Semantic Integration of Information Models of Different Domains for the Railway Sector

Abstract

Although BIM and GIS are from different domains, the interoperability of IFC and CityGML is seen today as a needed step for the plan, design, and construction of an infrastructure project. Such an approach utilizes data from both domains by converting two open data standards. However, the interoperability of GIS/BIM convergence with other domains, such as LandInfra, LADM, RailTopoModel, etc., is becoming increasingly more important, particularly in the projects of railway. Thus, the cooperation is not only for stakeholders within the AECO/MEP industry but also other stakeholders within other domains. A decentralized seamless data flow among different domains must be ensured by linking different domain information models. This study presents a comprehensive approach for incorporating information models with a particular focus on the railways. The approach in the study first asserts project information in BIM to be included in GIS using geospatial ontologies and then extends this approach by integrating other information models from different fields.