Quickscan Waterschap AA en Maas
Beecot 08/10/24
Assignment
Recently, we held a LinkedIn giveaway offering a free Quickscan from Beecot. The Quickscan is targeted at organizations interested in transitioning to (building) management based on Building Information Modeling (BIM) but are unsure of the current state of their model or what is required for the transition.
Execution
As part of the Quickscan, Beecot visited the location to conduct a mini-verification of the BIM model using the Beecot Fieldapp. This app projects the BIM model onto the real-world environment using Augmented Reality (AR), allowing for a straightforward comparison between the model and reality. The outcome of this process is a report detailing discrepancies between the model and the actual site. Once these discrepancies are resolved, the model becomes a fully functional Digital Twin.
The lucky winner of this Quickscan was Henk-Jan Melis, a freelance BIM manager primarily working on BIM projects for water boards. He suggested using the Quickscan for the Aa en Maas water board in North Brabant, which is currently transitioning to BIM and is open to having their model reviewed. The selected site for this verification was the sludge dewatering building at the Den Bosch Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP).
Current Status: On June 20, Beecot conducted the Quickscan at the Den Bosch site. The initial assessment indicated that asset management was already at a high level, with most assets tagged with unique metal labels linked to the Ultimo asset management system.
Challenges: Although many assets were tagged, some lacked labels. The question arose whether these assets were missing from Ultimo or just missing a physical tag. Due to gases released at the WWTP, the metal tags had deteriorated, making some labels illegible.
Result
Beecot received the model from Autodesk Construction Cloud and utilized the Beecot Fieldapp to access it through AR. Using Beecot’s validation module, both the building's geometry and its assets were verified. Verified spaces and assets were marked accordingly, and the floor plan was color-coded to indicate which areas were checked and which still needed review.
For assets requiring updates or missing from the model, Beecot created BIM Collaboration Format (BCF) topics. Photos were attached to each BIM object, complete with camera viewpoints, enabling the modeler to view the photo in context and thereby reducing time and minimizing errors.
- Data enrichment: The model was further enhanced with metadata. Nameplates were digitized and converted into data to create a comprehensive and consistent asset list.
- Insights: The sludge dewatering building’s geometry closely matched the actual structure, with most assets represented in the model. For missing assets, BCF topics were created. However, many installations weren’t separated into individual assets, meaning that components like pumps, sensors, or valves weren’t individually clickable, despite having unique tags.
- The model and the asset list in Ultimo can be enriched with data from asset nameplates. Digital tags now eliminate the need for physical tags, addressing the problem of deteriorated and illegible asset codes.