BIM HDB Singapore

BIM FOR LAND SURVEYORS: CHALLENGES & OPPORTUNITIES
Loh Suat Yena

a Properties & Land Group, Department of Land Information, Housing & Development Board,
SINGAPORE ([email protected])
KEY WORDS: BIM, Land Surveying
ABSTRACT:
Innovative and integrated developments designed to maximise land use and connectivity in the land scarce Singapore is
becoming commonplace. On the other hand, the construction industry is experiencing labour shortage as Singapore has
tightened its workforce policy on foreign labour due to concerns of overcrowding. This gives impetus to improving the
productivity of the Singapore construction industry through the innovative technology of Building Information Modelling
(BIM). This paper discusses the current landscape of the land surveying industry in terms of 3D BIM implementation in
Singapore. While there are challenges of BIM implementation to the practice of land surveying, there are also opportunities
in BIM for land surveyors.
1. INTRODUCTION of BIM applications that the various construction

professional can leverage to improve their productivity are
1.1 Impetus for BIM implementation very diverse. There are many challenges for land surveyors
to overcome to embrace BIM. The key question is what are
The Singapore Government has announced the widely the opportunities and potential that BIM can offer to land
anticipated guidance on the population size of about 5.31 surveyors.
million in 2012 to a possible projected 6.5 million to 6.9
million in 2030. To maintain quality urban living, the
development of the physical infrastructure for housing, 2. CHALLENGES OF BIM FOR LAND SURVEYORS
transport and facilities must be ramped up.
2.1 Land Surveying and BIM Development
Innovative and integrated developments that are designed
to maximise land use and connectivity in the land scarce Primarily led by architects and engineers, the focus of many
garden city must be planned and built. On the other hand, BIM developments is defined in terms of the technical
the construction industry is experiencing labour shortage as requirements, submission requirements and practice of
Singapore has tightened its workforce policy on foreign these professionals. In addition, they have enjoyed
labour. This gives impetus to improving the productivity of significant lead time in training, evaluating and testing of
the Singapore construction industry through the innovative BIM models as compared to the land surveyors. As with the
technology of Building Information Modelling (BIM). adoption of any new technology and innovation, land
surveyors must examine the existing work processes,
Singapore promotes the development of BIM through the evaluate how these processes may be adapted and consider
Building Construction Authority (BCA). As the agency to how these reframed processes propagate to our
lead, engage and guide the professionals, BCA also offers stakeholders.
incentives through productivity funding, training and
education to build up the BIM capability and capacity in the
industry. BCA has mandated the phased implementation of
BIM e-Submissions from July 2013 to July 2015.
1.2 What BIM means to Land Surveyors?
BIM is the process of creating accurate 3D digital models for

design, construction, collaboration and operations of the
entire lifecycle of a development. Apart from the important
capability of BIM to allow simulations in a virtual
environment to adjust and check for clash detection to avoid
costly errors before actual construction by the engineers
and architects, many other applications of BIM are being
explored by quantity surveyors and facility managers.
Many describe BIM as a journey and exalt it as a game
changer that will transform the way multi-disciplinary Figure 2.1 Pilot Pilot Project on BIM for Land Surveyors
professionals collaborate and share data. Indeed, the areas
1
To address this challenge, the Singapore Institute of BIM Architectural models have been defined in varying level
Surveyors (SISV), representing the registered land of details or complexity for different stage of the design and
surveyors in Singapore, is collaborating with BCA and different purposes. When working with clients, it is useful
Singapore Land Authority (SLA) on a pilot project on BIM to have a general understanding of the various BIM models
for land surveyors. The BCA BIM Steering Committee (BCA and processes as well as how geospatial data interacts with
BIMSC) was formed to lead the development of BIM these BIM models. Just as 3D geospatial data can be
standards and supporting resources to facilitate the confusing with its array of data source, contents, standards
collaborative use and implementation of BIM in Singapore. and platforms, the same appears to apply to BIM. Clients
It comprises various interest groups and disciplines, may project their perspective of a visually impressive but
including government agencies and professional bodies. much less accurate 3D data model and expect highly visual,
Recent representation of land surveyors from SLA and SISV detailed and accurate survey data.
in this committee is a platform to ensure the industry
participation and contributions by land surveyors to the Laser scanning survey techniques promise efficient and
construction industry. accurate data collection. Point clouds are very useful as a
backdrop and visualization aid in BIM for designing
purposes. However, with current technology, the
2.2 Interoperability of BIM with CAD and GIS remarkable amount of work involved in modelling from
point clouds serves as a reality check in deploying laser
BIM is essentially a 3D model based technology for design scanning to obtain the equivalent of a 3D topographical
and construction of buildings, though increasingly being survey.
adopted for infrastructure. Unlike BIM, CAD and GIS are
more mature and established technologies where The primary requirement by the clients is to provide land
interoperability, data structure and design are less of an survey deliverables that satisfy the existing statutory
issue as are computing power, space and workarounds due requirements and submissions. Arising from the BIM
to file size consideration. implementation, the clients now may impose additional
requirements to the same survey deliverable. Land
surveyors will need to manage unrealistic expectations by
defining and clarifying the various BIM survey deliverables
BIM to their stakeholders.
3. OPPORTUNITIES IN BIM FOR LAND SURVEYORS

CAD GIS 3.1 Role of Land Surveying in BIM
Land surveyors are the geospatial experts who provide the

Figure 2.2 Interoperability between BIM, CAD & GIS geo-location Information in BIM. The existing site contours
and location need to be modelled based on the surveyed
BIM demands a steep learning curve and some investment information. Surface models and condition, model
in new survey equipments, software and hardware from orientation and site configuration as well as the geo-
land surveyors, many of whom are conditioned in referencing of the BIM model must be provided by the
traditional surveying processes. While it is undisputed that surveyor. There are requirements on the data capture and
BIM model is a rich source of information, BIM models have format of topographic surveys to support BIM formats.
huge file sizes leading to demands on the hardware. It is
also generally known that there are interoperability issues Some clients or designers implementing BIM for their
between different BIM software products with inter- projects end up having to rework the survey data when they
conversion resulting in some extent of data loss. This is were unable to obtain BIM compatible survey data. These
inherent in the way data is structured and organized in BIM, clients may become frustrated with the waste of precious
GIS and CAD. The issue of data extraction and data time and have reservations on the accountability,
conversion will have to be sorted out upfront before a responsibility and liability of reworking the survey data
project. which did not originate from them.
2.3 Balancing Expectations between Land Surveyors For developments which integrates existing buildings and
and Stakeholders developments on existing buildings, it is critical that the
measured building is surveyed in BIM or BIM compatible
3D geospatial data and models can be infinitely detailed, format and accurate as-built survey data are available. For
accurate and precise. Yet, we need to consider the cost design of more complex development, more details and 3D
effectiveness of the BIM survey deliverable from the fitness visualisation of the site may be required.
of use perspective. For instance, the accuracy of a BIM site
model for design purpose may not be as stringent of that Land surveyors may need to evaluate the combination of
required in a topographical survey. Along the same line of more than one survey technique to measure the data and
reasoning, it would be thoroughly wasteful to provide too provide them in a format that best suit the requirements of
much detail for structures within a development site which the project after advising the client accordingly. These are
will be demolished before construction. new significant land survey deliverables for BIM that land
surveyors can offer their expertise and services.
While surveyors have been collecting 3D coordinates for a
long time, it is time for us to collect and present them more
quickly and efficiently. It may also be time for us to present
the accurate 3D survey data as accurate 3D models to a BIM-
centric process as the land development industry embrace
BIM.
3.2 Role of BIM in Land Surveying
Beyond “Field to BIM”, land surveyors can also look forward

“BIM to Field”. Mergers and acquisitions of surveying
equipment companies have led to the integration of BIM
into surveying equipments. One such development is the
acquisition of Tekla by Trimble. The land surveyor can
literally bring the BIM model into the field during actual
construction, resulting in smoother workflows and
communication between the two.
BIM software provides functionalities to calculate room

areas according to the standards defined for the area. It is
possible that apart from the calculation of gross floor area
(GFA) in the BIM model by the architects, the BIM model can
be used as a basis for checking and computation of strata
areas. BIM is not only increasingly used for modeling
buildings, it is also increasingly applied to infrastructures.
Where the structures are subterranean or airspace, the
visualization or clash detection capability provided by these
BIM models is a great advantage as some parts of the
structures are not accessible for physical survey. Similarly,
the 3D aspect of BIM models will facilitate the
implementation of 3D cadastre since geo-referenced 3D
volumes of the strata unit may be readily available with the
implementation of BIM submissions.
4. SUMMARY
This paper discusses the current landscape of the land

surveying industry in the area of 3D BIM modelling in
Singapore. It highlights the challenges of BIM
implementation to the practice of land surveying as well as
opportunities in BIM for land surveyors.
5. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
On behalf of the SISV LS BIM committee, I would like to

acknowledge the support provided by Ms Huang Yixiang
from BCA Centre of Construction IT Excellence and Mr Soon
Kean Huat from SLA Land Survey Division for the pilot
project. In addition, I would like to acknowledge the
support provided by my employer, the Housing &
Development Board. I look forward to the close
collaboration and cooperation by all the stakeholders in
working toward the development of BIM for Land Surveying
in Singapore over the next two years,

BIM HDB Singapore

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BIM FOR LAND SURVEYORS: CHALLENGES & OPPORTUNITIES

Loh Suat Yena

KEY WORDS: BIM, Land Surveying

1. INTRODUCTION of BIM applications that the various construction

1.2 What BIM means to Land Surveyors?

BIM is the process of creating accurate 3D digital models for

3. OPPORTUNITIES IN BIM FOR LAND SURVEYORS

Land surveyors are the geospatial experts who provide the

3.2 Role of BIM in Land Surveying

Beyond “Field to BIM”, land surveyors can also look forward

BIM software provides functionalities to calculate room

This paper discusses the current landscape of the land

On behalf of the SISV LS BIM committee, I would like to

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