3D modeling provides every project at Schiphol Airport with a flying start
2 March 2023
When all information is available from the start of a project, risks are limited and costs are saved. If this information is subsequently kept up-to-date, there will be no surprises. The result? A flying start for every project and thus a step closer to structured data. A product of the open collaboration between Allinq and BAM for Schiphol Airport.
In March 2020, Schiphol launched the PointCloud Innovation Challenge, in which smart solutions were developed around Schiphol’s extensive asset portfolio. Allinq left a positive impression and has had a fruitful collaboration with BAM for Schiphol ever since. We spoke to Luuk Moonen, process control manager at BAM construction and technology Schiphol services, Nijs Korevaar, innovation manager at Schiphol and Leander Goor, manager at Allinq Insite, about this development. Luuk: “My main goal is to realize a digital version of Schiphol, so that you can always fall back on high-quality information and thus improve your processes. That is why the PointCloud Innovation Challenge was set up, and from there we looked at which parties we can work with to achieve that goal.”
Deviations visible through 3D modeling
Not long after the challenge was launched, a global pandemic broke out, with major consequences for the airport. No travellers, no income, so budgets for large-scale innovation are lost. The perfect opportunity for Allinq to show what efficient working is all about. Nijs: “We had to think about how we could use our existing assets more intelligently.” Leander proposes a pilot to work with images from existing security cameras in order to map changes in the terminal. At the start of the pilot, the available BIM model of Pier F was shared with Allinq. The camera positions were placed in the correct place in the model, and footage from the cameras is used to make the model accurate. The cameras then take snapshots every night, which are loaded into the 3D model. This compares the situation with the 3D model, so that deviations become visible and can also be processed directly in the model. “A powerful idea from Allinq,” says Nijs. “Other parties entering the challenge focused on initiating a human action after detecting changes from the previous PointCloud image. Thanks to its experience in extensive 3D modeling, Allinq was able to immediately convert a change into a modified model. This innovation makes it possible to continuously check whether the 3D model of Schiphol still matches what the cameras see.”
Setting up management and maintenance also benefits from a good 3D model. Luuk: “For example, if a light bulb is broken, a technician can see in the 3D model what type of light bulb it is, where the control cabinet is located and which group he has to switch off in order to replace the light bulb. That saves a lot of time, and therefore money. In this way we move step by step to structured data from which you can extract information.” The 3D models of parking garage P-Excellence and the BB2E baggage cellar form a basis for this.
Detailed insight into assets
The camera innovation has shown that obtaining the baseline situation of a project can be carried out earlier, at acceptable costs and risks. In order to scale up this pilot to Schiphol as a whole, the airport first needs a good 3D model, Leander concludes. Luuk sees opportunities here with which they can solve one of Schiphol’s biggest problems. “A lot of money is needed to get every project on track in terms of information.” Thanks to Allinq’s expertise in the field of Brownfield Scan to BIM, BAM can map everything down to the millimeter from the start of a project and reuse information, and thus save costs. Luuk: “We have the domain knowledge, and Allinq is really good at mapping existing situations with Scan to BIM technologies.” Leander adds: “That is what Allinq Insite does efficiently. For domain knowledge, we need the help of BAM to ensure that the geometries we generate are provided with the correct information.” Nijs: “Thanks to the combination of continuous checks and sharply decreasing costs per square metre, we can now obtain large-scale baseline measurements in order to give all projects a flying start.”
Digitization of the airport
Large parts of the terminal as a whole are now being digitized instead of project-by-project. For example, all five floors of parking P1 are collected digitally. With this, Allinq is ahead of what Schiphol wants, namely a digital airport in 2040. Nijs: “Thanks to the innovation we once started with the PointCloud Challenge, this is now something that is possible.” To persuade Schiphol to start such an initiative is, according to Luuk, “one of the coolest things” he has done. “What you see is that together we are developing the direction of digitization at the airport, instead of Schiphol prescribing it and having to implement it.” It is therefore clear to him why this is the case: “Open collaboration, fulfilling agreements and a bit of enthusiasm.” “And granting each other something!” Leander adds. “Yes! And understanding from each other that this is a learning process. Sometimes you just have to get started and accept that it is not an A or B, but make sure that the results get better and better.” Nijs: “It should be pleasant and fun with attention for one another, but there should also be a series of projects in which you can test and further develop an innovation together. The combination of BAM and Allinq with Schiphol as a client is a good fit for this. We see equal development potential for new applications. Not everything happens automatically, you run into all kinds of problems when you start doing something new. But if you don’t do it, you’ll miss the boat!”
The right people in the right place
In the future, the men want to look even more innovatively at what is possible with this BIM information, together with more chain partners. Luuk: “The core business of a contractor is getting the right people in the right place, at the right time. When you think about innovation, it’s nothing more than that. And you see that it works, so you continue to grow together.” Nijs: “It is great that we have gone from a PointCloud Innovation Challenge with informal enthusiasm to a project in which we conduct large-scale surveys and ensure that every project at Schiphol begins with a flying start!”