Abstract
Information models from the domains Building Information Modeling (BIM) and Urban Information Modeling (UIM) are generally considered as information silos due to their heterogeneous character. These information silos can be bridged through linking where corresponding objects are identified and linked subsequently. However, whether two objects are considered as corresponding might depend on the scenario for which the links are created. The dependency of the link creation and the scenario refers to the term contextual linking and is analyzed in this paper with respect to building and city models. Therefore, different situational aspects influencing the link creation are discussed. Afterwards, the issue of contextual linking is demonstrated based on three different integration scenarios. In summary, this paper has three major outcomes: First, this paper introduces an application-oriented perspective on information integration and emphasize the role of the application when linking heterogeneous information models. Second, this paper shows that linking heterogeneous information models from the domains BIM and UIM at instance level depends on the scenario. Third, the results of the discourse about contextual linking serve as a framework supporting the design and development of artifacts for linking heterogeneous information models from the domains BIM and UIM.
Highlights
The scope of information models IFC and CityGML models overlap at building scale, whereby not all corresponding objects can be used interchangeably due to heterogeneities and instance-level differences; Instance-level alignments: Explicit alignments between information models from the domains Building Information Modeling (BIM) and Geospatial Information Systems (GIS) are expressed either formal through modeling languages such as Semantic Web technologies [11,12,62,68,69] and UML/EXPRESS-G [70,71,72] or informal, e.g. using tables [73,74,75,76] or text/figures [66]
The discourse has introduced an application-oriented perspective in the integration of information models from the domains BIM and Urban Information Modeling (UIM): In contextual linking, the application for which the information is linked plays a major role
There are three different categories for which there is a need for information integration: (1) the function clearly refers to one information model; (2) to none of the two information models; (3) or to both information models
Summary
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. This paper aims to show that a purposeful alignment at the instance-level between heterogeneous information models from the domains BIM and UIM depends on the application scenario for which the alignment is created. The results of the discourse about contextual linking shall serve as a framework supporting the design and development of artifacts for linking heterogeneous information models from the domains BIM and UIM. Afterwards, a new perspective about integrating information models is introduced, called the application-oriented perspective Following this application-oriented perspective, the application for which the information models are aligned is considered as being significant for the design of the alignment and serves as a basis for the discourse about contextual linking. The outcome of this paper and future research investigations are discussed
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