Interoperability Assessment for Building Information Modelling

Abstract

The construction industry in its heterogeneity has a need for better communication and process coordination among stakeholders. This lack of coordination is due to barriers in interoperability in strategic, conceptual and technological perspectives. Interoperability is the ability for agents to communicate and exchange data, information and knowledge. Around this definition, literature suggests that Building Information Modelling (BIM) will play an important role in the development of interoperability in the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry. Considering that barriers in interoperability can cause difficulties in the AEC industry (such as design overlapping, coordination issues and many kinds of financial loss), the need for a specific method and tools to assess the level of maturity in this field was perceived. This paper provides an approach to assess interoperability in the AEC domain. It is based on the concerns suggested by the main interoperability frameworks found in literature, such as the European Interoperability Framework (EIF). The interoperability assessment is then structured using the value levels (communication, coordination and cooperation) proposed by Grilo and Jardin-Goncalves [1] as maturity levels. The AEC attributes were then formatted in a multi-criteria decision making structure, AHP (Analytic Hierarchy Process), from which specialists gave their opinion through a questionnaire to determine the perceived level of interoperability. The assessment and diagnosis stage of the research led to the conclusion that data interoperability is still the biggest issue, so a new method to assess interoperability between software and formats is described as a verification experiment, highlighting the main barriers in BIM.

Data Interoperability Assessment Though Ifc for Bim in Structural Design – A Five-Year Gap Analysis

“…The concerns described by Chen et al (2008), form the vertical axis. This connection between both proposals can be described as a path for improved interoperability in the AEC industry (Muller et al 2015). Considering the figure described, it can be observed that the research developed in this paper is currently located in the highlighted box -IFC concerns for data interoperability -currently on the second level.…”

“…Based on literature and in industrial best practices (Grilo, Jardim-Goncalves 2010;Kim et al 2013;Muller et al 2015), a process map using BPMN to detail the information flow and tasks in a structural engineering design company was carried out. Firstly, a company that doesn't use BIM was considered.…”

“…BIM is a process in which building models are created through software; data from all the sectors involved in the lifecycle of the building should be included in the models. However, the main barriers to the adoption of BIM by the market are the difficulties in interoperability among platforms (Grilo, Jardim-Goncalves 2010;Muller et al 2015). This fact leads to a vicious cycle: interoperability between BIM systems doesn't seem to be in a stage where it is satisfactory enough for the adoption of BIM, and in turn BIM must be more widely adopted to in order for interoperability to be improved.…”

“…To better address interoperability issues in AEC/ BIM, literature points to a need for specific studies on interoperability influence factors and assessment methods (Grilo, Jardim-Goncalves 2010;Jeong et al 2009;Muller et al 2015). With this scenario in mind, the research described in this paper is structured as follows.…”

Achieving a Trade-Off Construction Solution Using BIM, an Optimization Algorithm, and a Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Method

“…A simultaneous decrease in energy demand and costs, while improving the indoor environmental quality, requires constructive communication between building professionals. At this point, Building Information Modelling (BIM) provides a useful platform for sharing information, which streamlines communications and coordinates collaboration between building professionals, including architects, engineers, and energy experts [9,10]. Furthermore, the implementation of BIM provides further benefits, as it allows design errors to be discovered more easily and reduces construction times and costs [10].…”