MSc Geomatics GEO1008 February-April 2019

Assignment 5: Investigation of open standards supporting GeoBIM activities.

Overview of the assignment

For this assignment, you will take part to an on-going scientific activity of the 3D geoinformation group, investigating the technical solutions that are available to read, manage and analyse open standard-based 3D models involved in the GeoBIM information: IFC models and CityGML models.

The feedback you will give about the structure of this activity and the work you will perform will be very important for the investigation.

Read the whole description of the initiative in the GeoBIM benchmark website.

Working groups

Make groups of 4-5 people. These will be in turn splitted in 2 sub-groups (A and B), performing the same work.

Tasks

Each group will perform one of these two tasks (n.1 or n.3 in the whole project):

  • Task 1 - The support for IFC within BIM (and other) software

  • Task 3 - The support for CityGML within GIS (and other) tools

If a group is interested, it will be also possible to choose the Task 4:

  • Task 4 - Options for conversion: IFC to CItyGML anf CityGML to IFC

NOTE that, for your interest (you can see a wider part of the problem), there will be balance in the class in the choice of the tasks.

There will be no differences in evaluating the kind of test performed: your accuracy and critical sense in the work will be considered, in relation to your understanding of the data; the tested **software performances will not, obviously, influence the final mark!

Software

A software will be assigned to each group, to be tested performing the task.

If you are familiar with a specific tool, we can consider together if it fits for the task needs.

If possible, you will be provided with an educational licence, when needed.

NOTE: For your interest, each group will test a different software.* And, again, there will be no differences in evaluating the kind of test performed: your accuracy and critical sense in the work will be considered, in relation to your understanding of the data; the tested software performances will not, obviously, influence the final mark!

Assignment steps

In subgroups (2 people).

Step.1) After you will know your group, subgroup, task and software to be tested, you can register to the GeoBIM benchmark initiative through the registration form; if you will deliver suitable results, and if you want, you will be added to the official list of participants to the benchmark.

When the form asks ‘what do you study?’, please explicit also ‘geo1008 student’

Results template

In subgroups (2 people).

Step.2) Carefully read the website and the descriptions of your interest (data, tasks, and so on) and download the data you need.

You will read the description of the task and of the needed data, and will be able to download the data from the GeoBIM benchmark website.

There, you will also find the link to the needed online results template for delivering the test results (a word version of them will be also available, to give you a overall in-sight of the task).

Step.3) Perform the task with your assigned software and fill in the (online) results template.

The tested software performances will not, obviously, influence the final mark! What you must care in this phase is the completeness of the information that you deliver and the accuracy in the answers: e.g. knowledge of software (e.g. try to understand if the software has the asked functionality or can be enhanced through additional plugins or tools, avoiding answering ‘the software can’t do it’, obviously, when possible); settings description, when needed; workflow descriptions, when needed; useful screen-shots, when needed, and so on.

For delivering it, you will only need to submit the complete online forms, before the deadline 27/03/2019 h. 7.00 am. Please, note that the results templates are splitted in more than one form (12 for Task 1, 7 for Task 3); all of them must be submitted.

Report

In subgroups (2 people).

Step.4) Write a report (max 5 pages), having this structure:

  • Short introduction about the assigned task and motivating your choices (the task and the software);

  • A report about the performed task, with specific comments to the followed steps (pointing out problems, particularities, specific strength points of the tool and any other information that, in your opinion, is worth reporting to have a better understanding of the tool, of the data, of the work);

  • A conclusion about the performed test, including a critical judgement of the kind of data used, the analysed open standard, the analysed software (possible improvements, main pros and cons, would you use it again for your profession, or in future?). How effectively the software could be used for performing GeoBIM activities, working with data for GeoBIM (What advantaged could it offer, main drawbacks, what is eventually missing and so on)? A further part containing subjective opinions about the issue is also welcome.

The reports will be evaluated considering:

  • Their structure;
  • The accuracy in the reported information (details, references, images, screenshots. etc.);
  • the critical sense in evaluating the work, the data and the obtained results (e.g. what can be the problem when something does not work, what could be better / worse, why, is something useful or not, and so on).

Again, no importance will be given to the results of the tests itself.

Deliver the report following this link before the deadline 27/03/2019 h. 7.00 am. Remember to add your names, surnames, subgroup.

Sharing of Results and Reports

In subgroups (2 people).

Deadline for delivering the filled Results template and the (draft) report is on 27/03/2019 at 7:00 am.

After that, all the delivered results and reports will be available to everyone to this link.

You are encouraged to have a look to (at least) some of them: at least another one performing your same task and one performing the other task.

You will need to prepare some questions to feed the discussion after the presentations (see further).

Share your questions (in word or text document format) with us following this link before the deadline 03/03/2019 h. 7.00 am. Remember to add your names, surnames, subgroup.

Presentations

In groups (4 people).

Prepare a 10min presentation based on the joint results and contents of the reports of the 2 subgroups, working together, comparing the differences and enriching the individual works.

This will be presented to the others on the 02/04/2019.

The structure of the presentation will be similar to the delivered documents:

  • Short introduction about the task and choices motivation;
  • Performed task and main results, with specific comments to the followed steps (pointing out problems, particularities, specific strength points of the tool and any other information that, in your opinion, is worth reporting to have a better understanding of the tool, of the data, of the work);
  • Conclusion.

The presentation can be done by 2 people (e.g. 1 per subgroup).

The agenda for the 02/04/2019 (14.00 - 16.00), room BK-Collegezaal E will be the following:

  • 13.45–14.15: Presentations for ‘Task 1 support for IFC’. 3 groups: 3 presentations 10’
  • 14.15–14.45: Presentations for ‘Task 2 support for CityGML’. 3 groups: 3 presentations 10’
  • 14.45–15.00: break

  • 15.00–16.00: Discussion:

    • Questions to Task 1 groups
    • Questions to Task 2 groups
    • Final considerations (open standards / software / BIM / GeoBIM)

Finalisation

After the presentations, you will finalise the report, also adding a section about the comparison of your work with the one of the other subgroup, the presentations and the followed discussion.

Deliver the finalised report following this link before the deadline 11/04/2019 h. 7.00 am. Remember to add your names, surnames, subgroup.

Important dates

1) Wednesday 27/03/2019 h. 07.00 am - Deadline

Deliver:

  • the results of the test in the results template (by submitting the completed web form)
  • the draft report

2) Monday 01/04/2019 h. 10.00 am - Deadline

Deliver:

  • a couple of questions about the reports and results of the others

3) Tuesday 02/04/2019 h. 14.00-16.00 room BK-Collegezaal E

Presentations

4) Monday 11/04/2019 h. 7.00 am - Deadline

Deliver:

  • the finalised report.

Marks criteria

30% - Delivered results in the results template:

  • Completeness of the information
  • Accuracy in the answers (Once more: the software performaces does not affect your mark)

40% - Reports, before and after the presentations:

  • Structure;
  • Accuracy in the reported information (images, screenshots, etc.);
  • Critical sense in evaluating the work, the data, the obtained results;
  • Outcomes of the discussion after the presentations

25% - Presentation:

  • Structure;
  • Clearness;
  • Synthesis in joining the results and the experiences of the 2 subgroups

5% - Given feedback

  • Questions to the others, interest in the activities, and so on.