BuildingSMART Data Dictionary: the Spotify of the digital construction world

From Based, we often help our clients with the creation of their information requirements. In the ISO 19650 standard, this is also specified as the AIR (Asset Information Requirements). The AIR are the information requirements for an organization that are determined per asset. This mainly concerns the technical information requirements of the assets.

Defining the information needs clarifies what the various parties in a BIM model must deliver. In the market, we see that more and more parties are recording their information needs in the form of an IDS (Information Delivery Specification) or OTL (Object Type Library). An IDS is often a document that humans can read, while an OTL refers to a 'machine-readable' data structure. This is a structure that is not only readable by humans but also by computers.

However, we also see that the parties we support have to deal with many different IDSs and OTLs. It is difficult for them to process this properly in a BIM model. Because how do you do this properly? Do you have to go through every IDS and OTL and manually add everything requested to your BIM model? Many models are incomplete, and/or errors are made as a result. How can this be made more accessible?

Streaming and sharing of information deliveries with bSDD's 'Spotify' 

You've probably heard of Spotify. Maybe you only know it by hearsay, or you use it yourself. Perhaps you put Spotify on while working from home or during your daily walk outside? Or do you often compile your playlists so you can listen to them offline on the train or vacation? Spotify is a digital service for music, podcasts, and videos that give you access to millions of songs worldwide. You can listen to music whenever and wherever you want on any device. 

I can hear you think: what does Spotify have to do with my information needs? Well, more than you think! You can use Spotify to create and share your music list, search for other music lists and play music wherever and whenever you want. You probably also want to create your personalized 'information delivery,' share it, search for other deliveries and then use them in any tool without minimal effort, right? 

OTL in the buildingSMART Data Dictionary

In a proof of concept that Based worked on, we tested this principle. Of course, we did not create a music list (we only do that in the office) but worked on an OTL, a library of objects and properties. This OTL was published as a domain on the buildingSMART Data Dictionary (bSDD) platform.

On this platform, you will also find other domains, such as IFC and ETIM. You can search for objects and properties in different languages and disciplines and also connect them. You eventually want to be able to stream these domains everywhere, at any time, just like Spotify. Several plug-ins are therefore available for the BSDD and in development for various BIM software packages, including, for example, modeling tools such as Revit.

Create your own ‘playlist’ in the bSDD

To create your playlist or a domain mentioned in the bSDD, it is necessary to map out your information needs. The goal is to eventually get better insights into the asset data of your company so that you can make better and reliable decisions for the future based on this data. However, to do this, you first need to get good data from projects and store it in the right place. It is therefore crucial that this data will be made available while also being manageable and reliable. 

In your information needs, you formulate all the information you need about your assets. First, ask yourself: what is an asset for you, and what technical, economic, or business data about this asset is important for your business processes? Once you have recorded this in the proper format, this data can be uploaded to the bSDD. From the search function in the bSDD, you can find all the information about the assets and their properties. 

Making data easily accessible and understandable through an online database makes it easier to find information and interpret and implement it correctly. Previously, this often went wrong with long documents or Excels; they were not read thoroughly because they contained too much information. This immediately brings up a second advantage of using the bSDD. When you want to process a party's information needs in a BIM model, you can now model the correct information into your BIM model much more easily using the bSDD plug-in. It is no longer necessary to make mappings from one information requirement to another, and also, a typing error is no longer easily made. This also makes it much easier to guarantee data quality! 

How does Based approach this?

Based has a lot of experience in drafting a company's information needs, for example, in an ILS and OTL. In addition, we are also up to date with the current state of the bSDD. We have carried out several tests and can, therefore, immediately join the official release of the bSDD in September 2021.

We do the information needs assessment according to a 4-step plan, in which we start by identifying the exact information needs of your department or your company in different workshops. During these workshops, we ask the right questions to find out what is important to you. In addition, we are aware of the various standards and guidelines that are commonly used. These will also be the common thread in our roadmap. We translate the results of the workshops into a real information need which we then shape into, for example, an IDS or OTL, depending on the client's needs. We can then also publish these immediately via the bSDD. In short: Based sets up the 'playlist,' converts it to the correct playback format, and makes everything ready for streaming. Just as easy as Spotify!

Curious about the possibilities?

Are you looking for a way to inventory or publish your information needs? Or are you curious about the possibilities of the bSDD and/or setting up an IDS or OTL? Then get in touch with me! I would be happy to take you through our experiences and the available possibilities!