The applications for 3D technology in buildings are rapidly evolving. This can already be seen with Scan-to-BIM, where 3D scanning is being used to update and create building information models (BIM) of existing structures. As Stephen already reported, a growing number of building stakeholders are looking at new ways to extract value from scan data that can be applied during the entire lifecycle of the building, especially for property and facility management.
Today, we wanted to share with you one of these solutions, which has emerged as a possible alternative to BIM for property management. Keep reading to find out how integrating NavVis IndoorViewer into software tools used to manage assets and facilities results in an even more powerful software system that ultimately drives down the costs of occupying a building.
Facility managers need to see what they are doing
Typically, once a building is occupied physical changes to the space will continue to take place. These changes include everything from restructuring office layouts for different work needs, managing equipment or deciding how it can be moved to different areas, and even adjustments in lighting and HVAC systems.
In large properties, an enterprise planning system is often used for managing and tracking assets and allocating resources. SAP is an example of one such enterprise planning system, and is capable of managing financial, asset and cost accounting information, production operations and materials, personnel, plants and archived documents. This makes it a powerful tool for improving operational performance.
But an asset tracking and allocation database is often not enough; understanding facility requests related to these assets and the building most often requires visual information, such as a floorplan or HVAC blueprints. This is where property and facility managers stand to benefit significantly from 3D scanning and reality capture technology – it gives them a much better understanding of the spaces they are managing by letting them see what they are doing.
IndoorViewer makes asset management tools even more powerful
To give property managers and stakeholders a better understanding of buildings, NavVis partner Korasoft has integrated NavVis 3D visualization and SAP asset management software systems to give users a visual tool that considers the overall spatial requirements of an asset.
The integration connects the SAP asset management functionality with the NavVis IndoorViewer “Points of Interests”, which lets users visually tag equipment and manage related tickets or notifications. Other IndoorViewer functions, such as the measurement and routing tools, which have proven to be beneficial for tracking and managing assets, can also be used.
This integration offers a significant advantage over using a BIM model for facility and asset management because it is easy to update the data. The NavVis M6 Indoor Mobile Mapping System makes it possible to quickly capture the types of large indoor spaces that typically need to deploy enterprise resource planning systems. The corresponding 3D visualization software does not require any manual modeling or drafting – which is usually the most time-consuming task. Instead, NavVis IndoorViewer software makes this data accessible as interactive, realistic 360° immersive imagery along with 2D floorplans. The software is web-based, which makes it easy to share as a link, while the open API makes it possible to integrate NavVis IndoorViewer into other software solutions.
Every industry stands to benefit
It’s not just facility managers who stand to benefit from integrating visualization and asset management tools. The NavVis IndoorViewer and SAP asset management integration is already being used by a major German automotive company in its factories to track and manage manufacturing equipment. This is really important in manufacturing where expensive machinery plays an integral role in producing goods. Breakdowns and misplaced equipment are incredibly costly and can impact production. Having a central and consistent asset database and ticketing system that includes a virtual window to the shop floor is integral to keeping costs down.
You can see in the video below how NavVis partner Korasoft has integrated the NavVis IndoorViewer into the SAP Real Estate Management system.
To find out more about how the NavVis IndoorViewer can be integrated in your SAP asset management system or any other software that would benefit from real-world visualization, you can get in touch with us at sales@navvis.com
