This column was previously published (in Dutch) by BIMregister in March 2022. BIMregister connects organizations and professionals who work with BIM in their own network.
By Jeroen Methorst
Centimetre accurate control
Before we look at the role of control, let’s look back at the previous blog and at surveying equipment. Thanks to a survey pole, survey software, and satellite signals, it is possible to draw centimetre accurate points, lines, and polygons on a digital map. Jeroen Methorst is the marketing manager at marXact: “This surveyed information can be provided with your own object and layer names, which you can adapt to your own activities. How about a type of brick and ‘exterior wall’ if your model concerns a building that is yet to be developed? The basis of your BIM model is therefore very specific already and that is where your control starts; when creating custom objects and layers that make your work easier.”
In control
According to Jeroen, the control goes further than that: “You survey yourself, you use your own pole and software, and you can choose to synchronize with your own cloud environment immediately. This means that you are in control from start to finish and no errors can arise due to incorrect or incomplete information transfers between different parties. You manage the process and actually choose what it looks like. Yes, we offer hardware and software, but do so on an open-source basis. Our products can be linked to those of other providers thanks to our own API and that is actually how it should be. Manufacturers and suppliers really need to work together to give users a personalized experience and let them take control.”
Control with BIM
After collecting the right information, it is time to fill in the BIM model. “You retain control here and not just because you have collected the requested information yourself. You fill in the model for that specific project yourself and distribute the information per stakeholder involved directly. This distribution of information ensures that you not only maintain control but also an overview.
During the execution of a project, the model can be continuously adjusted, updated, and expanded with newly surveyed data. This flexibility makes sure that you can move along with the process, if needed. Use all that information for a targeted evaluation afterwards, based on the most recent and accurate version of your BIM model. It makes your job so much easier!”
About marXact
marXact develops, produces, and supplies hardware and software to make centimetre accurate surveying easy and affordable. They focus on anyone who is working ‘in the field’ and therefore has the opportunity to survey points, lines, and polygons themselves.
