The document provides an overview of integration patterns between Building Information Modeling (BIM) and Geographic Information Systems (GIS), highlighting various models such as classic ETL, ELT, and web-to-web client integration. It discusses the benefits and challenges associated with these integration methods, including the importance of maintaining data fidelity and user experience. Additionally, the document outlines Esri's current initiatives and future plans to enhance BIM-GIS integration through improved protocols and tools.

1. Esri Technology Update
Integration Patterns with BIM and GIS
Chris Andrews, Group Product Manager, Esri

2. Safe Harbor Statement: This presentation includes
forward-looking roadmap and schedule information that
may include dates, release numbers, or scope that could
change without notice. Customers and partners are
advised not to make business or purchasing decisions
based on such forward-looking statements.

3. GeoEnabled Systems
Enabling geospatially powered, complete workflows for new Esri users
ArcGIS Urban
ArcGIS Indoors
ArcGIS Hub
ArcGIS for AutoCAD ArcGIS Earth ArcGIS Utility Network
Management
ArcGIS Business Analyst
ArcGIS Excalibur
ArcGIS Parcel ManagementArcGIS Mission (2020)
Developed in
Esri
Professional
Services

4. Facilities &
Public Works
O&M
ArcGIS Indoors
ArcGIS Utility Network
Management
Land
Records
ArcGIS Parcel Fabric
ArcGIS for AutoCAD
3D
Parcels
Planning
Utilities
Indoors
Imagery
Urban
Planning
ArcGIS Urban
Public
Safety
ArcGIS Mission
ArcGIS Earth
Dashboards
Citizen
Engagement
ArcGIS Hub
Community Analyst
Construction
AutoCAD
BIM360 Integration
ArcGIS Collector
Models
Costs
Materials
Schedules
Transportation
and Utilities
Engineering
AutoCAD Civil 3D
Architectural &
Structural
Design
Revit
Conceptual
Design
InfraWorks
GeoEnabled Systems = [Smart Assets + Project Delivery]

5. 3D
Visualization
Interaction
Analysis
Simulation
Content Creation and Editing

6. AEC/CAD/BIM
ArcGIS for AutoCAD
CAD, Revit, &
BIM 360 in
ArcGIS Pro
Building Scene Layers
Interactive tools
BIM data exploration tools
BIM + GIS in web experiences
Accurate representation of
BIM & asset content
Indoor experiences
CityGML to I3S

7. BIM-GIS integration patterns
✓ Classic Extract-Translate-Load (ETL)
✓ BIM as 3D graphics
✓ Web-to-web client integration
✓ Extract-Load-Translate (ELT) – Seamless reuse
✓ Standards-based ETL

8. BIM-GIS integration patterns
✓ Classic ETL
✓ BIM as 3D graphics
✓ Web-to-web client integration
✓ ELT – Seamless reuse
✓ Standards-based ETL

9. Classic Extract-Translate-Load (ETL)
• Use a scriptable or manual tool to read geometry and attributes
from one database or file format in a particular schema, convert
to another schema, then load into a target database or file format
• Pros
- Accessible to developers and configurators
- Flexible to apply case-by-case
- Respects ‘system of record’ source of content
• Cons/Challenges
- Can require ongoing maintenance
- Can result in loss of data, typically one directional
- Difficult to maintain bidirectional relationships
Safe Software’s FME is the
gold standard in ETL software
in the geospatial industry

10. Classic ETL
• Classic ETL workflows are here to stay

11. Classic ETL
• Classic ETL workflows are here to stay
• How we’re supporting classic ETL integration
- Partner with Safe Software to enhance FME & incorporate more FME capabilities into
the ArcGIS Data Interoperability Extension
- Build data import & GP workflows as needed to support high priority industry needs
ArcGIS Indoors ArcGIS Data Interoperability Extension

12. BIM-GIS integration patterns
✓ Classic ETL
✓ BIM as 3D graphics
✓ Web-to-web client integration
✓ ELT – Seamless reuse
✓ Standards-based ETL

13. BIM as 3D Graphics
• Convert CAD/BIM content to a common 3D graphics
file format to insert into geospatial context
• Pros
- Looks good; Meets basic visualization use cases
- Enables VR/MR uses
• Cons/Challenges
- “Seeing is believing” - Poor understanding of 3D graphics by end
customers leads to misconceptions about integration
- Loss of attributes & metadata
- GIS software has limited support for textures and materials
- Can result in heavy, monolithic geometries

14. BIM as 3D Graphics
• High end 3D visuals are becoming expected by our customers
- Game engine workflows leading to AR/VR and other new experiences
- Design-Viz workflows need better visuals for sales and approvals
- Reality Capture data collection is making achievable realism ubiquitous

15. BIM as 3D Graphics
• High end 3D visuals are expected by our customers
- Game engine workflows leading to AR/VR
- Design-Viz workflows for sales and approvals
- Reality Capture = ubiquitous achievable realism
• How we’re supporting BIM as 3D Graphics
- DataSmith CityEngine workflow & VR project
- glTF as a marker symbol
- Planning PB materials spec from glTF for I3S
- Planning to support textures from Revit
- Planning Unity & Unreal Engine plug-ins

16. BIM-GIS integration patterns
✓ Classic ETL
✓ BIM as 3D graphics
✓ Web-to-web client integration
✓ ELT – Seamless reuse
✓ Standards-based ETL

17. Web-to-web client integration
• Combine web interfaces across multiple systems to provide
a common portal or dashboard with related content
• Pros
- Often designed with end-user in mind
- Accessible to web developers
- Respects ‘system of record’ source of content
• Cons/Challenges
- Deceptively simple - Lack of common indexing schemes makes
this more complicated than many end users realize
- Can require navigation of multiple authentication patterns,
user accounts, data and versioning patterns
2017 prototype developed
by Esri UK

18. Web-to-web client integration
• Merges the power of GIS as a communication tool with design
and construction data and workflows for project communication,
smart city dashboards, and asset management

19. Web-to-web client integration
• Merges the power of GIS as a communication tool with design
and construction data and workflows for project communication,
smart city dashboards, and asset management
• How we’re supporting easier web-to-web client integration
- Extensive customization through ArcGIS API for JavaScript,
ArcGIS OpenREST services
- New I3S Building Scene Layer captures BIM semantics,
metadata, and graphics
- Planning template for partners/customers to
develop integrated BIM360-ArcGIS web apps
2019 prototype

20. BIM-GIS integration patterns
✓ Classic ETL
✓ BIM as 3D graphics
✓ Web-to-web client integration
✓ ELT – Seamless reuse
✓ Standards-based ETL

21. ELT – Seamless reuse
• Hide schema conversion and data access and immediately translate
or transform content for use in a destination application or system
• Pros
- Content appears to be native to the destination
- Enables progressive improved use of source information over time
- Facilitates bidirectional workflows through conservation of metadata
• Cons/Challenges
- Requires extensive SDK/API access to source content
- Requires extensive knowledge of source domain
- Requires program-level BIM specifications
- Leads to the perception that source and destination can do
the same operations on content

22. ELT – Seamless reuse
• ELT is the highest cost experience to create
• Provides the best end user experience
• AEC/BIM domain heterogeneity makes it unlikely that Esri will
be able to support ELT workflows for every vendor/format

23. ELT – Seamless reuse
• ELT is the highest cost capability to create
• Provides the best end-user experience
• AEC/BIM domain heterogeneity makes it unlikely that Esri will
be able to support ELT workflows for every vendor/format
• How we plan to support ELT workflows
- ArcGIS for AutoCAD direct read of GIS (since 2007)
- ArcGIS Pro direct read of Revit
- Planning direct read from Autodesk BIM 360,
Civil 3D, IFC
- Support additional formats based on future
availability of vendor APIs
Data courtesy of University of Kentucky
Revit in ArcGIS Pro
ArcGIS for
AutoCAD

24. BIM-GIS integration patterns
✓ Classic ETL
✓ BIM as 3D graphics
✓ Web-to-web client integration
✓ ELT – Seamless reuse
✓ Standards-based ETL

25. Standards-based ETL
• Translate data from one standard format into another
standard format for use across systems
• Pros
- Executive customers like data in open standards because data are perceived to be
permanently and universally accessible
- Vendor-maintained open formats offer good point-to-point integration opportunity
• Cons/Challenges
- Standards evolve in isolation and don’t share common context or metadata
- Frequent confusion by executive customers that there is one model to rule them all
- Standards may reflect historical technology problems
- Translation out vendor-maintained formats almost always results in data loss
- Variable support for non-vendor driven open standards
- Open format to open format is always lossy

26. Standards-based ETL
• ArcGIS supports numerous open standards
• Esri has submitted specifications, open APIs, free tools, and
restriction-free IP to the community
• Continue to favor standards with broad vendor adoption and that
support modern performance and data exchange requirements

27. Standards-based ETL
• ArcGIS supports numerous open standards
• Esri has submitted specifications, open APIs, free tools, and
restriction-free IP to the community
• Continue to favor standards with broad vendor adoption and that
support modern performance and data exchange requirements
• How we plan to support Standards-based ETL
- CityGML to I3S publisher
- I3S as an OGC Community Standard
- Expanding I3S: Building Scene Layer, Point Clouds
- Removed license restrictions from LERC
- Planning IFC→I3S support pending API/SDK availability CityGML to I3S Publisher

28. BIM-GIS integration patterns
✓ Classic ETL
✓ BIM as 3D graphics
✓ Web-to-web client integration
✓ ELT – Seamless reuse
✓ Standards-based ETL

29. candrews@esri.com
@_ChrisJAndrews
Thank you!