buildingSMART International and World Geospatial Industry Council sign an MoU
A collaborative effort to integrate BIM deliverables in building and civil infrastructure and location-based technologies has begun with the signing of the MoU between World Geospatial Industry council [WGIC] and buildingSMART International (bSI) at the GeoBuiz Summit in San Francisco.
bSI and WGIC will work together on developing common initiatives for the use of open standards, best practices and geospatial information to demonstrate greater value and wider applicability of standards, solutions and tools. Through the respective BIM and GIS communities, a joint initiative will aim to improve workflows between differing languages and systems. With a growing need for location-based technologies to integrate with design applications, bSI and WGIC are seeking to develop open and neutral workflows for the benefit of end users through joint initiatives.
bSI is the worldwide authority driving the transformation of the built asset economy through creation and adoption of open, international standards. Encouraging quality, engagement, and community for openBIM, bSI is committed to open digital ways of working. Through their innovative programs, bSI delivers significant improvements in cost, value and asset performance through the use of open international standards for civil infrastructure and buildings. By enabling better open digital workflows for the built asset environment, the fast-growing community offers a collaborative platform for all stakeholders to improve project delivery and asset performance.
Patrick MacLeamy, Chairman, bSI said, “This is a very exciting step for buildingSMART. Giving us an opportunity to connect BIM and GIS comes as response to the market demand. The world in which we live and work, BIM and GIS are interconnected and need to be ever-more so. I’m excited about the possibility of integration across these major platforms for people to do work. We are looking forward to exchanging expertise through this strategic collaboration”.
Richard Petrie, Chief Executive Officer, bSI said, “we are delighted to be signing this MoU with the World Geospatial Industry Council to jointly focus our efforts on GIS and BIM integration. It is our aim that the community will benefit from sharing valuable data that resides in multiple systems. The benefits for BIM deliverables will be realised by converging geo-coordinated data to improve digital workflows. This MoU is our commitment to open digital ways of working to help the industry deliver higher standards and projects through this collaborative process alongside the WGIC.”
World Geospatial Industry Council is an association of companies that represents the entire ecosystem of geospatial industry, with an aim to enhance the role of the geospatial industry and also strengthen its contribution in global economy and society. At WGIC, it is a core belief that there is an urgent need for collaboration within the industry for complete solutions to help realize the true potential of geospatial technology. The World Geospatial Industry Council seeks to become a shared voice for enabling engagement and collaboration within the industry and outside, educating policymakers and users alike about the long-term benefits of technology adoption.
Sanjay Kumar, General Secretary and CEO, WGIC elaborating on the MOU commented, “Infrastructure is one of largest market for geospatial industry, and we do recognise momentum towards spatially enabling digitalisation process of construction workflows and its integration with BIM. We at WGIC firmly believe that standards are significant determinant of successful implementation of digital capabilities across range of applications around infrastructure and smart cities. We are excited to join hands with bSI and work together to facilitate greater collaboration between geospatial and AEC industry. ”
The MoU signed between WGIC and bSI will go a long way in creating awareness on the role that location-based and BIM technologies can play in not just saving infrastructure costs but also in mapping end to end asset lifecycle.