Information interoperability refers to the seamless exchange and sharing of project data among participants and various application systems throughout the construction process. Traditionally, in our country’s construction industry, drawings have been the primary means of communication between owners, designers, and contractors. However, drawings often fail to convey all the necessary project information effectively.
BIM’s information interoperability serves as the foundation for collaboration among all stakeholders, significantly impacting the progress of engineering projects. Key aspects include:
1. Volume of Information: Engineering projects generate massive amounts of data across their entire lifecycle, which includes stages such as pre-planning, bidding, design, construction, delivery, operation, maintenance, and renovation. Information from different phases, stakeholders, and disciplines accumulates continuously as the project advances.
2. Complexity of Information Types: The implementation process involves specialists from various fields using different professional software tools. Since each software produces unique formats, the project accumulates diverse and complex data types. Consequently, dozens or even hundreds of different file formats might be stored in the project database.
3. Distributed Sources and Fragmented Storage: Project information is generated and managed by multiple participants, including surveyors, owners, operators, design consultants, manufacturers, contractors, and supervisors. This information spans disciplines such as architecture, structural engineering, HVAC, electromechanical systems, equipment, and plumbing. These fragmented data sources are stored across various professional and team information systems, requiring significant time, effort, and resources to consolidate. This fragmentation often leads to data loss during transmission.
These factors contribute to the dispersion and complexity of stored information in engineering projects, making it challenging to share critical data among different participants. As a result, important information can become siloed or lost, leading to inefficiencies. Difficulties in achieving information interoperability often increase costs and cause project delays, with substantial data loss and duplication occurring during handovers and format conversions between project stages. Therefore, addressing information interoperability is crucial for enhancing the overall efficiency of engineering project execution.
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