Scan-to-BIM for the infrastructure domain: generation of IFC-complaint models of road infrastructure assets and semantics using 3D point cloud data

Abstract

The development of the IFC 4.3 candidate standard sets the pathway for interoperability amongst different infrastructures that have been harmonized under the buildingSMART project proposals. Furthermore, the use of laser scanning as a tool for the monitoring of infrastructures has also been rising. This paper showcases a combination of BIM and remote sensing for infrastructure in a road scenario. A semi-automatic approach is presented for the IFC 4.1 compliant modelling of traffic signs and guardrails, along with the inclusion of some semantics via property sets. The input data for the IFC modelling procedure is obtained from the automatic processing of a 3D point cloud, that extracts road alignment, traffic signs, and guardrails, and from standardized dimensions for certain assets. The point cloud processing is validated for the guardrail identification and the IFC modelling is described alongside an UML, exemplifying the possibility of modelling the as-is state of the road infrastructure.