Abstract

For many years, site development professionals and urban planners have worked in silos, yet they share a similar objective of providing a better built and natural environment. Moreover, there seems to be a stereotype in terms of focus areas; with urban planners more on the macroscale while their site development counterparts are more on the micro end. The two professional groups speak in different languages and use different instruments. For example, urban planners have introduced Geographic Information Systems (GIS) while site development professionals like architects, engineers, contractors, and facility managers advocate for Building Information Modelling (BIM). The increasing complexity of site development, their related environmental, geographical, and surrounding infrastructure is highly desired to support informed decision-making. Advancements in computer science and data technologies can make this integration easier. However, the understanding of GIS and BIM integration is still in its infancy, as innovative applications of their fusion is yet to be explored comprehensively. Therefore, this study investigates how GIS and BIM can be integrated to derive big data to support site development in Gaborone, Botswana. It will further propose a conceptual framework for integrating BIM and GIS for better site development and sustainable urban management in Gaborone.