TECHNICAL | DATA & DIGITAL
Above: For Bergünerstein rail tunnel, the set-out points for the concrete precast elements were exported from the BIM model and used as an overlay in Trimble Access to view on the Trimble T10 tablet PHOTO CREDIT: TRIMBLE
Essentially, BIM provides a better project outcome.
The next step would be the transition to a Digital Twin for optimisation. The difference between outcome and optimisation is an important distinction. buildingSMART International (bSI) describes the
difference between BIM and Digital Twins very clearly: successful BIM processes and frameworks help project teams establish a clear project vision that supports
business outcomes before design commences or work begins on site. Digital Twins help visualise, monitor and optimise operational assets, processes and resources by harnessing live data. Pe bSI: “At its core, a Digital Twin can be an output
of a BIM process and is essentially a ‘living’ version of the project or asset view that BIM processes exist to create – able to evolve and transform using real-time data once the asset is in use. That Twin will act both as a single source of truth for the asset throughout its lifecycle, and as a blueprint for future innovation and improvement – taking a process and elevating it into an evolving project.” While it might seem a relatively straightforward
process to simply add sensors (much like monitoring) to tunnel infrastructure or even link to field-based solutions to gather live data, one of the foundational pieces that is still emerging in the process is standards.
Above: For Bergünerstein Tunnel, undertaken by Donatsch + Partner AG, a colorised point cloud in Trimble Connect was compared to the design to identify areas that required rework PHOTO CREDIT: TRIMBLE
Right:
Bergünerstein rail tunnel - viewing Trimble Access on the Trimble T10 tablet PHOTO CREDIT: TRIMBLE
A COMMON LANGUAGE Standards have long been a familiar way for architects, engineers and contractors to communicate data across different systems and purposes. In today’s environment, the Industry Foundation Classes (IFCs) from bSI provide a universal 3D format. The IFCs define process, data and attributions for the effective utilisation of assets across an asset’s deliverable cycle. To truly take advantage of BIM and Digital Twins in the
tunnelling industry, we must have an IFC or equivalent standard. As a start, bSI has introduced the IFC 4.3 open data standard for horizontal assets, such as roads and rails. The IFC 4.3 standard incorporates infrastructure entities into the IFC schema. It defines standards for defining road length, width and depth, number of lanes, maximum speeds, material composition and location. An IFC is necessarily complex because it is attempting to model the entire constructable world in a common way across multiple organisations and varying software—in essence, it’s the foundation for interoperability.
34 | December 2023
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