Providing real-estate services through the integration of 3D laser scanning and building information modelling

There is an opportunity for real-estate services sector to deliver more accurate, faster and quality building surveys and information models. This paper reports on a study, designed to establish automated procedures for the development of a digital model to assist in faster and better services and delivery of real-estate services by integrating 3D laser scanning and BIM technology. It proposes an intuitive and interactive building model that is easy to query and navigate, and thus support property developers, buyers and sellers in the property sales sector. An outline of the new approach is provided to illustrate the benefits of the proposed method to the real-estate services sector. The key arguments in the paper are consolidated by the results of a qualitative study amongst real-estate professionals, which sought to determine the added value of BIM-3D laser scanning in comparison to conventional building surveying and Computer Aided Design (CAD) methods. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.