Digital ground models in tunnelling – Status, chances and risks

Digital data acquisition and processing in geology and geotechnics are essential in all phases of a tunnelling project. This article describes typical work flows of engineering geology and the digital tools used, and discusses the requirements, chances and risks associated with the integration of ground models into BIM projects. The handling of factual data is depicted, but the main topic is the development and application of interpreted geological models for tunnelling. Aspects like the transferred information and its localisation, uncertainty of a prediction and requirements for formats, data structures and software environment are discussed. Efficient exchange and long‐term usability of information demands clear definitions for the specialist models and use cases to be covered.