Building surveying for as-built modeling

Abstract

Building surveying is an important element for as-built documentation as well as for planning and construction in existing contexts. In connection with BIM, however, building surveying faces new challenges. In the past, the results of surveying were typically two-dimensional CAD drawings depicting floor plans, sections, and views. BIM, in contrast, relies on digital three-dimensional building models based on an object-oriented modeling paradigm including semantics, descriptive data, and relationships of building elements. This holistic building modeling approach also impacts the surveying workflow for building measurement as well as the data processing. Nevertheless, the basis for building measurement are geodetic surveying techniques with single-point methods (manual surveying, tacheometry) or aerial measurement methods (photogrammetry, laser scanning) in combination with appropriate surveying software. Also, new developments in context of spatial data capturing (UAVs, multi sensor and mobile mapping systems) rely on these basic methods.