Research

Made possible by AECO Innovation Lab and Mitacs Accelerate Grants Program, bSC is working in partnership with research teams from across Canada on one of the largest digital twin research projects in Canada. Read more about the sub-projects below and how you can join our research efforts.

1. BIM & GIS Integration - Coming Soon

The interoperability between BIM and GIS will be explored both theoretically and with working demonstration using real project examples. The importance of mixing these data silos is more crucial with municipalities and owners working toward a goal of City Information Models and Digital Twins. To achieve an interoperability goal the similarities and differences of BIM and GIS data structure will be explored along with the types of attribute data. Further the long-term access to data to support full lifecycle process will rely heavily on openBIM and openGIS which will be the foundation of the whitepaper and project explorations.

Collaborators: AECO + CIMS

3. Digital Twin Use Case Directory - Coming Soon

This project collaboration between Carleton Immersive Lab, AECO Innovation Lab, and bSC National Infrastructure Council will explore all the possible use cases of digital twins and city information models. The diversity of this collaboration will bring fruitful discussion, uncover many opportunities for owners and municipalities, and explore how BIM and digital twins can impact the full building lifecycle from planning to development approvals to managing built assets more effectively.

Collaborators: AECO + CIMS
- We are looking for collaborators to join the National Infrastructure Council (NIC) and bring real-life experiences and needs

4. Digital Twin for Decarbonization

This is a Mitacs project with ETS to build a tool for bSC to rate digital twin’s use for a variety of sustainability goals. There is a lot of interest by owners and government bodies in decarbonization and other improvements needed to combat climate change. This tool will bring clarity to how digital twins can be leveraged.

Collaborators: AECO + ETS
- We are looking for collaborators to join NIC and bring use cases and research needs forward as part of this effort

5. Digital Seals for BIM

Digital seal and authentication for 2D PDFs has been successfully implemented, however the digital transformation toward Model as Legal Document (MALD) will require seal and authentication of 3D BIM. This research project will inventory all the existing jurisdictions that have implemented MALD and if or how they have sealed and authenticated the BIM. It will explore the technical aspects of validation and authentication of data and data exchange.

Collaborators: AECO + ETS + Notarius / Portage
- We are looking for collaborators to comment, test, and pilot digital seals for BIM

6. Planning Requirements Review

The current development approval process is complex due to multiple authorities having the power to review and comment on applications, each with their own sub-processes and requirements. This project aims to achieve a better understanding of the development approval process and its impact on land use, by identifying key metrics for measuring efficiency. By providing transparency into the complicated processes, this will allow for more informed decision making by authorities, leading to adjustments that streamline procedures and requirements.

Collaborators: AECO + RESCON
- We are looking for collaborators to simplify development process and improve decision-making through key metric identification.