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Section 2

Section 2

Video: Why georeferencing?

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0:00 ♪ [music] ♪

0:13 Where GIS data can cover many scales, from project site to a city or
region

0:18 or even globally, BIM data is usually focused on a detailed design task,

0:22 like a bridge, a building, or a segment of a roadway.

0:26 Because the designers are focused on those detailed design tasks

0:29 and the content of the design, they may not take into consideration

0:33 the context or the real-world location of that design,

0:36 its location, or even coordinates.

0:39 To bring this BIM data into ArcGIS Pro and use it alongside ArcGIS data,

0:44 we need to properly locate the BIM data

0:46 in its correct real-world location.

0:49 This is where we use georeferencing.

0:51 Georeferencing is the process of connecting a BIM file's

0:54 internal coordinate system to a known geographic coordinate system.

0:57 With BIM files, we need to do a bit of investigation on the file

1:00 to determine which combination and processes

1:03 we'll need to use to correctly locate the file.

1:05 I'm going to cover two of the most common georeferencing scenarios

1:09 you may come across when working with BIM data in ArcGIS Pro.

1:14 This first scenario of the BIM file was created with coordinates from

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1:17 a known geographic coordinate system or projection.

1:20 If the coordinate system that was used to place the base point is

1:23 well documented, we can use the Define geoprocessing tool in ArcGIS
Pro.

1:28 The input dataset or feature class is set to the BIM file, and the known

1:32 coordinate system is chosen for the Coordinate System field.

1:35 For a BIM file, this creates a .prj file and stores it alongside the BIM file.

1:41 This .prj or projection file is a plain text file that defines

1:46 the projection, the coordinate system, and the unit of measure

1:49 and will be named the same as the BIM file.

1:52 If you have multiple BIM files all in the same folder and they meet

1:56 the same criteria, that is having coordinates from

1:59 a known coordinate system, we can make a copy of the .prj file

2:02 and rename it to esri_cad.prj.

2:07 By doing this, all BIM and CAD files in that specific folder,

2:10 we use the esri_cad file for defining their projections,

2:14 and you only need to use the geoprocessing tool once.

2:19 After you've run the Define Projection tool, you'll want to bring a single
layer

2:23 from the BIM file into a 2D map within ArcGIS Pro.

2:26 A good layer for this is the building footprint.

2:29 This allows me to test that the projection

2:32 we assigned to the file results in the BIM data

2:34 being correctly located in its real-world location.

2:37 This can be done quickly without the need

2:39 to draw all the complex geometry from the BIM file,

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2:42 which could have many thousands of features.

2:45 If you do not know what the appropriate projection is for your file,

2:49 you'll need to create a new map in your ArcGIS Pro project,

2:52 access the map properties, and make an educated guess

2:55 as to what the projection is.

2:58 In the United States, this is often a state plane coordinate system.

3:02 And globally, a UTM projection is a great place to start.

3:05 Then we'll add the BIM file and look to see if it correctly locates itself.

3:10 If it does, then we'll run the Define Projection geoprocessing tool again

3:13 with the found projection.

3:16 This is an important step as it documents the projection

3:18 and saves others from having to do the same process.

3:22 Without it, the BIM file is only accurate when using that specific map,

3:25 and its Z values or elevation may not be correct.

3:29 If it does not locate properly, the process of finding the projection

3:33 will need to be run again, or you may need to use

3:36 the tools that I'll cover in the second scenario.

3:38 For your exercise, you'll be working with a BIM file

3:41 that falls into the second scenario.

3:43 In this case, we not only do not know the projection, but the file itself

3:47 wasn't given any coordinates as part of the design process.

3:51 We can identify these files in ArcGIS Pro

3:53 because when they were brought into a map or scene,

3:55 they're located off the western coast of Africa, at a location

3:59 affectionately known as Null Island or Zero-Zero.

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4:05 For this process, we'll need to know where

4:07 our BIM file is supposed to be located, and we'll also need

4:10 to identify the appropriate projection system for that location.

4:13 This should be as specific as possible, and conversions to a global system

4:17 can be done later and should not be used for georeferencing files.

4:21 If you have access to the original BIM file author

4:24 or someone else who's familiar with the software application

4:26 that created it, the best practice would be to have them locate

4:29 the BIM file to its correct coordinates in the authoring software

4:32 and then assign a projection in ArcGIS Pro like I did earlier.

4:36 This way, users in the future will not need to go through this process,

4:39 which saves everyone time, money, and frustration.

4:42 If this is not possible, you'll need to go through the full process

4:45 of both assigning an appropriate projection to the BIM file

4:48 and assigning coordinates as well.

4:51 For this georeferencing workflow, I'll need to locate my target location

4:54 and set my map to this chosen projection.

4:57 Next, I'll select the layer from my BIM file in the table of contents.

5:00 Note that you don't need to add all the different layers to your map.

5:03 It's the best practice to just have one layer visible.

5:06 Here, I'm going to only use the building footprint layer

5:08 for my civic center building BIM model.

5:10 When a BIM file is selected, the BIM data contextual tab

5:14 will appear at the top of your project.

5:16 This toolbar is where the tools to georeference a BIM file are located.

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5:20 I'll move my BIM file to my display and use the Move and Rotate tools

5:24 to position it to a known location and save my work.

5:27 Next, I need to create a New Local Scene tab in my ArcGIS Pro project.

5:31 Unlike the map that I used earlier, a scene, whether local or global,

5:35 allows you to view your data in three dimensions.

5:38 Data can be displayed on the ground surface, or in our case,

5:41 the BIM file has elevation or Z values that we need for accurate
placement.

5:47 When I now add the BIM file to my scene,

5:51 I can confirm that the BIM file has the correct elevation.

5:53 If it doesn't, I'll use the Move tools again

5:56 to modify the elevation and save my work.

5:59 And now, if I look in the folder containing the BIM file,

6:02 I'll see that .prj file that defined the projection

6:05 and a .wld3, or world file, that stores the coordinate offsets

6:10 we created through the georeferencing process.

6:14 Again, keeping these files together allows you or another user

6:17 to simply drag and drop the BIM file into a map and scene,

6:21 and it will be at your set location without the need to georeference again.

6:26 These georeferencing workflows for BIM files enable you

6:29 to bring your GIS and BIM together

6:31 and therefore make better, more informed decisions.

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