This document summarizes a presentation on the digital transformation of civil engineering and construction. It discusses drivers for digital transformation like client demands for more information and improved productivity. It also discusses the potential for a national digital twin and recent research projects. These include a BIM search engine called 3DIR, identifying national capabilities needed for information management, and applications of augmented and virtual reality. The presentation concludes that the UK is a world leader in areas like mandating BIM use and is in an exciting time for digital transformation in the built environment sector.

1. Digital Transformation of Civil
Engineering and Construction
Dr Peter Demian. Reader in BIM
12th June 2020, RACE -2020, VJIT, Hyderabad (Online)

2. • Reader in BIM
• Leader of Construction
Management Group
• Programme Director for MSc
programme in Construction
• Research on information
management
• Background in Civil Engineering
• https://www.lboro.ac.uk/departm
ents/abce/staff/peter-demian/
• Loughborough University S of
ABCE:
https://www.lboro.ac.uk/departm
ents/abce/
Peter Demian – Bio Notes

3. Outline
• Drivers for Digital Transformation
• Digital Twins, a National Digital Twin
• Recent Research
– BIM Search Engine (3DIR)
– National capabilities needed in Information
Management
– Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality
• Conclusions: UK Perspective

4. Source: The Times

5. Drivers for Digital Transformation 1/2
• Clients Demands: Clients (especially the UK
Government) increasingly want to "buy information" as
well as "buy a building", e.g. report "Industrial strategy:
government and industry in partnership: Building
Information Modelling" or "Construction 2025”
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/upl
oads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/210099/bis-
13-955-construction-2025-industrial-strategy.pdf
• More Effective Delivery of Design and Construction
Services: Boost productivity, e.g. ICE Project 13:
http://www.p13.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/P13-
Blueprint-Web.pdf

6. Drivers for Digital Transformation 2/2
• Operation and Maintenance: Hackitt Report following Grenfell disaster: " A
‘golden thread’ of good quality information will also enable future building
owners to better manage their buildings
safely." https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/syste
m/uploads/attachment_data/file/707785/Building_a_Safer_Future_-
_web.pdf
• Improved services that depend on Built Environment Infrastructure: "Data
for the Public Good" https://www.nic.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Data-for-
the-Public-Good-NIC-Report.pdf
• Flourishing Systems, focusing on People, Connections, Sustainability,
Digitalisation https://www.cdbb.cam.ac.uk/files/flourishing-
systems_final_digital.pdf

7. ICE P13 as exemplar for all drivers
https://youtu.be/Q-zyEQt5SKE

8. A National Digital Twin?
• Digital Twins:
– Help us to operate and maintain physical twins more effectively
– A Model…. Not a new idea
– Digital and Physical Twins are tightly coupled
– Rea-time data from sensors. Internet of Things
• On a National Scale:
– GEMINI Principles
https://www.cdbb.cam.ac.uk/DFTG/GeminiPrinciples
– information Management Framework:
https://www.cdbb.cam.ac.uk/news/pathway-towards-IMF
• Compare to WWW

9. GEMINI Principles
https://youtu.be/GoIv5ritEiM

10. BIM Search Engine (3D Information Retrieval)
• The 3DIR project, https://www.3dir.org/
https://youtu.be/mbwbT1jYSUE

11. Effect of Information Standards on Retrieval
Performance

12. • Webpage:
https://www.cdbb.cam.ac.uk/CDB
BResearchBridgehead/Networks/2
018Network_FOuNTAIN
• Final Report:
https://doi.org/10.17863/CAM.404
56
• Capability 0: Capability to gauge
Information Management maturity.
• Capability 1a: Capability to
establish the appropriate scope of
standardisation.
• Capability 1b: Capability to design
or extend existing ontologies in
general.
• Capability 2: Capability to develop
current classification systems,
schema and frameworks, Uniclass
2015 in particular.
• Capability 3: Capability to develop
Information Management
software.
• Capability 4: Capability to identify
and derive business value from
Information Management.
National Capabilities Needed in Information
Management

13. Applications of Virtual, Augmented Reality
“A research agenda for augmented and virtual reality in architecture,
engineering and construction”
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1474034620300914

14. Concluding Thoughts: UK Industrial Context
• UK is a world leader
– Pioneer in mandating BIM
– Industry 4.0
• An exciting time to be working in the Built Environment