IFCInfra4OM: An Ontology to Integrate Operation and Maintenance Information in Highway Information Modelling

Sara Ait-Lamallam,Omar Doukari,Imane Sebari,Reda Yaagoubi

doi:10.3390/ijgi10050305

Abstract

Building information modelling (BIM) is increasingly appropriate for infrastructure projects, and in particular for transport infrastructure. It is a digital solution that integrates the practices of the construction industry in facility management during the whole life cycle. This integration is possible through a single tool, which is the 3D digital model. Nevertheless, BIM standards, such as industry foundation classes, are still in the pipeline for infrastructure management. These standards do not fully meet the requirements of operation and maintenance of transport infrastructure. This paper shows how BIM could be implemented to address issues related to the operation and maintenance phase for transport infrastructure management. For this purpose, a new ontological approach, called Industry Foundation Classes for Operation and Maintenance of Infrastructures (IFCInfra4OM), is detailed. This ontology aims to standardise the use of building information modelling for operation and maintenance in road infrastructures. To highlight the interest of the proposed ontological approach, a building information model of a section on the A7 Agadir–Marrakech Highway in Morocco is produced according to IFCInfra4OM. The methodology is presented. The results obtained, including the IFCInfra4OM data model, are submitted. In the last section, an overview of the IFC extension approach is submitted.

Highlights

Building Information Modelling (BIM) is a collaborative process for managing construction projects
This integration is attainable through a single paradigm, namely the 3D digital model [2], which provides an overview of BIM and its applications during the life cycle of a building
The main objective of this paper is to present a new ontological approach to solve these two impeding issues of operation and maintenance (O&M) integration in BIM for Highway Infrastructure as a particular example of transport infrastructures

Summary

Introduction

Building Information Modelling (BIM) is a collaborative process for managing construction projects. BIM is a digital solution that integrates the different practices of the construction industry to manage a facility during its life-cycle [1] This integration is attainable through a single paradigm, namely the 3D digital model [2], which provides an overview of BIM and its applications during the life cycle of a building. It explains its benefits for stakeholders of a construction project through case studies. The BIM process displays this exchange by the integration of basic semantics to structure information relevant to all the phases throughout a building’s life cycle. This information has to meet the requirements of different use cases that correspond to each specific phase [7]

Objectives

Methods

Results