Semantic Integration of BIM Model with Existing Asset Databases and IoT Data for Public Administrations

Today, information exchange in the AECO industry at different stages of the construction process is typically done through file transfers in heterogeneous formats, with limited communication between parties. This leads to potential data management issues such as redundancy and write errors. While efforts to standardize data exchange date back to the 1990s with formats such as STEP and IFC, the challenge of interoperability remains. That is why it is important to establish integrated management systems and interoperable cloud-based technologies. The rise of open semantic standards by W3C and other organizations in recent decades has been significant, but a cohesive link between different ontologies is needed to realize Digital Twin technology, which represents the lifecycle of a building, not just the design phase. An introduction to the concepts and standards of Semantic Web technologies and their possible applications to the construction sector in the different phases of an asset’s life cycle is proposed. In particular, the paper addresses the management of existing assets by public administrations, focusing on the creation of an infrastructure that links existing traditional databases, BIM models, and dynamic data collected by IoT devices. This will be done using standards such as RDF, OWL, and SPARQL. The research is part of an ongoing NRP project called “BIM2DT. BIM-to-Digital Twin: Information Management to Support Decision-making in the Building Life Cycle”.