The Application of Graph in BIM/GIS Integration

Abstract

Information exchange between building information modelling (BIM) and geographic information system (GIS) is problematic, especially in terms of semantic information. Graph-based technologies, such as the resource description framework (RDF) and the labelled property graph (LPG), are promising in solving this problem. These two technologies are different but have not been systematically investigated in the context of BIM/GIS integration. This paper presents our systematic investigation into these two technologies, trying to propose the proper one for BIM/GIS data integration. The main findings are as follows. (1) Both LPG-based databases and RDF-based databases can be generally considered graph databases, but an LPG-based database is considered a native graph database, while an RDF-based database is not. (2) RDF suits applications focusing more on linking data and sharing data, and (3) LPG-based graph database suits applications focusing more on data query and analysis. An LPG-based graph database is thus proposed for BIM/GIS data integration. This review can facilitate the use of graph technology in BIM/GIS integration.

Keywords

• building information modelling (BIM)
• geographic information system (GIS)
• industry foundation classes (IFC)
• labelled property graph
• resource description framework
• interoperability