This research concentrates on the combination of remote sensing devices, georeferenced data, web-based optimization techniques and Location Based Services in revitalization. Its aim is to enhance the delivery of information about the development potentialities of existing buildings.

The present and idle stock of buildings is extensive. Nonetheless, significant data and information about existing buildings is hardly available. The real estate owners are usually not known by prospective clients and they can be elicited only with substantial effort. But even if data about a building is available it is difficult to valuate it precisely, because of missing standard classification techniques, which would also consider the subjective subsequent requirements of the interested parties. The question whether or not a building is suitable for a certain subsequent use is therefore hard to answer. It involves an extensive expenditure of time and manpower. Recent publications however, demonstrate that requests for the re-use of buildings can be solved through the use of combinatorial optimization techniques. Within these approaches researchers mainly concentrate on the architect dealing with inquiries from clients. These inquiries typically address the question if specific buildings are suitable for particular future uses. With the aid of optimization engines the architect can solve these requests through a description of the existing buildings and the corresponding enquiries in terms of specific criteria such as number of rooms, size of rooms, adjacency between rooms, etc. According to an unambiguous syntax these approaches can be applied to any building type. The building data is stored in databases which can be inquired through optimization engines which thereupon calculate suitable solutions to the demands made by the client. But even if these approaches demonstrate high potential, their bottleneck lies in the exclusive use through the architect. Neither can they be addressed to buildings that are not listed in the architects own inventory listings nor can they be used by the clients themselves. Furthermore, no reliable statement about a prospective reuse of a building can be made directly on site by prospective clients, i.e. buyers or renters. In our research we examined if ad-hoc analyses of existing buildings can be accomplished through the clients themselves with the aid of Location Based Services that can be accessed by common remote sensing devices. The aim is to give prospective clients the possibility to visit a building and run in-situ usability simulations. To accomplish this, building data will be transferred between the building and the client through the use of ordinary communication devices. These devices automatically connect to server-based applications, which compare the requirements of the client with the existing building and run remote simulations on concrete further utilization. The newly generated information will then be passed back to the client’s device. In the paper we address a scenario of a prospective client who visits a city where he hits on an unused building he might be interest in. The client wishes to gain immediate and accurate information if the building is able to meet his demands regarding the space needed for his company. Different techniques investigated, their assets and drawbacks will be described that could accomplish suchlike tasks.
