Remote interactive collaboration in facilities management using BIM-based mixed reality

Facilities Management (FM) day-to-day tasks require suitable methods to facilitate work orders and improve performance by better collaboration between the office and the field. Building Information Modeling (BIM) provides opportunities to support collaboration and to improve the efficiency of Computerized Maintenance Management Systems (CMMSs) by sharing building information between different applications/users throughout the lifecycle of the facility. However, manual retrieval of building element information can be challenging and time consuming for field workers during FM operations. Mixed Reality (MR) is a visualization technique that can be used to improve visual perception of the facility by superimposing 3D virtual objects and textual information on top of the view of real-world building objects. This paper discusses the development of a collaborative BIM-based MR approach to support facilities field tasks. The proposed framework integrates multisource facilities information, BIM models, and feature-based tracking in an MR-based setting to retrieve information based on time (e.g. inspection schedule) and the location of the field worker, visualize inspection and maintenance operations, and support remote collaboration and visual communication between the field worker and the manager at the office. The field worker uses an Augmented Reality (AR) application installed on his/her tablet. The manager at the office uses an Immersive Augmented Virtuality (IAV) application installed on a desktop computer. Based on the field worker location, as well as the inspection or maintenance schedule, the field worker is given work orders and instructions from the office. Other sensory data (e.g., infrared thermography) can provide additional layers of information by augmenting the actual view of the field worker and supporting him/her in making effective decisions about existing and potential problems while communicating with the office in an Interactive Virtual Collaboration (IVC) mode. Finally, to investigate the applicability of the proposed method, a prototype system is developed and tested in a case study.