Khatib & Alami (K&A), the international multi-disciplinary consultancy, has announced that is has further extended its Geographic Information System (GIS) and Building Information Modelling (BIM) capabilities after partnering with Canada-based vGIS, a specialist firm in visualising hidden infrastructure through Augmented Reality (AR) technology.
AR provides users with an interactive experience of a real-world environment, enabling them to visualise digitally created objects within the real-world view, a statement from K&A said. AR can also offer the ability to interact with these objects via smartphones and headset devices, it added.
Through its strategic partnership with vGIS, K&A can provide clients with accurate AR views of the surrounding infrastructure at project sites, such as utility networks or proposed engineering designs. This will significantly enhance the detection of potential clashes or other errors which can lead to delays or cost overruns, while supporting stakeholder collaboration, the consultancy said in its statement.
“GIS, BIM and AR can be used together to display infrastructure and utilities in-field and in real-time, helping designers, project managers and field workers to locate the right assets faster, saving time and preventing costly errors and delays,” says Manal Sayed, Senior Director of GSI at K&A.
“By incorporating AR into enterprise GIS data that can be viewed as a natural extension of the real world, users will be able to see their geospatial data around them in the most understandable way possible,” he concluded.
