Georeferencing Building Information Models for BIM/GIS Integration: A Review of Methods and Tools

Abstract

With the rise of urban digital twins and smart cities, the integration of building information modeling (BIM) and geospatial information systems (GISs) have captured the interest of researchers. Although significant advancements have been achieved in this field, challenges persist in the georeferencing of BIM models, which is one of the fundamental challenges in integrating BIM and GIS models. These challenges stem from dissimilarities between the BIM and GIS domains, including different georeferencing definitions, different coordinate systems utilization, and a lack of correspondence between the engineering system of BIM and the project’s geographical location. This review critically examines the significance of georeferencing within this integration, outlines and compares various methods for georeferencing BIM data in detail, and surveys existing software tools that facilitate this process. The findings underscore the need for increased attention to georeferencing issues from both domains, aiming to enhance the seamless integration of BIM and GIS.