Integration of Building Information Modeling (BIM) and Geographic Information System (GIS) to Develop a Smart City

To counteract urban population growth, research centers have devised city development strategies as well as the concept of intelligent cities. The present study aims to examine how building information modeling (BIM) and geographical information system (GIS) can be integrated to establish principles that govern intelligent cities and enhance their efficiency. It also delineates the potential advantages of BIM and GIS integration for future developments in various other areas.

Taking advantage of a meta-synthesis methodology, this study has researched the concepts of BIM and GIS in Farsi and English databases, identifying knowledge gaps in previous studies, while examining their integration for the purposes of this project.

Considering the distinct qualities of BIM and GIS, it is essential to integrate the two models in a three-dimensional environment, as their effective synergy must be supported by a viable platform. Our findings confirm that by undertaking CIM models, city managers and the construction sector can significantly enhance intelligent cities. Furthermore, to improve productivity and achieve sustainable management, BIM and GIS data should be used at different levels of semantic models.

Managerial issues concerning vertical construction cannot be resolved by using two-dimensional data available on maps. The integration of BIM and GIS can, however, effectively solve managerial problems in infrastructure development projects – both horizontal and vertical. The integration of these two models provides sustainable support for an intelligent city in that both models have distinctive capabilities for data unification, quantitative analysis, technology applications, and city management.