Rowan University students are helping the New Jersey Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (NJ DMAVA) to create comprehensive 3D models of their facilities and develop methodology to utilize these models to reduce future construction costs and improve asset management. Creating the models involves taking 3D scans of the interior and exterior of the building using both lasers and visible light. Commercial software is used to merge the scanned data to create a point cloud containing millions of data points with color and location. The point cloud data is then imported into a different software package that allows digital representations of building components. The purpose of creating these 3D models is to offer a functional and readily available digital copy of infrastructure for NJ DMAVA. Department officials can look to these models to develop maintenance and operation strategies and design upgrades to existing buildings. These recently developed models can be incorporated in energy audits as an example application.
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