Integrated BIM, GIS and interoperable digital technologies in lifecycle management of building construction projects: systematic literature review

Purpose - In the digital era, there is a growing interest in integrating building information modeling (BIM) and geographic information system (GIS) technologies throughout the construction lifecycle, including design, construction, operation, maintenance and demolition, using interoperable digital technologies. This study aims to provide a holistic assessment of the potential of BIM/GIS integration to improve construction quality by comprehensively analyzing the literature to reveal application areas, opportunities, most urgent problems/obstacles, technical solutions, gaps and future directions for BIM/GIS integration in construction. Design/methodology/approach - This review seeks answers to five identified research questions and conducts a systematic review process that includes content analysis and bibliometric analysis of 141 articles published between 2007 and 2024 from the Scopus database. Findings - Integrated BIM/GIS reveals that leading research topics in construction, including cutting-edge technologies, lifecycle management, data integration management, disaster management, urban management and construction activities (type and location), are gaining significant momentum. Additionally, topics such as circularity, cultural heritage, construction waste, construction safety, life cycle assessment (LCA) and supply chain management remain open for further exploration. The results indicate that the most significant challenge lies in converting and integrating geometric and semantic data from Industry Foundation Classes (IFC)/City Geography Markup Language (CityGML) or shapefile formats of BIM/GIS. The consensus suggests utilizing a single/third-party platform, with Infraworks software being a prominent option. Originality/value - This review offers practical recommendations to tackle current challenges based on the content analyses conducted while highlighting that future research should aim to integrate BIM/GIS-enabled digital twins for buildings and cities.