102

GeoDesign: Concept for Integration of BIM and GIS

in Landscape Planning
Joerg Schaller1,2, Johannes Gnaedinger1, Leon Reith1, Sebastian Freller1, Cristina Mattos2
1Prof. Schaller UmweltConsult GmbH, Munich/Germany · j.schaller@psu-schaller.de
2Esri Deutschland Group GmbH, Kranzberg/Germany

Abstract: Most construction project designs are executed by engineers and architects using CAD pro-
grams. Environmental and landscape planners use GIS to assess the environmental impacts of the con-
struction projects and their visual, ecological and functional integration in the landscape. To fulfil the
requirements throughout the entire lifecycle of a construction project, CAD and BIM data must be
converted to GIS formats and combined with GIS datasets, so that the necessary environmental anal-
yses can be performed. Using the example of the Autobahn A99 expansion in Munich, this paper de-
scribes a workflow for data conversion and integration of CAD, BIM and GIS in environmental and
landscape planning.
Keywords: GeoDesign, CAD, BIM, GIS, integrated landscape planning

1 Introduction
Digitalization is one of the main trends in the construction sector (STEWART 2016). Besides
data-driven design, surveillance and maintenance, drone mapping, 3D printing, virtual real-
ity, robotics and other digital innovations, Building Information Modelling or BIM has be-
come an important part of the construction process in the past years, and in some parts of the
world it is becoming standard and even obligatory (BORRMANN et al. 2015). BIM aims to
optimize the planning process. It refers to the use of digital models and information manage-
ment throughout the entire lifecycle of the construction process – from planning to imple-
mentation, to management, and to decommissioning (BORRMANN et al. 2015).
Since the term was first used in 1992 (VAN NEDERVEEN & TOLMAN), BIM has evolved at
different paces around the globe. In some countries, the adoption of BIM methods is quite
developed, with clear government-driven BIM strategies, guidelines and standards (BORR-
MANN et al. 2015). In Europe, Germany has made significant advances in the past years,
including pilot projects, task groups, guidelines (EGGER et al. 2013), and a road map (BMVI
2015), with BIM expected to become mandatory for large infrastructure projects in the coun-
try in the near future (BOHSEM 2015).
While BIM is becoming ubiquitous in the construction sector, relying mostly on CAD prod-
ucts, geographic information systems (GIS) still have a limited role in construction projects,
being often restricted to some specific tasks or seen as a potential redundancy to BIM. But,
in reality, GIS can bring a valuable contribution to the BIM process by providing spatial
input and geospatial visualization, adding information on the construction site’s surrounding
environment that are essential for design decisions and approval processes. Interdisciplinary
cooperation, data exchange and data transfer must occur between the engineering and envi-
ronmental professionals for a successful construction project planning and environmental
approval throughout the BIM lifecycle.

Journal of Digital Landscape Architecture, 2-2017. © Herbert Wichmann Verlag, VDE VERLAG GMBH · Berlin
· Offenbach. ISBN 978-3-87907-629-1, ISSN 2367-4253, doi:10.14627/537629011.
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons
Attribution license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/).
J. Schaller et al.: Concept for Integration of BIM and GIS in Landscape Planning 103

This paper describes a concept for the integration of BIM and GIS with real data from the
A99 expansion pilot project in Germany. It shows how environmental and landscape plan-
ners can integrate BIM and GIS to optimize the design process by assessing the impacts of
construction projects and their visual, ecological and functional integration in the landscape.

2 The A99 Expansion Pilot Project

The German Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure (BMVI) has launched
pilot projects in order to test workflows and data exchange procedures for the implementation
of the German Road Map for Digital Design and Construction (BMVI 2015).
One of these pilot projects is the eight-lane expansion of the Autobahn A99 in the Munich
Region, commissioned by the Highway Management of South Bavaria and executed by the
SSF Group. The focus of this pilot project is the future requirements for a frictionless infor-
mation sharing between engineers and environmental planners, to optimize all required en-
vironmental concerns from the start of planning, to project implementation, to completion
and monitoring of the environmental measures.

3 Methods and Workflows

3.1 BIM and GIS Interoperability
The majority of construction project designs are executed with CAD programs (e. g., Auto-
CAD and Revit) by planning engineers and architects. Environmental and landscape plan-
ners, on the other hand, use GIS to assess the environmental impacts of the construction
projects and the visual, ecological and functional integration of the project in the landscape.
To meet all requirements, the CAD datasets from engineers and architects must be converted
to GIS formats and combined with GIS datasets from environmental and landscape planners,
so that the necessary analyses can be performed.
By integrating the BIM planning processes into a geodatabase structure in a collaborative
planning system, the corresponding information can be exchanged and processed very
quickly. This approach can be used for buildings, civil engineering projects, urban develop-
ment and, in particular, for large infrastructure planning. For this purpose, 2D and 3D CAD
and BIM data models are integrated into the GIS data model – in full or in parts – and then
assessed. The feedback of this assessment allows the parties to determine the potential impact
of construction projects on the environment and the technical or infrastructure constraints,
and to optimize the engineering design and construction during the project lifecycle, aiming
at a sustainable and legally approvable solution (Figure 1).
New interoperability technologies and the standard-based exchange of geodata between BIM
and GIS provide architects, engineers and planners with entirely new tools for optimizing
their planning, as well as the information exchange between all parties involved in a con-
struction project. The bidirectional conversion between BIM and GIS data in the A99 project
was performed with Esri's interoperability extension, based on the ETL (Extract-Transform-
Load) method using FME software technology, which allows easy comparison and evalua-
tion of alternative CAD or BIM design and planning scenarios based on existing GIS data-
bases.
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Fig. 1: The integrated data exchange concept

Figure 2 shows schematically how the layer structure of GIS base data, environmental data
and BIM data were combined (from bottom to top) in a 2D/3D geodatabase for the A99
project. The applied GIS technology allows the combination of each layer in this dataset and
the assessment of any impacts between relevant 2D or 3D data layers.

Fig. 2: Integration of BIM data and GIS environmental planning data

J. Schaller et al.: Concept for Integration of BIM and GIS in Landscape Planning 105

3.2 GIS
Esri’s desktop GIS products – ArcMap/ArcGIS Pro with Data Interoperability Extension –
were used for 2D and 3D GIS data processing, analysis and visualization. Esri’s 3D model-
ling solution – CityEngine – was harnessed for the development of procedural modelling
scripts and the export of CGA rule/asset packages for use in ArcGIS Pro.
To perform the GIS analysis, various types of environmental data were employed: 2D vector
and raster data (including vegetation types, biotopes, road infrastructure, fauna habitats), 3D
TIN and GRID data and digital terrain model (DTM), as well as digital orthophotos.
Before the GIS data could be used for any analysis, preliminary processing steps had to be
performed: topology validation and semi-automatic repair, data enhancement and creation of
3D geometries. Using ArcGIS geoprocessing, a GIS topology was created for the GIS layers
in order to examine and correct the geometries for common problems and to avoid spatial
query errors.
In addition to its present attributes, the GIS data was enhanced with the following information
through attribute table joining or geoprocessing: vegetation value points and ecological sig-
nificance, infrastructure impact on vegetation, ecology data (e. g., breeding times of endan-
gered bird species), and height information (from the DTM raster). Vegetation attributes such
as vegetation type, plant distribution, plant density and maturity were placed on the surface
of the geometries using procedural modelling. Small settlements and roads in the project area
were also created in 3D through procedural modelling to achieve a complete 3D dataset.

3.3 BIM / CAD

The software products Autodesk Revit, Autodesk AutoCAD, Solibri Model Checker, Linear
Project TILOS, and RIB iTWO were used by the infrastructure planners for modelling and
planning the A99 expansion.
Processing this BIM planning data involved using the ETL process to split up the IFC (In-
dustry Foundation Classes) data models into their components, transform them into Esri mul-
tipatch data format (while retaining their attributes) and write them into a geodatabase. No
further editing was necessary. CAD data was opened as-is with ArcMap, verified and re-
paired and then converted into polygons and written into a geodatabase using ArcMap’s
geoprocessing tools.
Textual data (time/location schedules) were loaded as tables into ArcGIS and joined with
m-aware freeway centerlines. In a second step, the centerline and schedule values were used
to create a route event layer with an offset, resulting in points perpendicular to the centerline.
Finally, the points were used as endpoints to create lines perpendicular to the centerline using
ArcMap geoprocessing. Using these lines, the vegetation geometries were split and enhanced
with time attributes. These split geometries were then used as basis for vegetation clear-cut
schedule validation and analysis.

3.4 Import / Export Workflows

The Esri data interoperability extension workflow facilitated the data flow from BIM into
GIS and back from GIS to BIM (Figure 3 and Figure 4). BIM geometries were read in IFC
106 Journal of Digital Landscape Architecture · 2-2017

format, transformed into Esri multipatch and written into a geodatabase. The resulting data
was then loaded as layer to be used for analysis in GIS.

Fig. 3: BIM to GIS workflow with Esri Data Interoperability Extension

Fig. 4: Example of BIM to GIS data migration for a bridge structure

J. Schaller et al.: Concept for Integration of BIM and GIS in Landscape Planning 107

3.5 Environmental Analyses and Assessments

Once prepared, the integrated BIM and GIS dataset was used for two environmental analyses.
A building (site) impact analysis was performed to assess the environmental impacts and
compensation measures. A spatial analysis was carried out to determine land consumption
by the building (permanent consumption) and the construction site (temporal consumption).
A vegetation clearcutting schedule validation and analysis was also carried out to prevent
costly delays and to identify potential problem sites caused by protected flora and fauna
(e. g., breeding areas and times). For this analysis, BIM/CAD geometries were used in com-
bination with GIS data. Results were written into the geometries’ attribute tables, ready to be
exported and delivered to infrastructure planners after the analysis.

4 Results
4.1 BIM and GIS Integration
Figure 5 depicts a planned freeway A99 bridge incorporated into the area’s 2D and 3D GIS
database in order to link the structure with geospatial environmental and landscape planning
data, and to make the necessary analyses, assessments, decisions and optimizations.

Fig. 5: Integration of Autobahn A99 BIM data (circled bridge) into the 3D GIS and envi-
ronmental planning data model
108 Journal of Digital Landscape Architecture · 2-2017

4.2 Environmental Analyses and Assessments

By integrating the bridge structure into the GIS database, we were able to perform basic
assessments of environmental impacts and compensation measures within the scope of a
“Landscape Management Plan” (LBP, in German) (Figure 6). Figure 7 depicts the results of
the building site impact analysis. Two cases were analysed – temporal impacts compared to
untouched areas in the site area, and permanent land use and compensation.
Figure 8 depicts the results of the second analysis performed – the validation of the clearcut-
ting dates from the BIM construction schedule against various environmental data from the
GIS database. This allowed the identification of potential conflicts due to protected flora and
fauna in the area. The lines perpendicular to the freeway show the split generated by the route
event layer split technique outlined in 3.3.

Fig. 6: A99 bride construction site impact analysis using planning, environmental and base
data in a GIS environment
J. Schaller et al.: Concept for Integration of BIM and GIS in Landscape Planning 109

Fig. 7: A99 bridge site impact analysis and necessary compensations for the Landscape
Management Plan (LBP) – Temporal impacts vs. untouched areas (top); perma-
nent land use vs. impact compensation (bottom)

Fig. 8: Identification of potential conflicts between the BIM schedule for vegetation clear-
cutting and protected flora and fauna
110 Journal of Digital Landscape Architecture · 2-2017

5 Discussion and Conclusions

The A99 expansion pilot project showed how GIS is an indispensable component of the BIM
process, and that the necessary collaboration and exchange of information among the plan-
ning stakeholders is well supported in this environment.
According to German planning legislation and requirements, every stage of the engineering
process (from initial project drafts to plans, execution, management, and rebuilding) has to
be accompanied by environmental and landscape planning procedures. Figure 9 depicts how
the interdisciplinary cooperation, data exchange and data transfer must occur between the
engineers (who perform the procedures presented in the inner ring), and environmental /
landscape professionals (responsible for procedures of the outer ring) throughout all phases
of the project for a successful construction process within the BIM lifecycle.
Although some difficulties were faced when implementing CAD geometries into the GIS
dataset, such as the substantial amount of manual editing required to attach attributes to the
CAD data, the A99 expansion pilot project highlighted many key advantages of the integra-
tion of BIM and GIS in the planning practice:
 Spatial Intelligence: Spatial analysis of the project area with existing GIS data allows
planners and other stakeholders to understand the implications of the project design and
implementation. Even prior to project start, it is possible to optimize the conceptual de-
signs in terms of environmental compatibility.
 Professional Data Management: GIS plays a key role in BIM processes as a professional
and sophisticated data management system for spatial data, especially for large datasets
with multi-user management.
 Network & Logistics: GIS supplies important components and spatial models for the
transport of materials, supply and disposal, mobility of people, etc.
 Modelling & Prediction: GIS provides important planning information, not only for en-
vironmental impact assessments, but also modelling methods for reviewing legally bind-
ing specifications, e. g., noise limits, water quality, protection areas etc. GIS can also
provide real-time sensor information of a project and its surrounding areas.
 Monitoring: GIS continuously provides up-to-date monitoring data on construction pro-
gress and environmental impacts (noise, air pollution, etc.).
 Information Exchange: GIS manages and provides interoperability of data and processes
that enable constructive cooperation of all parties involved. In particular, via GIS, the
geospatial data and the data of specialist planners can be made available to all project
partners to be used for fulfilling their respective requirements.
 Visualization & Web: 2D maps and plans, 3D web scenes, models and dashboards help
to communicate efficiently throughout the planning process between the planners, other
stakeholders, and, above all, the non-specialized public.
In the future, all federal infrastructure projects in Germany are to be carried out using BIM
technology (BOHSEM 2015). For this reason, other pilot projects from the federal government
and practical examples from engineering and planning offices are currently being developed
J. Schaller et al.: Concept for Integration of BIM and GIS in Landscape Planning 111

in order to test the integration of BIM processes with GIS and GeoDesign methods, and to
define the necessary workflows.
Based on the A99 project experience, we suggest that a common data standard should be
developed to meet both the planner’s and GIS analyst’s requirements. This includes closed
geometries, attributes attached to entities via extend AutoCAD entity data or similar meth-
ods. If not possible, attributes written as text entries should be consistently placed, so stand-
ardized data processing workflows can be used to convert CAD data into intelligent GIS data.
To conclude, the methods outlined in the A99 pilot project prove that a BIM and GIS inte-
gration with the existing interoperability technology is possible. However, to streamline the
process, standards, documentation, and interdisciplinary understanding of the involved engi-
neers and environmental planners, as well as their requirements and workflows are necessary.

Fig. 9: Data exchange and data transfer in the integrated BIM/GIS environmental and
landscape planning process, according to German planning regulations
(Source: SCHALLER 2016 modified from BORRMANN et al. 2015)
112 Journal of Digital Landscape Architecture · 2-2017

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