A Web-Based Approach to Dynamically Assessing Space Conflicts by Integrating BIM and Graph Database

Construction activities require materials or resources to be arranged while planning the route of how these materials or resources can be transported is not a simple process. Traditionally, subcontractors will arrange a daily meeting and negotiate the desired space on site for the next day's resource transporting. However, many of them only use 2D drawings or aerial images while discussing the routes which lack an accurate calculation on space conflicts. In this paper, an approach combining Building Information Modelling (BIM) and Graph Database (GraphDB) is proposed. With the help from 3D BIM models, the coordinates of resource transporting routes can be first extracted and further analysed by the proposed approach. From the result, the collisions along the planning routes can be detected to assist in making a proper transporting plan. In addition, a web-based platform is developed for validation of this approach. Because the platform is a shared one, each user can arbitrarily plot their desired transporting routes in the model at any time. As long as the actual transporting schedule is known for the corresponding route, the platform can dynamically and instantly inspect whether the desired routes will collide with others. In this way, we can eliminate conflicts prior to the start of those activities and potential delay in the construction process can be reduced.