A Strategic Design Approach for Implementing Rainwater Management System Using an Integration of GIS and BIM Tool

Abstract

An increase in urbanization and uncontrolled development has resulted in a water stress situation, which necessitates the exploration of alternate water sources. Rainwater has proven to be a prominent alternate water source after being efficiently harvested. On-ground implementation of the Rainwater Harvesting System (RWHs) at a community level in urban areas has always been challenging and requires technological advancement. To facilitate the implementation of RWHs, the proposed study provides a comprehensive methodology by integrating the Geographical Information System (GIS) and the Building Information Modeling (BIM) tools. Initially, the hydro-spatial analysis was performed with a GIS tool to obtain an optimized rainstorm collection network and to aid in establishing the geometrical properties of RWHs. Further, an outcome from the analysis was utilized to develop a visualization model using the BIM tool. The proposed methodology is implemented as a case study in the municipality of Jaipur (India). The developed multidimensional BIM contributes to the sustainability of the project in terms of resources, economy, and efficiency over the life cycle. As an outcome, the proposed study provides a comprehensive methodology for effectively utilizing rainwater to cope with the growing water demand and contribute to flood mitigation in urban regions.