Digital models have become an important part of work in the construction, civil engineering, and urban planning sectors. With BIM (Building Information Modeling), information about a building or facility can be collected and organized throughout the various stages of its life cycle.
But the building, road, or facility also exists in a physical location—surrounded by properties, roads, terrain, existing structures, and other geographic conditions.
This is where geodata complements the digital model. By placing the project’s information in a geographic context, it’s possible to create a better overall picture for planning, design, and decision-making.
What is the difference between BIM and GIS?
BIM is used to structure and manage information about buildings and facilities. This information can describe, among other things, the construction, components, materials, and various properties of what is to be built or managed.
GIS, or geographic information systems, is used to manage, combine, analyze, and visualize information linked to geographic locations.
Simply put, BIM describes the building or facility, while GIS helps describe and analyze its geographic context.
Read more: What is geodata and how is it used?
Why is geodata needed in construction and civil engineering projects?
A project is influenced by much more than the information in the model itself. To understand the conditions at a site, the project may need information about, for example:
When such information is combined with the project’s own data, it creates a broader picture of the area and its conditions.
The geographic perspective can therefore be relevant not only in the early stages but also during design, implementation, and management.
In-Depth: Are you involved in design work for construction, civil engineering, or infrastructure?
How can geodata improve the quality of planning and design?
The quality of a decision is influenced by the quality of the supporting data. Outdated or incomplete geographic data can result in important conditions being identified too late in a project.
Up-to-date and quality-assured geodata makes it possible to gain a better understanding of the project area early on. This might involve, for example, identifying affected properties, understanding existing buildings and infrastructure, or discovering geographic conditions that need to be factored into further planning.
It is therefore not merely a matter of visualizing the project on a map. Geodata can be an integral part of the decision-making process itself.
How can geodata be used in conjunction with BIM?
The specific needs vary depending on your role.
For architects, designers, engineering consultants, and others working on a design project, the need may be for a background map or other geographic data for a specific area. The information is then downloaded and used alongside the project’s other data in the BIM or design tool used by the organization.
For BIM and system providers, the need may instead be to offer maps and geographic information as an integrated part of their own digital solution. In that case, geodata needs to be retrievable and updatable as a service rather than downloaded for each individual project.
Metria offers geodata for both use cases.
I’m working on a design project—where can I find base maps and geodata?
For a specific planning project, downloadable maps and geodata can be an easy way to incorporate geographic data into your workflow.
In the Metria e-commerce platform, you can select the area for which you need data and order geographic data for use in, for example, planning and design. Depending on the project’s needs, this may include property maps, orthophotos, elevation data, laser data, and other geographic data.
You can select the format and coordinate system based on how the information will be used and then continue working with the data in your own tools.
Find geodata and maps for engineering design in Metria e-commerce
What geographic data might be needed for project planning?
The information required depends on the nature, location, and stage of the project.
Property maps can provide information about property boundaries and help you understand which properties and areas are affected.
Orthophotos provide a true-to-scale view of the area and can be combined with other geographic information layers.
Elevation and terrain data can provide information about the shape of the land and elevation conditions and may be relevant, for example, in the planning and design of buildings and infrastructure.
Other geographic data may also be needed, depending on the specific issue at hand.
See which maps and geodata are available in Metria e-commerce
We offer a BIM solution—how do we integrate maps into our service?
For companies that develop BIM solutions, design tools, or other digital services, the needs are different. Maps and geodata may need to be an integrated part of their own service and available to users without each customer having to retrieve geographic data themselves.
With Metria Maps, maps and geodata can be integrated directly into your own systems and applications. The service includes over 100 different map layers, and geographic information can be made available through standardized services such as WMS, WMTS, and REST.
This makes it possible to combine your own solution with, for example, property boundaries, buildings, orthophotos, and other geographic information without having to collect and maintain all the underlying data sources yourself.
Learn more about integrating maps and geodata with Metria Maps
What is the difference between downloading and integrating geodata?
It depends primarily on how the information will be used.
If you need geographic data for a specific project, you can purchase and download data for the relevant area via Metria’s e-commerce platform. This is suitable when the information will be used as a basis for, for example, project planning.
If, on the other hand, you ’re developing a digital solution where maps and geodata will be part of the service, the information can be integrated with Metria Maps.
In other words, one approach is about obtaining the right geographic data for a project. The other is about making maps and geodata part of a digital product or service.
Do GIS and geodata replace BIM?
No. They serve different functions and should not be viewed as alternatives to one another.
BIM focuses on information about the building or facility. GIS and geodata provide the geographic perspective—what is present at the site and in the surrounding area.
It is in this combination that the information becomes particularly valuable: BIM describes what is to be built or managed, while geodata helps place it in its geographic context.
How can Metria contribute geographic data?
Metria does not create BIM models. Our role is to provide geodata and geographic information that can be used in conjunction with them.
For those of you working on design projects, geographic data is available to order and download for the area you’re working on.
Find maps and geodata for your project in Metria’s online store
For those of you developing a BIM solution or other digital service, maps and geodata can instead be integrated directly into your own solution.
Learn more about Metria Maps for integrating maps and geodata