Systems and methods for presenting building information
Described herein are systems and methods for presenting building information. In overview, the technologies described herein provide relationships between Building Information Modeling (BIM) data (which includes building schematics defined in terms of standardized three dimensional models) and Building Management System (BMS) data (which includes data indicative of the operation of building components such as HVAC components and the like). Some embodiments use relationships between these forms of data thereby to assist technicians in identifying the physical location of particular pieces of equipment, for example in the context of performing inspections and/or maintenance. In some cases this includes the provision of 2D and/or 3D maps to portable devices, these maps including the location of equipment defined both in BIM and BMS data. In some cases, augmented reality technology is applied thereby to provide richer access to positional information.
1. A method for delivering to a user of a portable device data representative of the location of a piece of hidden equipment, the method including:
accessing a repository of Building Information Modeling (BIM) data for a building, the BIM data being representative of a 3D virtual model for the building;
operating an image registration model thereby to generate a plurality of 2D virtual images of regions within the building, wherein the 2D virtual images are captured from virtual viewpoints;
receiving data indicative of an image captured at an image capture device provided by the portable device, the captured image representative of a real life internal region of a building;
comparing the captured image with the plurality of 2D virtual images defined by the image registration model;
based on the comparing, identifying one of the 2D virtual images that corresponds to the captured image, in that the identified one of the 2D virtual images represents a virtual reconstruction from BIM data of the same internal region of the building captured by the capture image;
operating a device information augmentation module thereby to overlay device data to the identified one of the 2D virtual images, wherein the device data includes a location of a piece of hidden equipment, being a piece of equipment is hidden from view behind a floor or a wall, and wherein the overlay identifies the location of the piece of hidden equipment relative to the identified one of the 2D virtual images;
defining a projection of the identified one of the 2D virtual images, with the overlay identifying the location of the piece of hidden equipment, such that the projection is consistent in view point with the captured image; and
based on the projection, applying the overlay identifying the location of the piece of hidden equipment to the captured image,
thereby to assist a user of the portable device in locating hidden equipment that is not able to be visually located.
2. A method according to claim 1 including: receiving positioning information from the mobile device, wherein the positioning information is representative of the position of the mobile device when the captured image is captured; and processing the positioning information thereby define a subset of the 2D virtual images with which the captured image is compared.
3. A system for delivering to a user of a portable device data representative of the location of a piece of hidden equipment in a building, the system comprising:
a memory for storing a repository of Building Information Modeling (BIM) data for a building, the BIM data being representative of a 3D virtual model for the building including hidden equipment;
a controller coupled to the memory, the controller configured to:
receive data indicative of an image captured at an image capture device provided by the portable device, the captured image representative of a real life internal region of a building;
compare the captured image with a plurality of 2D virtual images of regions within the building, wherein the 2D virtual images are generated from the 3D virtual model of the building taken from virtual viewpoints;
identify one of the 2D virtual images that corresponds to the viewpoint of the captured image, in that the identified one of the 2D virtual images represents a virtual reconstruction from BIM data of the same internal region of the building captured by the capture image;
overlay a piece of hidden equipment on the identified one of the 2D virtual images;
define a projection of the identified one of the 2D virtual images, with the overlay identifying the location of the piece of hidden equipment, such that the projection is consistent in view point with the captured image; and
based on the projection, apply the overlay identifying the location of the piece of hidden equipment to the captured image, thereby to assist a user of the portable device in locating hidden equipment in the building.