Integration of Building Information Modeling, Geographic Information System, and Augmented Reality for Visualization and Management of Multiple Underground Utilities

The construction of new utility services or the reconstruction of existing services in the underground space is beset with numerous challenges due to the difficulty in locating and identifying existing underground utilities on the site. One of the main reasons is the lack of effective practices to manage multiple utility information. In most cases, utility information is managed as two-dimensional (2D)–based documents, making it difficult to visualize and coordinate during utility projects. Studies have explored using three-dimensional (3D)–based approaches such as building information modeling (BIM) or geographical information systems (GIS) for visualizing and managing utility information. However, their applications are limited to virtual environments and lack the interaction of utility information in real-world environments. This requires using advanced techniques such as augmented reality (AR) for the visualization of underground utilities in real-world environments. Studies have explored using AR for visualizing underground utility infrastructure; however, they are limited to adopting LOD 200 standards, which represent utilities in approximate shape and size. Also, the extant studies use proprietary data standards for facilitating AR integration, which often results in the loss of utility information. Therefore, this paper proposes to develop a framework for integrating BIM, GIS, and AR for the visualization and management of underground utility information in the real-world environment using LOD 300 standards by leveraging OpenBIM data standards. The developed framework was applied in a real-time case study and its applicability and functionality were evaluated. The evaluation results indicate that the framework developed supports improved 3D realistic visualization of underground utilities with geometric, nongeometric, and geospatial information in real-world environments. Also, the framework supports the management of multiple utility information in a single environment and effective coordination and communication between stakeholders during the construction and reconstruction of underground utilities.