A collaboration to enhance the usage of BIM standards in civil infrastructure and to link it to location-based technologies has taken concrete shape with the signing of the MoU between World Geospatial Industry council [WGIC] and buildingSMART International.

Both the organizations will together work towards developing a common initiative in respect of use of standards, best practices and geospatial information for demonstrating value and wide applicability of standards. These best practices and standards developed over the years would be used to provide value to their end users. Integrating GIS and BIM standards would be on the agenda. This will enable a seamless connectivity and coordination. Specific potential areas of collaboration for geospatial information and technology integration would be charted out and common initiatives, be it events, joint studies or promotions, will be undertaken.

The primary aim of this collaboration is to spread awareness around GIS and BIM technologies to improve understanding, support and application of jointly addressed best practices, standard areas and projects and to encourage involvement of industry professionals with BSI and WGIC.

buildingSMART International (bSI) is the worldwide authority driving the transformation of the built asset economy through creation and adoption of open, international standards. Encouraging quality, engagement, and community for openBIM, bSI is committed to open digital ways of working. Through their innovative programs, bSI delivers significant improvements in cost, value and asset performance through the use of open international standards for civil infrastructure and buildings. By enabling better open digital workflows for the built asset environment, the fast-growing community offers a collaborative platform for all stakeholders to improve project delivery and asset performance.

Commenting on the MoU signed with WGIC, Richard Petrie, Chief Executive Officer, bSI said, “we are delighted to be signing this MoU with the World Geospatial Industry Council to jointly focus our efforts on GIS and BIM integration. It is our aim that the community will benefit from sharing valuable data that resides in multiple systems. The benefits for BIM deliverables will be realised by converging geo-coordinated data to improve digital workflows. This MoU is our commitment to open digital ways of working to help the industry deliver higher standards and projects through this collaborative process alongside the WGIC.”

World Geospatial Industry Council is an association of companies that represents the entire ecosystem of geospatial industry, with an aim to enhance the role of the geospatial industry and also strengthen its contribution in global economy and society. At WGIC, it is a core belief that there is an urgent need for collaboration within the industry for complete solutions to help realize the true potential of geospatial technology. The World Geospatial Industry Council seeks to become a shared voice for enabling engagement and collaboration within the industry and outside, educating policymakers and users alike about the long-term benefits of technology adoption.

Sanjay Kumar, General Secretary and CEO, WGIC elaborating on the MOU commented, “Infrastructure is one of largest market for geospatial industry, and we do recognise momentum towards spatially enabling digitalisation process of construction workflows and its integration with BIM. We at WGIC firmly believe that standards are significant determinant of successful implementation of digital capabilities across range of applications around infrastructure and smart cities. We are excited to join hands with bSI and work together to facilitate greater collaboration between geospatial and AEC industry. ”

For more information:Contact Sharmishtha Seth on: sam.seth@wgicouncil.org