatial apps. These programs were also presented at the World Summit for Environmental Sustainability and Development in South Africa in 2002, the first Intelligent Cities Conference in the Middle East in Saudi Arabia in 2009 and at over 50 other BIM, GIS, Smart Cities, and Intelligent Cities Conferences throughout the world.
Q. What remain the biggest challenges and barriers in this space?
The lack of funding, timely and cost efficient education/training and the Cooperation between Smart Technology Software and Service Providers are three of the biggest challenges and barriers in this space. The great news is that savings realized with ARCHIBUS (The World’s #1 Real Estate, Infrastructure & Facilities Management Solution) Funding challenges are being resolved. Today over 98% of the users benefiting from BIM+Geospatial Apps within ARCHIBUS are empowered to benefit from their use of the apps via Ubiquitous BIG Data, Quad-Directional Connectivity, i-EIM Elements and Frameworks, Mobile & Performance Frameworks, Intelligent Consoles and Application Extensions with less than 1 hour worth of training which utilizes context sensitive enterprises and help systems. Over the last 30 years, ARCHIBUS has become known as the “United Nations of Software and Services Providers”, enabling cooperation and coopetition between Technology Software and Services Providers. ARCHIBUS has initiated Intelligent City Council Programs in over 2 dozen countries around the world. BIM+Geospatial Programs and Initiatives have benefited from all three of these ARCHIBUS Programs.
