BIMSL: A Domain Specific Language for Integrating Building Information Models with Sensor Data
The upsurge of interest in digital models of buildings combined with an increasing sensorization of spaces is prompting for the integration between Building Information Modeling (BIM) and real time data of sensors, which is still performed in a very ad hoc way using General Purpose Languages (GPLs) Indeed, a standard solution to explore sensor data in the context of BIM models is missing in literature. Although several integration approaches have been proposed by the scientific community, some of them remain theoretical, while others target very specific application domains, and therefore the development of applications requiring this integration is associated to a tremendous complexity. Herein, we overview existing approaches to the integration of BIM with sensor data, clearly identifying the gaps on research background, and aiming at the development of a Domain Specific Query Language that, by providing substantial gains in expressiveness and ease of use, simplifies the development of applications that require processing data of sensors with complex conditions over the BIM model. Our solution is validated with experienced software developers, according to an evaluation methodology focused on usability and flexibility attributes. The results outperformed existing alternatives, indicating that our proposal is effective to integrate BIM with sensor data.