buildings

Review
Integration of Building Information Modeling (BIM) and Big
Data in China: Recent Application and Future Perspective
Wenfeng Xia 1,2, *,† , Yuhong Zheng 2 , Lele Huang 2 and Zhen Liu 3,†

1 Research Base of Carbon Neutral Finance for Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, Guangzhou
City University of Technology, Guangzhou 510800, China
2 Management School, Guangzhou City University of Technology, Guangzhou 510800, China
3 School of Design, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China; [email protected]
* Correspondence: [email protected]
† These authors contributed equally to this work.

Abstract: The integrated application of building information modeling (BIM) and big data (BD)
has received widespread attention, and has been involved in smart construction sites, construction
project management, and construction project budgeting. Nevertheless, research on the integrated
implementation of BIM and BD in China mainly concentrates on a project stage or profession,
the exploration of technology integration mostly focuses on the theoretical level, and the research
distribution is scattered. As such, the intention of this paper is to reveal the research history of BIM
and BD in China, as well as to study the research methodologies and research fields for a more
thorough knowledge of the BIM and BD research and development status in the Chinese construction
sector, which adopts a mixed research method that uses a quantitative research via two analytical
software tools, i.e., CiteSpace version of 6.1.R6 and the Statistical Analysis Toolkit on line edition for
Informetrics software packages, to conduct a macro bibliometric analysis on BIM and BD research in
the China National Knowledge Infrastructure database, and provides a follow-up micro qualitative
research with content analysis. To ensure the comprehensiveness of the research, the core articles of
the topic in the web of science database have been sorted out and analyzed for fully understanding the
development of BIM and BD in the field of Chinese construction, resulting in identifying the current
research hotspots and trends in China. The results suggest that the popular research keywords on
Citation: Xia, W.; Zheng, Y.; Huang, BIM and BD in China since the year 2015 have mainly been focused on informatization, the internet
L.; Liu, Z. Integration of Building of things, and rail transportation. Three fruitful research themes in BIM and BD research in China
Information Modeling (BIM) and Big have been identified, including smart construction, smart operation, and bridge informatization.
Data in China: Recent Application
and Future Perspective. Buildings Keywords: big data; building information modeling (BIM); informatization; internet of things; rail
2023, 13, 2435. https://doi.org/
transportation; smart construction; smart operation; bridge
10.3390/buildings13102435

Academic Editor: Jorge Lopes

Received: 15 August 2023

1. Introduction
Revised: 8 September 2023
Accepted: 19 September 2023 The construction industry has a significant importance as a fundamental sector in
Published: 25 September 2023 China, contributing to the nation’s economic development. As the Chinese government
invests more in infrastructure construction and pays more and more attention to the quality
management of construction projects, the difficulty of project management also increases.
In the year 2016, China’s Ministry of Housing and Construction released the “Outline of
Copyright: © 2023 by the authors. the Development of Construction Industry Informatization from 2016 to 2020” [1], which
Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. clearly states that integrating building information modeling (BIM) and big data (BD)
This article is an open access article technology should be enhanced. Through the integration of BIM and BD, the value data
distributed under the terms and in construction information are mined to promote the intelligent management and smart
conditions of the Creative Commons decision making of construction projects.
Attribution (CC BY) license (https://
The concept of BIM was first introduced by Eastam in the 1970s [2] as a digital represen-
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/
tation of the physical and functional characteristics of buildings based on three-dimensional
4.0/).

Buildings 2023, 13, 2435. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings13102435 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/buildings

Buildings 2023, 13, 2435 2 of 31

(3D) information models [3]. The concept of BD was introduced in the 1980s by the famous
futurist Alvin Toffler in his book “The Third Wave”, in which he enthusiastically praised
Big Data as “the gorgeous music of the third wave” [4]. In general terms, BD is a collection
of data that cannot be sensed, accessed, managed, processed, and served within a tolerable
period of time using traditional information technology (IT) with hardware and software
tools [5]. Relevant research and applications of BD have been revealed in several domains
such as internet, business intelligence, consultancy and services, as well as medical services,
retail, finance, and communications, which have generated huge social value and industrial
space [4]. Furthermore, by applying BIM technology in the management process of all
phases of the entire duration of BD-centered projects, a significant improvement in project
refinement and management capabilities will be achieved, in which, ultimately, cost reduc-
tion, efficiency, and quality improvement will be achieved [6]. In addition, the integration of
data analysis tools with BIM can provide enhanced insights and advancements in the study
of BIM data. The integration use of BIM with Lean Management (LM) or Value Engineering
(VE) aims to tackle longstanding challenges related to productivity and digitization in the
Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry [7].
The applications of BIM and BD have received widespread attention and have been
involved in construction project management [8], smart construction sites [9], and con-
struction project budgeting [10]. However, the current study in China about the integrated
application of BIM and BD mostly concentrates on a certain stage or profession, the explo-
ration of technology integration mostly stays at the theoretical level [11], and the research
distribution is scattered. Having a clearer and more comprehensive understanding of the
research and application of BIM and BD in China is important. This understanding helps
identify the constraints on the application of this combination and analyze its potential
future direction for BIM and BD research in China. Hence, the goal of this paper is to reveal
the research history of BIM and BD in China by discussing the methodologies and research
areas for a further comprehensive understanding, and the possibilities of the research and
development status of BIM and BD in the Chinese construction field. This study in BIM
and BD in China serves the general understanding of current research trends in these fields
as a valuable reference, which will encourage further study.

2. Materials and Methods

This paper employs a mixed research method, conducting a macro bibliometric anal-
ysis on BIM and BD research in China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) by
applying two analytical software tools, CiteSpace and Statistical Analysis Toolkit for In-
formetrics (SATI), providing follow-up micro qualitative research with content analysis,
and combining this with the literature analysis from the database of Web of Science (WoS)
to gain a comprehensive in-depth understanding of the development of BIM and BD in
the Chinese construction industry. The CNKI database was used as a data source in the
article, and all journal papers with “Topic = ‘BIM’ and Topic = ‘Big Data’” were obtained.
To make the literature sample more representative, the data sources Engineering Index
(EI), Peking University Core, Chinese Social Sciences Citation Index (CSSCI), and Chinese
Science Citation Database (CSCD) were chosen, and the search date was selected as 1 Jan-
uary 2023, resulting in 89 valid articles as the research sample. CiteSpace is a bibliometric
analysis software for tracking and analyzing international frontier research, which is able
to visualize the relationships between the literature as a scientific knowledge map that can
help to sort out past research trials as well as enable having a general idea of future research
perspectives [12]. SATI is a popular tool for statistically analyzing bibliographic data in
end-note format. This paper combines CiteSpace and SATI to conduct a multi-dimensional
comparison and analysis of the literature data in order to create a knowledge map of BIM
and BD research, identify hot areas of research and trends on BIM and BD, and provide a
point of reference for further exploration of BIM and BD in China.
The research flow chart for this study is shown in Figure 1, which includes the five
phases below:
 dimensional comparison and analysis of the literature data in order to create a knowl
map of BIM and BD research, identify hot areas of research and trends on BIM and
Buildings 2023, 13, 2435 and provide a point of reference for further exploration of BIM and BD3 in China.
of 31
The research flow chart for this study is shown in Figure 1, which includes the
phases below:
(1) (1) the
Identifying Identifying
research the research
topic, topic,
retrieving theretrieving the relevant
relevant works of the works of the
literature literature
with
keywords
keywords of BIM and BD.of BIM and BD.
(2) (2)analysis
Literature Literature analysis and visualization
and visualization of results
of results regarding BIMregarding
and BD. BIM and BD.
(3) (3) Relationship
Relationship analysis on BIManalysis
and BDon through
BIM andCiteSpace
BD through CiteSpace
software tool.software tool.
(4) Research(4) Research
history history
analysis and analysis and future
future research research
tendency tendency
prediction onprediction
BIM and BD on BIM an
using
using CiteSpace CiteSpace
software tool.software tool.
(5) (5) Micro
Micro analysis analysis
of research of research
trends trends and
and methods methods
in the field of in theand
BIM field
BD.of BIM and BD.

Figure
Figure 1. Research 1. chart
flow Research flow chart
(generated (generated by authors).
by authors).

3. Results 3. Results
3.1. General Information
3.1. General Information
As demonstrated in Figure 2, the research on BIM and BD in China began in the year
As demonstrated in Figure 2, the research on BIM and BD in China began in the
2015 and has gradually developed since then. The number of articles from the CNKI core
2015 and has gradually developed since then. The number of articles from the CNKI
database published in China regarding BIM and BD started to increase significantly from
database published in China regarding BIM and BD started to increase significantly
2017, with the number of articles consistently above 10 per year from 2018 onwards, and
2017, with the number of articles consistently above 10 per year from 2018 onwards
reaching the peak at 20 in 2021. The growth can be attributed to the issuance of the “Outline
for the Development of Informatization in the Construction Industry from 2016 to 2020”
by China’s Ministry of Housing and Urban–Rural Development in 2016 [1]. This policy
document emphasizes the need to enhance the development capacity of informatization
in the construction industry through the integration of various information technologies,
including BIM, BD, intelligence, mobile communication, and cloud computing. The aim
is to achieve the integrated application of BIM and enterprise management information
 reaching the peak at 20 in 2021. The growth can be attributed to the issuance of the “Out‐
line for the Development of Informatization in the Construction Industry from 2016 to
2020” by China’s Ministry of Housing and Urban–Rural Development in 2016 [1]. This
policy document emphasizes the need to enhance the development capacity of informati‐
zation in the construction industry through the integration of various information tech‐
Buildings 2023, 13, 2435 4 of 31
nologies, including BIM, BD, intelligence, mobile communication, and cloud computing.
The aim is to achieve the integrated application of BIM and enterprise management infor‐
mation systems, thereby promoting the improvement of design and management levels
systems, thereby promoting
within enterprises. the improvement
Current research on BIM andofBD design andismanagement
in China levelsaspect,
based on a single within
enterprises. Currentstage
staying at a certain research
and aon BIM and
certain BD
field, in the
and China is based on
exploration a single aspect, staying
of multi‐technology inte‐
at a certain
gration stage
mostly and a at
staying certain field,
the level of and the exploration
theoretical analysis; of
as multi-technology integration
such, the integration of BIM
mostly staying
technology at other
with the level of theoretical
technologies analysis;
in China still as such,further
needs the integration of BIM
development technology
[11]. The re‐
with
searchother technologies
related to BIM andin China
BD in still
Chinaneeds
willfurther
continue development
to grow until[11]. The research
it becomes related
mature in
to
theBIM and BD in China will continue to grow until it becomes mature in the future.
future.

25

20
20 19
17

15 13
11

10

5
5
2 2

0
2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
Publication 2 2 5 11 17 13 20 19
Percentage 2.25% 2.25% 5.62% 12.36% 19.10% 14.61% 22.47% 21.35%

Figure 2.
Figure 2. The
The number
number of
of articles
articles on
on the
thetheme
themeof
ofbuilding
buildinginformation
informationmodeling
modeling(BIM)
(BIM)and
andbig
bigdata
data
(BD) in the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) database since 2015 (generated by
(BD) in the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) database since 2015 (generated by
authors).
authors).
3.2. Research
3.2. Research Topic
Topic and
and Journal
Journal Source
Source
As illustrated
As illustrated inin Figure
Figure 3,
3, aa total
total of
of 89
89 publications
publicationsacross
acrossaarange
rangeofof1919disciplines
disciplines
have been acquired in this review of the distribution of Chinese research on and
have been acquired in this review of the distribution of Chinese research on BIM BIMBD,and
of which, the majority of the articles are about building science and engineering
BD, of which, the majority of the articles are about building science and engineering with 38
articles
with (26.57%),
38 articles followedfollowed
(26.57%), by computer softwaresoftware
by computer and computer application
and computer with 33 arti‐
application with
cles
33 (23.08%),
articles road road
(23.08%), and andwaterway
waterway transportation with
transportation 24 24
with articles
articles(16.78%),
(16.78%),railway
railway
transport with
transport with 11
11 articles
articles (7.69%),
(7.69%), and
andwater
waterresources
resourcesand
andhydropower
hydropowerengineering
engineeringwith
with
7 articles (4.90%).
7 articles (4.90%).
In addition, as shown in Figure 4, the distribution of published papers of the top
10 journals in the CNKI database from 2015 to 2022 has been identified, and the most
frequently published journals in the area of BIM and BD research in China are “Construction
Economy” with ten articles (23.81%), followed by “Tunnel Construction” with seven articles
(16.67%), and “Industrial Construction” with five articles (11.9%). In general, in China, the
distribution of the literature on the study issue of BIM and BD is mostly concentrated on
the fields of road tunnels, industrial buildings, water conservation, and hydropower.
Buildings 2023, 13, x FOR PEER REVIEW 5 of 32
Buildings 2023, 13, 2435 5 of 31

Figure 3. Disciplines of BIM and BD publications since 2015 in China via CNKI database (generated
by authors).

In addition, as shown in Figure 4, the distribution of published papers of the top 10

journals in the CNKI database from 2015 to 2022 has been identified, and the most fre‐
quently published journals in the area of BIM and BD research in China are “Construction
Economy” with ten articles (23.81%), followed by “Tunnel Construction” with seven arti‐
cles (16.67%), and “Industrial Construction” with five articles (11.9%). In general, in
China, the distribution of the literature on the study issue of BIM and BD is mostly con‐
centrated on the fields of road tunnels, industrial buildings, water conservation, and hy‐
Figure 3. Disciplines
Figure 3. Disciplines of
of BIM
BIM and
and BD
BD publications
publications since
since 2015
2015 in
in China
China via
via CNKI
CNKI database
database (generated
(generated
dropower.
by
by authors).
authors).

In addition, as shown in Figure 4, the distribution of published papers of the top 10

journals in the CNKI database from 2015 to 2022 has been identified, and the most fre‐
quently published journals in the area of BIM and BD research in China are “Construction
Economy” with ten articles (23.81%), followed by “Tunnel Construction” with seven arti‐
cles (16.67%), and “Industrial Construction” with five articles (11.9%). In general, in
China, the distribution of the literature on the study issue of BIM and BD is mostly con‐
centrated on the fields of road tunnels, industrial buildings, water conservation, and hy‐
dropower.

Figure4.4.BIM
Figure BIMand
andBD
BDpublications
publicationsin
inthe
thetop
top10
10journals
journalssince
since2015
2015ininChina
Chinavia
viaCNKI
CNKIdatabase
database
(generatedby
(generated byauthors).
authors).

Further,
Further,thethequantity
quantityofofpublications
publicationsisisan anessential
essentialmeasure
measureofofresearch,
research,asasshown
showninin
Figure
Figure5.5.AAtime
timeseries
seriesanalysis
analysisof
ofthe
thetop
top1010journals
journalsby
bypublication
publicationyear
yearfor
forthe
thenumber
number
of papers published, analyzed by the SATI (Statistical Analysis Toolkit for
of papers published, analyzed by the SATI (Statistical Analysis Toolkit for Informetrics) Informetrics)
software,
software,was
wasconducted
conductedto toshow
showthat
thatthe
theConstruction
Construction Economy,
Economy,Tunnel
TunnelConstruction,
Construction,
and
and China Civil Engineering Journals had publications in the field of BIMand
China Civil Engineering Journals had publications in the field of BIM andBDBDresearch
research
ininthe
the year 2018 and have maintained a steady number of journal publications. TheJournal
year 2018 and have maintained a steady number of journal publications. The Journal
ofofHighways,
Highways,Bulletin
BulletinofofSurveying
SurveyingandandMapping,
Mapping,and andthe
theChina
ChinaJournal
JournalofofHighway
Highwayand and
Figure 4. BIM
Transport and BD studies
published publications in field
in the the topin 10
thejournals sinceof
year 2019, 2015 in China
which via CNKI had
the Highway database
the
(generated by authors).
highest number of publications.
Further, the quantity of publications is an essential measure of research, as shown in
Figure 5. A time series analysis of the top 10 journals by publication year for the number
of papers published, analyzed by the SATI (Statistical Analysis Toolkit for Informetrics)
software, was conducted to show that the Construction Economy, Tunnel Construction,
and China Civil Engineering Journals had publications in the field of BIM and BD research
in the year 2018 and have maintained a steady number of journal publications. The Journal
of Highways, Bulletin of Surveying and Mapping, and the China Journal of Highway and
 Buildings 2023, 13, x FOR PEER REVIEW 6 of 32

Buildings 2023, 13, 2435

Transport published studies in the field in the year 2019, of which the Highway had6 of
the31

highest number of publications.

Figure5.5.The
Figure Thenumber
numberofofBIM
BIMand
andBD
BDpublications
publications in
in terms
terms of
of topic
topic since 2015 in China
China via
via CNKI
CNKI
database
database(generated
(generatedby
byauthors).
authors).

3.3.
3.3.Research
ResearchInstitutions
Institutions
CiteSpace
CiteSpacesoftware
software was
was used
used to
to do
do aa macro
macro analysis
analysis on
on the
the 8989 core
core papers
papers collected
collected
during data collection. Research institutions with more than three publications
during data collection. Research institutions with more than three publications were werese‐ se-
lected for analysis, as shown in Table 1. Tongji University is the institution with the
lected for analysis, as shown in Table 1. Tongji University is the institution with the highest highest
number
numberof of papers publishedininthe
papers published thefield
field
of of
BIMBIM
andand
BD BD research
research in China,
in China, with awith
totalaoftotal
six
ofpapers,
six papers, followed
followed by theby the China
China Academy Academy of Railway
of Railway Sciences,
Sciences, Shenzhen Shenzhen University,
University, Tsing‐
Tsinghua University,
hua University, Southwest
Southwest Jiaotong
Jiaotong University,
University, and Beijing
and Beijing Jiaotong
Jiaotong University,
University, whichwhich
have
have an important influence on the promotion of BIM and BD in construction
an important influence on the promotion of BIM and BD in construction in China. in China.
By analyzing the research keywords of the institutions, it is revealed that the core
Table 1. Statistics of publications of BIM and BD from research institutions in China since 2015
research institutions in the subject area of BIM and BD in China mainly focus on the intel‐
(generated by authors).
ligent construction, intelligent operation, and maintenance of heavy‐duty railways, en‐
ergy consumption monitoring, bridge informatization, and railway shield tunnels.
Research Institution Frequency Keywords
Table 1. Statistics ofSmart Hospital;
publications of Construction; Operation
BIM and BD from andinstitutions
research Maintenance; Internet
in China of 2015
since
Tongji University 6 by authors).
(generated Things; BIM; Intelligence; Infrastructure; Digital Technology; Smart
Technology
Research Institution Frequency Keywords
Heavy Haul Railway; Intelligent Operation and Maintenance; BIM + GIS;
China Academy of Railway Smart Hospital; Construction; Operation and Maintenance; Internet of Things;
Tongji University 46 Life-cycle Management; Multi-source Data; Fuzzy Evaluation; State Analysis;
Sciences Corporation Limited BIM;System
Intelligence; Infrastructure; Digital Technical
Technology; Smart Technology
Framework; Data Platform; Performance
Heavy Haul Railway; Intelligent Operation and Maintenance; BIM + GIS; Life‐cy‐
China Academy of Railway Sciences Intelligent Geotechnical Engineering; 3D Geologic Model; Internet of Things;
4 cle Management; Multi‐source Data; Fuzzy Evaluation; State Analysis; System
Corporation
Shenzhen Limited
University 4 Artificial Intelligence; Deep Learning; Extended Reality; Cost Management;
Framework; Data Platform; Technical Performance
Smart Construction; BIM
Intelligent Geotechnical Engineering; 3D Geologic Model; Internet of Things; Ar‐
Shenzhen University 4 BIM;
tificial IFC Standard;
Intelligence; DeepEnergy Consumption
Learning; Monitoring;
Extended Reality; Information Model;
Cost Management; Smart
Tsinghua University 3 Static Data; Informatization; Cloud Computing; Big Data; Internet of Things;
Construction; BIM
Integrated Application
Bridge Informatization; Intelligent Detection Technology; Machine Learning;
Southwest Jiaotong University 3 Intelligent Disaster Prevention and Mitigation; Smart Material; Cloud
Computing; Bridge Health Monitoring System
Railway Shield Tunnel; Smart Construction; Life-cycle; BIM; Informatization;
Beijing Jiaotong University 3
Big Data; Engineering Project Management; Innovation; Path
 BIM; IFC Standard; Energy Consumption Monitoring; Information Model; Static
Tsinghua University 3 Data; Informatization; Cloud Computing; Big Data; Internet of Things; Integrated
Application
Bridge Informatization; Intelligent Detection Technology; Machine Learning; In‐
Buildings 2023, 13, 2435 7 of 31
Southwest Jiaotong University 3 telligent Disaster Prevention and Mitigation; Smart Material; Cloud Computing;
Bridge Health Monitoring System
Railway Shield Tunnel; Smart Construction; Life‐cycle; BIM; Informatization; Big
Beijing Jiaotong University 3
By analyzing
Data;the research Project
Engineering keywords of the institutions,
Management; Innovation; it is revealed that the core
Path
research institutions in the subject area of BIM and BD in China mainly focus on the
intelligent
In orderconstruction,
to understand intelligent operation,relationship
the co‐operative and maintenance
between of BIM
heavy-duty
and BD railways,
research
energy consumption
institutions in China, monitoring,
the CiteSpace bridge informatization,
software package has and beenrailway
employedshield tunnels. the
to generate
In orderco‐occurrence
co‐operative to understandgraph,
the co-operative
as shown in relationship
Figure 6, inbetween
which BIM andof
the size BDthe
research
labels
reflects the number of publications, the size of the nodes represents the frequency the
institutions in China, the CiteSpace software package has been employed to generate co-
of oc‐
operative the
currence, co-occurrence
lines between graph, as shown
the nodes in Figure
indicate 6, in which the
the co‐operative size of theand
relationship, labels
thereflects
thick‐
the number
ness of publications,
of the lines suggests thethe size ofof
intensity the nodes represents
co‐operation [12]. Asthe frequency
shown of occurrence,
in Figure 6, no sig‐
the linesco‐operation
nificant between thenetwork
nodes indicate
has beenthe co-operative
formed relationship,
among leading research andinstitutions
the thickness of
in the
the lines suggests the intensity of co-operation [12]. As shown in Figure
BIM and BD field in China. Key research institutions such as the China Academy of Rail‐ 6, no significant
co-operation
way Sciences network
Corporationhas Limited
been formed among leading
and Southwest research
Jiaotong institutions
University in the BIM
are independent
and BD field in China. Key research institutions such as the China
research institutions in the field. Tongji University has formed a co‐operative Academy of network
Railway
Sciences Corporation Limited and Southwest Jiaotong University are
with the University of Science and Technology Beijing, the University of Tennessee, independent research
and
institutions
Virginia in Shenzhen
Tech. the field. Tongji University
University has formed
has co‐operative a co-operative
relations with thenetwork
Huazhong withUni‐
the
University of Science and Technology Beijing, the University of
versity of Science and Technology and the China Railway Design Group Co., Ltd. TheTennessee, and Virginia
Tech. Communications
China Shenzhen University has co-operative
Highway Planning andrelations with theCo.,
Design Institute Huazhong
Ltd., hasUniversity
formed a
of Science and Technology and the China Railway Design
triangular co‐operation network with the China Communications Highway Group Co., Ltd.Long
TheBridge
China
Communications Highway Planning and Design Institute Co., Ltd., has formed a triangular
Construction National Engineering Research Center Co., Ltd., and Guizhou Highway De‐
co-operation network with the China Communications Highway Long Bridge Construction
velopment Co., LTD. Similarly, Beijing Jiaotong University has established a triangular
National Engineering Research Center Co., Ltd., and Guizhou Highway Development
co‐operation network with the China Railway Economic Planning and Research Institute
Co., LTD. Similarly, Beijing Jiaotong University has established a triangular co-operation
Co., Ltd., and the China Railway Engineering Design and Consulting Group Co., Ltd. Fur‐
network with the China Railway Economic Planning and Research Institute Co., Ltd.,
ther, Tsinghua University is in a co‐operative relationship with Zhejiang Sci‐Tech Univer‐
and the China Railway Engineering Design and Consulting Group Co., Ltd. Further,
sity. It is evident that China’s BIM and BD research fields are still in the early phases of
Tsinghua University is in a co-operative relationship with Zhejiang Sci-Tech University. It
integrated research and they have not yet formed a large area of research co‐operation or
is evident that China’s BIM and BD research fields are still in the early phases of integrated
a dominant co‐operative team.
research and they have not yet formed a large area of research co-operation or a dominant
co-operative team.

Figure 6.
Figure Co-operation map
6. Co‐operation map of
of BIM
BIM and
and BD
BD research
research among
among the
the research
research institutions
institutions in
in China
China since
since
2015 from
2015 from CNKI
CNKI database via CiteSpace software (generated by authors).

3.4. Result of Macro Bibliometric Analysis

3.4.1. Keyword Co-Occurrence Analysis
Keywords serve as indicators of the primary research information included inside
the studies, of which high-frequency keywords can be used for bibliometric analysis via
CiteSpace software to identify the research hotspots in the field. Keyword co-occurrence
 3.4. Result of Macro Bibliometric Analysis
3.4.1. Keyword Co‐Occurrence Analysis
Keywords serve as indicators of the primary research information included inside
the studies, of which high‐frequency keywords can be used for bibliometric analysis via
Buildings 2023, 13, 2435 CiteSpace software to identify the research hotspots in the field. Keyword co‐occurrence 8 of 31
analysis of the BIM and BD has been conducted by CiteSpace software as well to obtain a
keyword co‐occurrence map of BIM and BD research in China, as shown in Figure 7. The
keyword
analysis of theco‐occurrence
BIM and BD mapping from 2015 by
has been conducted to 2022 contains
CiteSpace 144 nodes
software and
as well to 225 connec‐
obtain a
tions, with a total
keyword co-occurrence map of BIM and BD research in China, as shown in Figure 7. The of
network density of 0.0219. The keywords such as Big Data, Internet
Thingsco-occurrence
keyword (IoT), Smart mapping
Construction,
from Artificial Intelligence,
2015 to 2022 andnodes
contains 144 BIM Technology have larger
and 225 connections,
labels, indicating that these keywords appear more frequently. Additionally,
with a total network density of 0.0219. The keywords such as Big Data, Internet of Things the nodes of
Big Data, IoT, Smart Construction, BIM Technology, Artificial Intelligence,
(IoT), Smart Construction, Artificial Intelligence, and BIM Technology have larger labels, Engineering
Management,
indicating and
that these Project Management
keywords are larger than
appear more frequently. the rest of
Additionally, thethe nodes
nodes in Figure
of Big Data, 7,
suggesting that research in BIM and BD in China is particularly interested in
IoT, Smart Construction, BIM Technology, Artificial Intelligence, Engineering Management, these cutting‐
edge areas.
and Project Management are larger than the rest of the nodes in Figure 7, suggesting that
research in BIM and BD in China is particularly interested in these cutting-edge areas.

Figure 7. Keyword
Figure 7. Keywordco-occurrence
co‐occurrencemap of of
map BIMBIMand
andBD
BDresearch
researchininChina
Chinasince
since 2015
2015 from
from CNKI
CNKI da‐
database
tabasevia
viaCiteSpace
CiteSpacesoftware
software(generated
(generatedbybyauthors).
authors).

Moreover,
Moreover,the centrality of a keyword
the centrality of a keywordis primarily used used
is primarily to evaluate the significance
to evaluate of
the significance
a node
of ainnode
the keyword co-occurrence
in the keyword map [12].map
co‐occurrence A keyword with a centrality
[12]. A keyword with a value greater
centrality value
than or equal to 0.1 indicates that the keyword is highly central and has
greater than or equal to 0.1 indicates that the keyword is highly central and has an im‐an important
effect on theeffect
portant keyword co-occurrence
on the map [13]. Inmap
keyword co‐occurrence Table[13].
2, the
Inkeywords with
Table 2, the a centrality
keywords with a
greater than or equal to 0.1 are Big Data (0.3), Informatization (0.13), Internet
centrality greater than or equal to 0.1 are Big Data (0.3), Informatization (0.13), of Things
Internet of
(0.1), and Rail Transport (0.1), revealing that these keywords have significant importance in
Things (0.1), and Rail Transport (0.1), revealing that these keywords have significant im‐
the research on BIM and BD in China.
portance in the research on BIM and BD in China.
Furthermore, the results of the keyword co-occurrence map (Figure 7) and the fre-
quency
Tableand centralityand
2. Frequency statistics table
centrality (Table of
statistics 2) high‐frequency
indicate that the keyword
keywords in “Big Data”
BIM and BDhas the in
research
highest
Chinafrequency
since 2015 and
fromcentrality in the(generated
CNKI database co-occurrence map, and is the most concentrated
by authors).
in relation to other keywords. Similarly, “Internet of Things” and “Informatization” have
Keyword Frequency
both a high frequency and a high centrality, highlighting Keyword Centrality
the central research topics in the
Serial Frequency Centrality Year Keyword Serial
field of BIM and BD in China from 2015 to 2022. Centrality Frequency Year Keyword
Buildings 2023, 13, 2435 9 of 31

Table 2. Frequency and centrality statistics of high-frequency keywords in BIM and BD research in
China since 2015 from CNKI database (generated by authors).

Keyword Frequency Keyword Centrality

Serial Serial
Frequency Centrality Year Keyword Centrality Frequency Year Keyword
Number Number
1 17 0.3 2015 Big Data 1 0.3 17 2015 Big Data
2 10 0.1 2016 Internet of Things 2 0.13 7 2017 Informatization
3 9 0.09 2020 Smart Construction 3 0.1 10 2016 Internet of Things
4 9 0.07 2019 Artificial Intelligence 4 0.1 2 2020 Railway Transport
5 7 0.13 2017 Informatization 5 0.09 9 2020 Smart Construction
6 5 0 2016 Cloud Computing 6 0.09 2 2020 Data Platform
7 2 0.04 2018 Overview 7 0.07 9 2019 Artificial Intelligence
8 2 0.04 2022 Heavy haul Railways 8 0.04 2 2018 Overview
9 2 0.03 2018 Project Management 9 0.04 2 2022 Heavy haul Railway
10 2 0 2017 Internet+ 10 0.03 2 2018 Project Management

3.4.2. Keyword Cluster Analysis

This paper uses the Log-likelihood Rate (LLR) algorithm in CiteSpace to cluster the
papers in BIM and BD, resulting in the top four clusters in a keyword clustering map, as
shown in Figure 8, in which the Modularity clustering module value (Q value) is equal to
0.7897, where it is generally considered that Q > 0.3 means that the clustering structure
is significant, and the Silhouette clustering average profile value (S value) equals 0.9439,
where S > 0.5 clustering is generally considered to be reasonable and S > 0.7 implies that
the clustering is convinced [12]. As shown in Figure 8, the clusters represent the top
Buildings 2023, 13, x FOR PEER REVIEW 10 four
of 32
research focuses in the field of BIM and BD research in China from 2015 to 2022, which are
big data, artificial intelligence, IoT, and informatization.

Figure8.8.Keyword
Figure Keywordclustering
clusteringmap
mapofofBIM
BIMand
andBDBDresearch
researchininChina
Chinasince
since2015
2015from
fromCNKI
CNKIdatabase
database
viaCiteSpace
via CiteSpacesoftware
software(generated
(generatedby
byauthors).
authors).

Inthe
In thebig
cluster
dataof artificial
cluster, theintelligence,
main research thetopics
main research
include big concerns smart
data [14], construction
internet+ [15],
[22],intelligent
and smart design [23], and smart
management detection
[10]. Under the[24].
wave Asofa global
core driver of the next
digitization, generation
theoretical andof
industrial
applied change,
research onartificial intelligence
the integration is an
of BD andimportant method to
the real economy havecomprehensively
been expanding, im‐
prove
and thedigitalization,
effect of usingautomation,
big data to informatization, and intelligence
enhance the transformation and in civil engineering,
upgrading and
capabilities
of enterprises
has and business
gained widespread values
attention has
[23]. beenisgradually
China one of thedemonstrated in some
earliest and fastest movingindustry
coun‐
sectors, butworld
tries in the research andthe
within development and application
field of artificial intelligence.inSince
the field
2015,of engineering
China projects
has promulgated
are relatively
policies suchlagging
as Made behind
in China[13].2025
In addition,
[25], thesince BD technology
Guidance on Actively is constantly
Promotingevolving,
Internet+
Chinese academics
Action [26], are becoming
The National more and Plan
13th Five‐Year morefor interested in the integrated
the Development use ofEmerging
of Strategic BIM and
BD. Relevant[27],
Industries research areasNext
and the include the directions
Generation of engineering
Artificial Intelligenceproject management
Development Planinno-
[28],
vation
which[14],
havemajor engineering
planned organizationdirections
the key development system integration
of artificialmodels [16], underground
intelligence in detail from
engineering
various aspects monitoring
and clearly[17], railthat
stated transportation management
artificial intelligence [18], technology
is the core tunnel construction
of the next
round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation. Through
aligning the above policies, from 2015, related research has been conducted, such as the dig‐
italization of shield tunnels [22], bridge informatization and intelligent bridges [29], intelli‐
gent geotechnical engineering [30], an intelligent construction‐integrated management sys‐
tem [31], and the green construction of metro underground stations [32].
Buildings 2023, 13, 2435 10 of 31

management [19], water transport engineering construction [20], and engineering bidding
and procurement [21].
In the cluster of artificial intelligence, the main research concerns smart construc-
tion [22], smart design [23], and smart detection [24]. As a core driver of the next generation
of industrial change, artificial intelligence is an important method to comprehensively
improve digitalization, automation, informatization, and intelligence in civil engineering,
and has gained widespread attention [23]. China is one of the earliest and fastest moving
countries in the world within the field of artificial intelligence. Since 2015, China has pro-
mulgated policies such as Made in China 2025 [25], the Guidance on Actively Promoting
Internet+ Action [26], The National 13th Five-Year Plan for the Development of Strategic
Emerging Industries [27], and the Next Generation Artificial Intelligence Development
Plan [28], which have planned the key development directions of artificial intelligence in de-
tail from various aspects and clearly stated that artificial intelligence is the core technology
of the next round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation.
Through aligning the above policies, from 2015, related research has been conducted,
such as the digitalization of shield tunnels [22], bridge informatization and intelligent
bridges [29], intelligent geotechnical engineering [30], an intelligent construction-integrated
management system [31], and the green construction of metro underground stations [32].
In the IoT cluster, the main research focuses on the IoT [31], cloud computing [33],
and smart buildings [34]. The IoT is a network that connects any object to the internet
for information exchange and communication according to an agreed protocol through
information sensing devices such as Quick Response (QR) code reading devices, radio
frequency identification devices, infrared sensors, global positioning systems, and laser
scanners, in order to achieve intelligent identification, positioning, tracking, monitoring,
and management [35]. In recent years, IoT technology has become more popular since
its value when integrated with BIM applications has become increasingly recognized and
has been used to design an IoT–BIM management platform to cope with the needs of
actual projects. In addition, more and more engineering projects have employed the IoT–
BIM platform for on-site projects [36]. With the constant investigation and application
of a new generation of internet technologies in the construction sector, such as BD, IoT,
cloud computing, and so on, the idea of smart building has developed. Smart building is
implemented as a total solution to buildings, people, and the environment using computer
technology, internet technology, and other technical support to provide a safe, efficient,
and comfortable environment, with the building having a lower energy consumption via a
smart design, smart construction, and intelligent operation and maintenance throughout
the whole life cycle of the building [34]. The related research directions have been associated
with the digitization of road infrastructure [37], smart hospital project construction and
operation management [38], the smart management of expansion projects [39], and the
smart control of reconstruction projects [40].
In the cluster of informatization, the research has been conducted on informatiza-
tion [41], hyperforecasting [42], processing control [8], a digital twin [43], and data ap-
plication [44]. The current internet plus and big data information era has proposed a
whole new challenge to big data information technology in the survey and design indus-
try. Moreover, the use of cloud computing technology for obtaining information data
or mining related information to achieve unification between data islands, standardized
correlations, and the cross-use of data have been conducted to abandon the search for
causal relationships between information data. This results in a focus on the correlation of
information data, meaning the unity between information data and people, production,
policies, and profits and between information data and business processes, to provide
an accurate, comprehensive, and more realistic predictive analysis, and assist decision
making for enterprise decision making and management [44]. The related research has been
highlighted in the informatization of water transfer projects [43], the digitalization of water
conservancy and hydropower projects [41], geological forecasting [42], and engineering
data management [8].
 unity between information data and people, production, policies, and profits and between
information data and business processes, to provide an accurate, comprehensive, and more
realistic predictive analysis, and assist decision making for enterprise decision making and
management [44]. The related research has been highlighted in the informatization of water
transfer projects [43], the digitalization of water conservancy and hydropower projects [41],
Buildings 2023, 13, 2435 geological forecasting [42], and engineering data management [8]. 11 of 31

3.4.3. Keyword Burst Analysis

3.4.3.
TheKeyword
analysisBurst Analysis keyword burst can provide an understanding of the
of CiteSpace’s
hotspot evolution and research frontiers
The analysis of CiteSpace’s of a certain
keyword burst research
can provide area over a period
an understanding of theof time
hotspot
[12]. As shown in Figure 9, Chinese scholars began to put their research focus on the
evolution and research frontiers of a certain research area over a period of time [12]. As inte‐
gration
shown ofin BIM and
Figure 9, BD, withscholars
Chinese BIM taking
beganroot
toin China
put theirand therefocus
research beingona gradual increaseof
the integration
inBIM
national investment
and BD, with BIMintaking
high‐tech
root research
in China and development in 2015. increase in national
there being a gradual
investment in high-tech research and development in 2015.

Figure 9. The top 14 keywords with the strongest citation bursts in BIM and BD research in China
Figure 9. The
since 2015 topCNKI
from 14 keywords
databasewith the strongest
via CiteSpace citation
software bursts inby
(generated BIM and BD research in China
authors).
since 2015 from CNKI database via CiteSpace software (generated by authors).
In 2015, Hou [45] put forward the development outlook of BIM informatization, in
In 2015,
which Hou [45]
BIM would putupforward
open the era the development
of big data for theoutlook of BIMindustry.
construction informatization, in
In addition,
which
it has BIM
beenwould
definedopen
as aup the era of big
management data forthat
platform thecould
construction industry.
be applied In addition,
to all stages of the
itbuilding
has beenlifecycle,
defined including
as a management
planning,platform
design, that could be post-operation,
construction, applied to all stages of the
and renova-
tion, with five main features, namely visibility, coordination, simulation, optimization,
and mapability.
In 2016, with the continuous exploration and application of a new generation of
internet technologies in the construction industry with big data, IoT, cloud computing, and
other technologies, the concept of smart building has emerged, bringing better development
prospects to the construction industry in China [34]. The reconstruction opportunity to
successfully build a smart control platform has been used to integrate IoT, cloud computing,
big data, and mobile internet for the reconstruction project of Fengman Hydropower
Station [40], which addresses the problem of engineering data sharing and collaboration,
strengthens the control of the construction process, and improves the information on the
management level of construction. In addition, in 2016, the Ministry of Housing and
Construction of China organized the preparation of the Outline for the Development of
Informatization in the Construction Industry from 2016 to 2020 [1], which clearly aims to
enhance the combined application capability of BIM along with technologies such as cloud
computing, big data, and IoT in the 13th Five-Year Plan period in China.
In 2017, as internet plus became China’s national strategy [1] and the new engine of
economic growth in a new normal, China’s construction industry entered the construction
information age. However, the adoption of the internet during this period in China’s
construction industry had just begun, with features such as long production cycles and large
workloads severely limiting the information integrity and efficiency of the construction
industry, and leading to increased costs and the inadequate use of social resources. As such,
Buildings 2023, 13, 2435 12 of 31

the Chinese construction sector urgently needed to be transformed with a new generation
of information technology, such as the internet and big data [15].
In 2018, China’s Central Economic Work Conference redefined infrastructure de-
velopment, defining 5th Generation Mobile Communication Technology (5G), artificial
intelligence, industrial internet, and IoT as China’s new infrastructure development [46].
Subsequently, the Chinese government’s 2019 work report [47] included a section on
enhancing the construction of the information infrastructure of the next generation. Accord-
ingly, research related to construction informatization in China has been highly developed
throughout 2017 to 2018.
In 2019, the Chinese government’s work report indicated that the development of
industrial internet platforms, the extension of intelligence plus, and the facilitation of the
modernization and transformation of manufacturing industries are all crucial matters [48].
Since then, artificial intelligence-related research has begun to emerge. Hence, the compre-
hensive implementation of artificial intelligence throughout the whole life cycle of civil
engineering infrastructure planning, design, building, and maintenance would significantly
impact the evolution of civil engineering science, technology, and engineering [49].
In 2020, China’s Ministry of Housing and Urban–Rural Development and 13 other
departments issued the “Guidance on Promoting the Synergistic Development of Smart
Construction and Construction Industrialization” [50], which clearly proposed that by
2025, the policy system and industrial system for the synergistic development of smart
construction and construction industrialization in China should be fundamentally estab-
lished. By 2035, China’s core competitiveness in construction could be world-leading and
construction industrialization would be fully realized. The year 2020 was the first year of
smart construction development in China. As a result, research on Chinese infrastructure
increased dramatically between 2018 and 2020, with a particular focus on applying big
data, the internet, artificial intelligence, and other technologies to promote the modern-
ization and transformation of conventional infrastructure. Particularly popular topics are
rail transportation and road tunnels. Therefore, under the combined influence of road
network construction shifting to the west, the construction strength of ultra-long tunnels,
large-section tunnels, and underwater tunnels has surged [51].
Since 2021, research related to smart construction and artificial intelligence have shown
significant growth.

3.4.4. Keyword Timeline Analysis

A timeline map of BIM and BD research in China has been generated on the basis
of cluster analysis through the CiteSpace visual analysis software, as shown in Figure 10.
There are four clusters which are each tagged with keywords from the co-occurrence
network, aligned with the appearing year of the keywords, and illustrate the evolution of
each cluster’s keywords.
In big data tagging clustering, BIM- and BD-related research first appeared in China
in 2015, and then gradually transformed from theory to practice. In 2017, BIM and BD
were first applied to the fields of health inspection [17] and intelligent management [20].
An application mode of an intelligent supervision concept in the construction of water
transport projects has been proposed with the help of the enhanced maturity in the field
of information technology at the time, such as big data, sensor application, and internet
plus, taking information intelligence technology as a means and the Specification for Con-
struction Supervision of Water Transport Projects as a reference, to integrate all related
responsible parties together through the information system platform to form a set of inte-
grated solutions for the intelligent management of water transport project construction [20].
In addition, a series of specific and implementable technical routes have been developed,
such as the digital management of construction monitoring, intelligent monitoring based
on environmental protection, high-precision and wide-scale information-based feedback
construction, risk identification and monitoring and early warning, data mining, and analy-
ses of monitoring data based on big data technology [17]. In 2018, the implementation of
 Buildings 2023, 13, x FOR PEER REVIEW 13 of 32

Since 2021, research related to smart construction and artificial intelligence have
Buildings 2023, 13, 2435 shown significant growth. 13 of 31

3.4.4. Keyword Timeline Analysis

A timeline map of BIM and BD research in China has been generated on the basis of
BIM and BD in engineering project management in China has made greater progress, not
cluster analysis through the CiteSpace visual analysis software, as shown in Figure 10.
only developing a set of construction cost application systems based on BIM cloud data
There are four clusters which are each tagged with keywords from the co‐occurrence net‐
by implementing the use of technology that involves BIM and cloud data [52], but also
work, aligned with the appearing year of the keywords, and illustrate the evolution of
building an integrated model of a major engineering organization system based on a big
each cluster’s keywords.
data agent service [16].

Figure10.
Figure 10. Timeline
Timeline map
map of
of BIM
BIM and
and BD
BD research
research in
in China
China since
since 2015
2015 from
from CNKI
CNKI database
databasevia
via
CiteSpace software (generated by authors).
CiteSpace software (generated by authors).

Inthe
In bigArtificial
data tagging clustering,
Intelligence BIM‐cluster,
tagging and BD‐related
artificial research
intelligence firstbrings
appeared
newin China
opportu-
in 2015,
nities for and then gradually
advancement in the transformed
field of civil from theory to
engineering. Thepractice. In 2017, BIMappeared
term digitalization and BD
were
for thefirst
firstapplied
time intoChina’s
the fields of health
civil inspection
engineering [17] and
discipline in intelligent
2018, which management
attempts to[20]. use
An application mode of an intelligent supervision concept in
intelligent means to drive the development of digital construction. Technologies such as the construction of water
transport
deep projects
learning has been learning
and machine proposedalgorithms
with the help of the enhanced
of artificial intelligence,maturity in thevision,
computer field
of information technology at the time, such as big data, sensor
drones, three dimensional (3D) printing, BIM, virtual reality, and augmented reality are application, and internet
plus, taking
gradually information
being applied to intelligence technology
civil engineering, as a meanstransforming
profoundly and the Specification for Con‐
the development
ofstruction Supervision
civil engineering of Water
science, Transportand
technology, Projects as a reference,
engineering in China, to integrate all related
and advancing the
responsibleand
innovation parties togetherofthrough
application the information
smart construction system platform
technologies in Chinato[49].form a set2020
From of in‐
to
tegrated
2022, solutions
research for the
on smart intelligent management
construction reached a climax of water
withtransport
nine studies project construction
related to smart
[20]. In addition,
construction, a seriesa of
including specific
smart and implementable
construction integratedtechnical
management routessystem
have been
[31],devel‐
smart
oped, such as the digital management of construction monitoring,
construction technology of a shield tunnel [22], the implementation of smart construction intelligent monitoring
based on environmental
technology protection,cost
in the field of engineering high‐precision
managementand [10],wide‐scale information‐based
smart construction technology
feedback construction, risk identification and monitoring
of a highway [53], and smart construction technology of an underground station and early warning, data
[32],mining,
which
and analysesaccelerated
significantly of monitoring data based onofbig
the development thedata
fieldtechnology
of intelligent [17]. In 2018, the
construction in imple‐
China.
mentation
In the of IoTBIM and BD
tagging in engineering
cluster, with the project
continuousmanagement
explorationin China has madeofgreater
and practice a new
progress, not
generation of only developing
internet technologies a set of construction
with big data,cost IoT,application
and cloud systems
computing basedin on BIM
China’s
cloud data by implementing the use of technology that involves BIM
construction industry, the concept of smart building was born [34]. In 2018, with the gradual and cloud data [52],
but alsoof
progress building
the newan integrated
health modelpolicy,
care reform of a major
a strongengineering organization
effort to build systembecame
smart hospitals based
on a big data agent service [16].
the consensus of the community [38]. Between the years 2020 and 2022, BIM and BD in
ChinaInwere the Artificial
playing an Intelligence
increasingtaggingrole incluster, artificial intelligence
traffic engineering and waste brings
waternew oppor‐
treatment.
tunitiesstudies
Related for advancement
include theindigitization
the field of civil engineering.
of road The term
infrastructure [37],digitalization appeared
the smart management
offor the first time
expansion in China’s
projects [39], andcivil smartengineering
geotechnical discipline in 2018,
engineering [30].which attempts to use
In informatization tagging clustering, the term digital tunneling appeared for the first
time in China in 2017. The primary obstacle preventing the safe and efficient construction
of tunnels is the complex and bad geological conditions; therefore, the first step towards
achieving safe and efficient tunnel construction is to raise the standard of geological pre-
diction and forecasting technology and its digitization [42]. In 2019, China paid more
Buildings 2023, 13, 2435 14 of 31

attention to the field of research on data application. A model for the development of
informationization in the survey and design industry in the internet plus and big data
information era has been proposed, based on the analysis of the current situation as well
as the issues surrounding survey production management informationization and survey
professional development informationization, with reference to the industry characteristics
of the informationalization and improvements in the technology of state-owned survey
companies [44]. From 2021 to 2022, the digital twin became a new trend in China’s research
in the field. The concept of the digital twin was originally proposed by Professor Grieves in
2003 at the University of Michigan’s product lifecycle management course, which is defined
as a three-dimensional model that includes a physical product, a virtual product, and
the connection between the two [54]. A general architecture and data integration model
for a digital twin-based intelligent management platform has been generated for dam
construction in a reaction to the deficiency of data correlation analysis and visualization
to assist decision making in existing dam construction management systems [55]. With
the construction of a panoramic digital twin management system, additionally, the man-
agement and visualization of spatial data, water resources, water engineering, pollution
data, management facilities, and the status of electromechanical equipment have been
integrated within the scope of the Jiaodong Water Transfer Project, realizing the monitoring
and management of water quality and quantity as well as water functional areas, and
providing intuitive and effective support for intelligent watershed management [43].
Thus, the development of BIM and BD research in China can be divided into four
phases in terms of the timeline:
The start-up phase: the time period of 2015 to 2016 is the start-up phase of BIM and
BD research in China.
The construction informatization phase: the time period of 2016 to 2017 is the con-
struction informatization phase in China, with the rise of China’s internet plus as a national
strategy and the development of the internet and big data in China, in which the construc-
tion industry and the internet began to integrate, BIM and BD were really widely used
in the field of construction engineering, and the Chinese construction industry opened
the era of construction informatization. The main keywords of the related studies are
informatization, internet plus, integrated application, and smart hospital.
The new infrastructure and BIM and BD application practice phase: the time period of
2018 to 2019 is the new infrastructure development phase in China, which is accompanied
by the development of 5G, artificial intelligence, industrial internet, and IoT, as well as the
increase of construction demand such as rail transit and highway tunnels. An abundance
of research of highways, rails, tunnels, and bridges emerged, and the implementation of
BIM in the management of projects was deepened.
The intelligent construction development phase: since 2020, China’s BIM and BD
research has entered the intelligent development phase, as China’s industrial internet and
artificial intelligence has continued to grow quickly, as well as the promotion of a series
of policies, intelligent construction, and construction industrialization development in
collaboration during this phase, in which a large number of intelligent construction-related
studies have appeared.

3.4.5. The Literature Co-Citation Analysis

The literature-based Co-Citation Knowledge Map produced by CiteSpace can visualize
the knowledge foundation and research frontiers of academic disciplines. The co-citation
analysis was conducted on the reference documents of a total of 89 literature articles in
the BIM and BD research field from the CNKI database. The total number of reference
documents analyzed was 1256.
Figure 11 illustrates a visualization knowledge map generated from the data analysis.
Every node in the map represents a piece of the literature that has been cited; the circles that
surround the nodes indicate the amount of times that piece of the literature has been cited
in various years; the size of the circles reflects the number of citations in each year; and the
 alize the knowledge foundation and research frontiers of academic disciplines. T
citation analysis was conducted on the reference documents of a total of 89 literatur
cles in the BIM and BD research field from the CNKI database. The total number of
ence documents analyzed was 1256.
Figure 11 illustrates a visualization knowledge map generated from the data an
Buildings 2023, 13, 2435
Every node in the map represents a piece of the literature that has 15 of 31
been cited; the c
that surround the nodes indicate the amount of times that piece of the literature has
cited in various years; the size of the circles reflects the number of citations in each
and the
differences in color shades differences
signify in coloryears
the different shades signify
[12]. The the different
literature years
with [12]. The literature w
a co-citation
co‐citation frequency greater than three was considered to be
frequency greater than three was considered to be the key literature, and Figure 11 displaysthe key literature, an
ure 11 displays a total of six of these pieces.
a total of six of these pieces.

Figure 11. Co-citation mapping of China

Figure 11. BIMmapping
Co‐citation and BD of
research (generated
China BIM by authors)
and BD research [49,56–60].
(generated by authors) [49,56

Moreover, Table 3 was obtained by summarizing and analyzing the abstracts and
full texts of the six key literatures that were retrieved from CNKI. As can be seen, these
key literatures are primarily concerned with the integration of infrastructure construction
and maintenance [56], the application of big data in engineering project management [57],
the application of AI in urban planning and design [58], the research and application
of AI in civil engineering [49], the research and application of intelligent high-speed
railway architecture [59], and the intelligent development and promotion of tunnel boring
machines [60].

Table 3. The key literature co-cited in BIM and BD research in China (generated by authors).

Citation
First Author Literature Title Year Core Value
Frequency
Digitization techniques for
This paper proposes the concept of integration of infrastructure
integrated construction and
3 Zhu et al. [56] 2015 construction and maintenance in response to the current status and
maintenance of infrastructure:
problems of the infrastructure construction and maintenance phases.
Theory and methodology
This paper develops a three-dimensional structural model of
Big data: A new perspective of the
engineering project management based on big data in order to promote
3 Yang et al. [57] engineering project management 2017
the research and application of big data technology in engineering
driven by data
projects.
This paper demonstrates a new paradigm based on artificial intelligence
Artificial Intelligence in City
3 Batty M et al. [58] 2018 technology that integrates the research of the mechanisms that influence
Planning and Design
current reality with prospective-oriented planning and design.
This paper describes the relevant research and application of AI in the
Artificial Intelligence for field of civil engineering from the aspects of AI-based urban intelligent
3 Bao et al. [49] 2019
civil engineering planning, structural intelligent design, smart construction, smart
maintenance, and smart disaster prevention.
Research and Applications of This paper designs a three-dimensional intelligent high-speed railway
3 Wang et al. [59] China Intelligent High-speed 2019 architecture model covering business system, application system, data
Railway Architecture system, technology system, standard system, and evaluation system.
This paper points out that advanced sensing, analysis, and control
Development and Application of
technologies can be applied to accomplish intelligent tunnel boring
3 Tan et al. [60] Multi-functional and Intelligent 2020
machine construction and to achieve multi-mode operation of the
Tunnel Boring Machine
intelligent tunnel boring machine construction method.
Buildings 2023, 13, 2435 16 of 31

Furthermore, the research topics of the citations have a substantial influence on the
trajectory of BIM and BD research in China. In this paper, with the use of CiteSpace
software, a cluster on the basis of the above co-citation analysis was conducted to obtain the
co-citation clustering map, as shown in Figure 12, and it was found that the research of these
literatures can be roughly classified into 10 categories, including Bridge Informatization,
Buildings 2023, 13, x FOR PEER REVIEW
Road
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of of 32
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basically present the history and evolution of the basic research on BIM and BD in China.

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InIn2015,
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making a significant impact on the field. Ma et al. conducted an exhaustive
making a significant impact on the field. Ma et al. conducted an exhaustive search andsearch and
Buildings 2023, 13, 2435 17 of 31

In 2015, two influential papers on BIM and BD research in China were published,
making a significant impact on the field. Ma et al. conducted an exhaustive search and
analysis of relevant research in databases including the Web of Science [63], the Engineering
Village, and the China National Knowledge Infrastructure. They presented an overview
of the current application situation as well as future trends of big data technology in civil
engineering. Yan analyzed the integrated application modes and value of BIM and IoT
technology in construction site management, daily maintenance and asset management,
emergency management, and simulation training, adopting into consideration the charac-
teristics of BIM and IoT technology [64]. With regards to standards and technical conditions,
it also evaluated potential obstacles and problems associated with integration application.
In 2016, the Fengman Hydropower Station reconstruction project integrated numerous
technologies, including BIM, virtual reality, IoT, cloud computing, big data, and mobile in-
ternet. It established a successful intelligent management platform with features including
visualization, IoT integration, collaboration, and scientific control [40]. The application of
BIM in engineering management received widespread attention.
In 2017, Yang et al. constructed a three-dimensional structural framework for engineer-
ing project management by using big data [57]. The researchers put forward a theoretical
framework comprising of three distinct dimensions such as the time dimension, that en-
compasses each stage of the project lifecycle; the domain dimension, that encompasses the
different management areas of the project; and the technique dimension, which encom-
passes the big data analysis approaches. The primary objective of this framework is to
facilitate the development of big data technologies in engineering projects, with a focus on
promoting research and its practical implementation.
In the year 2018, notable advancements were achieved in the field of virtual reality
research due to the advancements in artificial intelligence. The advent of digital tech-
nology has had a dramatic impact on the awareness of the physical nature of the world
and the societal structure [72]. The study conducted by Batty M et al. [58] introduced
an innovative approach that integrates the investigation of present-day phenomena with
forward-thinking strategizing and development via the use of artificial intelligence tech-
nology. Wu et al. [73] presented real instances of intelligent data collection, intelligent
configurations for city functions, and intelligent designs of city structures. They provided
an analysis of the advanced mechanisms involved in artificial intelligence-supported city
planning.
In 2020, significant breakthroughs were achieved in the research on the informatization
of bridges. Yan et al. [65] introduced the Digital Image Correlation (DIC) technique for
analyzing structural deformation video images. By utilizing the fast Fourier transform-
based whole-pixel correlation algorithm and the inverse compositional Gaussian–Newton
iterative sub-pixel matching algorithm, they successfully realized the rapid testing of the
temporal displacement of multiple points in the structure.
As a result of the co-citation analysis, it can be seen that the articles with the highest
citation frequency are primarily concentrated in the last ten years, and the main fields
involved are the various applications of the integration of new technologies in various
aspects of the construction field, particularly artificial intelligence, VR, and augmented
reality. The rise of new technologies such as augmented reality, cloud computing, big data,
and the Internet of Things has resulted in new advancements in building informatization,
which is congruent with the conclusions of the analysis of Section 3.4.4.

3.5. Result of Microscopic Analysis

After the macro bibliometric analysis, a follow-up microscopic analysis of all the 89
core pieces of literature in the field has been conducted to analyze the main research themes
and methods regarding BIM and BD in China. The research methods and themes have been
categorized, as shown in Table 4, to demonstrate the present status of research development
and future research trends in BIM and BD.
Buildings 2023, 13, 2435 18 of 31

In the CiteSpace cluster analysis in Section 3.4.2, Group 0 ‘Big Data’, Group 1 ‘Artificial
Intelligence’, Group 2 ‘IoT’, and Group 3 ‘Informatization’ are all associated with various
fields derived from the combination of BIM and BD. According to the statistical analysis
of the overall research themes in the literature, the implementations of BIM and BD in
China are mainly focused on the intelligent construction stage and intelligent operation and
maintenance stage relating to the domain of engineering construction, among which the
bridge informatization is the top priority in the research of BIM and BD in China. Table 4
presents the research themes and research methods according to the categorization of the
subject content, further demonstrating in depth the research process of the integration and
development of BIM and BD in China. Among the 89 studies, there are 56 (63%) on the topic
of Smart Construction, 27 (30%) on the topic of Intelligent Operation and Maintenance,
and 6 (7%) on the topic of Bridge Informatization. In particular, the studies on the theme
of smart construction are mainly related to the construction research on railway, tunnels,
highways, and other infrastructure construction in China. The Intelligent Operation and
Maintenance topic not only has been focused on the implementation of BIM and BD relating
to the domain of operation and maintenance, but also on the protection of watersheds
and river management in the process of operation and maintenance. With regard to the
methodology of research, there are only a small number of studies that clearly describe
the research methodology, and the main research methods are Empirical analysis [16],
Questionnaire survey [74], Literature Research [24,75,76], Bibliometric methods [23,32,77],
case studies [41,78–80], and Literature reviews [10,38,53,81,82]. These studies have greatly
contributed to the development of BIM and BD research in China.

Table 4. Research themes on BIM and BD research in China since 2015 from CNKI database (generated
by authors).

Content Year Author Method

Smart Construction/Digital Twins 2022 Gu et al. [78] Case study
Smart Construction/Railway 2022 Wang et al. [83] -
Smart Construction/Railway 2022 Lu et al. [84] -
Smart Construction/Railway 2022 Han et al. [85] -
Smart Construction/Railway 2022 Ma [86] -
Smart Construction/Railway 2015 Yang et al. [87] -
Smart Construction/Highway 2022 Liang et al. [88] -
Smart Construction/Highway 2022 Zhou et al. [53] Literature review
Smart Construction/Highway 2022 Ding et al. [89] -
Smart Construction/Highway 2020 Wang et al. [37] -
Smart Construction/Highway 2019 Zhan et al. [90] -
Smart Construction/Highway 2019 Sun et al. [74] Questionnaire survey
Smart Construction/Highway 2019 Wang et al. [91] -
Smart Construction/Highway 2018 He et al. [51] -
Smart Construction/Technology 2022 Liu et al. [10] Literature review
Smart Construction/Technology 2022 Xu [92] -
Smart Construction/Technology 2021 Long [93] -
Smart Construction/Technology 2021 Zhu et al. [94] -
Smart Construction/Technology 2021 Wang [95] -
Smart Construction/Technology 2021 Jia et al. [76] Literature Research
Smart Construction/Technology 2020 Yang [96] -
Smart Construction/Technology 2019 Liu [21] -
Smart Construction/Technology 2019 Bao et al. [49] -
Smart Construction/Technology 2019 Chen et al. [80] Case study
Smart Construction/Technology 2018 Gui et al. [82] Literature review
Smart Construction/Technology 2018 Ma [52] -
Smart Construction/Technology 2018 Zhang et al. [36] -
Smart Construction/Technology 2018 Zhu et al. [97] -
Smart Construction/Technology 2017 Zuo et al. [17] -
Smart Construction/Technology 2016 Sun et al. [34] -
Smart Construction/Technology 2015 Hou [45] -
Smart Construction/Tunnel 2022 An et al. [98] -
Smart Construction/Tunnel 2022 Pan et al. [99] -
Smart Construction/Tunnel 2021 Min [100] -
Smart Construction/Tunnel 2020 unsigned -
Buildings 2023, 13, 2435 19 of 31

Table 4. Cont.

Content Year Author Method

Smart Construction/Tunnel 2019 Hong [101] -
Smart Construction/Tunnel 2017 Qian [42] -
Smart Construction/Shield Tunnel 2021 Chen et al. [102] -
Smart Construction/Shield Tunnel 2021 Chen et al. [22] -
Smart Construction/Shield Tunnel 2019 Wang et al. [103] -
Smart Construction/Shield Tunnel 2018 Zhi et al. [19] -
Smart Construction/Project Management 2022 Wang [104] -
Smart Construction/Project Management 2022 Zeng [105] -
Smart Construction/Project Management 2020 Han et al. [14] -
Smart Construction/Water Diversion Project 2022 Han et al. [43] -
Smart Construction/Train 2018 Zhang [106] -
Smart Construction/Subway 2022 Zhu et al. [32] Bibliometric method
Smart Construction 2022 Liu et al. [23] Bibliometric method
Smart Construction 2021 Deng et al. [107] -
Smart Construction 2018 Shi et al. [16] Empirical analysis
Smart Construction 2017 Wang et al. [108] -
Smart Construction/Orbit 2021 Ren et al. [109] -
Smart Construction/Orbit 2020 Su et al. [110] -
Smart Construction/Orbit 2020 Zhang et al. [75] Literature Research
Smart Construction/Orbit 2020 Gui et al. [18] -
Smart Construction/Hydraulic Engineering 2018 Yang et al. [41] Case study
Intelligent Operation and Maintenance 2022 Guo et al. [111] -
Intelligent Operation and Maintenance 2021 Zhang et al. [112] -
Intelligent Operation and Maintenance 2021 Wang et al. [113] -
Intelligent Operation and Maintenance 2021 Xu et al. [114] -
Intelligent Operation and Maintenance 2021 Sun et al. [115] -
Intelligent Operation and Maintenance 2020 Mai et al. [31] -
Intelligent Operation and Maintenance 2020 Wang [116] -
Intelligent Operation and Maintenance 2020 Wang [77] Bibliometric method
Intelligent Operation and Maintenance 2020 Yan [117] -
Intelligent Operation and Maintenance 2020 Bao et al. [81] Literature review
Intelligent Operation and Maintenance 2019 Bi et al. [118] -
Intelligent Operation and Maintenance 2019 He et al. [119] -
Intelligent Operation and Maintenance 2019 Ma et al. [120] -
Intelligent Operation and Maintenance 2019 Ma et al. [121] -
Intelligent Operation and Maintenance 2019 He [122] -
Intelligent Operation and Maintenance 2018 Ouyang [15] -
Intelligent Operation and Maintenance 2018 Zhang et al. [38] Literature review
Intelligent Operation and Maintenance 2017 Sun et al. [8] -
Intelligent Operation and Maintenance 2016 Lu et al. [40] -
Intelligent Operation and Maintenance/Regulation of river 2022 Cheng [123] -
Intelligent Operation and Maintenance/Watershed
2022 Sun [124] -
Protection
Intelligent Operation and Maintenance/Digital Twins 2021 Deng et al. [55] -
Intelligent Operation and Maintenance/Enterprise
2021 Hu [125] -
Informatization
Intelligent Operation and Maintenance/Sewage Treatment 2021 He [39] -
Intelligent Operation and Maintenance/Sewage Treatment 2020 Qi et al. [126] -
Intelligent Operation and Maintenance/Enterprise
2019 Zhao [44] -
Informatization
Intelligent Operation and Maintenance/Water Transport
2017 Zhao [20] -
Engineering
Bridge Informatization 2021 Zhao et al. [29] -
Bridge Informatization 2021 Yang et al. [33] -
Bridge Informatization 2020 Gou et al. [24] Literature Research
Bridge Informatization 2019 Zhang et al. [79] Case study
Bridge Informatization 2019 Liu et al. [127] -
Bridge Informatization 2019 Liu et al. [128] -

3.5.1. Smart Construction

Smart construction is a construction method that highly integrates information tech-
nology, automation, and intelligence with the engineering construction process, mainly
including the intelligent management of construction sites, BIM, a digital twin, 3D printing,
and intelligent robotics [23].
Buildings 2023, 13, 2435 20 of 31

With the constant development of technology and industrial techniques, Chinese

society has gradually stepped into the digital and intelligent era. China has made great
progress in intelligent construction, in which artificial intelligence and the digital economy
are flourishing. At the same time, a higher degree of development has been made in the
area of intelligent building via the combined use of big data and BIM. As shown in Table 4,
in the field of BIM and BD research in China, studies on smart construction mainly focus
on a number of transportation-related fields such as railways [87], roads [88], tunnels [19],
and tracks [109], of which 29 studies demonstrate the use of smart construction in the
field of transportation engineering. In the field of railway construction, operation, and
maintenance, the rendering speed of China’s multi-disciplinary integrated BIM design
system for railways has been effectively improved through in-depth research on big data
rendering technology in railway BIM design systems to avoid the problems of a sluggish
system response and user interface stagnation [87]. In terms of highway engineering, a
“five-segment” categorization and coding architecture of highway engineering information
has been developed in accordance with the ISO 12006-2 [129] standard, covering project,
work point, component, location, and version, taking into account different needs such as
construction management, measurement and payment, archive management, and big data
utilization, which has been implemented into the real engineering construction manage-
ment information system [88]. Regarding tunnel construction, an innovative BIM-based
information-based construction management solution has been used for a series of im-
portant and difficult factors that affect and restrict the efficient and safe construction of
the tunnel, such as the high environmental protection requirements in the central section
of the city, the high environmental risks of crossing complex geological strata, and the
technical difficulties of the construction of the first single-hole double-line large-diameter
shield in China [19]. The integration of safety risk monitoring and tunnel construction
information technology based on BIM and BD technology, has been proposed in the con-
cept of “digital tunnel and intelligent tunnel” [42]. Further, solutions on the concept of
the intelligent management of tunnel construction have been suggested in view of the
construction technology needs of various transportation fields [101]. In the field of rail
engineering, the scientific and intelligent development of urban rail transport requires the
integration of BIM, Geographic Information System (GIS) software platforms, and data
standards. This is the key to unlocking the potential of BIM, which is also an important
support for the synergistic development of rail transportation and cities in the era of big
data [75]. Evidently, the development of smart construction is an essential research topic in
the realm of construction in the field of transportation.
Moreover, the advantages of using intelligent construction in water engineering has
been revealed in terms of engineering digitization [41] and engineering informatization [43].
The actual Jiaodong water transfer project in the Shandong Province, China, has been used
as a case study to analyze key technologies of information construction for water conser-
vancy projects, providing successful management model experience for the subsequent
development of intelligent construction in water conservancy projects [43]. Further, China’s
domestic and foreign cases of the digital application of large- and medium-sized water
conservancy and hydropower projects have been represented by means of case studies,
analyzing the current development status and problems in terms of engineering design,
construction, and operation management for future development trends [41].
Furthermore, there are 17 studies which have investigated the development of intelli-
gent construction from different technical level perspectives such as architectural design,
project management, and project costing, which include three technical-level studies to
explore urban shield tunnels [22], underground stations [32], and intelligent geotechnical
engineering [30]. As technology and industrial techniques continue to evolve, China has
gradually stepped into the digital and intelligent era, in which China’s intelligent construc-
tion has made great progress. However, it is only by constantly promoting technological
innovation and advancing the intelligent construction and digital building of infrastructure
that Chinese smart cities can achieve digital transformation [22].
Buildings 2023, 13, 2435 21 of 31

3.5.2. Smart Operations and Maintenance

Smart operation and maintenance refers to the maintenance approach of extracting
value information from the massive operation and maintenance data for decision making.
This approach is not only able to store and analyze massive data, but also provides assis-
tance to operators in decision making. From the implementation point of view, intelligent
operation and maintenance mainly involve steps such as intelligent monitoring, big data
analysis, and applying maintenance decisions [130].
As indicated in Table 4, research on intelligent operation and maintenance in China’s
BIM and BD mainly involves intelligent control [40] and intelligent monitoring [20]. Feng-
man Hydropower Station is the “mother of hydropower” in China, and is the first to
implement visualization and digitalization technologies in an integrated intelligent control
platform with a unified technical architecture, unified data management, and unified busi-
ness and information standards, which breaks the situation of information silos and greatly
improves China’s management, operation, and maintenance level capability through the
real-time monitoring of data and information and the intelligent decision making of busi-
nesses [40]. In addition, with the growth of internet plus, big data, IoT, and other advanced
technologies in China, the integration between traditional industries and internet tech-
nology has entered a period of fast growth. Intelligent monitoring effectively improves
the efficiency of engineering operations, of which the implementation of an intelligent
governance concept in the construction of water transport projects has been clarified [20].
Questionnaires have been used to explore the study of operation and maintenance man-
agement design in the field of office intelligence [120]. The integration of BIM and Virtual
Reality (VR) technology has been implemented to achieve the transformation and upgrad-
ing of the coordination platform for assembly buildings [119].
Existing research shows that applying BIM technology during the building opera-
tion and maintenance phase has the potential to improve the exchange of information
across all stages of the project, including design, construction, operation, and maintenance.
Furthermore, it has been observed that the implementation of BIM technology can addi-
tionally ensure the accuracy and reliability of important data, consequently addressing the
requirements of operation [120].

3.5.3. Bridge Informatization

Bridges are the key nodes and hubs of transportation engineering and are important
safeguards for social safety and China’s national economic development. With intelli-
gence and information technologies continuing to advance, there are new opportunities
for innovation in traditional bridge engineering in China. The creation of increasingly
intelligent and high-precision bridge structures is bound to become the future direction of
development [24].
Since information is the foundation of intelligence, information network systems
should be established. The intelligence of bridges could not be achieved without the support
of information. The research hotspots of bridge informatization and intelligent bridges in
China are mainly focused on BIM plus technology, drones, inspection robots, and the deep
learning of big data [29]. The introduction of information technologies, such as the IoT
and cloud computing, has significantly improved the monitoring efficiency of bridges [24],
in which machine works will replace manual human workers more often in carrying
out traditional bridge structure inspections and long-term maintenance monitoring work.
Existing research shows that BIM technology can improve the level of refinement of positive
bridge designs, process control in construction, and accuracy in management. In addition,
the frontline technologies and important achievements in the field have been reviewed,
summarizing the potential for this field’s future in China as well as the present research
hotspots [29]. Further, a review of research progress on bridges and cloud computing in
China has been conducted to make a deeper summary of the integrated management of
bridge design, construction, and operation and maintenance [33], indicating that cloud-
based BIM gives greater support to bridge informatization.
Buildings 2023, 13, 2435 22 of 31

3.6. Literature Analysis of Web of Science Database in BIM and BD in China

In order to ensure the comprehensiveness of the literature related to the research, this
paper used the topic keywords of BIM and Big Data and China to conduct a search in
the core of the WoS database. Accordingly, a total of ten academic papers were collected.
These papers are mainly concerned with the research topic of intelligent operation and
maintenance and smart construction, as summarized in Section 3.5. This research includes
the application of algorithm prediction and machine learning technology in intelligent
railway construction [83,131], the application of blockchain technology and artificial intelli-
gence [132,133], the combination of BIM in material budget and cost management [134], the
application of BIM and Big Data Text Mining in concrete precast management platforms’
effective application [135], the application of digital twins in hospital projects [136], and
intelligent data retrieval and representation methods for cloud BIM applications based on
natural language processing [137].
These studies highlight the significance of developing technologies and their ap-
plication scenarios in the architecture, engineering, and construction industry [138,139],
demonstrating the importance of these technologies in improving efficiency, reducing costs,
and optimizing management, as shown in Table 5.

Table 5. Statistics of studies on BIM and BD in WoS 2019–2023 (generated by authors).

Content Year First Author Title Method

Understanding competency requirements in the context
Smart
2023 Zhou et al. [138] of AEC industry informatization: policy insights Literature Research
Construction/Technology
from China
The Influence Mechanism of BIM on Green Building
Smart Construction/Project
2022 Feng [132] Engineering Project Management under the -
Management
Background of Big Data
Research on the Realization Path of Railway Intelligent
Smart Construction/Railway 2022 Wang et al. [83] Construction Based on System Case study
Engineering Sustainability
Research on the Relationship between Construction 4.0
Smart
2022 Yang et al. [133] and Construction Firm’s Performance: Based on the -
Construction/Technology
Mediating Role of Technological Innovation Capability
Smart Construction/Project The effectiveness of project management construction
2021 Li et al. [134] Case study
Management with data mining and blockchain consensus
The Construction Site Management of Concrete
Smart Construction/Project
2020 Xu [135] Prefabricated Buildings by ISM-ANP Network Empirical research
Management
Structure Model and BIM under Big Data Text Mining
Smart The Research in Digital Slope Information Technology:
2020 Wang et al. [139] -
Construction/Technology Evidences from Coastal Region of China
Intelligent Operation and Digital Twin Hospital Buildings: An Exemplary Case
2020 Peng et al. [136] Case study
Maintenance Study through Continuous Lifecycle Integration
Intelligent construction technology of railway
Smart Construction/Railway 2019 Lu et al. [131] Literature Research
engineering in China
Smart A Natural-Language-Based Approach to Intelligent
2015 Lin et al. [137] -
Construction/Technology Data Retrieval and Representation for Cloud BIM

4. Discussion
4.1. Current Status of Research and Future Trends
With the complexity of China’s construction projects and the high expectations of the
industry for BIM, BIM visualization and information integration functions could not fulfil
the requirements of the building sector in terms of development in the era of smart tech-
nology [107]. The Chinese construction industry has an urgent need for a transformation
generated by the new generation of information technology such as the internet and big
data [15]. The findings in Section 3.1 demonstrate that BIM and BD-related research in
China is on a continuously increasing trend. However, the amount of Chinese BIM and BD
research that is published in core journals is limited, and the primary focus of the research
is on the construction, operation, and maintenance stages of the project, with relatively little
Buildings 2023, 13, 2435 23 of 31

in the project planning and design stages, indicating that Chinese BIM and BD research has
not yet been investigated across all of the project’s life cycle stages.
The findings listed in Section 3.4’s macro-bibliometric analysis suggest that the Chinese
BIM and BD research is currently focused on the integrated research of big data, IoT, in-
formatization, and artificial intelligence to optimize the management and decision-making
work of engineering and project management, the development of intelligent construction
technology, and a more intensive application in infrastructure construction fields such as
rail transportation and heavy railways. Technologies including artificial intelligence, big
data, the IoT, and information technology are not separate entities, but complement each
other. Additionally, multi-technology integration to maximize the benefits of BIM is to
fully use and truly promote data-based intelligent decision making [36]. In the foreseeable
future, the digital twin that deeply integrates extended reality technologies may become a
new trend, through the deep integration of BIM modeling technology with GIS map data,
the terrain, images, and realistic 3D models, and applied to realize the visual display of
graphics and information, making the abstract data concrete and visualized [43]. It could
also integrate Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) technologies to serve the
total process of the planning, design, construction, operation, and maintenance of engineer-
ing projects, and use the interaction between the virtual environment and real situation
to achieve the intelligent control of on-site engineering projects [30]. The integration of a
digital twin with technologies such as the Internet of Things, edge computing, big data, AI,
VR, and AR is the future development trend. As an enabling technology for digital twins,
digital twin technology combines multiple data sources with AI technologies such as neural
networks and machine learning to achieve faithful mapping, interactive feedback, and
collaborative control of digital twin models and key data [140]. The immersive experience
provided by VR enhances the visualization and concretization effects of BIM models while
also improving interactive functionality, offering a more immersive experience [141]. By
combining AR with BIM, virtual scenes can be seamlessly integrated into the real environ-
ment, allowing for a highly realistic reconstruction of the construction site. This integration
enables the visualization of architectural details, thereby enhancing the level of intelligent
construction in engineering projects [142].
Moreover, the findings of Table 2 in Section 3.4.1 indicate that the top three keywords
in the high-frequency keywords for BIM and BD research in China from 2015 to 2022 are
big data, IoT, and smart construction. In addition, keywords such as big data, IoT, artificial
intelligence, cloud computing, and internet plus are frequently mentioned as indispensable
technologies in the development of BIM informatization, while keywords such as heavy-
duty railway and rail transportation illustrate the main application areas of BIM and BD in
China, and keywords such as smart construction, project management, and data platform
reveal the main development directions of BIM and BD research in China. In terms of the
timeline, the development of BIM and BD in China is driven by national policy guidelines
such as the Outline for the Development of Informatization in the Construction Industry
from 2016 to 2020 [1] and the Guidance on Promoting the Collaborative Development
of Intelligent Construction and Building Industrialization [50]. Responding to national
policy guidelines and serving rail transportation, highway tunnels, and smart buildings,
the degree of integration of technology research has increased, of which the field of BIM
and BD in China has developed in the direction of smart construction and smart operation
and maintenance.
Furthermore, the results of the microscopic analysis of Table 4 in Section 3.5 indicate
that the implementation of BIM and BD in China is focused on the smart construction stage
and intelligent operation and maintenance stage in engineering construction, of which
the construction information of the bridge is a top priority. The research on intelligent
construction mainly focuses on specific application research in railway, highway, tunnel,
and rail in the field of transportation, and the research on intelligent operation and main-
tenance mainly involves intelligent monitoring and intelligent management design. The
research on bridge informatization associates with BIM plus technology, drones, inspection
Buildings 2023, 13, 2435 24 of 31

robots, and the deep learning of big data. In addition, the research content mainly concerns
fundamental and technical aspects, functional application, and engineering application and
practice. From the perspective of research methods, the literature review and bibliometric
method have been adopted in a certain proportion, indicating the Chinese BIM and BD
research interests in conceptual analysis and status analysis. In general, the current appli-
cation of BIM and BD in China focuses on a single stage, and investigating an integrated
BIM management platform covering the whole project lifecycle stages will become a new
trend for future research development. Further, cloud computing technology addresses
the sharing and interaction of data, the IoT solves the collection of data, and artificial
intelligence mainly enables the means to empower the wisdom of mechanical equipment
in the practice process. In the future, the amalgamation of multiple technologies to enhance
the worth of data will promote the development of smart construction in China.

4.2. Development and Challenges of BIM and BD Research in China

The results of the keyword clustering analysis in Section 3.4.2 indicate that the unified
implementation of cloud computing, big data, IoT, and BIM helps with collecting, storing,
organizing, and mining massive engineering data in the process of engineering construc-
tion. Hence, each of these takes advantage of each other’s strengths to achieve smart
decision-making centered BIM [36]. In addition, the outcomes of the keyword emergence
study discussed in Section 3.4.1 suggest that in order to facilitate the reform and advance-
ment of the construction industry, both the Chinese government and local governments
have introduced relevant policies since 2016 that have developed from the initial stage of
demonstration application and promotion guidance to the stage of comprehensive promo-
tion and multi-policy integration development [143]. BIM-based intelligent control [106],
building operation and maintenance [120], intelligent supervision [20], and information
management [39] applications substantially improve the level of industry information and
project benefits. Further, the results of keyword timeline analysis in Section 3.4.3 highlight
that BD technology research is still in its early stages in China and that big data’s lack of
cognitive capacity is a significant element influencing the decision-making process. Thus,
some studies posit that the dearth of study pertaining to BD poses a hindrance to its use
into certain domains [14]. Additionally, the difficulties in integrating data, sharing data,
and mining data are the key issues that restrict the in-depth application of big data. The
ability to handle and analyze the data contained inside BIM models is essential to the
successful mutual integration of BIM technology with BD technologies [11]. The BIM
platform provides a big data computing and analysis platform for the construction field
to support the access and integration of multi-source heterogeneous data, to transform
and process the statistics, analysis, and mining of the data, deeply mining the hidden
value of the data, and finally to visualize and display or share the processing results to
form a complete data analysis process [18]. The integration of big data technology and
BIM enables not only the solving of problems such as collision and the cost control of
installation projects, but also the penetration into the management of the whole life cycle of
construction projects [81], which plays a great role in optimizing the order of the industry,
and improving the efficiency of enterprises and the work efficiency of practitioners [21].
Furthermore, the findings of the investigation and analysis conducted with a micro-
scopic scope in Section 3.5 show that the application of BIM and BD in China is more
focused on smart applications in the smart construction stage and smart operation and
maintenance stage, which means there is less exploration in the planning and design stage.
Information technology is a trend in urban development and the use of BIM with other
technologies to develop, operate, and maintain urban underground spaces is in line with
this trend [144]. During the design stage, BIM helps to address the exchange and transfer
of information in design works, enhance the level and quality of designs, solve difficult
design problems, and improve the efficiency of designs [145]. Emerging technologies such
as big data and artificial intelligence to assist in the design of civil engineering are currently
in their infancy, but have shown a great promise. In addition, although BIM technology has
Buildings 2023, 13, 2435 25 of 31

great advantages, it still has limitations in its application due to its software system and
various other reasons, and BIM technology in China has not yet reached the collaborative
operation and integration across the whole project’s lifecycle stages. Future research could
emphasize the use of BIM and BD in the domains of urban planning and engineering
design, and break through the application barriers between the various stages in terms of
smart planning, design, construction, and operation and maintenance, meaning BIM and
BD could be adopted in various aspects of China’s smart city construction.

5. Conclusions
This paper relies on a bibliometric approach to metrically visualize core journal articles
on BIM and BD in China from 2015 to 2022 in the CNKI database to discover the areas of
high activity and future potential developments of the integration of BIM and BD research,
in which the main contributions of this study are as follows:
(1) In terms of the research method, this study is the first of its kind to employ a combina-
tion of macro quantitative analysis and micro qualitative methods to investigate an
interdisciplinary research issue, namely the integration of BIM and BD in China.
(2) In terms of research techniques, by using the CiteSpace software and the SATI statisti-
cal analysis tool for bibliographic quantitative analysis via keyword co-occurrence
analysis, this paper is the first to reveal the current research status, hotspots, and
future development trends in the integration of BIM and BD in China from 2015
to 2022.
(3) In terms of research findings, the popular research keywords for BIM and BD in China
since 2015 are mainly focused on BD, informatization, IoT, and rail transportation.
By categorizing the main research keywords of BIM and BD in China, three fruitful
research themes in BIM and BD research in China have been identified, including
Smart Construction, Intelligent Operation, and Bridge Informatization. BIM and
BD in China’s smart construction are mainly applied to railway construction, tunnel
construction, road construction, and water conservancy construction projects in China,
which play a significant part in the overall promotion of the building of infrastructure
in China. In the field of smart operation, BIM and BD mainly promote the interac-
tion and sharing of information in the operation and maintenance stage of China’s
construction industry from digitization and visualization in order to enhance the
management effectiveness of the construction operation and maintenance. In the field
of bridge informatization, BIM and BD studies use BIM technology to improve the
refinement level of bridge design in China and apply BIM plus technology combined
with drones and inspection robots to significantly improve the monitoring efficiency
of bridge construction in China. In general, this paper presents an overall result
of the results of the macro and micro analysis on the integration of BIM and BD in
China, discusses the current status and application areas, explores the hotspots and
trends, and provides a reference for future studies in the domain in China as well
as worldwide.
From 2015 to 2022, the quantity of academic publications pertaining to the integration
of BIM and BD applications in China was on an overall upward trend. Big data, IoT, smart
construction, artificial intelligence (AI), VR, AR, information technology, and cloud com-
puting are keywords closely related to the topic. Smart construction technology with AI
became a research hotspot in 2022. With the development of AI, there will be an “automatic
AI scientist” and “automatic AI engineer” with the ability to create theories, theorems, and
designs [49]. In the future, the application of BD analytics and BIM will have significant
implications. It will allow for a more comprehensive and accurate prediction of building
performance, optimization of design, and improved efficiency in construction [137]. More-
over, it will enhance resource utilization efficiency by integrating data from sources such as
equipment sensors, maintenance records, and energy consumption [140]. This integration
will also improve the efficiency of building equipment maintenance and reduce energy
waste [136]. Furthermore, within the realm of construction engineering, the integration
Buildings 2023, 13, 2435 26 of 31

of big data technology into BIM will facilitate the analysis of building data in conjunction
with geographic information, traffic data, and demographic data [132]. This integration
will lead to enhanced efficiency in building design and planning, as well as a reduction
in construction safety risks [134]. This paper presents the prospective future direction of
construction engineering integration and information technology in China, and provides a
reference for China’s domestic and international research. However, this paper only used
the core journal literature from CNKI as a sample for the study, which is a small sample size.
Therefore, subsequent studies may consider using all the data within the CNKI journal
repository. In addition, future research can adopt a multidisciplinary application mindset
to explore the application mode of the integration of BIM and BD in multidisciplinary
fields, from concept to practice, to investigate the deep integration of BIM and big data.

Author Contributions: Conceptualization, Z.L. and W.X.; methodology, Z.L. and W.X.; software,
Z.L., W.X. and Y.Z.; validation, Z.L. and W.X.; formal analysis, Z.L., W.X., Y.Z. and L.H.; investigation,
Z.L., W.X., Y.Z. and L.H.; resources, Z.L. and W.X.; data curation, Z.L. and W.X.; writing—original
draft preparation, Z.L., W.X., Y.Z. and L.H.; writing—review and editing, Z.L., W.X., Y.Z. and
L.H.; visualization, Z.L., W.X. and Y.Z.; supervision, Z.L. and W.X.; project administration, W.X.;
funding acquisition, Z.L. and W.X. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of
the manuscript.
Funding: This research was funded by the Research Base of Carbon Neutral Finance for the
Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area, Project No.22BTJR03, and the Guangdong Basic
and Applied Basic Research Fundation, Research on Knowledge Value Evaluation Model and Method
of User Innovation Community Based on Supernetwork Modeling. Project No.: 2023A1515011551.
Data Availability Statement: Availability Statement: Publicly available datasets were analyzed in
this study. These data can be found here: https://www.cnki.net/ (accessed on 1 January 2023).
Conflicts of Interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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