Emergency Information Coordination Unit (NSW) - The Building and Infrastructure 3D database

Project name: The Building & Infrastructure 3D database

Completion/expected completion date: Ongoing as stakeholders request wider coverage outside the CBD

Main participating organisations: Ausgrid, Council of the City of Sydney, Emergency Functional Area Coordinators, Emergency Information Coordination Unit, Infrastructure protection regulators, Jemena, Police CT command, Roads and Maritime Services, Sydney Trains, Sydney Water, Telstra, Transport NSW, Underground service locating industry

Project goals and objectives: The Building and Infrastructure 3D database is the result of a joint venture between Council of the City of Sydney and the EICU including the collaboration of all the major infrastructure Agencies operating in the Sydney CBD. The objective of the project is to model and map all of the underground infrastructure for the CBD including the buildings both above and below ground in three dimensions. This includes all utility and tunnel information.

The model is intelligent and facilitates full attribute and 3-D spatial queries on all features which distinguishes it from the common fly through 3-D models that are generally used to represent the built environment. The 3-D buildings include contact details for owners and occupiers and the type of industries located within the building as well as documents and photos detailing floor plans, construction details, access points and other sensitive information about the building.

High interest buildings are captured as architectural models and translated into virtual environments for exercise scenarios and then imported into the GIS data model in real world coordinate systems.

Data from the 3D building and Infrastructure database has been used in the planning of major projects like the proposed Sydney Metro, The George St light rail and the City of Sydney’s Tri-generation Project.

The Sydney Down Under working group is a component of this project and it is made up of representatives from all stakeholders. The group meet monthly to monitor the progress of the 3D building and Infrastructure database and to investigate new and innovative spatial data technologies that have the potential to benefit the project as well as all stakeholder agencies.

Context: The project will deliver the following benefits:

  • Planning of new infrastructure
  • Emergency response
  • Critical infrastructure protection
  • Safety of public and responders
  • Event management
  • Better access and communication for all agencies
  • Reduction in utility outages due to  excavation errors
  • Knowledge transfer between agencies
  • Maintain awareness of the latest advances in technology in this field

Proposed deliverables: A 3D GIS model of the Sydney CBD showing all underground infrastructure and buildings above and below ground

Planned 2014 activity: Monthly workshops held and progress the model to include all utility and other underground infrastructure

Expected audience: Ausgrid, Council of the City of Sydney, Emergency Functional Area Coordinators, Emergency Information Coordination Unit, Infrastructure protection regulators, Jemena, Police CT command, Roads and Maritime Services, State Emergency Operation Centre, Police Operating Centre, State Crisis Centre, Sydney Trains, Sydney Water, Telstra, Transport NSW, Underground service locating industry

Approach, methodology: Cooperative research and in kind provision of resources.

Project contact:
Name: John Moore
Position: Manager EICU & Chair of the Sydney Down Under Working Group
Tel: 02 8236 7160