Interoperability of Infrastructure and Transportation Information Models: A Public Transport Case Study

Abstract

The duplication of semantic data modelled in different disciplines poses interoperability challenges. Information models that benefit from the application of standards that enable data reusability and prevent redundancy and misuse should be compatible, particularly when different systems are used in the same domain-specific area, as in the case of public transportation. Transportation information models, leading and providing reliable and robust public transport services, can nowadays be enriched with information found in building information models devoted to transportation infrastructure. Therefore, in the present paper, a mapping between the standards and technical specifications that support each modelling approach is explored, analysed, and aligned to maximise the best out of the current common practices used. The information from the Industry Foundation Classes IFC specification-based models complements the conceptual and physical transportation models, where Transmodel and NeTEx are well-established, with accurate (as-built) detailed characteristics of the transportation infrastructure (stop places, quays, entrances, access spaces and equipment as ramps, staircases, and escalators). The extraction of topological information stored in IFC models allows for navigation-network extraction, information about spaces, and passages between spaces. A specific public transport case study focused on a train station is detailed to better corroborate and illustrate the advantages and uses of compatible and complementing modelling approaches. As building-information-modelling awareness and use is growing, the validated mapping approach can benefit from the future application of automation procedures.