CAD, Geospatial,3D and BIM Standards Converge
THE NEED FOR STANDARDS
BIM must result from joint efforts
The different AECOO technology
domains and application domains have
different vocabularies, geometries,
computing paradigms, data formats,
data schemas, scales and fundamental
world-views. They also have different
requirements for accuracy, "verisimilitude"
(realism), and animation performance.
Different organizations have
different business processes for which
they have developed their own paper
and digital forms and procedures.
Fortunately, Web technologies,
notably the eXtensible Markup Language
(XML), are well suited for developing
systems that enable different
kinds of data to be merged under
human control or software control. And
the Web, itself based on standards
(http, html, XML, etc.) has given rise to
an "ecosystem" of Web-related standards
organizations. The Web is based
largely on free and open standards
developed by a variety of consensus
standards organizations, such as the
W3C (World Wide Web Consortium),
OASIS (Organization for the Advancement
of Structured Information Standards),
the Web3d Consortium, and the
OGC.
The International Alliance for Interoperability
(IAI) is an alliance of organizations
dedicated to bringing about coordinated
improvement of productivity
and efficiency in the construction and
facilities management industry. IAI
members engage in national-industrial
programs that include development of
AECOO technology standards such as
BIM standards and best practices.
The OGC develops and promotes standards
for distributed geoprocessing,
with a particular focus on Web services.
Many of the software companies that
serve both AEC and geospatial customers
long ago began providing interoperability
between their own AEC and
geospatial products.
BIM in the OGC Interoperability Program
The OGC's standards development
process, which relies heavily on fastpaced,
results-oriented testbeds, has
begun to play a role in AECOO technology
convergence.
In December 2006, the Open Geospatial Consortium Inc. coordinated a
meeting in Jersey City, NJ to demonstrate
the results of a seven-month
interoperability testbed, OGC Web Services
4 (OWS-4). In the demonstration,
participants showed how BIM standards
can play an important role in
emergency services and disaster management.
A number of OGC member
companies demonstrated how their
software works with BIM. One company
focused on how A/E/C and geospatial
system interoperability can reduce
pollution, greenhouse gas emissions
and consumption of natural resources.
Others focused on cataloging and discovery
of buildings for which BIMs
were available or use of BIMs for evaluating
buildings' potential as emergency
hospitals.
In February 2008, the OGC, jointly
with the buildingSMART alliance,
issued a "Request for Technology (RFT)
In Support of an AECOO Testbed". The
testbed will be conducted in 2008.
Sponsors of AECOO Testbed include:
- Architecture Firms: HOK, Burt Hill and
Ellerbe Becket
- General Contractors: Webcor and
Gilbane
- Government Agencies: US General
Services Administration, National Institute
of Standards & Statsbygg (Norway)
- Trade Associations: US buildingSMART
alliance, American Institute of
Architects, and Large Firm Roundtable
Eighteen organizations responded to
this request. The AECOO Testbed has
three focus areas:
- Decision support and general communications
- connecting building models
with business processes
- Energy analysis during design
- Cost estimation during design
Respondents indicated which technologies
they are prepared to integrate
into an interoperable environment for
commercialization.
The AECOO Testbed represents the
beginning of a cooperative environment
where AEC and geospatial standards
organizations can jointly promote
rapid standards development,
testing and validation. It will enable
both users and suppliers to take measured
and coordinated steps to improve
communication to build out the technical
capabilities for discovery, access,
integration, analysis, exploitation and
visualization of project data as well as
multiple online community-based
information resources.
IMPORTANCE TO INDIA
India now has six business and government
members in the OGC, working
with 340 members from other nations
to build the global geospatial standards
infrastructure. One reason for India's
interest is that the convergence of
geospatial technologies and design
technologies has become a major focus
in the OGC, and this convergence represents
an area of opportunity for both
Indian agencies and Indian companies.
In their aggressive development of
physical infrastructure, India and other
rapidly developing nations obviously
have much to gain from implementing
BIM. It is difficult to reconcile the sometimes
conflicting needs for long range
planning, judicious use of resources,
and speed, so there is a great need for
tools that help decision makers, planners
and builders in the ways described
above. Another important benefit of
BIM and growing interoperability
among AECOO information systems is
the globalization of the building industry.
Thanks mainly to improved communication
and interoperability; firms
in developed nations are increasingly
able to work with professional service
providers in developing nations, particularly
in China and India.
Professionals in the West are now
competing globally. Outsourcing programs
that begin with simple tasks,
like drafting, tend to be extended over
time to people with higher level skills
and to a broader range of activities as
client companies and service companies
both gain experience and confidence
in each other. Also, because management
of BIM requires expertise and
because BIM has high value, opportunities
are growing for entrepreneurs to
start new companies focused on providing
BIM services to both Indian and
offshore clients.
CONCLUSIONS
Technology convergence and information
fusion are very real phenomena
and powerful determinants of the
future in the AECOO world. Consensus
standards organizations provide a key
vantage point for observing these
trends, and through their cooperative
work, are providing a fulcrum for shaping
them. The technology is here and it
is now up to the construction industry
worldwide to shape and implement
changes for productivity growth and
efficiency enhancement.