Intro to Digital As-Builts in transportation design

BasePDH  |  Course No. 002  |  2 PDH

Source: FHWA-HIF-24-098

Report No.: FHWA-HIF-24-098
Title: Getting Started with Digital As-Builts: A How-to Guide
Date: November 5, 2024
Authors: Jagannath Mallela, Suri Sadasivam, and Lance Parve
Organization: WSP USA Inc., Washington DC 20037
Contract No.: 693JJ319D000058
Period: June 2023–December 2024

**Abstract:** This Getting Started How-To Reference serves as a practical primer to implementing Digital As-Builts (DABs) in transportation agencies. It covers the current state of practice for agency as-builts/DABs, key components and frameworks, essential use cases, data requirements, modeling, data exchanges, repositories, and tools and technologies. It also outlines implementation methods for agency pilots and projects, strategic approaches, capability maturity considerations, and critical success factors for successful DAB adoption. The guide is designed to support agencies in their initial transition to DAB workflows, with a focus on essential use cases and piloting steps. It introduces two primary methods for implementing DABs: a simplified approach and an integrated approach.

Key Words: Digital As-builts, DAB; Every Day Counts; Simplified Digital Workflow; Integrated Digital Workflow; digital twin

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Forward: Why Are They Important?

As-built drawings are nothing new; they have long been a vital component of construction projects. They serve as the documentation that captures how a project was actually built, noting deviations from the original plans and any changes made during construction. What is exciting and different, is the use of these drawings beyond the construction phase to provide asset-specific information essential for efficient operations and maintenance (O&M) of infrastructure facilities. However, to effectively use as-built drawings throughout an asset's lifecycle means relying on something more than the traditional drawings presented as two-dimensional (2D) paper sheets, image scans, and document-based PDFs.

Today, technological advancements have led to the use of three-dimensional (3D) digital as-built (DAB) models. These as-builts are more than just drawings; they are data-rich with project and asset information. They serve as a key link between project design, survey, and construction data, connecting them to ongoing operations and asset management. Many transportation agencies have made significant advancements in digital delivery and tailored their approach to their specific project delivery and asset management needs. This document serves as a reference for getting started with implementing DABs in a transportation agency. It provides detailed how-to information with insights and real-world examples from peer agencies for successful adoption of DABs.

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1. Implementing Digital As-Builts: Objectives, Scope, and Organization

1.1 What is a Digital As-Built?

In contrast to traditional 2D paper, image scans, or PDF plan markups, DABs are, as the name implies, digital, dynamic, data-rich geospatial information models that document the as-constructed state of the physical infrastructure. They are initially created during construction to document design changes between letting and final construction close-out and then continue to be updated during post-construction (O&M) activities. DABs are a digital as-constructed record of all relevant data of the physical built infrastructure—a "digital twin" replica involving a project information model (PIM) for use as an asset information model (AIM) for lifecycle infrastructure facilities management. DABs provide a key link in connecting project design-survey-construction data to operations-maintenance-asset management.

Digital as-builts, also known as "living records," are a dynamic form of documentation that captures accurate, up-to-date, and comprehensive information about transportation system assets throughout their lifecycle. These records are not static; they are continuously updated during construction to document design changes that occur between the initial project letting and the final construction close-out, and they continue to be updated when changes happen during the O&M phase of the infrastructure assets. DABs serve as both a historical record and a current snapshot of the built facility. This continuous process of updates supports effective asset and performance management and future asset maintenance and rehabilitation. By streamlining data collection through digital means, agencies can collect data once and reuse it often.

DABs also provide valuable data to support enterprise asset inventories, data-driven decision-making, capital planning, maintenance, conditions assessment, improvements programming, operations, federal reporting, and automation needs for lifecycle infrastructure information management. DABs support data reuse with extractable geolocated information for built assets. Lifecycle data in a DAB typically comprises geometric graphical design data (computer-aided design [CAD]/survey/geographic information system [GIS]), nongraphical data (attributes), documentation data (inspection/materials/condition), and metadata (data about data). Unlike current as-built approaches using PDF files, DABs data are searchable and accessible, geospatial and contextual, reliable and durable, human and machine readable, and extractable and interoperable for use across the infrastructure lifecycle.

⚠️ Note: Digital as-builts are living records of as-constructed and asset data, continuously updated throughout the construction process and over the asset's lifecycle, to support effective asset and performance management. By streamlining data collection through digital means, agencies can collect data once and reuse it often.