How BIM Will Shape Tomorrow’s Government Landscape

Explore what you need to know about Building Information Modeling

Governments worldwide are swiftly embracing transformation and digitalization, with some countries already incorporating BIM. The adoption of Building Information Modeling (BIM) is on the horizon for the United States and Canada as they navigate their future transformations.

What is BIM?

BIM stands for Building Information Modeling, and it is also known as Building Information Management or Building Information Model. It takes information accessibility to a new level by making data actionable.

It visualizes and creates a model of a built asset in the cloud. This information model exists in a common data environment (CDE), so multiple stakeholders can access the information they need.

It integrates with the government’s Geographic Information System (GIS) for accurate and real-time data. This 3D model is helpful for different people involved, from planning to design to construction to renovations.

BIM also includes other crucial factors beyond dimensions, such as time, costs, and materials.

Key BIM Benefits for Governments

• Visualization: BIM gives governments and builders a real-time visualization of a built asset. This enables stakeholders to better understand projects, design details, and each other better with 3D modeling.
• GIS-Integration: By integrating models with GIS, governments can plan how to build their communities with efficiency, accuracy, and crucial information. It can also help teams with emergency planning.
• Data Integration: BIM integrates multiple datasets for real-time data accessibility. Governments can access dimensions, time, costs, inventory, and material data in one place.
• Collaboration: BIM encourages and empowers seamless collaboration. Multiple stakeholders like government staff, architects, contractors, and builders can work together online with the same information.
• Economic Value: BIM can give buildings greater value as all crucial information is accessible. Builders and potential owners have greater insight into its required maintenance and risks which reduce possible unknowns.
• Emergency Planning: Governments can be proactive in their approach to natural disasters, instead of only being reactive. BIM gives communities more opportunities to prepare for the unknown with meaningful data and determine hazard-resistant construction.
• Data Analysis: Governments can analyze different data points for a more comprehensive understanding of a building’s impact. They can look at data like energy performance and traffic simulation to make informed decisions.
• Change Management: Model changes can be reflected in real-time for all stakeholders. This keeps all parties informed and involved with ongoing changes to projects.
• Project Management: Governments can efficiently work on new and existing projects with design, construction, operation, and maintenance.
• Trend Predictions: BIM gives local municipalities a better understanding of their community in real time. They can use this data to identify patterns and predict future trends for better resource allocation.
• Greater Efficiency: Governments can significantly speed up processes with greater access to information, fewer returns to worksites, and improved transparency. They can also achieve better energy efficiency with BIM.
• Lifecycle Management: Communities can monitor a building’s lifecycle with greater accuracy with BIM. Governments and builders can better understand future timelines for repairs, inspections, and maintenance. This gives them more accuracy for cost management, safety issues, and automation.
• Strong Record-Keeping: By keeping a built asset’s information online with BIM, governments and cities have strong, well-documented records. This can help with future urban planning and accurate historical data.

What’s Next

In Canada, several initiatives are underway at the federal, provincial, and municipal levels, and the U.S. might not be far behind.

It’s important to consider how other governments have successfully used BIM and learn about plans moving forward. BIM can be an invaluable tool to drive significant changes in the construction sector. It can help solve widespread problems like slow development approval processes, lack of data insight into risk management like natural disasters, and inaccessible information between various stakeholders.

Here at Cloudpermit, we are getting ready for the future and invite you to join us.