Untitled extract pages 0

Foreword

Foreword
The construction industry is in the middle of a growing crisis worldwide. With 40% of the world’s
raw materials being consumed by buildings, the industry is a key player in global economics and
politics. And, since facilities consume 40% of the world’s energy and 65.2% of total U.S.
electrical consumption, the construction industry is a key player in energy conservation, too! With
facilities contributing 40% of the carbon emissions to the atmosphere and 20% of material waste
to landfills, the industry is a key player in the environmental equation. Clearly, the construction
industry has a responsibility to use the earth’s resources as efficiently as possible.

Construction spending in the United States is estimated to be $1.288 trillion for 2008. The
Construction Industry Institute estimates there is up to 57% non-value added effort or waste in
our current business models. This means the industry may waste over $600 billion each year.
There is an urgent need for construction industry stakeholders to maximize the portion of services
that add value in end-products and to reduce waste.

Another looming national crisis is the inability to provide enough qualified engineers. Some
estimate the United States will be short a million engineers by the year 2020. In 2007, the United
States was no longer the world’s largest consumer, a condition that will force United States
industry to be more competitive in attracting talented professionals. The United States
construction industry must take immediate action to become more competitive.

The current approach to industry transformation is largely focused in efforts to optimize design
and construction phase activities. While there is much to do in those phases, a lifecycle view is
required. When sustainability is not adequately incorporated, the waste associated with current
design, engineering, and construction practices grows throughout the rest of the facility’s lifecycle.
Products with a short life add to performance failures, waste, recycling costs, energy
consumption, and environmental damage. Through cascading effects, these problems negatively
affect the economy and national security due to dependence on foreign petroleum, a negative
balance of trade, and environmental degradation. To halt current decline and reverse existing
effects, the industry has a responsibility to take immediate action.

While only a very small portion of facility lifecycle costs occur during design and construction,
those are the phases where our decisions have the greatest impact. Most of the costs associated
with a facility throughout its lifecycle accrue during a facility’s operations and sustainment.
Carnegie-Mellon University research has indicated that an improvement of just 3.8% in
productivity in the functions that occur in a building would totally pay for the facility’s design,
construction, operations and sustainment, through increased efficiency. Therefore, as industry
focuses on creating, maintaining, and operating facilities more efficiently, simultaneous action is
required to ensure that people and processes supported by facilities are optimized.

BIM stands for new concepts and practices that are so greatly improved by innovative information
technologies and business structures that they will dramatically reduce the multiple forms of
waste and inefficiency in the building industry. Whether used to refer to a product – Building
Information Model (a structured dataset describing a building), an activity – Building Information
Modeling (the act of creating a Building Information Model), or a system – Building Information
Management (business structures of work and communication that increase quality and
efficiency), BIM is a critical element in reducing industry waste, adding value to industry products,
decreasing environmental damage, and increasing the functional performance of occupants.

National Building Information Modeling Standard™
©2007 National Institute of Building Sciences. All rights reserved.

12/18/2007 1

Foreword

The National Building Information Model Standard™ (NBIMS) is a key element to building
industry transformation. NBIMS establishes standard definitions for building information
exchanges to support critical business contexts using standard semantics and ontologies.
Implemented in software, the Standard will form the basis for the accurate and efficient
communication and commerce that are needed by the building industry and essential to industry
transformations. Among other benefits, the Standard will help all participants in facilities-related
processes achieve more reliable outcomes from commercial agreements.

Thus, there is a critical need to increase the efficiency of the construction process. Today’s
inefficiency is a primary cause of non-value added effort, such as re-typing (often with a new set
of errors) information at each phase or among participants during the lifecycle of a facility or
failing to provide full and accurate information from designer to constructor. With the
implementation of this Standard, information interoperability and reliability will improve
significantly. Standard development has already begun and implementable results will be
available soon. BIM development, education, implementation, adoption, and understanding are
intended to form a continuous process ingrained evermore into the industry. Success, in the form
of a new paradigm for the building construction industry, will require that individuals and
organizations step up to contribute to and participate in creating and implementing a common
BIM standard. Each of us has a responsibility to take action now.

David A. Harris, FAIA
President
National Institute of Building Sciences


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Table of Contents

Foreword

Table of Contents

Section 1 – Introduction to the National Building Information
Modeling Standard™ Version 1 - Part 1: Overview,
Principles, and Methodologies
Chapter 1.1 Executive Summary
Chapter 1.2 How to Read Version 1 - Navigation guide for readers with varied
Part 1 of the NBIM interests, responsibilities, and experience with
Standard BIM.

Section 2 – Prologue to the National BIM Standard
Chapter 2.1 BIM Overall Scope An expansive vision for building information
modeling and related concepts.

Chapter 2.2 Introduction to the National The Committee’s vision and mission,
BIM Standard Committee organization model, relationships to other
standards development organizations,
philosophical position, and the Standard
product.
Chapter 2.3 Future Versions Identifies developments for upcoming versions
of the Standard including sequence of
developments, priorities, and planned release
dates.

Section 3 – Information Exchange Concepts
Chapter 3.1 Introduction to Exchange What is an information exchange? Theory and
Concepts examples from familiar processes.

Chapter 3.2 Data Models and the Role High level description of how BIM information
of Interoperability. will be stored in operational and project
settings. Compares and contrasts integration
and interoperability and the NBIM Standard
requirement for interoperability.

Chapter 3.3 Storing and Sharing Description of conceptual need for a shared,
Information coordinated repository for lifecycle information.
Presents an approach to providing the shared
information for a BIM which can be used by
information exchanges


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Table of Contents
Chapter 3.4 Information Assurance Discusses means to control information input
and withdrawal from a shared BIM repository.

Section 4 – Information Exchange Content
Chapter 4.1 BIM Minimum Defines quantity and quality of information
required for a defined BIM.
Chapter 4.2 Capability Maturity Model Building on the BIM Minimum chapter, further
defines a BIM and informs planning to improve
the capability to produce a mature BIM.

Section 5 – NBIM Standard Development Process
Chapter 5.1 Overview of Exchange Diagrams and describes major components in
Standard Development NBIM Standard development process.
and Use Process
Chapter 5.2 Workgroup Formation Introduces the concept of forums and domain
and Requirements interest groups forming around needed
Definition exchange definitions. Discusses the
Information Delivery Manual (IDM) process and
tools for requirements definition activities.

Chapter 5.3 User-Facing Exchange Covers the IDM requirements for IFC-
Models independent data model views.

Chapter 5.4 Vendor-Facing Model Explains Model View Definition (MVD)
View Definition, requirements for schema-specific model
Implementation and definition and the NBIMS Committee’s role in
Certification Testing facilitating implementation and certification
testing.

Chapter 5.5 Deployment Discusses Project Agreements and use of
Generic BIM Guides associated with BIM
authoring (creating a BIM) using certified
applications, validating the BIM construction,
validating data in the BIM model, and using the
BIM model in certified products to accomplish
project tasks through interoperable exchanges.

Chapter 5.6 Consensus-Based Describes various methods of creating,
Approval Methods reviewing, and approving the NBIM Standard
Exchange Requirements, Model View
Definitions, Standard Methods, Tools, and
References used by and produced by the
NBIMS Committee.


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Table of Contents
Acknowledgements

References

Glossary

Appendices
Introduction to Appendices

Appendix A Industry Foundation Classes IFC define the virtual representations
(IFC or ifc) of objects used in the capital facilities
industry, their attributes, and their
relationships and inheritances.
Appendix B CSI OmniClass™ OmniClass is a multi-table faceted
classification system designed for use
by the capital facilities industry to aid
sorting and retrieval of information
and establishing classifications for
and relationships between objects in
a building information model.
Appendix C International Framework for A schema requires a consistent set of
Dictionaries (IFDLibrary™) names of things to be able to work.
Each of these names must have a
controlled definition that describes
what it means and the units in which it
may be expressed.


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Section 1 – Introduction to the National BIM Standard V 1 - Part 1
Chapter 1.1

Chapter 1.1 Executive Summary
National Building Information Modeling Standard™ Version 1 - Part 1:
Overview, Principles, and Methodologies

Introduction
The National Building Information Modeling Standard (NBIMS) Committee is a committee of the
National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS) Facility Information Council (FIC). The vision for
NBIMS is “an improved planning, design, construction, operation, and maintenance process using
a standardized machine-readable information model for each facility, new or old, which contains
all appropriate information created or gathered about that facility in a format useable by all
throughout its lifecycle.” 1 The organization, philosophies, policies, plans, and working methods
that comprise the NBIMS Initiative and the products of the Committee will be the National BIM
Standard (NBIM Standard), which includes classifications, guides, recommended practices, and
specifications.

This publication is the first in a series intended to communicate all aspects of the NBIMS
Committee and planned Standard, which will include principles, scope of investigation,
organization, operations, development methodologies, and planned products. NBIMS V1-P1 is a
guidance document that will be followed by publications containing standard specifications
adopted through a consensus process.

Wherever possible, international standards development processes and products, especially the
NIBS consensus process, American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), American
National Standards Institute (ANSI), and International Standards Organization (ISO) efforts will be
recognized and incorporated so that NBIMS processes and products can be recognized as part of
a unified international solution. Industry organizations working on open standards, such as the
International Alliance for Interoperability (IAI), the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC), and the
Open Standards Consortium for Real Estate (OSCRE), have signed the NBIMS Charter in
acknowledgement of the shared interests and commitment to creation and dissemination of open,
integrated, and internationally recognized standards. Nomenclature specific to North American
business practices will be used in the U.S. NBIMS Initiative. Consultations with organizations in
other countries have indicated that the U.S.-developed NBIM Standard, once it is localized, will
be useful internationally as well. Continued internationalization is considered essential to growth
of the U.S. and international building construction industries.

BIM Overall Scope and Description
Building Information Modeling (BIM) has become a valuable tool in some sectors of the capital
facilities industry. However in current usage, BIM technologies tend to be applied within vertically
integrated business functions rather than horizontally across an entire facility lifecycle. Although
the term BIM is routinely used within the context of vertically integrated applications, the NBIMS
Committee has chosen to continue using this familiar term while evolving the definition and usage
to represent horizontally integrated building information that is gathered and applied throughout
the entire facility lifecycle, preserved and interchanged efficiently using open and interoperable
technology for business, functional and physical modeling, and process support and operations.

1
Charter for the National Building Information Modeling (BIM) Standard, December 15, 2005,
pg.1. See http://www.facilityinformationcouncil.org/bim/pdfs/NBIMS_Charter.pdf.
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Chapter 1.1

NBIM Standard Scope and Description
The NBIMS Initiative recognizes that a BIM requires a disciplined and transparent data structure
supporting all of the following.
• A specific business case that includes an exchange of building information.
• The users’ view of data necessary to support the business case.
• The machine interpretable exchange mechanism (software) for the required information
interchange and validation of results.

This combination of content selected to support user needs and described to support open
computer exchange form the basis of information exchanges in the NBIM Standard. All levels
must be coordinated for interoperability, which is the focus of the NBIMS Initiative. Therefore, the
primary drivers for defining requirements for the National BIM Standard are industry standard
processes and associated information exchange requirements.

In addition, even as the NBIM Standard is focused on open and interoperable information
exchanges, the NBIMS Initiative addresses all related business functioning aspects of the facility
lifecycle. NBIMS is chartered as a partner and an enabler for all organizations engaged in the
exchange of information throughout the facility lifecycle.

Data Modeling for Buildings
Key to the success of a building information model is its ability to encapsulate, organize, and
relate information for both user and machine-readable approaches. These relationships must be
at the detail level, relating, for example, a door to its frame or even a nut to a bolt, while
maintaining relationships from a detailed level to a world view. When working with as large a
universe of materials as exists in the built environment, there are many traditional vertical
integration points (or stovepipes) that must be crossed and many different languages that must
be understood and related. Architects, engineers, as well as the real estate appraiser or insurer
must be able to speak the same language and refer to items in the same terms as the first
responder in an emergency situation. Expand this to the world view where systems must be
interoperable in multiple languages in order to support the multinational corporation. Over time
ontologies will be the vehicles that allow cross communication to occur. In order to standardize
these many options, organizations need to be represented and solicited for input. There are
several, assumed to be basic, approaches in place that must come together in order to ensure
that a viable and comprehensive end-product will be produced.

The Role of Interoperability
Software interoperability is seamless data exchange at the software level among diverse
applications, each of which may have its own internal data structure. Interoperability is achieved
by mapping parts of each participating application’s internal data structure to a universal data
model and vice versa. If the employed universal data model is open, any application can
participate in the mapping process and thus become interoperable with any other application that
also participated in the mapping. Interoperability eliminates the costly practice of integrating
every application (and version) with every other application (and version).

The NBIM Standard maintains that viable software interoperability in the capital facilities industry
requires the acceptance of an open data model of facilities and an interface to that data model for
each participating application. If the data model is industry-wide (i.e. represents the entire facility
lifecycle), it provides the opportunity to each industry software application to become
interoperable.

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Chapter 1.1

Storing and Sharing Information
One of the innovations, demonstrated by some full-service design and engineering firms and
several International Alliance for Interoperability (IAI) demonstration projects, has been the use of
a shared repository of building information data. A repository may be created by centralizing the
BIM database or by defining the rules through which specific components of BIM models may be
shared to create a decentralized shared model. As BIM technology and use matures, the
creation of repositories of project, organization, and/or owner BIM data will have an impact on the
framework under which NBIMS operates. Owners are likely to create internally as-built and as-
maintained building model repositories, which will be populated with new and updated information
supplied via design/construction projects, significant renovations, and routine maintenance and
operations systems.

Information Assurance
The authors caution that, while a central (physical or virtually aggregated) repository of
information is good for designing, constructing, operating, and sustaining a facility, and the
repository may create opportunities for improved efficiency, data aggregation may be a significant
source of risk.

Managing the risks of data aggregation requires advanced planning about how best to control the
discovery, search, publication, and procurement of shared information about buildings and
facilities. In general, this is addressed in the data processing industry through digital rights
management. Digital rights management ensures that the quality of the information is protected
from creation through sharing and use, that only properly authorized users are granted access,
and only to that subset of information to which they should have access. There is a need to
ensure that the requirements for information are defined and understood before BIMs are built, so
that facility information receives the same protection that is commonplace in world-wide
personnel and banking systems.

Minimum BIM and the Capability Maturity Model
The NBIM Standard Version 1 - Part 1 defines a minimum standard for traditional vertical
construction, such as office buildings. It is assumed that developing information exchange
standards will grow from this minimum requirement.

The Standard also proposes a Capability Maturity Model (CMM) for use in measuring the degree
to which a building information model implements a mature BIM Standard. The CMM scores a
complete range of opportunity for BIMs, extending from a point below which one could say the
data set being considered is not a BIM to a fully realized open and interoperable lifecycle BIM
resource.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers BIM Roadmap 2 is presented as a useful reference for building
owners seeking guidance on identifying specific data to include in a BIM from a design or
construction perspective.

2
See https://cadbim.usace.army.mil/default.aspx?p=s&t=19&i=1 for the complete roadmap.
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Chapter 1.1

NBIM Standard Process Definition
Proposals for the processes the NBIMS Committee will employ to produce the NBIM Standard
and to facilitate productive use are discussed. A conceptual diagram to orient the user is
provided. Components of this diagram correspond to section 5 chapters.

Both the process used to create the NBIM Standard and the products are meant to be open and
transparent. The NBIMS Committee will employ consensus-based processes to promote
industry-wide understanding and acceptance. Additionally, the Committee will facilitate the
process whereby software developers will implement standard exchange definitions and
implementations tested for compliance. Finally, the NBIMS Committee will facilitate industry
adoption and beneficial use through guides, educational activities, and facilitation of testing by
end users of delivered BIMs.

The Information Exchange Template, BIM Exchange Database, the Information Delivery Manual
(IDM), and Model View Definition (MVD) activities together comprise core components of the
NBIM Standard production and use process. The Information Exchange Template and BIM
Exchange Database are envisioned as web-based tools to provide search, discovery, and
selection of defined exchanges as well as a method of providing initial information necessary to
propose and begin a new exchange definition discussion. The NBIMS workgroup formation
phase teams will use the IDM, adapted from international practices, to facilitate identification and
documentation of information exchange processes and requirements. IDM is the user-facing
phase of NBIMS exchange standard development with results typically expressed in human-
readable form. MVD is the software developer-facing phase of exchange standard development.
MVD is conceptually the process which integrates Exchange Requirements (ERs) coming from
many IDM processes to the most logical Model Views that will be supported by software
applications. Implementation-specific guidance will specify structure and format for data to be
exchanged using a specific version of the Industry Foundation Classes (IFC or ifc) specification.
The resulting generic and implementation-specific documentation will be published as MVDs, as
3
defined by the Finnish Virtual Building Environment (VBE) project, the Building Lifecycle
Interoperability Consortium (BLIS), and the International Alliance for Interoperability (IAI). 5 The
4

Committee will work with software vendors and the testing task team members to plan and
facilitate implementation, testing, and use in pilot projects. After the pilot phase is complete, the
Committee will update the MVD documents for use in the consensus process and ongoing
commercial implementation. Finally, after consensus is reached, MVD specifications will be
incorporated in the next NBIMS release.

NBIMS Appendices
Reference standards in the NBIM Standard provide the underlying computer-independent
definitions of those entities, properties, relationships, and categorizations critical to express the
rich language of the building industry. The reference standards selected by the NBIMS
Committee are international standards that have reached a critical mass in terms of capability to
share the contents of complex design and construction projects. NBIMS V1-P1 includes three
candidate reference standards as Appendix documents: IAI Industry Foundation Classes (IFC or
ifc), Construction Specifications Institute (CSI) OmniClass™, and CSI IFDLibrary™.

3
http://cic.vtt.fi/projects/vbe-net/
4
http://www.blis-project.org
5
http://www.iai-international.org
12/18/2007 9

Chapter 1.1

The IFC data model consists of definitions, rules, and protocols that uniquely define data sets
which describe capital facilities throughout their lifecycles. These definitions allow industry
software developers to write IFC interfaces to their software that enable exchange and sharing of
the same data in the same format with other software applications, regardless of the internal data
structure of the individual software application. Software applications that have IFC interfaces are
able to exchange and share data with other application that also have IFC interfaces.

The OmniClass™ Construction Classification System (OmniClass or OCCS) is a multi-table
classification system designed for use by the capital facilities industry. OmniClass includes some
of the most commonly used taxonomies in the capital facilities industry. It is applicable for
organizing many different forms of information important to the NBIM Standard, both electronic
and hard copy. OCCS can be used in the preparation of many types of project information and
for communicating exchange information, cost information, specification information, and other
information that is generated throughout the facility’s lifecycle.

IFDLibrary™ is a kind of dictionary of construction industry terms that must be used consistently
in multiple languages to achieve consistent results. Design of NBIMS relies on terminology and
classification agreement (through OmniClass) to support model interoperation. Entries in the
OmniClass tables can be explicitly defined in the IFDLibrary once and reused repeatedly,
enabling reliable automated communications between applications – a primary goal of NBIMS.

References
NBIMS References in this document represent the work of many groups working in parallel to
define BIM implementation for their areas of responsibility. Currently there are four types of
references.
• Business Process Roadmaps are documents that provide the business relationships of
the various activities of the real property industry. These will be the basis for organizing
the business processes and will likely be further detailed and coordinated over time. The
roadmaps will help organize NBIMS and the procedures defined in the Information
Delivery Manuals (IDMs).
• Candidate Standards are documents that are candidates to go through the NBIMS
consensus process for acceptance as part of future NBIMS. It is envisioned that Part 2
or later releases of the Standard will incorporate these documents once approved.
• Guidelines have been developed by several organizations and include items that should
be considered for inclusion in NBIMS. Since NBIMS has not existed prior to this, there
was no standard from which to work, resulting in a type of chicken-or-egg dilemma.
When formal NBIMS exists there will need to be some harmonization, not only between
the guidelines and NBIMS, but also in relating the various guidelines to each other.
While guidelines are not actually a part of NBIMS, they are closely related and therefore
included as references.
• Other Key References are to parallel efforts being developed in concert with NBIMS.
Not part of NBIMS, they may, in fact, be standards in their own right.

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Chapter 1.2

Chapter 1.2 How to Read Version 1 - Part 1 of the
National BIM Standard
Introduction
This chapter is provided to help the reader understand how each element of Version 1 - Part 1 fits
into the whole NBIMS. Each reader, regardless of previous experience or role in the capital
facilities industry, is encouraged to read the Executive Summary and Table of Contents then scan
through all sections of the publication. Readers need to be aware that this publication is not a
manual on how to evaluate, select, or use Building Information Modeling (BIM) applications. It is
a treatise on what is needed, why, and, most significantly, how to create a standard for
exchanging open and interoperable building information. Readers will find sections introducing
the overall BIM concept, the planned scope of the Committee’s work, specific coverage of this
and future Standard publications, and the differences between the National BIM Standard
(NBIMS), the NBIMS Committee, and the NBIMS Initiative. The core of Part 1 is the discussion of
processes and techniques which will be used to identify exchange candidates, create exchange
definitions, evaluate products, and, in summary, make an open and interoperable building
information exchange standard available to end users.

Relevance to Users
NBIMS V1 - P1 presents a comparatively expansive treatment of BIM. Rather than the usual
focus on software products and case studies drawn from industry-specific implementations of BIM
tools, this document presents the need for a lifecycle view of building supply chain processes, the
scope of work necessary to define and standardize information exchanges between trading
partners, suggestions for a methodology to address this work, and examples of work in progress
that demonstrate appropriate principles and results. Recognizing that reading this document may
present a challenge, How to Read NBIMS V1 - P1 is intended to give the reader both a broad
view of the content and link this broader view with specific content. It is hoped the document will
achieve the goal of defining for all participants a shared set of facility lifecycle values even as
readers continue to pursue essential individual professional or technical specialties.

Discussion: Background
Imagine for a moment all of the individual actors in all of the phases of a facility’s lifecycle.
Imagine that all of the actors, working in familiar ways within their own specialty areas, are able to
gather information, explore options, assemble, test, and perfect the elements of their work within
a computer-based model before committing their work to be shared with or passed on to others,
to be built, or to be operated. Imagine further that when it becomes necessary to share or pass a
bundle of information to another organization, which may or may not be using the same tools, or
to move it on to another phase of work, it is possible to safely and almost instantaneously
(through a computer-to-computer communication) share or move just the right bundle of
information without loss or error and without giving up appropriate control. In this imaginary world
the exchange is standardized across the entire industry such that each item is recognized and
understood without the parties having to create their own set of standards for that project team or
for their individual organizations. Finally, imagine that for the life of the facility every important
aspect, regardless of how, when, or by whom it was created or revised, could be readily captured,
stored, researched, and recalled as needed to support real property acquisition and
management, occupancy, operations, remodeling, new construction, and analytics.

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Chapter 1.2

These scenarios are a highly compressed summary of the fundamental goals and challenges for
the NBIMS Committee, the rationale behind the NBIMS Initiative, and the business solution the
National BIM Standard will provide. They illustrate the need for the NBIM Standard to address
the requirements of many types of users with hundreds of functional backgrounds and individual
business viewpoints arising from the particular niche occupied within the building supply chain
and throughout the lifecycle of a facility. To address the range of requirements, the NBIMS
Committee, beginning with this publication, speaks to the business process aspects of open and
interoperable 6 information exchange standards as well as supports the beneficial use of computer
systems and business best practices in every aspect of the facility lifecycle.

Discussion: Fundamental Concepts
Readers of V1 - Part 1 need to understand some fundamental concepts which form the
philosophical basis of the Standard. These concepts reside at the core of the NBIMS Initiative
and their influence permeates throughout the organizational, operational, and technical aspects
incorporated into the Standard. The next few pages introduce these concepts at a high level and
then direct readers to sections of the Part 1 document where these concepts are described in
greater detail. For many readers, it will be helpful to return to these conceptual discussions after
reading more detailed sections of the document.

The Facility Lifecycle Helix
Building processes extend throughout
and, in many cases, beyond the life of a
facility. The lifecycle is not a strictly linear
process but is primarily a cyclical process
which must have feedback and cycle-to-
cycle knowledge accumulation and
distribution capabilities. Figure 1.2-1
represents the business process lifecycle
as a helix with a central knowledge core
and external nodes representing process
suppliers and external consumers. The
information backbone (see Chapter 3.3
Storing and Sharing Information) at the
core is made up of integrated repositories
which provide historical and current data.
Through analysis, backbone data can
provide knowledge and alternative future Figure 1.2-1 Facility Lifecycle Helix
projections.

Between these three elements, the process helix, the knowledge core, and external suppliers of
products and services, are found information interchange zones. Information exchanges require
exchange rules and agreements. One of the primary goals of NBIMS is to standardize these
rules and agreements nationally, in alignment with international standards, and eliminate the
need to redefine exchange agreements repeatedly for each project or new set of participants.

6
Interoperable: With respect to software, the term interoperability is used to describe the
capability of different programs to exchange data via a common set of business procedures and
to read and write the same file formats and use the same protocols. (Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interoperability)
12/18/2007 12

Chapter 1.2

Read Section 3 for fundamental information exchange concepts, information assurance, and
information exchange requirements.

Coordination, Harmonization, and Integration
The Committee is committed to maximizing existing research and development through alliances,
cross-representation, active testing and prototyping, and an open and inclusive approach to both
membership and results. This requires knitting together the broadest and deepest constituency
ever assembled for the purpose of addressing the losses and limitations associated with errors
and inefficiencies in the building supply chain. The current Charter signatories (see
http://facilityinformationcouncil.org/bim/members.php represent most, if not all, of the end-user
http://facilityinformationcouncil.org/bim/members.php)
constituencies active in the building supply chain as well as most of the professional associations,
consortia, and technical and associated service vendors who support them. Read Section 1 for
more information on Committee goals and review the Appendix material where related initiatives,
believed to be candidates for normative reference standards, are discussed in detail.

The Information Exchanges
Some of the most fundamental concepts Aggregated View
Example: Multi-Scope
Tier

Homeland Security
in the Standard have to do with 4 Data from multiple facilities and BIM
infrastructure sources supporting
exchanging building model information. societal information needs

Together, these concepts can be thought
Derived View
of as a ‘layer cake’ with tiers as illustrated Example: Integrated Workplace Mgmt.
Lifecycle Scope BIM ‘A’
Tier

in Figure 1.2-2. Although each level in this 3 Data from information exchanges/model
views supporting building/owner
business operational needs
Lifecycle Scope BIM ‘B’

diagram has its own characteristics and
strategic importance, the ‘layer cake’ as a Model View
Examples: LEED Certification Process Process Process
whole illustrates the framework for putting
Tier

2 Structural Design,
Fabrication & Installation
Scope
BIM
Scope
BIM
Scope
BIM
BIM standards to work. Throughout the Exchanges supporting an action or
business case

Part 1 publication, readers will find
references to this diagram as elements IDM Activity
Examples:

are discussed in greater detail. Architect to Structural Engineer
Structural Engineer to Architect
Manufacturer to Mech. Eng. Individual Individual Individual Individual

1 Fabricator to Constructor Information Information Information Information
Tier

Exchange Exchange Exchange Exchange
The top layer (Tier 4) of the ‘cake’ can be Sensor to Mgmt. System

thought of as the strategic goal for an Definition of discrete exchanges. Based
on an international process harmonized
entire organization in that it represents a with North American data standards

common, overall picture of all facilities and NBIMS Exchange Tier Architecture
ongoing operations as well as providing a
Figure 1.2-2 NBIMS Exchange Tier Architecture
basis for analysis and planning activities.
At its most mature, Tier 4 should be derived from real-time access to live facilities models, project
models (planned and in-construction phases), and operations applications; all based on NBIM
Initiative concepts. This is an ideal that organizations will work to achieve over a period of time
(see Evolution and Maturity below and Chapter 4.2 Capability Maturity Model). Less mature Tier
4 capabilities will likely rely on stored or standardized linked data that is supplied from project
BIMs and links to compatible operations systems. For example, References lists a link to the
U.S. Coast Guard’s efforts to achieve a BIM-based Tier 4 capability.

Tier 3 describes the aggregation of information for a particular legal or operational purpose, such
as for individual facilities or a group of facilities on a campus. Because this is the predominant
focus for owners or building-specific management, it is likely to be the focus for project BIM
development and BIM systems for operations. Multiple Tier 3 BIMs contribute to a Tier 4
capability, which provides an overall view of assets in an organization.

12/18/2007 13

Chapter 1.2

In Tier 2, information is aggregated to support a specific task or requirement such as energy
analysis, cost estimating, or structural analysis. In the Model View Definition (MVD), model
exchange specifications based on exchange requirements are constructed to support the view
requirement and typically do not need to represent an entire facility. Multiple Tier 2 Models can
be combined to provide a Tier 3 facility BIM.

Tier 1 contains the most basic information building blocks, definitions for individual information
exchanges between two parties, and the reference standards that control how information will be
organized and described. To be useful, the exchange definitions in Tier 1 should be readable by
people and suitable for incorporation in specifications to be implemented in software. The
method NBIMS plans to use to identify and build Tier 1 exchange requirements is the Information
Delivery Manual (IDM) methodology.

Section 5 discusses the methodologies that will be used to create the NBIM Standard, including
workgroup formation, definition of requirements and creation of modeling specifications as well as
steps that can be taken during of deployment of certified software and its use in exchanging BIM
data.

Evolution and Maturity of the Standard
The Committee realizes and embraces the fact that achieving the highest ideals in NBIMS
development and use will be an evolutionary process. Starting with fundamental criteria and a
process for initiating a standard BIM exchange, Section 4 describes a minimum definition that
meets the NBIMS criteria (Chapter 4.1 - BIM Minimum), how BIM data is structured and the
significance of using a standard schema regardless of content or maturity, and helps users set
goals and evaluate progress (Chapter 4.2 - Capability Maturity Model).

Discussion: How NBIMS V1 - Part 1 is Organized
Part 1 is written and organized to address varying degrees of familiarity with facility lifecycle
information management concepts and supporting technologies. Throughout Part 1 the authors
have endeavored to provide the following.
• A philosophical basis for the Initiative and Standard elements
• A recommendation and/or instructions for how the Standard should be evolved
• Examples that meet the Standard or are works-in-progress. Readers should keep in
mind that these examples represent a response to particular business situations and
there are usually many ways to accomplish the Standard concept.

This publication groups major conceptual topics into logical sections and orders these more or
less in a sequence that parallels how the Committee proposes to develop and mature NBIM
Standard candidates.
• Section 1 introduces the Part 1 document and provides a guide for readers.
• Section 2 is a Prologue to the Standard’s discussions and recommendations. This
section summarizes fundamental NBIMS Committee and philosophical concepts
incorporated into the NBIMS Initiative, including the overall scope of industry
transformation, current initiatives, the Committee’s approach to NBIMS now and
projected into the future, a discussion of the scope of NBIMS, and a specific description
of the coverage of Part 1 with projections for future versions.
• Section 3 introduces fundamental information exchange concepts: how BIM information
will be stored in operational and project settings, the importance of achieving

12/18/2007 14

Chapter 1.2

interoperability and maintaining open, rather than proprietary, systems environments, and
the conceptual case for a secure and coordinated facility lifecycle information resource
available to all credentialed stakeholders.
• Section 4 progresses from concepts and conceptual requirements to those that are
proposed for the NBIM Standard. Specifically, Section 4 describes the Standard relative
to information exchange content in chapters that define the minimum characteristics
required of a BIM, how the data should be structured, and a proposal for the BIM Maturity
Model, which will establish a method of measuring individual BIMs against a set of ideal
characteristics.
• From the introductory paragraph of Section 5, it is clear that NBIMS focuses on the
information exchanges between all of the individual actors in all of the phases of a facility
lifecycle. NBIMS will be an industry-wide standard for organizing the actors, work
phases, and facility cycles, where exchanges are likely and, for each of these exchange
zones, stating the elements that should be included in the exchange between parties.
Section 5 provides a conceptual framework for information exchange concepts, describes
the need for standard packages of information between, for example, an Architect and a
Structural Engineer during a design development phase and the concept of a shared
repository of facility lifecycle information. Section 5 describes the proposed ‘factory’
process for developing NBIM Standard products including IDMs and MVDs. NBIM
Standard products will also include classifications, references, and guides.
• Having presented the process proposed for creating the NBIM Standard in Section 5, this
document provides References with links to important case studies of initiatives that are
closely related to the NBIM Standard effort. Early Design and Construction to Operations
Building Information Exchange (COBIE) are presented as existing initiatives describing
approaches and elements that it is anticipated will be restated to meet the NBIM
Standard. This is because NBIMS is prescribing a particular set of criteria for open and
interoperable exchange along with a development and testing process that assures
consistency.
• Many of the related standards and practices that may be incorporated into the National
BIM Standard are already available or under development by consortia, professional and
trade organizations, and institutions. Whenever possible NBIMS will work with these
organizations to harmonize and incorporate these standards and practices. In some
cases, NBIMS will have to create or sponsor the creation of wholly new standard
elements as well as structures to facilitate development, maturing the standard, a
standards repository, and library research and discovery capabilities.
The References pages provide introductions to and links for more information for
important concepts such as FIATECH’s Capital Projects Technology Roadmap,
significant ongoing projects which are consistent with the NBIMS Initiative, and likely
candidates for harmonization and/or adoption. This Standard is being developed as part
of a transformation in the building industry that includes sweeping changes in the way
owners think about management of real property, how project teams are organized, and
higher expectations for efficiency and quality even as delivery cycles are shortened. As a
source of inspiration, the attached references discuss business management concerns
including organizational changes, legal and insurance considerations, contracting, and
related topics.
Finally, because it is clear that traditional computer-aided drafting (CAD) will be a part of
practice for the foreseeable future, References also introduces and provides a link to the

12/18/2007 15

Chapter 1.2

important continuing role of the National CAD Standard (NCS) and the relationship NCS
will have to 3D, 4D, and other virtual modeling and construction environments.
The NBIMS Initiative focuses in part on business requirements related to lifecycle building
information models and providing both the requirements and detailed specifications for software
developers to implement in applications. The Committee’s purpose in segregating the NBIM
Standard from the work of software developers allows individual software companies to prepare
applications as they wish based on a single, open, and neutral exchange standard rather than
supporting many, often proprietary, translators. This approach provides the means for many
applications to contribute over the facility lifecycle, building on previous work and providing
information to the next phase of work. Each application then is free to encapsulate best practices
and deliver specific functionality to a user.

Discussion: Different Strokes for Different Folks
Throughout Part 1 existing practices are contrasted with desirable future practices in order to
raise the quality of the industry and identify requirements all participants in facility lifecycle
processes should adopt with regard to lifecycle building information management.
Readers will approach this publication from widely divergent viewpoints and interests. As was
stated in the introduction, the Committee recommends that all readers at least skim the entire
publication once because the content and approach are somewhat different from current industry
dialogue and because the emerging best practices require a new emphasis on teaming and
holistic awareness of all aspects of the facility lifecycle.
• Owners will use it to gain an understanding of what is possible from using BIM based on
NBIM Initiative concepts and the NBIM Standard.
• Practitioners will use it to understand the details associated with implementing next
generation BIM concepts.
• Product manufacturers will use it to prepare and position their products to add new value.
• Software vendors will use it to understand how to further incorporate BIM capabilities into
their software products.
• Others involved with facility information will be able to use NBIMS to access information
that will support their various endeavors.

Building Information Models are in an explosive growth mode currently and this first version of the
National BIM Standard is intended to help provide direction and, frankly, add some quality control
to what is produced and called a BIM. This effort is certainly not intended to slow the process of
BIM implementation.

Tasks to Complete
NBIMS V1 - P1 is intended to be a very open and democratic document and the Committee
invites participation and suggestions by all as to how future plans may need to be altered and
enhanced. In addition to being a statement of principles, this is intended to be a tool for
practitioners to use in establishing building information models for their facilities.

One may conclude after reading this document that there is a long journey ahead; however, one
must take the first step and this is that first step. Imperfect as it may be, the creation of a National
Building Information Model Standard should do nothing to slow the explosive growth of BIMs in
the industry, only make them more usable and sustainable and provide the software vendors
supporting the facility industry a consistent target for their BIM development efforts.

12/18/2007 16

Chapter 2.1

Chapter 2.1 Building Information Model Overall Scope
Introduction
The scope of Building Information Modeling (BIM) directly or indirectly affects all stakeholders
supporting the capital facilities industry. BIM is a fundamentally different way of creating, using,
and sharing building lifecycle data. The terms Building Information Model and Building
Information Modeling are often used interchangeably, reflecting the term’s growth to manage the
expanding needs of the constituency.

What Is the Focus of NBIMS to the Scope of BIM?
The NBIMS Initiative categorizes the Building Information Model (BIM) three ways, as product,
as an IT enabled, open standards based deliverable, a collaborative process, and a facility
lifecycle management requirement. These categories reflect the make-up of the participants in
the NBIMS Initiative and support the creation of the industry information value-chain, which is the
ultimate evolution of BIM. This enterprise (industry wide) level scope of BIM is the area of focus
for NBIMS, bringing together the various BIM implementation activities within stakeholder
communities.

The methodologies used by NBIMS are rooted in the activities of the International Alliance for
Interoperability (IAI), the Information Delivery Manuals (IDM), Industry Foundation Dictionaries
(IFD), and the development of North American (NA) Information Exchanges that define user
requirements and localized content supporting the NA approach to the various building lifecycle
processes.

BIM supports a re-evaluation of IT use in the creation and management of the facility’s lifecycle.
The stakeholders include real estate, ownership, finance, all areas of architecture, engineering
and construction (AEC), manufacturing and fabrication, facility maintenance, operations and
planning, regulatory compliance, management, sustainment, and disposal within the facility
lifecycle. With society’s growing environmental, sustainment, and security mandates the need for
open and re-useable critical infrastructure data has grown beyond the needs of those currently
supplying services and products to the industry. First-responders, government agencies, and
other organizations need this data, too.

As an IT and business enabler, BIM cuts across the traditional information silos supporting our
growing integrated information requirements versus our current data abundance. The reality of
what BIM does for the industry grows exponentially when it is understood that BIM uses machine
interpretable data that is visually represented by intelligent virtual products (window) and entities
(wall) of that data. In a virtual model this data has a geo-spatial context which allows additional
analytical capabilities. It moves the industry forward from current task automation of project and
paper-centric processes (3D CAD, animation, linked databases, spreadsheets, and 2D CAD
drawings) toward an integrated and interoperable workflow where these tasks are collapsed into
a coordinated and collaborative process that maximizes computing capabilities, web
communication, and data aggregation into information and knowledge capture.

All of this is used to simulate and manipulate reality based models to manage the built
environment within a fact based repeatable and verifiable decision process that reduces risk and
enhances the quality of actions and product industry wide.

12/18/2007 17

Chapter 2.1

Background
The Building Information Model (BIM) as a technology is not new to the capital facilities industry.
BIM under different names such as product model, virtual building, and intelligent object model
have been in use for over twenty years. The rapid emergence of BIM as a topic of discussion
and wide interest was facilitated by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
report on the failure of the current process (2D and non-integrated data) and tools (desk top
application CAD) to adequately support information discovery and use within the capital facilities
lifecycle. The cost of our current process’ failure to adequately support the industry information
exchange and workflow needs is $15.8 billion yearly. 7

Figure 2.1-3 IAI Nordic Chapter 2000 BIM Product Model

The development of new and multi-source BIM authoring and analysis tools is both evolutionary
and opportunistic. Simulation and object based modeling used earlier in manufacturing are a
source of theories in the AEC industry’s move to BIM. This growing awareness and availability of
new tools has helped the industry know that mimicking a paper-centric process on a computer
(2D CAD) is not efficient and does not use the technology to its fullest capacity. Data aggregation
capabilities, Geospatial Information Systems (GIS), web communication, and data warehousing
will have the same profound process change on the capital facilities industry as in other
industries.

7
http://www.bfrl.nist.gov/oae/publications/gcrs/04867.pdf
12/18/2007 18

Chapter 2.1

Parallel activities that have shaped the industry’s move to BIM include the Lean Construction
Council’s adaptation of manufacturing principles to construction, the IAI and buildingSMART®,
CURT and COAA whitepapers on owner needs, OSCRE business re-engineering efforts in Real
Estate, and the activities of the various stakeholder organizations. The entire country was
affected by 9/11, understanding how important facility data could be in an emergency situation.
All of these factors and the entering of major data companies into the capital facilities
marketplace have increased BIM awareness.

Relevance to Users
To be successful this re-engineering effort must be coordinated at a facility lifecycle level rather
than sub-optimized within the current industry and software vertical divisions or stovepipes. Major
benefits of BIM are communication and the value of the information created by the BIM process.
When BIM is done in a collaborative environment where analytical, decisional, and
documentation activities are coordinated within the framework of a data model, then risks
inherent in today’s industry are reduced, while new revenue and service opportunities are
developed.

This more holistic view will allow a better understanding of the information exchanges and data
re-use opportunities that can be automated within collaborative workflows based on open data
standards.

Relevance to the National BIM Standard
The promise of BIM rests upon the use of open and interoperable standards used within well
defined and understood workflows. Communication of any kind relies upon rules. Language and
text require the rules to be known for there to be comprehension. This is even more important in
a machine-to-machine exchange of
information.

The scope of BIM requires a high level of
communication and interoperable data to
support its fullest capabilities. The NBIMS
Initiative is the response to this need.

Discussion
The NBIMS Initiative as an activity supports
buildingSMART. NBIMS identifies business
driven information requirements and
business processes that can be automated
in BIM technologies promoting continuity
and information re-use throughout the entire
facility lifecycle.

All major industry stakeholders support
these changes, and the National Institute of
Building Sciences (NIBS) represents the
neutral environment where all stakeholders
can come together to develop this industry
level value-chain. Figure 2.1-2 buildingSMART® Construct
(Courtesy of AEC Infosystems and Graphisoft)

12/18/2007 19

Chapter 2.1

This activity is similar to the changes in aviation, automotive, communication, and shipping that
have moved the productivity of these industries forward, even as construction has lost
productivity. Therefore, these changes have a high probability of assuring an increase in
productivity in construction and providing the ability to make better decisions concerning
infrastructure planning, design, construction, and management.

From a technology and process perspective, Building Information Modeling (BIM) plays a pivotal
role in buildingSMART success.

BIM Scope
BIM overall scope is broad and can be described within the relationships of three categorizations
of BIM. The first and most recognizable is BIM as a product or intelligent digital representation
of data about a capital facility. BIM authoring tools 8 are used to create and aggregate information
which, before BIM, had been developed as separate tasks with non-machine interpretable
information in a paper-centric process.

The second is BIM as a collaborative process which covers business drivers, automated
process capabilities, and open information standards use for information sustainability and
fidelity.

Finally BIM as a facility lifecycle management tool of well understood information exchanges,
workflows, and procedures which teams use as a repeatable, verifiable, transparent, and
sustainable information based environment used throughout the building lifecycle.

Figure 2.1-3 NBIM Standard Definition (Product, Process Supporting Collaboration)

8
BIM authoring tools: Tools that generate original information and digital representations or
intelligent virtual models.
12/18/2007 20

Chapter 2.1

A BIM is a digital representation of physical and functional characteristics of a facility. As such it
serves as a shared knowledge resource for information about a facility forming a reliable basis for
decisions during its lifecycle from inception onward.

A basic premise of BIM is collaboration by different stakeholders at different phases of the
lifecycle of a facility to insert, extract, update, or modify information in the BIM to support and
reflect the roles of that stakeholder. The BIM is a shared digital representation founded on open
standards for interoperability. The National BIM Standard promotes the business requirement
that this model be interoperable based on open standards.

BIM Implementation Requirement
Standardizing the meaning of shared data elements has been more challenging in our
fragmented process than creating the actual physical structures the data supports.

BIM product, process, and collaborative environment require the industry to come together to
agree on definitions and rules for commonly used terms and calculations, such as space,
dimensions, product data classifications, and object element definitions. Much of this work has
been completed by the IAI and is supported by the Industry Foundation Classes (IFC or ifc).
Many software applications support IFC today, and it is projected that their number will double in
the next three years.

Additional work supporting the process and collaborative environment are the Industry
Foundation Dictionary (IFD) and Information Delivery Manuals (IDM). NBIMS represents the
North American part of these activities.

North American BIM Localization
While the IAI and IFC as a
mechanism to share data is CE
internationally recognized, the data Business
shared must be localized to the Processes CE CE

specific building environment. For
CE CE
example, in North America we use
CSI OmniClass™ and UniFormat™ CE
classifications, while another CE
country would use its equivalent
classification scheme. The IFC CE CE

allow the transfer of this information
Facility Repair
Conceptual

Team Assembly

Prequalifications

Occupancy
Const. Doc. Prep.

Soliciation

Bidding
Selection

Const. Contract Admin.
Needs Identification
Concept
Pre-Design
Budgetary Estimate
Definition

Preliminary Design
Scheduling
Budgeting

Adaptation
Project Delivery Method
Evaluation

Prelim. Proj. Description
Design Development

Contracting

Const. Preparation
Product Development
Construction
Commissioning

Facility Management
Facility Re-Use

Redevelopment
Relocation
Deconstruction
Recycling
Decommissioning
Demolition
Const. Doc. Production
Const. Cost Estimating

Contracted
as a machine interpretable exercise. Exchange

Part of the NBIMS work on IDM,
Model Views, and Information Project
Const.
Exchanges supports the North Conception Delivery Design
Doc.
Procurement Execution Utilization Closure
Selection
American implementation needs of OmniClass Table 31 - Phases
this international effort. The NBIMS
Initiative aligns with the international Figure 2.1-4 Business Processes
effort since construction is a global
enterprise.

The NBIMS Initiative defines these information needs between and within a collaborative BIM
environment and identifies the North American Information Standard or body responsible for this

12/18/2007 21

Chapter 2.1

information. Product Object Manufacturers are supporting NBIMS so that BIM objects can be
robust enough to support the BIM process.

Outcome of NBIMS Initiative
The outcome of NBIMS activity will be a publicly available, open Enterprise Data Warehouse of
the shared data, rules, definitions, metadata, information exchanges, and IDM useful to all
stakeholders in the capital facilities industry and IFC based software developers. This Enterprise
Data Warehouse available on the NIBS website will support the rapid implementation of BIM by
reducing the risk and overhead of process change. It will provide a transparent method of work.
The software developers in the NBIMS Initiative will be able to implement consistent, open, and
transparent workflows based upon business needs, information re-use, and facility lifecycle
needs.

Areas of Immediate Activity
Starting in 2006, the NBIMS Committee first looked at what the industry as a whole needed and
what activities were already underway in some form. The Committee also looked at what
information exchanges could be better supported in existing IFC software if the industry defined
its information exchange requirements.

While these areas of development may have industry or government participation or sponsorship,
these activities include public sector committees and input. These activities are not accepted as
an NBIMS until it goes through a consensus process and any harmonization activities necessary
to support the wider standard use. Some areas where work is in development are listed below.

• Space. Candidate is the work by GSA to be harmonized with OSCRE and BOMA
definitions for consensus on Space rules and definitions.
• Construction Operations Building Information Exchange (COBIE). Work sponsored by
NASA on the information exchange between construction and owner for facilities
management.
• Early Design. IAI development team description of information needs for IFC
deployment.
• Portfolio Management. IAI development team description of information needs for IFC
deployment.
• Energy Analysis. Definition of BIM information exchange for Energy Analysis done by
Lawrence Berkley Labs, DOE, and software vendors (proprietary xml).
• Steel. Harmonization of CIS/2 with IFC done by Georgia Institute of Technology, NIST,
and related software vendors.
• LEED. The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building
Rating System™ of the U.S. Green Building Council.
• IFDLibrary™. Construction Specifications Institute.
• Construction Data Dictionary. Construction Specifications Institute.
• Automated Code Checking. International Building Code.
• Structural Concrete Harmonization. Funded by the Charles Pankow Foundation.
• Wall Standards Exchanges. And other coordination view definitions.
• Product Manufacturer Exchanges. BIM World, Object Development Corporation.
• Costing View. BLIS, update to costing model view definition.
• Planning. U.S. Coast Guard Shore Facility Capital Asset Management, defining the
information sets for decision support.
• BIM/GIS integration. OGC.
• Asset lifecycle. Information needs for lifecycle asset management.

12/18/2007 22

Chapter 2.1

• Other international activities are reviewed for use by NBIMS. These include: MEP,
Environmental Impact, and Model Checking.

The Information Exchange and IDM activity is both a bottom-up activity, using the National
Information Exchange Template, and top-down, coming from industry committees. Each activity
supports the other.

Stakeholders in BIM Use and Information
• Owners. High level summary information about their facilities.
• Planners. Existing information about physical site(s) and corporate program needs.
• Realtors. Information about a site or facility to support purchase or sale.
• Appraisers. Information about the facility to support valuation.
• Mortgage Bankers. Information about demographics, corporations, and viability.
• Designers. Planning and site information.
• Engineers. Electronic model from which to import into design and analysis software.
• Cost and Quantity Estimators. Electronic model to obtain accurate quantities.
• Specifiers. Intelligent objects from which to specify and link to later phases.
• Attorneys and Contracts. More accurate legal descriptions to defend or on which to base
litigation.
• Construction Contractors. Intelligent objects for bidding and ordering and a place to store
gained information.
• Sub-Contractors. Clearer communication and same support for contractors.
• Fabricators. Can use intelligent model for numerical controls for fabrication.
• Code Officials. Code checking software can process model faster and more accurately.
• Facility Managers. Provides product, warranty, and maintenance information.
• Maintenance and Sustainment. Easily identify products for repair parts or replacement.
• Renovation and Restoration. Minimizes unforeseen conditions and the resulting cost.
• Disposal and Recycling. Better knowledge of what is recyclable.
• Scoping, Testing, and Simulation. Electronically build facility and eliminate conflicts.
• Safety and Occupational Health. Knowledge of what materials are in use and MSDS.
• Environmental and NEPA. Improved information for environmental impact analysis.
• Plant Operations. 3D visualization of processes.
• Energy and LEED. Optimized energy analysis more easily accomplished allows for more
review of alternatives, such as impact of building rotation or relocation on site.
• Space and Security. Intelligent objects in 3D provide better understanding of
vulnerabilities.
• Network Managers. 3D physical network plan is invaluable for troubleshooting.
• CIOs. Basis for better business decisions and information about existing infrastructure.
• Risk Management. Better understanding of potential risks and how to avoid or minimize.
• Occupant Support. Visualization of facility for wayfinding (building users often cannot
read floor plans).
• First Responders. Minimize loss of life and property with timely and accurate information.

Summary
The overall scope of BIM is yet to be defined. Today we know that BIM is changing the process,
product, and delivery requirements of the capital facilities industry. BIM is a use of various
technologies that maximize computing capabilities to aggregate, analyze, and automate tasks
previously done in a labor intensive manner that tends to be more risk prone. These 2D based

12/18/2007 23

Chapter 2.1

processes have led to a societal loss approaching $15.8 billion annually due to poor data
interoperability.

As more applications and web services are developed for the capital facilities industry there will
be a greater need to incorporate referenced data into the systems that require this data to
manage intelligent operations for analysis and decision support. The NBIMS Initiative has the
role of developing the structure and workflow of this data so that it can be incorporated into
software products used by the industry.

Next Steps
Broad action requires broad participation and the NBIMS Initiative will continue to gain support
from the industry it is mandated to serve.

Upon industry review of the NBIMS Version 1 - Part 1 the NBIMS Committee and Task Teams
will continue their work, while new committees and workgroups will form to take on future tasks.

The international buildingSMART® alliance represents the construction industry’s movement to
adopt new technologies, industry enterprise workflows, and emerging communication capabilities
in its method of work. This encompasses all aspects of the building lifecycle including
procurement of work and metrics to evaluate change.

12/18/2007 24

Chapter 2.2

Chapter 2.2 Introduction to the National BIM Standard
Committee
Introduction
The genesis of the NBIMS Committee, the vision and mission of the NBIMS Initiative, and plans
for the NBIM Standard and development activities are explained in this chapter. In addition, this
chapter describes how NBIMS is organized, how it will function, and plans for relationships to
other U.S. and international initiatives, standards development organizations, and established
standards development methodologies, and the scope and nature of the NBIM Standard.

Background
National BIM Standard (NBIMS) Committee is a committee of the National Institute of Building
Sciences (NIBS) Facility Information Council (FIC). The vision for NBIMS is “an improved
planning, design, construction, operation, and maintenance process using a standardized
machine-readable information model for each facility, new or old, which contains all appropriate
information created or gathered about that facility in a format useable throughout its lifecycle by
all.” 9 The organization, philosophies, policies, plans, and working methods comprise the NBIMS
Initiative and the products of the Committee will be the National BIM Standard (NBIM Standard or
NBIMS), which includes classifications, guides, practice standards, specifications, and consensus
standards.
The National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS) was authorized by the U.S. Congress in
recognition of the need for an organization that could serve as an interface between government
and the private sector. NIBS is a non-profit, non-governmental organization bringing together
representatives of government, the professions, industry, labor, and consumer interests. Within
NIBS, the Facility Information Council (FIC) mission, since 1992, has been “to improve the
performance of facilities over their full lifecycle by fostering a common, standard, and integrated
lifecycle information model for the Architecture/Engineering/Construction and Facilities
Management industry.” 10 The NBIMS Initiative and NBIM Standard will promote and enable the
free flow of graphic and non-graphic information among all parties to the process of creating and
sustaining the built environment and will work to coordinate U.S. efforts with related activities
taking place internationally.
A charter for the NBIMS Committee was developed in late 2005. Signatories to the Charter agree
to participate in the Committee to produce the United States National Building Information Model
Standard as a full partner in this development. The Charter provides full original copyright
protections for individual contributions; however, members agree that the work of the Committee
shall be shared freely with the other members of the team and the work of the Committee, as a
collection, shall be copyrighted by NIBS. The copyright is not for gain but for protection of the
development teams’ efforts from uncontrolled external use.
Wherever possible, international standards development processes and products, especially the
American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), American National Standards Institute
(ANSI), and International Standards Organization (ISO) efforts, will be recognized and
incorporated so that NBIMS processes and products can be recognized as part of a unified
international solution. Industry organizations working on open standards, such as the

9
Charter for the National Building Information Model (BIM) Standard, December 15, 2005, pg.1.
See http://www.facilityinformationcouncil.org/bim/pdfs/NBIMS_Charter.pdf.
10
Ibid.
12/18/2007 25

Chapter 2.2
International Alliance for Interoperability (IAI), the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC), and the
Open Standards Consortium for Real Estate (OSCRE), have signed the Charter in
acknowledgement of the shared interests and commitment to creation and dissemination of open,
integrated, and internationally recognized standards. Nomenclature specific to North American
business practices will be used in the U.S. NBIMS Initiative. Consultation with organizations in
other countries has indicated that the U.S.-developed NBIM Standard, once it is localized, will be
useful to other countries as well. Continued internationalization is considered essential to growth
of the U.S. and international building construction activities.

Relevance to Users
The NBIMS Initiative has many constituencies representing widely divergent professions,
functions, and interests relative to the NBIM Standard. These constituencies can be summarized
as follows.

• Building Information Users and Building Information Modelers will both determine
the information that is required to support business needs and employ that information to
carry out business functions.
• Standards Providers create and maintain standards for building information and building
information data processing.
• Tool Makers develop and implement software, integrate systems, and provide
technology and data processing services.

The NBIMS Committee recognizes that it is vitally important that all of these constituencies
recognize, understand, and ratify the value of both the NBIMS Initiative and the NBIM Standard.
This is the intent with which this chapter describes the makeup and functioning of the NBIMS
Committee, the desired relationship of the NBIMS Committee and NBIM Standard to other
organizations and/or activities, including both building-industry and established standards-
development groups, and the nature and scope of planned standards.

Relevance to the NBIMS Initiative
This chapter is, in essence, a guide for the NBIMS Initiative and its product, the NBIM Standard.
It will be used to inform and increase the awareness of the NBIMS Committee, the NBIMS
Initiative, and the NBIM Standard for committee members, the NBIMS community of interested
parties, and those wishing to learn more about the Committee and its planned work.

NBIMS Vision, Mission, Scope, Goals, and Objectives
NBIMS is to accelerate the implementation of an industry wide, well-understood Building
Information Modeling (BIM) Standard supporting the real property industry and reversing
the productivity decline in the AEC industry.

Vision: An improved planning, design, construction, operation, and maintenance
process using a standardized machine-readable information model for each facility, new
or old, which contains all appropriate information created or gathered about that facility in
a format useable throughout its lifecycle by all.

Mission: Improve the performance of facilities over their full lifecycle by fostering a
common, standard, and integrated lifecycle information model for the Architect,
Engineering, and Construction (AEC) and Facility Management (FM) industry. This
information model will allow for the free flow of graphic and non-graphic information

12/18/2007 26

Chapter 2.2
among all parties to the process of creating and sustaining the built environment and will
work to coordinate U.S. efforts with related activities taking place internationally.

NBIMS Goals, Objectives, Strategies Version 1.0
Societal Drivers for Infrastructure & Environment
Overarching Principles
Sustainability, Security and Global Competitiveness

Overarching Goal
Accelerate industry productivity with an industry wide, well understood and open Building Information Model (BIM) Standard.
2007- 2008 Goals Objectives Strategies
1. Overview and Methodology
Goal 1. Seek industry wide agreement for 1.1 Identify the stakeholders needing and 1.1.1 Create and distribute the NBIMS
the mission, vision, guiding principles and affected by the NBIMS Initiative and gain Charter and Version 1 of the NBIMS
set of goals, objectives and strategies for their support and participation for its Overview and Methodologies for industry
developing a National Building activities. review and participation.
Information Model Standard (NBIMS) for 1.1.2 Provide clear information on the
the Capital Facilities Lifecycle. opportunities for industry participation in
NBIMS creation
(This includes all the stakeholders including Real
Estate, AEC, Facility Operations and Maintenance,
Owner, Insurance as well as other stakeholders 1.1.3 Work with all industry professional
requiring access to Capital Facility Lifecycle organizations and groups to raise awareness
information. Example: First Responders, Financial, etc.)
and support of the NBIMS value proposition
at the Capital Facilities Lifecycle level.
1.2 Develop the broad coalition of 1.2.1 Develop relationships with industry
Guiding Principle 1: As providers and stakeholders required to define this knowledge groups and bring this knowledge
stewards of our nation’s public and industry “standard of standards”. to the NBIMS effort.
private capital facility assets, we are 1.3 Provide a forum and opportunity for 1.3.1 Reach out to groups that might be sub-
obligated to work together in the most discussions and working groups at the optimizing BIM deployment within a
sustainable (open & collaborative), cost facility lifecycle level and promote a specific or too narrow focus and provide a
effective (quality, time, resources) and neutral environment for the creation of broader perspective whenever possible.
efficient manner (interoperable the NBIMS.
information value-chain) possible to meet
1.4 Promote NBIMS vision and mission 1.4.1 Utilize the NIBS website, WBDG
society’s needs.
via a participatory communications plan industry journals, websites and industry
and program of activities involving all forums to communicate and inform
stakeholders. stakeholders of NBIMS and its progress.
1.5 Create a publicly available warehouse 1.5.1 Utilize the NIBS website, WBDG to
to make available the collected IDM provide industry access to, and participation
Information Exchanges, data in NBIMS. Provide web content in the most
requirements, model views, process and cost effective and efficient manner for
business knowledge that will support a industry use.
well understood and uniform framework
for BIM deployment.
2. NBIMS Creation
2.1 Develop clear workflows with open 2.1.1 As a business process enabler NBIMS
Goal 2. Develop an open and shared and standardized data and content shall identify open and efficient information
National Building Information Model requirements to eliminate the waste workflows and the relevant data standards
Standard that will reduce the overhead inherent in proprietary and closed integrating stakeholders’ requirements.
and risk to stakeholders requiring BIM systems, unclear workflows and non- 2.1.2 Provide educational information on
implementation to improve mission and standardized data within and between BIM implementation and the importance/use
business execution. industry information silos. of open standards in any BIM based process.
2.2 Identify immediate societal and user 2.2.1 Use the societal needs and industry
business-case driven processes needed for identified challenges, and current work in
NBIMS and act on these priorities. progress as a departure point for NBIMS
development.

12/18/2007 27

Chapter 2.2
Guiding Principle 2: The Initiative 2.3 Rely on NA and international “best 2.3.1 Work with all industry and
should provide and promote a neutral practices” and standards of allied international standards organizations
forum for all stakeholders to come organizations so as not to re-invent through NIBS, IAI/BuildingSMART, CSI,
together and formulate reference models, strategies and tools for NBIMS activities. OGC, ASTM, OSCRE and others to support
best practice and accompanying open IDM activity. Share information, process,
information standards and workflows that and product when applicable.
contribute to the collective for
modernizing the way we build and
manage capital assets. 2.3 Define the current and future forward 2.3.2 Utilize the Information Delivery
scope of BIM as a product, process, and Manual Process (IDM) (IAI) to develop the
collaborative work environment. information exchanges and well defined
workflows to facilitate the discovery of
capital facility information and its purpose
during the building lifecycle.

3. Availability and Usefulness of Information in NBIMS
Goal 3. Facilitate discovery and 3.1 Seek industry consensus on 3.1.1 Implement an industry consensus
requirements for capital facility information exchange content. process for Information Exchanges using
information within the facility lifecycle. IAI, ISO and other standards body’s
procedures.
Guiding Principle 3: It should be easy to 3.2 Work with testing bodies to develop 3.2.1. Define testing, software reference,
discover which information is available, QA procedures. and the consensus processes that support
to evaluate its fitness for purpose and to interoperable software conformance.
know what conditions apply for its use. 3.3 Provide a structure for ongoing 3.3.1 Make as much of the NBIMS
NBIMS development that incorporates development and consensus activity and
industry changes and new requirements. process Web/IT enabled.
4. Interoperability
Goal 4. Develop and distribute NBIM 4.1 Address and participate in the 4.1.1 Work with all industry and
knowledge that helps disciplines share harmonization activities between various international standards organizations
information that is machine interpretable. standards bodies as needed to support through NIBS, IAI/BuildingSMART, CSI,
BIM implementation. OGC, ASTM, OSCRE, BOMA and others
to support data standard harmonization
activities.
4.1.2 Utilize and adapt existing information
standards to support BIM processes.
Guiding Principle 4: It must be possible 4.2 Develop software schema to 4.2.1 Make the processes and content
to combine seamlessly building and site accelerate rapid software implementation generated from the NBIMS activity
data from different sources and share it of NBIMS exchanges in software. available to all solution providers to support
between many users and applications. interoperable software conformance using
open and interoperable standards.
5. Re-engineered Work Process
Goal 5. Define a minimum BIM for 5.1 Utilize IDM and Model Views 5.1.1 Provide Model Views supporting more
specific purposes. supporting facility lifecycle needs and universal BIM use cases.
define a minimum BIM for industry uses. 5.1.2 Develop a searchable website to allow
users to review NBIMS for their specific use
case.
Guiding Principle 5: 5.1.1 Develop a BIM maturity model 5.1.2 Develop Web-enable tools to help the
Infrastructure data content should be matrix for self-assessment of BIM industry assess its BIMS capability or
collected once is interoperable and re- capability. requirements.
usable, and maintained at the level where
business execution and asset management
can be done most effectively.
6. Sustainment
Goal 6. Provide for Information 6.1 BIM – either in the form of models or 6.1.1 Information assurance capabilities for
Assurance across the life cycle. in the form of elements of models will software and systems will need to be
need to be associated with metadata that developed at the conceptual and meta
provides information about who created models levels so that software vendors may
the information, how they created the tie capabilities to requirements by user
information, why and when and the organizations.
quality of the information that is offered.
6.2 People that wish to use that 6.2.1 The Federal Information Security
information do so with the knowledge Management Act is a foundation of
that the integrity of the source Information Assurance approaches across
information is always protected. the capital facilities industry.

12/18/2007 28

Chapter 2.2
Guiding Principle 6: Building data 6.3 Open software standards for security 6.3.1 Review OGC’s GeoDRM process and
needed for good public policy and are the preferred approach for protecting other industry solutions.
corporate governance should be available the integrity of sharable information.
on conditions that protect sensitive
information, but otherwise do not restrict
its extensive use.

Discussion: Makeup of NBIMS
“The National BIM
Standard Committee shall
be under the NIBS
Board of Directors
organizational structure of
the National Institute for
Building Sciences (NIBS),
managed by the Facility Facility
Information
Information Council (FIC). Council
The National BIM
Standard Committee shall NBIMS Executive Fundraising Task
have a Chair, Vice-Chair, Committee Team

Secretary and Treasurer
elected by the National
BIM Standard committee- Scoping Task Development Task Communications Business Process Testing Task
Team Team Task Team Integration Team
at-large on an annual
basis. There shall be an
Executive Committee Consensus Committee
made up of the Chair,
Vice-Chair, NIBS staff
NBIMS Community of Interest
member supporting the
committee, and
representatives of the Figure 2.2-1 NBIMS Organization Chart
committee-at-large. The
Executive Committee is established by the Chair and its purpose shall be the administration of
the business affairs of the National BIM Standard Committee. Task groups may be established
11
for specific purposes and durations as determined by the Executive Committee.”

Discussion: Relationships to Capital Facilities Industry
Organizations and Activities
The NBIMS Initiative supports and, in a significant way, enables the movement within the capital
facilities industry to adopt new technologies, industry enterprise workflows, and emerging
communication capabilities in its method of work. Although the NBIM Standard is focused on
open and interoperable information exchanges, the NBIMS Initiative contributes to all aspects of
the facility lifecycle including procurement of work and metrics to evaluate change. The NBIMS
Committee is chartered to work to improve the exchange of information regarding facilities over
their full lifecycle by fostering a common, standard, and integrated lifecycle information model for
all organizations in the capital facilities industry.

The current Charter signatories represent most, if not all, of the identified facility lifecycle
constituencies as well as most of the professional associations, consortia, and technical and

11
Ibid, pg. 3.
12/18/2007 29

Chapter 2.2
associated services vendors who support them. (For a list of signatories, see the NBIMS website
at http://www.facilityinformationcouncil.org/bim/index.php.) The Committee has significant
representation from government owners, private and government practitioners, vendors,
specialist professionals, private owners, AEC practitioners, property and facility managers, and
real property professionals. As illustrated in Figure 2.2-1 and provided for in the Charter, the
Committee is organized into task teams. Each task team is composed of committee members
who volunteer to participate based on their interest and experience. Task team charges are
available on the NBIMS website.

The NBIMS Committee will seek to create formal relationships with many organizations, some of
which have already signed the NBIMS Charter and others who have yet to be contacted. To
date, support for Committee activities has primarily been provided through in-kind contributions of
time and other resources, except for direct financial support from NIBS and a grant from the
Charles Pankow Foundation related to pre-cast concrete design.

NBIMS membership is free. The Committee actively invites organizations who recognize the
value, both to the industry as a whole and to their organizations directly, to provide both in-kind
contributions and sustaining funding to support specific projects and administrative costs.

The National BIM Standard will maintain a relationship with the buildingSMART alliance™ in
order to ensure coordination of our efforts with the rest of the construction industry. The NBIMS
Committee will be a key project identified by the Alliance.

Discussion: ‘Information Users’ and ‘Information Modelers’
The envisioned NBIM Standard implementation model incorporates the notion that much of the
interaction between the Standard and end-users will occur transparently as owners and
practitioners simply use applications that support the Standard to carry out daily operations and
projects. By using applications that support the Standard and by contracting for Standard-based
exchanges, end users become ‘Information Modelers’ building the facility information backbone
for their organizations and connecting the organizational backbone to external information
sources such as projects and vendors.

The next level of interaction between practitioners, software developers, and the Standard is
envisioned to be via an Exchange Database accessible via the web through which proposed and
existing exchange definitions will be available for research and application uses. Front-line
information users such as owners and practitioners will play a pivotal role as they identify needed
exchange definitions, research the availability of Standard definitions, and then specify use of the
Standard in contracted exchanges and internal operations. Where existing Standard definitions
are not yet available or need improvement, a simple form will be available to define the need and
initiate the development process. In this way, end users may be thought of as Information
Modelers. (Section 3 - Information Exchange Concepts and Section 5 - NBIM Standard
Development Process discuss these concepts in greater detail.)

Discussion: Relationship of NBIMS to ‘Tool Makers’
The NBIMS Committee does not intend to develop or implement software, integrate systems, or
provide technology and data processing services. However, the NBIMS Initiative will support
those who do through concept development, outreach, facilitation, and education, and by
providing the NBIM Standard. The relationship between NBIMS and Tool Makers is seen as
synergistic. Section 4 provides additional detail about planned information exchange contents
and Section 5 provides additional detail about development and deployment of the Standard. In
summary, the NBIM Standard will establish methods by which open and interoperable building

12/18/2007 30

Chapter 2.2
information exchanges should be developed and described, the specification of exchange data
sets consistent with and supportive of typical business processes, and specifications for
incorporating the exchange data sets into software applications and integration solutions to be
developed by others.

Discussion: NBIM Standard Workflow
Figure 2.2-2 illustrates the elements of the NBIM Standard Development and Use Process and
provides a high level view of the workflow associated with producing Standard products. In
general, Figure 2.2-2 illustrates the relationship between the main tasks of researching existing
specifications and proposing new specifications, the specification development process,
publishing NBIM Standard specifications, facilitating compliance certification, and
deployment/industry adoption functions such as working with software developers, professional
associations, educational institutions, and other organizations with which NBIMS will coordinate
standard development and facilitate best practices for BIM use. Section 5 introduces individual
elements in this diagram and chapters that contain more specific details and discussions.

Discussion: NBIM Standard Products
Section 5 describes planned NBIM Standard references and
products in more detail and is summarized as follows.

• Classifications. Process elements and actors, content
types and values, systems or services classified into groups
based on similar characteristics such as origin, composition,
or properties. An early example is OmniClass™ which is
included in the Appendix as a reference standard.
• Guides. “A compendium of information or series of options
that does not recommend a specific course of action.” 12
Much of Version 1 - Part 1 of the Standard is a guide.
• Specifications. “An explicit set of requirements to be
satisfied by a material, product, system, or service.” 13
Version 1 - Part 2 will contain standard specifications.
• Consensus Standards. NBIM Standard Specifications will
be developed, reviewed, and adopted through a series of
consensus-based processes. Section 5 provides more
information; however, the consensus voting process that has
been successfully used to create the National CAD Standard
is seen as a viable model for part of the NBIM Standard
Development and Use Process as well.

As noted in the definitions, it is important to understand that NBIMS Figure 2.2-2 NBIM Standard
Version 1 - Part 1: Overview, Principles, and Methodologies is a Development and Use Process
guide standard. This guide is an important part of the NBIM Overview
Standard and is being released to describe NBIMS Committee intentions, share details of the
NBIMS Initiative, and invite public response. Readers seeking specifications should note that
Part 2 is planned to be the first volume containing material that has been reviewed and adopted
through a formal consensus-based process.

12
Form and Style for ASTM Standards, ASTM International, October 2006, pg. vii.
13
Ibid.
12/18/2007 31

Chapter 2.3

Chapter 2.3 Future Versions
Introduction
Primarily this section of NBIMS Version 1 - Part 1 identifies what needs to be accomplished in
order to issue Part 2. Also discussed are the process and timing that will be followed to achieve
that goal and to issue future versions of the Standard. Most of this chapter is a compilation of
information found and discussed in other chapters.

Background
The NBIMS Version 1 - Part 1: Overview, Principles, and Methodologies is intended to first
introduce the reader to a comprehensive Building Information Model (BIM) and all the possibilities
it will bring to the capital facilities industry. The United States capital facilities industry is a long
way from fully realizing all the opportunities of BIM and this chapter is intended to provide the
roadmap that will be required for attaining the goals identified in the whole of this document.
Figure 2.3-2 identifies major activities that are enabled by the Standard. The information
presented below will discuss the tasks needed to achieve each of these high-level capabilities.

Relevance to Users
BIM is in use today and is flourishing, but it carries many of the problems of the past. These
problems are primarily related to lack of sharing of information between lifecycle phases, since
many practitioners are still only concerned with their phase of the project and fail to recognize
their stewardship role in the overall lifecycle of the facility. In order for a BIM to be fully
implemented and its potential fully realized, it must allow for the flow of information from one
phase to the next, from inception onward. This can effectively only be achieved through open
standards. Today, BIM is being defined by the capabilities that a specific vendor can provide and
not by the requirements that design and construction professionals or, more importantly, the
operators, sustainers, and owners of a facility need. Open standards are the only economical
way all subject matter vendors can participate. A time when one vendor will be able to provide all
the tools necessary for the capital facilities industry is not foreseen and is quite unrealistic.

The reader is encouraged to read the complete NBIMS document then return to this chapter,
since it identifies the roadmap to achieve full realization of the opportunities BIM provides. It
provides the timeline when users may expect certain capabilities to reach maturity.

There are many concerns on which the industry must come to a decision; many of these may
require the formation of consortiums to accomplish the task. Funding will also be required, and
finding resources interested in ensuring those capabilities exist may be a challenge. While a
certain end state is desired, ensuring that all the pieces necessary to accomplish that end state
may not have the level of interest needed to fund them. However, if the foundation capabilities
are not in place and are not strong, then the final product will likely be inadequate and not attain
the expected potential.

Accomplishing all the tasks identified in this section will be daunting and priorities are likely to
change over time. The industry will not be able to boil the ocean; therefore, the process must be
broken into small doable pieces that yield usable results and benefits as quickly as possible.

12/18/2007 32

Chapter 2.3

With many hands working toward a common vision these tasks can be accomplished as long as
the goals are clearly stated and the relationships and prerequisites well understood. It is critical
that active participation of practitioners remain high so that the final products do in fact support
their requirements.

Discussion
Our ultimate goal is to improve construction productivity in the United States and to keep us
competitive internationally. Many of the aspects of this overarching goal will be accomplished by
a large consortium of players. The area that NBIMS is focused on is the design of the theory and
structure for a new way of thinking about facilities and structures as information models. The
industry is not just pushing a theory but is designing the process and structures for the
information: using objects such as Industry Foundation Classes (IFC or ifc), using information
exchanges such as Information Delivery Manual (IDM), using model views such as Model View
Definition (MVD), and dictionaries such as International Framework for Dictionaries (IFD) to
create and sustain a BIM.

The table (Figure 2.3-1) shows a desired extension to one originally provided by the Bureau of
Labor and Statistics in 2004, which showed a declining productivity rate for construction, while
other segments of the economy were improving at record rates. The NBIMS Initiative’s goal is to
implement some of the same techniques, used in other industries, in the capital facilities industry
to achieve the similar productivity increases and to reverse the current downward trend. The rate
of improvement will depend on how seriously the industry and the country view the crisis and
come forward with the necessary resources. It is hoped that construction productivity can at least
begin to show improvement before the end of this decade and follow our projections into the
future.

2004 2008 2012 2014 2018 2022
Figure 2.3-1 Construction Productivity (Historical information courtesy of Bureau of Labor Statistics; future
projection courtesy of DKS Information Consulting, LLC.)

12/18/2007 33

Chapter 2.3

How soon the detailed roadmap presented below is accomplished will depend on how soon we
lay the foundation needed to achieve it. While the NIST study 14 and others have identified the
loss of billions of dollars a year from inefficient business practices, we have not been able to
identify the specific sources of those dollars in order to be able to redirect them to solve the
problem. The primary reasons are that the dollars are widely distributed and that most
practitioners have an accepted way of doing business such that the imbedded waste and ways to
improve are not readily seen. Hence, the industry makes small incremental improvements to
inefficient processes instead of the substantive changes required that involve the entire capital
facilities industry.

Next Steps
The next steps in the NBIMS Version 1 -
Part 1 are gleaned from each chapter and
included here as a summary.

Supporting Tier 4
• Continued promotion of information
relationships from the highest level,
worldview, to the lowest level, object
view, is required throughout the
capital facilities industry to ensure
that we maintain a continuum of
information flow from the smallest to
the largest pieces and vice versa. All
parties involved must be supportive of
the model at this level before there
can be acceptance at more detailed
levels. The NBIMS Initiative includes
OSCRE, OGC, IAI, and many others
who all need to become involved in
order to reach industry wide Figure 2.3-2 NBIMS Exchange Tier Architecture
(Courtesy D. Davis, AEC Infosystems)
consensus. http://www.facilityinformationcouncil.org/bim/pdfs/ExchTierArch.jpg
• A key element of success will be
implementing Information Assurance procedures so those who store information in the model
and those who retrieve it are assured of the accuracy and security of the information. While
commonplace in the banking and personnel industries, it is still relatively new concept in the
capital facilities industry. Work must be done to ensure industry wide implementation so that
trust can be ensured.

Supporting Tier 3
• Research is required to evaluate the current level of capability of BIMs in use in the industry
today and to continue evaluating the rankings proposed for the capability maturity model
remains valid. There was concern that the bar may have been set too high for most current

14
U.S. Department of Commerce, National Institute for Standards and Technology, “Cost
Analysis of Inadequate Interoperability in the U.S. Capital Facilities Industry.” (NIST GCR 04-
867, August 2004 at http://www.bfrl.nist.gov/oae/publications/gcrs/04867.pdf.
12/18/2007 34

Chapter 2.3

BIMs to be “certified” however, this proved not to be true. The chapter BIM Minimum will be
revised as required over time to reflect the status of the industry.
• The Capability Maturity Model chapter has been coordinated with the BIM Minimum chapter
to ensure that the certified level is in fact what is being described in that section. Many so-
called BIMs in existence do not meet the NBIMS definition of a BIM, since they are really only
intelligent drawings, visualization tools, or production aides. The current Capability Maturity
Model gives the capital facilities industry a spectrum of tangible capabilities by which to
determine the current maturity of a BIM and to provide higher levels on the spectrum as
developmental goals. Future work will be done to improve the Maturity Model so that it
mirrors the burgeoning BIM community.
• The governing body of NBIMS will need to certify BIMs and testing processes in order to build
a database of best practices and to isolate areas of opportunity for improvements in the BIM
community, as well as to provide a means and motivation for users to create reliable
information that is stored in open and interoperable formats.
• The industry will need to implement Information Assurance procedures at all levels of BIM.

Supporting Tier 2
• Identify the maturity baseline in the industry as it stands today, determine the typical level of
BIM in use, and validate that it meets the minimum identified in this document
• Continue developing a vision for more mature BIMs and develop a roadmap for raising the
minimum BIM bar. Identify deadlines for achieving higher level and more mature
implementation over the next 20 or more years.
• Implement Information Assurance procedures to support Tier 2.
• Identify existing BIM projects that qualify as candidates for inclusion in the standard (together
with Scoping and Requirements Development).
• Evaluate candidates and create a plan for developing qualified candidates into a standard
(together with Scoping and Requirements Development).
• Review and comment on IDM Process Maps (developed by Requirements Development).
• Review and comment on IDM Exchange Requirements (developed by Requirements
Development).
• Facilitate review and feedback by software developers.
• Plan and manage a pilot implementation/use program (together with Testing).
• Incorporate lessons learned from implementations/use to update Process Map, ERs, and
MVD (together with Requirements Development and Testing).
• Plan and manage the consensus process (together with Executive Committee).

Supporting Tier 1
• The IFC development work is currently being done overseas. While there are links to
chapters developing IFC worldwide, there is currently very little U.S. involvement. U.S.
involvement in this effort must increase in order to develop IFC that will fully meet our future
needs and to remain competitive.
• Software vendors continue to support open standard IFC in their products at various speeds.
Each product has varying levels of success at importing and exporting IFC due to their
internal configuration. Continued focus on the benefits of the IFC based neutral file format
used to communicate between products needs to be maintained. This is the basis for the
NBIMS open standards approach.
• Implementing Information Assurance procedures:

12/18/2007 35

Chapter 2.3

o Review the OGC GeoDRM Reference Model from the perspective of information
exchanges in BIMs.
o Identify and document use cases.
o Make plans to participate in future OGC Interoperability Programs.
• The need for UniFormat™ harmonization, along with enhancement, and coordination of other
OmniClass™ tables must continue.
• Work with and further support OSCRE efforts to link the planning, design, and construction
activities to the owners, operators, investors, and tenants of facilities.
• Provide continuing education for practitioners in all aspects of the real property industry.
• Support software vendor implementation of the ontologies and taxonomies.

Schedule
Several related documents will be produced over time in addition to and supporting the National
BIM Standard. One such document is the Generic Implementation Guidelines. Although not a
direct part of NBIMS, they will be based on NBIMS and therefore updates to NBIMS should be
followed by the generic implementation guidelines. The Generic Implementation Guidelines are
the common elements that would be used by all. Individual companies and organizations will
augment the Generic Implementation Guidelines with their own unique requirements, but these
should be limited in nature as they are somewhat duplicative.

It is estimated that new versions of NBIMS will be issued on the following schedule. The Generic
Implementation Guidelines should follow these documents by three to six months.

• NBIMS V1 - Part 1 December 2007
• NBIMS V1 - Part 2 July 2008
• NBIMS V2 July 2009

A new version will be issued every three to five years after NBIMS has reached some level of
dynamic equilibrium.

Industry will be solicited to participate in a consensus process for the items needing
standardization identified in the section below. Those products ready for submission to the
consensus process will be incorporated into the next version. NBIMS V1 - Part 2 will include
items undergoing this process.

Items Needing Standardization
The following are items that have been identified throughout the document as needing to be
standardized in future versions of NBIMS.

Chapter 3.1 Introduction to Exchange Concepts
• More BIM packages need to incorporate NBIMS structured content so that property sets are
interoperable.

Chapter 3.2 Data Models and the Role of Interoperability
• OmniClass tables need to be accepted as standards for use in NBIMS.

12/18/2007 36

Chapter 2.3

• The NBIMS Hierarchical Relationship needs to be accepted as a standard.
• Completion of the work involved with NWI 241 to harmonize IFC and ISO 15926. It is
anticipated that this will be coordinated through a FIATECH project.
• Consensus on the hierarchy from worldview to detailed facility or structure view. (July 2008
as part of NBIMS V1 - Part 2)
• Overall consensus on use of a procedural lifecycle roadmap for the capital facilities industry
using one of the existing best practice examples as its basis. (NBIMS V2)
• Incorporation of the accepted procedural best practice into software. (NBIMS V3)

Chapter 3.3 Storing and Sharing Information
• Information sharing strategies and standards for manufacturers and suppliers to ensure
models are sustainable.
• Defining information structures related to activities included in a model.
• Defining how models will support sensor networks for real time facility operations.
• Strategies to incorporate server and web based service oriented architectures.

Chapter 3.4 Information Assurance
• Establishment of Information Assurance procedures in new models.
• Encryption-at-rest measures shall be initiated.
• Encryption-during-transmission shall be implemented.
• Building IA procedures into the management of the entire facility lifecycle.
• Metadata concerning who entered the information into the BIM and the level of quality of that
information.

Chapter 4.1 BIM Minimum

The minimum BIM is an outcome of the current level of standardization available;
however, agreement needs to be reached as to what a minimum standard entails.

Chapter 4.2 Capability Maturity Model
• The Capability Maturity Model will need to be accepted by the industry, whether or not it can
be standardized remains in question.
• It is anticipated that the certification levels will be adjusted annually based on some
established criteria. Such criterion may be based on the winners of several BIM related
awards that occur annually such as the AIA TAP BIM Awards, the FIATECH CETI Awards,
and others established by the industry.

Chapter 5.1 Overview of Exchange Standard Development and Use Process

No specific items needing standardization have been identified for this section.

Chapter 5.2 Workgroup Formation and Requirements Definition

No specific items needing standardization have been identified for this section.

Chapter 5.3 User-Facing Exchange Models
• Development of ERMs for the end user processes selected for V1. (See Chapter 5.2)

12/18/2007 37

Chapter 2.3

• Development of one or more generic MVDs (depending on the number of high level
exchange scenarios that the ERMs span, e.g. architectural design to structural design,
architectural design to HVAC design).
• Review and comment on these MVDs by industry associations and vendors.

Chapter 5.4 Vendor-Facing Model Definition, Implementation, and Certification
Testing
• Since this document is focused on defining the processes and tools by which a Version 1
National BIM Standard will be developed and NOT on the actual standard, there are no
MVDs included in this document. MVDs will be developed in future releases of the actual
standards document.
• Identify existing BIM projects that qualify as candidates for inclusion in the standard (together
with Scoping and Requirements Development).
• Evaluate candidates and develop a plan for developing qualified candidates into a standard
(together with Scoping and Requirements Development).
• Review and comment on IDM Process Maps (developed by Requirements Development).
• Review and comment on IDM Exchange Requirements (developed by Requirements
Development).
• Develop Model View Definitions (as defined in the MVD Development Process section).
• Facilitate review and feedback by software community.
• Plan and manage a pilot implementation/use program (together with Testing).
• Incorporate lessons learned from implementations/use to update Process Map, ERs, and
MVD (together with Requirements Development and Testing).
• Plan and manage the consensus process (together with Executive Committee).
• Generate and publish V1 NBIMS documents (together with all committees).

Chapter 5.5 Deployment
• Develop example Project Agreements between parties to exchanges.
• BIM creation in which certified software is used to author building information models.
• Data validation in which delivered BIM data is checked for compliance with the Project
Agreement.
• BIM use in which delivered BIM data is imported and used in certified software by exchange
parties to accomplish project objectives.

Chapter 5.6 Consensus-Based Approval Methods
• The consensus process must be developed and deployed.

Appendix A IAI Industry Foundation Classes (IFC or ifc)
• The IFC continue to be developed and expanded and new versions will be issued. NBIMS will
continue to adopt the work of the ISO and the IAI International as the IFC are incorporated
into software. IFC are at the Publicly Accepted Standard (PAS) stage (ISO/PAS 16739) and
as such are not yet an ISO standard, although they are headed in that direction.

Appendix B CSI OmniClass™
• The fifteen OmniClass tables should be accepted as industry standards.
• Tables 11, 12, 13, 14, 22, 31, 32, 33, 34, and 41 are ready to be submitted to the consensus
process in 2007.

12/18/2007 38

Chapter 2.3

• Table 21 is undergoing harmonization and will be ready for consensus in 2008.
• Table 23, 35, 36, and 49 will be ready at a future date.
• We will use a modification of the NIBS consensus process to incorporate these documents.

Appendix C CSI International Framework for Dictionaries (IFDLibrary™)

The IFDLibrary partners have a number of projects underway that are starting to address
working with the IFD and integrating it with the IFC model to support interoperability.
North America is currently pursuing the following projects.

ICC SmartCodes. The primary project CSI is pursuing as an initial test case is
supporting the International Code Council (ICC) SmartCodes project. ICC has identified
terms from the energy code and identified their relevant properties. This work is
captured in spreadsheets to develop the input tool and access to the API. With the
energy code complete, we will move on to support other parts of the International
Building Code.

NBIMS. Once the toolset and procedures are established, CSI plans to make them
available to support all projects looking to achieve interoperability through using the IFC
model and IDM process definitions. Initial work with the development committee on the
Product Property Sets for Specifiers project is expected to utilize the IFD to establish the
requirements for specifications by project phase.

Additional Standards Efforts
• Readers of this document who represent widely used domain standards (i.e. normative
standards) are encouraged to undertake NBIMS projects to help define those information
exchanges needed for their specific communities. Readers of this document who utilize local
standards are asked to participate in relevant NBIMS projects to identify the extent to which
requirements defined by their standards may be represented in the NBIMS open-standards
framework.
• NBIMS encourages software vendors to participate in the discussion of this methodology to
provide an open framework for their interoperability projects. Such a framework will reduce
the cost of vendor participation in NBIMS and ultimately provide critically needed end user
functionality that increases the ease of use of each participating software system.

Priorities
While the above items all need to be completed in order to achieve our comprehensive BIM
goals, the list below identify the most critical and specific items that can begin standardization
processes or that require specific support for the consensus processes either underway or soon
to be underway. They are listed in no specific order since each should be investigated in detail to
understand the level of effort that will be required to prepare them for balloting and consensus. It
is hoped that a significant portion of the list will be addressed in Part 2, but that is yet to be
determined. This will be a significant role for the consensus committee of NBIMS.

• Develop standardized Model View Definition and conduct consensus process.
• Establish standard information assurance procedures for a new model.

12/18/2007 39

Chapter 2.3

• Publish V1 NBIMS Model View Standard in conformance with IAI International.
• Initiate standard encryption-at-rest measures for NBIMS based products.
• Support OmniClass™ table 21 harmonization efforts to prepare for consensus.
• Implement standard encryption-during-transmission measures for NBIMS based
products.
• Build standard IA procedures into the management of the entire facility lifecycle.
• Develop standard audit trail and quality indicators for BIM.
• Continue support for standard IFC development.
• Conduct consensus process to standardize the information exchange template.
• Conduct consensus process for OmniClass™ tables 11, 12, 13, 14, 22, 31, 32, 33, 34,
and 41.
• Conduct consensus process for the hierarchical relationship.
• Support completion of the work involved to harmonize IFC (ISO/PAS 16739) and ISO
15926.
• Conduct consensus on use of a procedural lifecycle roadmap for the capital facilities
industry using one of the existing best practice examples as a basis.
• Incorporation of the accepted procedural best practice into software.
• Conduct consensus to standardize minimum BIM.
• Conduct consensus process to make Early Design a standard part of NBIMS.
• Conduct consensus process to make COBIE a standard part of NBIMS.

12/18/2007 40

Chapter 3.1

Chapter 3.1 Introduction to Exchange Concepts
Introduction
BIM is an emerging process supported by a broader toolset and data standards for the creation
and use of project and building lifecycle information. The changes in the tools support new
processes allowing professionals to integrate intelligent 15 and standardized data, graphics,
databases, web services, and decision support methodologies changing the human-computer-
interaction and richness of data supported in the process.

For users, BIM integrates or even eliminates lower value and/or traditionally separate tasks and
makes higher value activities such as simulation and other forms of analysis cost effective for all
scale projects. It supports information sharing and distribution across a broader spectrum of
professions through information
exchanges and offers the possibility of
knowledge bases for buildings as part of
its data aggregation.

These changes do not come out of a box;
it is not a simple upgrade of software. For
BIM to be effective in achieving the goals
of integrated project information and be
efficient as a delivery process, the
industry has identified a series of
objectives to support the creation of
standardized information exchanges,
information exchange content, and
updates to data standards to support
robust sharing of data within an industry
information value-chain.
Figure 3.1-1 Relationships and Enablers of the
(See Figure 3.1-1)
Information Value Chain
This chapter covers information concepts
and the content and delivery standardization areas needed to support industry goals and NBIMS
as a North American activity aligned with international interoperability goals.

Background
CAD drafting took almost twenty years to implement and forced a standardization of machine
interpretable exchanges for lines, arcs, circles, and text when it became obvious that this was
necessary to share an electronic version of paper based documentation. Being on the same
software product was not the solution as team members trying to share CAD files with different
layer names and line weights had problems sharing files when the content did not align.

In order to share the right information at the right time and with the right stakeholders a clear set
of standards for the sharing of construction documents was needed. This was the genesis for the

15
Intelligent data in this context defines data which is machine-interpretable (not requiring human
interpretation or interaction) and exists in relationship to graphical and non-graphical data within the
project data structure.
12/18/2007 41

Chapter 3.1

National CAD Standard. Software companies that supported this standard could share
information and the ROI to users of CAD became a functional reality.

The issues experienced with CAD are compounded in BIM due to the expansion of information
sharing needs and process changes. Technology has once again outstripped the process and
standards in place, and NBIMS is part of an international effort to implement expanding
technologies in a more cost effective way for all parties involved.

Lessons learned from CAD implementation and automation successes in similar industries
suggest that well understood information exchanges aligned with decision and communication
requirements throughout a project lifecycle are required to effectively implement the goals of BIM.

Best practices for BIM require more robust data standards, content requirements, and machine
interpretable data exchanges to reduce the human capital needed to share information.

BIM Implementation Requirement
BIM product, process, and collaborative environments require the industry to agree on definitions
and rules for commonly used terms and calculations, such as space, units of measure, product
data classifications, and object element definitions. Fortunately, much of this work has been
completed by the International Alliance for Interoperability (IAI) and is supported in the Industry
Foundation Classes (IFC or ifc). Several applications support IFC today and the number
continues to grow. 16 In addition, work supporting classification of the built environment and
processes for agreeing to information exchange requirements are available in Industry
Foundation Dictionary (IFDLibrary™) and Information Delivery Manual (IDM) methodology. The
NBIMS Committee envisions adopting these as normative references for the NBIM Standard.

Relevance to Users
Building modeling, as enabler and catalyst for virtual design and engineering, integrated practice
concepts, and lean construction concepts, is already demonstrating significant productivity gains
over traditional processes, even with a limited amount of data integration. In the future, highly
integrated data exchanges will support new opportunities for business process re-engineering
with associated gains in industry productivity. Owners and practitioners are beginning to
understand that much more substantial gains are possible as interoperability increases.

The core of the National BIM Standard is development and deployment of standardized
information exchange specifications. Partnering and coordination of industry initiatives is
designed to reduce the time and resources expended to accomplish the task. Similarly, adoption
of and participation in international standards development activities is designed to reduce
duplication and achieve a localized solution that is consistent with international solutions.

Discussion
While the IAI and IFC schema are internationally recognized, the shared data or content must be
localized to the specific building context. For example, North America uses CSI OmniClass™
and UniFormat™ classifications, while in the United Kingdom similar functionality is implemented

16
See Appendix A, IAI Industry Foundation Classes (IFC or ifc).
12/18/2007 42

Chapter 3.1

in Uniclass. The IFC schema allows the transfer of this information as machine-interpretable in
either case.

As part of the NBIMS Committee work on exchange specifications, use of, for example, IDM (to
discover and document requirements), MVD (to create reusable encodings for software
implementation), and IFDLibrary (a consistent semantic dictionary) supports the North American
implementation requirements for this international effort. 17 The NBIMS Committee efforts align
with the international effort because the building industry is a global enterprise.

The overall schema for building
information can be prescribed
but, at a granular level and
depending on the
circumstances, the exchange of
information about any object will
change depending upon the
context. For example, the
superset of information for a
door might include many
physical and performance
characteristics, such as size,
material, color, glass area,
handing, installation
recommendations, ID tag,
energy efficiency, manufacturer
name, serial number, warranty,
and cost, but, during early
design, only the size, handing,
and ID tag might be required.
The NBIMS effort will define
these information needs within
a BIM context and identify the
North American Information
Figure 3.1-2 Example of Integrated Standard or body responsible
Data in BIM Software for this information.

Product Object Manufacturers are supporting NBIMS so that BIM objects can be robust enough
to support the BIM process, their libraries broadly reusable, and the results are predictable and
reliable when objects are placed into a model.

Summary
Exchanging information accurately and efficiently between project stakeholders is as essential to
project success as managing the information within a stakeholder organization. Unambiguous,
machine-interpretable exchanges of BIM information offer powerful benefits to the building
industry, but they require several types of well-defined and broadly adopted standards to be
effective. NBIM Standard specifications will be primarily concerned with the exchanges of
information between parties, but content and semantic reference standards will also be included.
Wherever possible, NBIMS will make use of available international reference and methodology

17
See Section 5 for more on the tools and methodologies to be used in the NBIMS Production
and Use Process.
12/18/2007 43

Chapter 3.1

standards. It will also participate in development of standards appropriate to North American
contexts.

12/18/2007 44

Chapter 3.2

Chapter 3.2 Data Models and the Role of
Interoperability
Introduction
A key to the success of building information modeling is an ability to organize and relate
information consistently for use by both people and software. Information structures must have
the capacity for details (such as the relationship between a door and hardware) and aggregation
into broad representations (such as enterprise views of asset holdings). The built environment
contains a large universe of materials. There are many traditional domains and, in fact, many
different languages that must be understood and related to each other. Architects and engineers,
as well as a real estate appraiser or insurer, must be able to communicate content and intent
meaningfully within their own business domain and still share content and intent with other
domains as diverse as that of the first responder to an emergency situation. For multinational
corporations these challenges are compounded by the need to operate in multiple languages.

The participation of many organizations will be required to achieve the degree of agreement and
standardization needed to develop shared ontologies. 18 Some of these ontologies are already
available, more are in development, and still others exist as concepts.

This chapter presents information on data modeling in the building industry, data structures,
ontologies, and standards that contribute to effective building information modeling and the role of
interoperability in achieving the goals of efficient exchange of building information model data.

Background
The capital facilities industry domains have grown increasingly more technically sophisticated, but
these domains remain relatively fragmented both in terms of processes and data processing
automation. Passing information from one domain to another typically involves manual
processes including re-creation of data, imperfect translators, or proprietary and specific software
integrations. To compare datasets without actually exchanging data, specialty software is
available that is able to manipulate and compare multiple data formats without translating data
between them. These approaches offer some benefits but are limited and inefficient in that they
cause significant waste, re-work and, perhaps most importantly, are inadequate for use in
emergency situations. A more efficient approach would be to develop a coordinated, industry-
wide shared language and data structure that each domain could use for its own purposes and a
method of passing information from party to another in an automated and loss-less manner.
Finally, in addition to immediate uses of coordinated information, shared languages and data
structures also make it possible to plan for and rely on using, re-using, and re-purposing data
across multiple lifecycle phases, which is critical for long-term goals such as life safety and
environmental conservation.

The NBIMS Initiative hopes to influence new best practices even as it facilitates and/or provides
enabling capabilities in the form of semantic standards, data schemas, hierarchal content

18
Ontology is a study of conceptions of reality. Here ontology refers to the study of realities of
basic categories and relationships of entities and types of entities in the built environment.
Entities in the built environment are often categorized in terms of ‘people or organization,’ ‘places
and things,’ and ‘time or phases,’ among others.
12/18/2007 45

Chapter 3.2

classification systems, building information exchange requirements, and building information
encodings for implementation into software.

Rather than imposing another layer of requirements on the industry, the NBIMS Committee would
like to make it possible to remove layers of inefficiency and re-work in favor of creating, using and
providing information as a natural by-product of typical business activities. Data standards,
building information modeling practices, and interoperability during exchanges are critical to this
goal.

Relevance to User
Thankfully, users do not have to start from the beginning in this endeavor nor, in many cases, will
end-users have to know the details of the standards and practices built into the software they will
use daily. Some of the standards to be incorporated into interoperable software already exist and
are continuing to evolve, such as those provided by the Construction Specifications Institute
(CSI), the International Code Council (ICC), the U.S. Green Buildings Council (USGBC), Open
Geospatial Consortium (OGC), the Open Standards Consortium for Real Estate (OSCRE), and
the International Alliance for Interoperability (IAI). Some are new, next-generation standards,
such as OmniClass™ from CSI and IFDLibrary™ from a consortium including IAI and CSI, and
the National BIM Standard, which will publish encodings to be incorporated by software vendors
into a wide variety of applications.

It is necessary that knowledgeable users participate in identifying the requirements for NBIM
Standards. This is described in Section 5, but it is enough for now to know that end-users will not
need to be skilled in standards development or software programming to participate. Data
modeling and interoperability capabilities will be applied after the fact to the requirements
established by practitioners. This chapter is provided for those who would like to know a little
more about existing ontologies, how they will be incorporated NBIMS to achieve interoperability,
and how new ontologies will be created to meet emerging requirements.

Relevance to National BIM Standard
The National BIM Standard will consist of specifications and encodings to define the requirements
for exchanges of data between parties using building information modeling processes and tools.
The NBIMS Committee will then facilitate implementation of these specifications and encodings
by software developers into software used in BIM-based processes. Standardized, open-source
classifications and data structures will be required to accomplish this.

Standardized classifications include ‘classes’ such as walls, doors, furniture, and phases of work,
job types, or many other concepts. Classifications also organize concepts such as accounting
codes, personnel types, space use types, and work order priority codes. Many classifications
such as MasterFormat™ and UniFormat™ 19 have existed for some time. Many needed
classifications, such as wall types, exist within individual companies but have not yet been
standardized across the industry.

Building information modeling data structures known across the industry have been primarily
developed by the companies or products with which they are associated; some examples are
Autodesk’s AutoCAD® .dwg and Revit® .rvt, Bentley’s MicroStation® .dgn, and Graphisoft’s
ArchiCAD® .gsm. Recently, new schemas associated with domain-specific data and intended to

19
Trademarks of the Construction Specification Institute (CSI). See also www.csinet.org.

12/18/2007 46

Chapter 3.2

support narrowly defined exchanges of information between applications rather than the
applications themselves have begun to emerge. These include CIS/2, 20 CIMSteel Integration
Standards, from the Steel Construction Institute and gbXML 21 from the USGBC. Classifications
of concepts exist within each of these data structures, but, typically, they vary from application to
application or between domains, such as between building and geospatial domains.

The NBIM Standard will be defined to support exchanges between software applications so as
not to be dependent on data structures used within an individual application. As an exchange
standard, NBIMS will specify an open and freely available data structure and each software
developer will be responsible for creating and/or receiving a correctly structured exchange data
set. End-users should only have to be able to operate the certified software.

The data structure is only one-third of the matter. Creating an exchange standard that is
interoperable requires that the information be semantically understandable and data content fit
into classifications that are controlled. Local interoperability is achievable on an ad hoc basis by
agreeing to parameters for a project or within a single domain. The benefits of this approach can
be significant but are limited to a single project or series of projects using the ad hoc approach.
Industry-wide interoperability, with its associated benefits, requires industry-wide standards.

The Role of Interoperability
Software interoperability is seamless data exchange at the software level among diverse
applications, each of which may have its own internal data structure. Interoperability is achieved
by mapping parts of each participating application’s internal data structure to a universal data
model and vice versa. If the employed universal data model is open, any application can
participate in the mapping process and thus become interoperable with any other application that
also participated in the mapping. Interoperability eliminates the costly practice of integrating
every application (and version) with every other application (and version).

The NBIM Standard maintains that viable software interoperability in the capital facilities industry
requires the acceptance of an open data model of facilities and an interface to that data model for
each participating application. If the data model is industry-wide (i.e. represents the entire
facilities lifecycle), it provides the opportunity to each industry software application to become
interoperable.

Interoperability vs. Integration
Software interoperability, as discussed above, is seamless data exchange between diverse
application types which each may have its own internal data structure. Software integration is a
special case of interoperability where the same data model is used in separate applications or
where specific integration between two applications has occurred. In this way, interoperability is
achieved within a limited group of applications. (The group typically consists of applications that
each serves a different discipline, industry process, or business case.) By agreeing to share a
data model or do specific integration, software developers seek a market advantage. Data sets
are directly imported and/or exported, or application interfaces access the data file directly.
Traditionally, integrated data models and applications are both proprietary. If the original data
format changes for any reason, all integrated applications must be re-integrated. An individual
organization may support dozens of proprietary data formats, each of which must be integrated
with the others. In a typical organization this may require maintaining hundreds of integrations or,

20
See www.cis2.org.
21
See www.gbxml.org.
12/18/2007 47

Chapter 3.2

just as commonly, avoiding integration by separating functional operations and relying on manual
re-keying of information.

Discussion
The NBIMS Committee believes that achieving broad and lasting efficiency in the capital facilities
industry requires software interoperability through exchange definitions, adoption of an open
exchange data model, and a common interface to the exchange data model for use by any
participating application. If the exchange data model is industry wide (i.e. represents the entire
facilities domain), it provides the opportunity for each software application serving the industry to
become interoperable. In contrast, integration excludes interoperability with applications that do
not share the (proprietary) data model and thereby limits the flexibility and efficiency of the
industry.

Data models establish the relationships between various data objects and the associated data
elements in a format that ensures that data is only entered once and therefore has to be
maintained in only one location. The open exchange data model will serve several roles.
• A structure for people to find items for use in data exchanges. NBIMS will use
Information Delivery Manuals (IDMs) to organize data required for a specific type of
exchange. The data required by an IDM is, by definition, a subset of the entire facilities
data model.
• Normalizing (i.e. organizing data so it only occurs once in a database) for efficient data
maintenance.
• Common definition of data elements with synonyms to support various business contexts
where the same type is used but is known by a different name.
• A directory structure for the storage of collected information so that as data is collected it
can be efficiently stored.

The basis for communication will be an agreed upon and controlled vocabulary. A controlled
vocabulary is a list of terms that have been enumerated explicitly. In an open standard, this list is
freely available but controlled by a ‘vocabulary registration authority’ for the benefit of all. All
terms in a controlled vocabulary should have an unambiguous, non-redundant definition. This is
a design goal that may not always be true in practice. It depends on how strict the controlled
vocabulary registration authority is regarding registration of terms. At a minimum, the following
two rules should be enforced.
• When the same term is commonly used to mean different concepts in different contexts,
its name is explicitly qualified to resolve this ambiguity. (For example, address may be
qualified for home address or office address.)
• When multiple terms are used to mean the same thing, one of the terms is identified as
the preferred term in the controlled vocabulary, and other terms are listed as synonyms
or aliases. (For example, in the U.S. a preferred name might be elevator with a synonym
being lift; whereas, in the U.K. the opposite might be true.)

A taxonomy is a collection of controlled vocabulary terms organized into a hierarchical structure.
Each term in a taxonomy is in one or more parent-child relationships to other terms in the
taxonomy. There may be different types of parent-child relationships in a taxonomy (for example,
whole-building, natural and real property, or type-instance, such as space or level), but good
practice limits all parent-child relationships to a single parent of the same type. Some taxonomies
allow poly-hierarchy. However, poly-hierarchy is not expected to be supported by NBIMS.

12/18/2007 48

Chapter 3.2

CSI is developing a thesaurus for the capital facilities industry, and it is envisioned that it will
eventually be incorporated into NBIMS. A thesaurus is a networked collection of controlled
vocabulary terms. This means a thesaurus uses associative relationships in addition to parent-
child relationships. The expressiveness of the associative relationships in a thesaurus varies and
can be as simple as ‘related to term’ as in term A is related to term B.

Commitments may be made to use a specific controlled vocabulary or ontology for a domain of
interest. The NBIMS domain of interest ultimately encompasses all information views related to
capital facilities. Enforcement of an ontology’s grammar may be rigorous or lax. Frequently, the
grammar for a light-weight ontology is not completely specified, that is, it has implicit rules that
are not explicitly documented. It is important that NBIMS have a tight structure to the adopted
ontology so as to minimize misinterpretation and to allow unambiguous understanding in software
exchanges between the many domains and interests of the capital facilities industry. While
vendors may use terms they created to help their marketing and branding, it is hoped that, in
time, proprietary terms will be linked to the standard language presented in NBIMS.

Currently there are no software applications which can support the entire scope of endeavors in
the capital facilities industry. It is likely there never will be. As the uses of BIM expand, the
NBIMS Committee, through the NBIM Standards, hopes to create a capability where each party
can choose software best suited to its own requirements confident that they will be able to freely
collaborate with others and efficiently exchange data.

A meta-model is an explicit model of the constructs and rules needed to build specific models
within a domain of interest. In the case of NBIMS the heart of the meta-model is in the
Information Delivery Model (IDM). 22 A valid meta-model is an ontology, but not all ontologies are
modeled explicitly as meta-models. A meta-model can be viewed from three different
perspectives,
• as a set of building blocks and rules used to build models,
• as a model of a domain of interest, and
• as an instance of another model, and this where the model views come into play.

When modelers use a modeling tool to construct models, they are making a commitment to use
the ontology implemented in the modeling tool. This model making ontology is usually called a
meta-model, with ‘model making’ as its domain of interest.

One of the primary roles of NBIMS is to set the ontology and associated common language that
will allow information to be machine readable between team members. Ultimately, these
boundaries will encompass everyone who interacts with the built and natural environments. In
order for this to occur, the team members who share information must be able to map to the
same terminology. Common ontologies will allow this communication to occur.

22
See Chapter 5.3, User-Facing Exchange Models.
12/18/2007 49

Chapter 3.2

NBIMS Exchange Tier Architecture
A natural hierarchy is emerging from the various
aspects of BIM. As depicted in Figure 3.2-1, this
hierarchy describes the following.
• Aggregated View shows the relationships
at a world view.
• Defined View shows the relationships
based on OmniClass table 31.
• Model View shows control to the access
of information based on one’s role in the
model.
• Information Delivery Manual (IDM)
Activity shows the flow of information
supporting BIM.
o International Framework for
Dictionaries (IFD) allows IFC to
be translated to other languages.
o Industry Foundation Classes
(IFC) show the molecular level of
a BIM.
Figure 3.2-1 NBIMS Exchange Tier Architecture
Tier 4: Societal (Courtesy D. Davis, AEC Infosystems)
http://www.facilityinformationcouncil.org/bim/pdfs/ExchTierArch.jpg
Tier 4 concepts are depicted in Figure 3.2-2. This
diagram describes a hierarchy above the building or structural level which is in alignment with the
Federal Real Property Council (FRPC) ontology for facilities. Information above the facility level
is aligned with and was developed by the Open Standards Consortium for Real Estate (OSCRE).
Alignment of these primary defining bodies, as depicted, provides a continuum of information flow
that has never before been clearly delineated for the capital facilities industry.

12/18/2007 50

Chapter 3.2

Theatre /
World

Country

Installation /
Region Air / Space

State / Underground
Natural
County
Water / Sea
City

IAI-IFC Usage
Site
Land / Parcel
Real
Property Facility / Built

Building

System
Sub- Component
Systems
Space
Level
Overlay Room

Structure
System
Sub-
Component
Systems
Space
Level
Overlay Room

Linear Structure
Node

Segment

Figure 3.2-2 NBIMS Hierarchical Relationship
(Diagram courtesy DKS Information Consulting, LLC, OSCRE, GSA, and IAI International)

Figure 3.2-2 identifies how information can be rolled up from the smallest part of a facility or any
part of the built environment to a world view or specific part of the world view. The information
relationship potential depicted is the envisioned realm of the BIM as defined in the NBIMS
Initiative. This range of informational interoperability is far beyond current professional norms and
will challenge implementers as they define the relationship and ontological requirements of the
capital facilities industry.

Also identified in Figure 3.2-2 are the relationships between the roles inside and outside facilities,
which are traditionally depicted as separate domains. One of the roles of this new construct is to
blur the lines that have been artificially established between those two domains and their
associated technologies.

Here is a prime example of where these two worlds collide and technology can, in fact, help:
Outside the facility engineers use a base-10 system of measurement, while inside the facility a
base-12 system is used. The attempted conversion to the metric system in the early 90’s in the
United States, had it been successful, would have made this an easier transition. For today, one
must still translate between measurement systems.

12/18/2007 51

Chapter 3.2

Facility

Footprint
Geospatial Cadastral
Information

Figure 3.2-3 GIS-BIM Relationship (Diagram courtesy DKS Information Consulting, LLC)

While ‘inside the building’ and ‘outside the building’ will remain real boundaries environmentally,
one must be able to easily share information between these two domains. Figure 3.2-3 identifies
these primary relationships and how they are currently conceptualized. The difficulties
associated with differing spatial data types are beginning to be addressed by the U.S.
government in the form of executive orders. Executive Order 12906 23 and Circular No. A-16 24
establish requirements for geospatial information which include building footprints, and EO
13327 25 augments those with requirements for real property lifecycle information about the
facility. The government appears measured in response to the intent and opportunities afforded
by these executive orders; they are steps in the right direction to provide a foundation for
interoperability.

Building Information Models will define what is inside a facility yet will need information defined in
the geospatial world outside a facility in order to perform many types of analysis. The converse is
true of GIS systems where information from inside a facility is needed to accomplish analysis,
such as power distribution requirements. Three groups have taken on this challenge. The first is
the International Alliance for Interoperability (IAI) Industry Foundation Classes (IFC or ifc) link to
Geospatial Information Systems (GIS). The second is the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC)
Web Standard (OWS-4) specification which is investigating the relationship between GIS-BIM-
CAD 26 . The third, the Open Standards Consortium for Real Estate (OSCRE), is developing
standards to harmonize these interests in an effort to provide information to the ultimate
beneficiaries, owners, operators, investors, and tenants of facilities.

23
EO 12906, Coordinating Geographic Data Acquisition and Access: The National Spatial Data
Infrastructure, http://www.fas.org/irp/offdocs/eo12906.htm.
24
Circular No. A-16, Coordination of Geographic Information and Related Spatial Data Activities,
http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/circulars/a016/a016_rev.html.
25
EO 13327, Federal Real Property Asset Management, http://www.ofee.gov/eo/13327.pdf.
26
OGC OWS-4 Testbed Activity. http://www.opengeospatial.org/projects/initiatives/ows-4
12/18/2007 52

Chapter 3.2

Tier 3: Lifecycle
There are many lifecycles associated with each entity in Figure 3.2-2. The interaction of these
lifecycles should be mapped using business process models. When one looks at a facility as
depicted in Figure 3.2-3, the interactions between the worlds inside and outside a facility become
a little more manageable. There need only be one information exchange, albeit a complex one,
to act as the conduit to the geospatial world. It should be noted that only buildings or structure
types of facilities are being incorporated in NBIMS at this point. A separate activity will be
required to develop BIMs for linear structures (i.e. roads, power lines, utility lines, surface
parking), largely due to the more integrated relationship between the geospatial world and linear
structure itself. Once the building/structure relationships can be developed, then BIM concepts
can more easily be applied to linear structures.

Laws and regulations CAD software
-Building regulations -Drawings, calculations
-Building specifications -Architect, engineer,…
Knowledge databases VRML
-Best practise knowledge -Visualisation, 3D models
-Own practice
Simulations
-Comfort
Briefing -Ventilation,
-Functional req. heating
-Estimates -Life cycle cost
-Conditions -Light, sound
-Requirements IFC + IFD -Insulation
-Fire, usage
Demolition, refurbishment
product -Environment
-Life time
-Rebuild
-Demolition
model predictions
-Restoration

Specifications
-Specification sheets
Facility management -Classification
Construction management
-Letting, sale, operations -Scheduling standards
-Maintenance -Logistics, 4D -Estimates, accounting
-Guaranties Procurement
-Product databases
-Price databases
Figure 3.2-4 BIM Relationships (Drawing courtesy IAI International and AEC Infosystems, Inc)

In Figure 3.2-4, many facility lifecycle relationships are displayed. Systems, space, and overlays
are depicted. Each system can operate dependently or independently of the other. The
ontologies used are focused on the Construction Specifications Institute (CSI) OmniClass tables.
There is significant discussion of the use of OmniClass tables in Appendix B.

It should be noted that in all the ontologies discussed the primary goal is to create user-facing
requirements which may be mapped to Industry Foundation Classes (IFC or ifc) objects with
associated characteristics for implementation in software. Figure 3.2-4 identifies many of the
traditional functions and activities that occur during a facility lifecycle, which are all ontologically
related in a BIM.

12/18/2007 53

Chapter 3.2

Tier 2: Model View
Tier 2 of the diagram
provides additional
structure to the BIM.
This level defines
how each activity or
group views the
information in the
model. For example,
a designer may use
a 3D model to
examine and
understand the
relationships and
potential conflicts as
well as have the
detailed information
to perform site and
system modeling and
analysis, while a
CFO may use only a
spreadsheet pro
forma to make the Figure 3.2-5 Model View (Diagram courtesy of Digital Alchemy and GSA)
decisions necessary
for involvement in the project. Later in the lifecycle, the facility operator will want a very different
view of the model. The first responder or incident commander will again want a different view. All
will be working off the same BIM. These views must be defined in the ontology. There are, likely
over time, thousands of different views that will be defined. It will be important to coordinate
these views into best practices so that each individual does not have to create his or her own
view. (Individual views are certainly possible, but are neither cost effective nor desirable.)
Therefore, it is recommended that practitioner representatives, such as associations, define these
views.

Tier 1: Information Exchanges and Objects
Tier 1 of the layer organization is where all the pieces, necessary for BIMs to function and
information to be logically related, are tied together.

Information exchanges, which are defined using Information Delivery Manuals (IDM), define the
relationship between any two entities. While these information exchanges go on thousands of
times a day, few are documented. Manuals of practice are often all that is available to provide
these definitions. Industry needs to codify these exchanges so that all practitioners understand
the relationship and the emerging best practice approaches to information exchange are
recorded. It is critical that the purpose of these exchanges be identified to be included in the BIM,
if appropriate. It is critical that the proper information be included for applications that may be
desired later in the lifecycle. While a piece of information being shared may not initially be
recognized as important in the present context, it may be of significant value later in the lifecycle.
When information is not collected at an early phase of an activity, it may have to be collected later
at an additional cost. In some cases, information may be very difficult to collect later and may
require destructive means to do so.

12/18/2007 54

Chapter 3.2

In Figure 3.2-6, each information exchange is depicted as requiring a requestor and a provider.
Information exchange agreements may be defined either when they occur or ahead of time.
Once defined then they can be automated so that significant human interaction is not required
and machine efficiencies can be applied. (These exchanges are beginning to be defined and are
described in detail in Section 5.)

North American Data Standards
Used in the exchange of Information
between team members

Architect
Requestor Provider
AEC Infosystems

Figure 3.2-6 Figure Information Request and Delivery BIM Data
Transferred by IFC (Figure courtesy AEC Infosystems)

One other aspect of information exchange being developed is the exchange of information
internationally in various languages. Figure 3.2-7 identifies the dictionaries that are being defined
to allow information to be translated between countries. The international structure of the IDM is
being developed primarily in Norway where financial resources are being provided. The United
States is participating on a volunteer basis in this important aspect of the BIM concept. While this
effort is being accomplished primarily in Europe, it will benefit U.S. practitioners who compete in
the world market.

12/18/2007 55

Chapter 3.2

One concept carries the same unique identification in
every language
In a CAD system
In a briefing document 78AF4E98C8D4406B873DBB85E1FE7DB
Properties
Properties
BARBi - Norway
LexiCon - Nederland
Properties
NBS - England
Properties In a calculation system
In product catalogues SDC - France
Properties
NBIMS – North America Properties
Properties Properties
Properties

In a Facility management system
In classification systems

Properties
Properties

For demolition and reconstruction
In building specifications
Properties
Properties

Courtesy of Lars Bjørkhaug, Norwegian Building Research Institute

Figure 3.2-7 Relationship of IDMs to the International Dictionary (Courtesy Norwegian Building
Research Institute)

IFC Reference Data Structures
One of the strengths of the international BIM effort is the IFC object based structure that is in use
in many localities. The IFC Express-G models provide the necessary structure to ensure that
information is relational and usable by machine. 27 Unfortunately, the number of practitioners who
fully appreciate this structure is limited which has been a hindrance to forward progress in the
adoption of BIM. This problem is comparable to adoption of other data structures such as the
original MasterFormat™ or, more recently, migrating to the new MasterFormat or OmniClass
Table 22 – Work Results from the more familiar 16 Division MasterFormat.

A sample of an IFC Express-G data structure is provided in Figure 3.2-8. In the current IFC
representation model, each representation is included (or encapsulated, following the object-
oriented principles) within the definition of an individual semantic object (being either a product
occurrence, i.e. subtypes of IfcProduct) or a product type (or block, i.e. a subtype of
IfcTypeProduct). Each geometric representation (IfcShapeRepresentation) is defined in its own
object coordinate system, in the case of product occurrences. The object coordinate system is
placed through a local placement (IfcObjectPlacement) either directly into the world coordinate
system or through some intermediate object placements. Each semantic object can have zero,
one, or many geometric representations; each being contained in a separate instance of
IfcShapeRepresentation, but all are placed by a single instance of IfcObjectPlacement.

27
Inhan Kim, Thomas Liebich, and Seong-Sig Kim, Development of a Two Dimensional Model
Space Extension for IAI/IFC2.X2 Model, July 2003
12/18/2007 56

Chapter 3.2

Figure 3.2-8 Representation of Data Structures in IFC 2x (Courtesy of IAI International)

Implementation Data Structures
There are many ways that data structures can be established to ensure data is collected during
the normal business processes in place today. The NBIMS Committee is not looking to re-design
business processes as much as to add awareness to points where data can be captured and
integrated into the data stream. Having a data structure available at the various touch points with
the business process is a critical aspect of BIM implementation. These data structures may be in
all types of formats. They may be in Express-G as is the case with IFC, they may be in IDEF, or
any countless others, but they should be in some recognized structure. They can even be in a
format such as Microsoft® Access™ or as simple as a Microsoft Excel® spreadsheet, as
examples. That is an implementation decision typically made by software vendors. Our purpose
in NBIMS is to identify that a normalized data structure be used so that the data can be
maintained and any changes be easily made.

Next Steps
The implementation of the ontologies and taxonomies presented in this document are in the very
earliest stage of cultural acceptance in the capital facilities industry. At this early stage, there are
several steps that must be taken to ensure a strong foundation for the NBIMS Initiative and NBIM
Standards is created.
• Participate in making operational the NBIM Standard Production and Use Process as
described in Section 5 of this document.

12/18/2007 57

Chapter 3.2

• Support buildingSMART alliance™ in industry-wide initiatives.
• Support CSI’s work with IFDLibrary™.
• Work with and further support OSCRE’s effort to link the planning, design, and
construction world to facility owners, operators, investors, and tenants.
• Provide continuing education for practitioners in all aspects of the capital facilities
industry.
• Support software vendor implementation of the ontologies and taxonomies.

Items Needing Standardization
Codification of the work in progress nationally and internationally is essential to further progress
on BIM. In some cases, it will be a reaffirmation of the use of the ISO or PAS standards that are
already in place. In other cases, it will be taking ontologies that exist in the capital facilities
industry to a consensus level to ensure that all are speaking the same language.

The NBIMS Committee contributions to IDM, MVD, IFDLibrary, and IFC as normative reference
standards supporting international efforts are being reciprocated. The fundamentals for data
structures and ontologies are in place and have much agreement in the U.S. and internationally.
There is still a significant amount of work to be accomplished to achieve sufficient agreement for
implementation; thus, the following steps are required.
• Completion of the work involved with NWI 241 to harmonize IFC and ISO 15926.
• Consensus on the hierarchy from world view to detailed facility or structure view.
• Overall consensus on use of a procedural lifecycle roadmap for the capital facilities
industry using one of the existing best practice examples as a basis.
• Incorporation of the accepted procedural best practice into software.

References and Links
Liebich, Thomas, (March 18, 2004) “IFC 2xEdition2 Model Implementation Guide Version 1.7”
International Alliance for Interoperability
http://www.iai-international.org/Model/files/20040318_Ifc2x_ModelImplGuide_V1-7.pdf.

The latest version of the DoD Business Enterprise Architecture can be found at
http://www.dod.mil/bta/products/bea.html

[OWL] Web Ontology Language at http://www.w3.org/2004/OWL/.

[Wikipedia] While dictionary definitions provide the basis for the terminology Wikipedia was
identified as the best and most comprehensive source for the discussion on ontologies and
taxonomies, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ontology.

12/18/2007 58

Chapter 3.3

Chapter 3.3 Storing and Sharing Information
Introduction
A primary goal of NBIMS is to define the specifications required to exchange the information
required for facility lifecycle business processes within the United States. Achievement of this
goal is expected to result in improved operations, maintenance, and management of facilities.
Reductions in the cost of planning, design, and construction will be direct benefits those who
create and utilize building information models. Information exchanges implies stored information
resources between which the exchanges occur. This section discusses stored information
repositories, speculating on their characteristics, requirements for creation and maintenance, and
use during short-term projects and long-term operations.

It should be stated emphatically in the introduction that we do not envision a single database for
the repository, simply a central location where all software packages can come to seek related
BIM information. It is hoped that this information source would implement standard database
schema to ensure normalization of information so that information is only stored once and used
many times. Each implementer may have his or her own approach, as this standard is not
prescriptive in the solution, only identifying that the capability needs to exist.

Background
To create NBIMS, standards that address specific information exchange problems are created
through an open collaborative process. Together these individual standards define a full set of
common information created and shared by trading partners during the facility lifecycle. The
compilation of these exchange packages results in the definition of a minimum BIM requirement.
It is highly likely that software vendors who support NBIMS will eventually create software to
support repositories of data that meet the NBIM Standard in addition to or as an alternative to
proprietarily formatted repositories that do not support NBIMS information exchanges.

While the authors of this document cannot predict the future use or impact of NBIMS standards
on process participants such as architects, engineers, constructors, operators, or owners, we
have identified some key trends toward the potential application of model repositories. These are
described in the paragraphs below.

The requirements for information storage and sharing cover three traditionally separate facets of
the industry, Computer Aided Design (CAD), Computer Aided Facility Management (CAFM), and
Geospatial Information Systems (GIS). A model view of a BIM could incorporate information from
any or all of these technologies. Historically, they have not interfaced directly very well if at all.
However, new concepts pretty much dismiss traditional CAD as being non-intelligent information.
CAFM is integrated into the BIM. Therefore, we are really speaking of a geospatially located
Building Information Model. IFC will provide a common format for CAD, CAFM, and GIS to
communicate.

Relevance to Users
BIM technologies may be effectively used in many different ways by project stakeholders. How
each of these stakeholders looks at the information will be defined in the model view. In addition,
there may be important business drivers for implementing BIM differently during various project
phases. This section provides a seed that can be used by the readers of this document to begin

12/18/2007 59

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