The Convergence of Blockchain, Internet of Things (IoT) and Building Information Modeling (BIM): The smart museum case (presentation)

Wireless Telecommunications Symposium (WTS) 2019, 9-12 April 2019, New York City, USA
The Convergence of Blockchain,
Internet of Things (IoT) and
Building Information Modeling (BIM):
The Case of the Smart Museum
Konstantina Siountri, Emmanouil Skondras,
Theodoros Mavroeidakos, Dimitrios D. Vergados

• The Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry has
not embraced digital transformation with the same enthusiasm as
other industries (e.g. such as manufacture industry).
• Building Information Modeling (BIM) is a revolutionary technology
• that is characterized as the opportunity of the AEC industry to
move to the digital era and
• improve the collaboration amongst the partners of this industry
by exploiting Information and Communications Technologies
(ICT).

• BIM provides all the necessary tools and automations to achieve
• end-to-end communication,
• data exchange and
• information sharing between project actors.

• Thus, the virtual 3D models generated in the context of engaging
in the BIM process and as-delivered physical assets through
Building Management Systems (BMS)
• could adopt Internet of Things (IoT) architectures and services.
• However, the orchestration of IoT in a highly modular environment
with many moving parts and inter-dependencies between the
stakeholders of this environment, lead to many security issues.
• Therefore, this paper proposes a system architecture that employs
• the Blockchain technology as a measure to secure and control
the BIM technology
• coupled with IoT.
• The system architecture under scrutiny is considering the case of a
museum building,
• where efficient security, management and monitoring are of
great importance.

Introduction
• The application of IoT and Digital Technologies in Smart Cities
environment has been increased,
• providing new challenges in the new digital ecosystem.
• Smart cities have been equipped with
• IoT platforms and various electronic devices,
• applying machine learning and AI algorithms and
• therefore becoming smarter and more efficient than before.
• However, building is the key element of a city and therefore
remains the key element in a smart city ecosystem.

Introduction
• Therefore, beyond the smart devices and services that has been
developed in a smart city,
• the documentation of the characteristics of a building,
• through Building Information Modeling (BIM)
• in combination with the collected data from smart devices and
the intelligent applications developed,
• will be the basis of the IoT platforms and the provided services
in the integrated digital ecosystem.

Introduction
• In the building sector, the Architecture, Engineering and
Construction (AEC) industry consists
• of a high number of stakeholders
• that have been used to operate in the same way for decades
• and yet have not embraced digital transformation with the
same enthusiasm as other industries (e.g. such as manufacture
industry, aerospace industry or financial industry).
• In fact, AEC is one of the least digitalized sectors and for many
Economic Analysts this relates to the flat or falling productivity
rates.

Introduction
• However, the construction sector is strategically important to
economies in terms of output and job creation.
• The European construction sector output of €1.3tn4 (trillion) is
approximately 9% of the region’s GDP and it employs over 18 million
people.
• The failure to recognize the need to transform
• will put eventually at risk the sustainability of the “change
resistant” construction companies.
• To address this problem, during the last years,
• the construction industry is trying to transform by emerging
technologies with great potential for the development of ICT,
• enabling new players to adapt and to take advantage of the
opportunities that are emerging.

Introduction
• Building Information Modeling (BIM)
• is a revolutionary technology that is characterized as the opportunity
of the Architecture -Engineering - Construction (AEC) industry
• to move to the new digital era, with potential to reduce cost, project
delivery time and increase productivity,
• as it provides automation capabilities for more integrated
communication, data exchange and sharing between project actors
within a virtual 3D environment.

Introduction
• The designed virtual BIM models and
• as-delivered physical assets (monitored in real-time, i.e.
through BMS – Building Management Systems)
• could adopt an IoT framework,
• which consists in a data model for network of equipment,
sensors (building automation), wearables.
• This convergence could improve a data-driven asset management,
• by enriching building information in operation and provide
better services to users.
• However, there is a need to ensure predefined conditions,
• in order to reduce the probability of fraudulent activity
throughout this supply chain.

Introduction
• Taking into account the above considerations, this study focuses on
• applying novel technologies in the construction industry such as
the BIM, the IoT and the Blockchain,
• but also on examining their interconnection and
interoperability.
• It is destined to enable new opportunities to new coming players
in this industry,
• by allowing them to adapt and take advantage of the full
potential that the construction sector can offer.

Introduction
• To this end, in this paper we are going to propose a system
architecture
• that utilizes the Blockchain technology as a means to securely
adapt in a BIM-based architecture coupled with an IoT.
• We are going to examine this system architecture in the case of a
museum building.
• Due to the special nature of museums (storage and protection of
invaluable artifacts),
• where security, management and monitoring is of high
importance,
• we are scrutinizing the scope of combining these three
technologies,
• but also discuss on the overall performance of such a system
architecture.

BIM, IOT AND BUILDING AS A SERVICE
(BAAS) MODEL
• Several definitions have been proposed for the BIM in the
literature.
• Indicatively, BIM is described as
• “a process involving the generation and management of digital
representations of physical and functional characteristics of
places”
• and the International Standardization Organization (ISO) as a
• “process or method of managing information related to facilities
and projects in order to coordinate multiple inputs and outputs,
using shared digital representations of physical and functional
characteristics of any built object”.

(BAAS) MODEL
• The National Building Information Modeling Standards (NBIMS)
committee of USA defines BIM as follows:
• “BIM is a digital representation of physical and functional
characteristics of a facility.
• A BIM is a shared knowledge resource for information about a facility
forming a reliable basis for decisions during its life cycle;
• defined as existing from earliest conception to demolition.
• A basic premise of BIM is collaboration by different stakeholders at
different phases of the life cycle of a facility
• to insert, extract, update or modify information in the BIM
• to support and reflect the roles of that stakeholder.”

(BAAS) MODEL
• In practice Building Information Modeling (BIM) has rapidly grown
• from being a 3D model with three primary spatial dimensions
(width, height, and depth)
• To a 4D BIM, where time (construction scheduling information)
is added, and 5D BIM where cost information is linked to it.
• The BIM model contains also non-geometric information,
• such as material for building components, i.e. weight, price,
procedures, scale and size.
• It offers real-time data sharing and collaborative decision making
the amongst various stakeholders, improves visualizations and
simulations (i.e. early virtual prototyping etc.),
• reduces material and time waste and reduces costs due to
better construction outcomes and higher predictability of
performance.

(BAAS) MODEL
• The data exchange is possible by shared neutral exchange formats,
such as Industry Foundation Classes (IFC).
• IFC is
• “a common data schema developed
• by building SMART, recognized as ISO standard,
• which makes it possible to hold and exchange relevant data
and information between project team members within a BIM
environment and across BIM tools and platforms
• commonly used for design, construction, procurement,
maintenance and operations”

(BAAS) MODEL
• An “as built - BIM model”
• that has been created according to several uses upon-agreed
and various phases of the building process
• can lead to the life-long monitoring system of a construction,
the Building Management System (BMS).
• Building Management Systems (BMS), also known as Building Automation
Systems (BAS), are already known
• as network systems installed to control the functionality of individual
pieces of building equipment.
• With the integration of BIM models, the quantity and the quality of
information of each construction is expanded,
• making its monitoring more efficient.

(BAAS) MODEL
• A BMS architecture is
presented in the figure
• where the system elements
are depicted, such as
• the energy
management,
• the access control,
• the environment
protection,
• the building control,
• the mobile applications
that are intended for
the users are integrated
on a 3D model of a
building.

BIM and IoT
• BIM technology enriches the data and information collection of a
building in operation through BMS
• providing monitoring and improved services to users.
• This turns out to become feasible by the adoption of information
and communication technologies (ICT) in the BIM process.
• The integration of an IoT framework, which consists of a network of
sensors, wearables etc., in the BIM/BMS model could provide
• a) real-time access to on-demand data as well as better
interoperability
• b) information collection about the current state of buildings,
• c) several uses of these data for different users,
• d) collaboration, speeding-up decision processes and
• e) warning and detection of critical issues, predicting behaviors
or failures.

BIM and IoT
• The utilization of BIM is going to
• grow bigger
• or become a formal licensing procedure in the future,
• which is destined to enable and control the digital model of each
building and provide accountability about errors and inaccuracies.
• Taking responsibility for retrieving, storing, distributing or updating the
relative information and ensuring its accuracy entails a great deal of
risk.

BIM and IoT
• Whilst a suggested development of BIM seems to be CIM - City
Information Modeling that
• encompass an entire city,
• the framework concerning the storage and the processing of the
upcoming big volume of BIM’s data,
• is an important issue that needs to be taken into deep consideration.
• Cloud based solutions seem to be an answer, but questions arise about
the nature of this service, whether it is going to be governmental or
private cloud.

BIM and IoT
• BIM and CIM tools are
connected directly with the
vision of Smart Cities planning
and management,
• as CIM models can also join
together different systems
and stakeholders and
• enables simulations that
could help cities monitor
water, energy, utilities, traffic,
congestion, impact of natural
disasters such as earthquakes
or hurricanes, flood control,
etc. with data collected from
IoT devices
An Example of a
City Information Modeling (CIM)

The Building as a Service (BaaS) model
• A collaborative data system that comes from a 3D geometry
model with data retrieved by sensors will enable the
stakeholders
• to improve the user interaction with services or facilities,
• to visualize warnings in order to maximize the performance
of technological systems, define more efficiently control
strategies, save energy and cost

Example of a Building as a Service (BaaS) model.
• The Building as a Service (BaaS) model combines SaaS, PaaS and
IaaS functionalities,
• to provide a fully virtualized environment for services
implementation, deployment, maintenance and usage.

The BaaS delivery model includes the
following subcategories:
• Energy as a Service (EaaS):
• This delivery model provides the
necessary applications to the users,
• in order to be able to manage the
energy consumption of a building
such as lighting, heating, electricity
etc.

• Environmental Protection as a Service
(EPaaS):
• EPaaS is monitoring the
environmental conditions and factors
(i.e. humidity, waste, temperature,
sound level, vibration, torque,
stresses, biological pollutants,
internal and external wind)
• that affect the condition of users
and objects (equipment, facilities,
furniture etc.)

• Access Control as a Service (ACaaS):
• ACaaS defines
• the designation of roles and
• the level of accessibility of users in
• spaces,
• facilities and
• information.

• Building Control as a Service (BCaaS):
• The BCaaS delivery model
• provides the surveillance and
security control of a building
through cameras, sensors and
actuators
• against human invasion or natural
disaster incidents.
• The cloud infrastructure
• collects information about
emergency situations and
subsequently
• transmits warning messages to
administrators or users in respect of
their locations.

• Mobile Tools as a Service (MTaaS):
• According to MTaaS operating
systems
• users are registered to a centralized
cloud manager
• retrieve data or interact with
multimedia material
• about a specific geographic area
or object of a building.

BIM AND BLOCKCHAIN
• BIM modeling promotes
• collaboration, information sharing and data management
• between various stakeholders through a common working
platform.
• This openness and high decentralization is creating uncertainties
and therefore many security challenges and vulnerabilities arise.
• These concerns are resulted by:
• a) data leaks and intellectual theft,
• b) the determination of roles and access privileges of each
project member according to the level of Detail (LOD) and
• c) the accountability about risks and errors in the processes.

BIM AND BLOCKCHAIN
• In view of the multi-dimensional nature of security concerns,
• Blockchain is a possible solution to eliminate trust issues,
• allowing security experts to immediately pinpoint
• where problems and deviations from normal behavior
occurred in the BIM supply chain
• but also in the management and operation of the IoT
architectural elements.
• Thus, the integration of Blockchain in the processes of BIM,
promise a completely secure and private environment to conduct
business with full governance over the process.
• This technology enables proof-of-ownership (rights issues), proof-
of-provenance (record keeping through a traceable immutable
ledger) and reduction in human errors and deviations.

BIM AND BLOCKCHAIN
• Moreover, as BIM-related data is expected
• to be stored over cloud storage for maintenance purposes in an
accessible repository during the life cycle of a facility in a smart
city content.
• By integrating multiple BIM models in a BMS, several security
challenges arise.
• Given that the BIM model contains information both about the
building architecture,
• but also its digital character such the deployed communication
and computer networks and devices at the edge such as sensors
and actuators,
• it is critical to maintain control and governance over the sharing
of this information.

BIM AND BLOCKCHAIN
• Therefore, appropriate security measures should be orchestrated,
• such as authorization and authentication mechanisms,
• end-to-end monitoring of communication amongst the sensors
and the backbone infrastructure,
• perimeter defense systems on the backend infrastructure.
• Due to the heterogeneity of the network architecture and the
complexity of the communication protocols,
• the security measures have not compatibility amongst
themselves all the time.
• Therefore, the blockchain technology is ideal for dealing with the
issues of heterogeneity.

BIM AND BLOCKCHAIN
• On the basis of utilizing BIM and BMS models in the construction,
emerges the need for
• classification of information,
• partitioning and
• risk management,
• only among the right privileged stakeholders.
• The AEC companies and the City Urban Services shouldn’t have
access to the data and assets management of a private property or
a governmental institution during its life cycle.
• Therefore, the Blockchain is a necessity in keeping track that the
privileges are assigned properly to the authorized individuals,
• but also that they are enforced properly.

BIM AND BLOCKCHAIN
• The Blockchain can serve many purposes concerning the security
aspects such as
• monitoring mechanism,
• but also as the base system deploying smart contracts for the
purposes of construction among the stakeholders.
• In our approach, Blockchain is considered to serve as a monitoring
mechanism,
• collecting information about the activity of each sensor and
system,
• but also monitoring the actions that each individual
implemented on the system such as accessing the system or
processing the collected data.

THE PROPOSED SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE THAT
COMBINES BIM, IOT AND BLOCKCHAIN
• Thus, we will describe the proposed system architecture
• that combines BIM, IoT and Blockchain and
• is related with the evolving role of smart buildings in an IoT environment.
• This architecture will allow the efficient management of information of the
building’s components
• either regarding their structure
• or its users’ behavior (access, movement, reaction etc.).
• The use of Blockchain will provide an additional layer of data security.
• Although in this paper we consider the use case of a smart museum,
• the proposed scheme is generic and
• can be applied in various buildings’ categories, public or private (e.g.
hospitals, ministries, museums, industrial buildings, commercial buildings,
institutions etc.).

• The nature of a museum building is very sensitive from its
construction up until its daily operation.
• This is happening due to the content of a museum, its exhibits.
• The operation and maintenance of a museum is of high importance
• due to the exhibition of tangible and intangible evidence of
humans and their history.
• The exhibitions’ environment is the building, where the storage,
documentation and preservation of monumental objects takes
place

• Today museums are playing
• a multiple administrative role of the exhibition areas,
• the objects exposed in them,
• the security and the convenience of the visitors,
• the financial management of the tickets and
• the profits from museum shops, the workshops, the
laboratories and the storage areas,
• which usually contain numerous artifacts of equal cultural
value with the ones being exposed to public.
• Finally, the museum’s employees working for the management,
protection, conservation and enhancement of spaces and exhibits
• play a critical role in guaranteeing the smooth and seamless
operation of the organization.

• The safekeeping and security of exhibit collections is the top
priority of museums,
• which, unfortunately, sometimes isn’t fulfilled.
• Failure of the top priority is occurred
• because of theft (i.e. the robbery of paintings valued at $500
million by Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in 1990)
• or due to natural disasters (i.e. fire that destroyed the Brazilian
National Museum in 2018).

• Preventive Maintenance should consider the following threats:
• Natural Factor: earthquakes, fire, floods etc.
• Environmental Factor: humidity, temperature, infrared
radiation, atmospheric pollution, internal wind, level of sound
etc.
• Biological Factor: action of microorganisms, plants, animals,
insects etc.
• Human Activity: unauthorized access, false or inefficient
documentation vandalism, bad cleaning processes, theft,
warfare etc.
• Factors of deterioration of the building, damages, defective
construction materials.

• As far as it concerns the documentation of the collection, the data
is relating with:
• i) the information of acquisition (valid title of ownership),
• ii) the id catalogue of the collection items (full identification and
description, provenance, condition, treatment),
• iii) the location tracking of each item inside the museum
(between the spaces of exhibition, the laboratories and the
storage room),
• iv) the monitoring of the personnel access on the items and
• v) the procedures of loan to other museums

• We have already mentioned that a virtual replica of a building
during the construction process could be a useful management
tool during its life cycle operating period.
• Moreover, BIM models could enable Public Services having access
to city’s building structural models,
• in order to face more efficiently natural disasters (i.e. fire,
earthquakes etc.) or
• control the energy consumption and the environmental footprint
of its built stock.

• Since these models contain sensitive information about the buildings of a
city,
• which can relate to constructional issues of buildings and urban planning,
• they should be stored to a Governmental Cloud,
• since its administration mechanisms are considered as more appropriate
for hosting data about buildings or critical infrastructures of a city.
• Specifically, a Governmental Cloud can ensure
• the privacy,
• the confidentiality and
• the integrity of the stored data,
• with respect to the security policies set by the administration of a city,
• preventing the exposure of sensitive information to malicious or
unauthorized users.

• Furthermore, it should be noted that
• the security policies of a Governmental Cloud can continuously
be updated
• considering the current legislation guidelines of a city,
• while this fact cannot be guaranteed in cases where non-
Governmental Cloud is used.

The proposed system architecture: The convergence of BIM, IoT and
Blockchain

• Between BIM and BMS models, Blockchain technology could
control the data access of a building.
• This system could allow the updates of information (i.e. in cases of
renovations or reconstruction),
• but it could not allow unauthorized users retrieve information
concerning the operation of a building (i.e. retrieve information
about the position of sensors or cameras).
• An IoT platform could collect data
• a) of the behavior of museum users (personnel, visitors,
administrators),
• b) of every action that happens to museum objects (devices,
artifacts) and
• c) of the performance of every building component.

• All this information could be retrieved from IoT systems and be
recorded in a Blockchain, before it is stored in a private cloud.
• The management and evaluation of data could be accessible only
by the responsible administrators of the museum
• in order to move to the necessary amendments, systems
adjustments, artifacts and personnel re-organization.
• This constant cycle of feedback and evaluation could help the
administrators of a “smart” museum
• automatically identify anomalies in the process and
• could guarantee the safety of the exhibits and the services
provided to users.

• In our days, we consider smart devices and services as part of a
smart city environment,
• ignoring that buildings are the key elements of a smart city and
a digital ecoystem.
• Therefore, the BIM and CIM data
• improve the IoT services and the Blockchain technology
• assure the data integrity,
• preventing unauthorized users to retrieve information
concerning the operation of a building.

CONCLUSIONS
• In this paper, the integration of Building Information Modeling
(BIM) with Internet of Things (IoT) and Blockchain technologies has
been analyzed.
• They are considered as complementary developments that could
collaborate
• enabling the secure storage and the management of data
relating to building’s operation,
• improving the provided IoT services.
• The use case of this architecture in a smart museum was analyzed
due to its special characteristics.

CONCLUSIONS
• However, the proposed system architecture can be applied in
several categories of public (e.g. hospitals, ministries) or private
buildings,
• where efficiency of structures, safety of humans and assets,
along with and the security of personal data is of a high
importance.
• Thus, the convergence of BIM, IoT and Blockchain introduces an
innovative application of the IoT and Blockchain in the AEC
industry.

Thank you!

The Convergence of Blockchain, Internet of Things (IoT) and Building Information Modeling (BIM): The smart museum case (presentation)

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