Drones as Sensor to Create Digital Twins and 3D Models in BIM for Sustainable Construction : A Hands-on Workshop and Post-processing Demonstration

Workshop Presentation
Christian Janke  

As aerial robots, drones support digitalization and business transformation in various ways. The integration of drones into the relatively new field of Building Information Modeling (BIM) processes is reshaping the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industries. Here, drones equipped with photogrammetry and LiDAR sensors allow for detailed and efficient site data capture. High-resolution imagery and 3D models generated through drone technology provide accurate terrain and structural information, which can be directly integrated into BIM platforms. This capability improves design accuracy and reduces errors during construction phases. This presentation introduces the general concept of drones as BIM sensor and how aerial robots will contribute to greener and more sustainable business transformation. After defining the metrics and benchmarks of drone utilization, a relation to the BIM and digital twins will be given and several real-world use case opportunities will be introduced and contextualized. Furthermore, an interactive hands-on experiment involving workshop participants will demonstrate how a 3D model of any chosen object can be created with a smartphone camera and cloud-based post processing software platform.