Data Interchange - R5

The assigned reading from BIM Handbook - Chapter 3 is about interoperability and data interchange. Interoperability is the ability of transferring data between applications that are used by different experts working on a project. It is important to decrease the amount of data input created by each application and user. With various BIM design tools for different areas of the industry a building model repository is needed to coordinate data in different applications. The reading explains types of exchange formats in AEC applications and the areas they are used such as DXF, CIS/2, AecXML, etc. Historical development of different data models are provided in detail starting with the development of EXPRESS language which is the central tool to support the modeling of products for various industries. The author explains Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) - a data model defined in EXPRESS language - which is used to exchange data between AEC applications for data representations of building information. IFC is helpful in terms of providing a wide range of building design, engineering, and building information but still the amount of possible information to be exchanged in the AEC industry is great, and it keeps increasing according to user and developer needs with each update. The reading also discusses an alternative way of data exchange through XML, an extension of HTML. It is especially useful to exchange  data between web applications. There are also XML schema available for AEC use but each of them is different and incompatible. The reading overall is a bit overwhelming to me but I have more sense of data exchange for BIM use, the need, and difficulties.

The first article I read "BIM Power: Interoperability" handles BIM in terms of its interoperability side. The author describes an example, a fast-track project and how use of a BIM software for all structural modeling and documentation can reduce the workload. Since each software package retrieves from and stores back to the installed structural BIM database, it helps to save time, money and provides more accuracy all over the project. The article describes three forms of operability as direct operability, operability through Application Programming Interface (API), and operability through open data exchange formats. Direct operability is by using software that has the same file format native to the BIM software application such as using Revit MEP and Revit Structure. The second, operability through API, is by using software that include the same API with another software such as Revit Structure and RAM Structural System. The last type is operability  through open data exchange formats which is by using a software that supports the use of open data exchange formats such as IFC. An example would be CIS/2 standard that is used by the steel industry and can be written and read by various types of software applications. The article is beneficial to understand methods of interoperability available with the examples of use provided.

The second article I read "BIM Interoperability" explains the reasons for the increasing acceptance of BIM and the benefits as a result of conversion to BIM tools. The author discusses the issue of mass of data from the files created and from each collaborator which prevents the data from being exchanged freely. He refers to the first article I read, Andrew Gayer's explanation of interoperability methods. He states that BIM software does not offer design or analytical capabilities yet and that's why both A&D and BIM software are used and the exchange between them is the issue of interoperability. During the exchange from a BIM software to an A&D software there might be many mistranslations. Round-trip of model from BIM software to A&D software may cause data loss and loss of accuracy. New upgrades of software may not be compatible anymore, if all the collaborators does not their software with the rest they may not be able to work on it, or archived projects may not be compatible in the future. The author concludes that despite the challenges and limitations with interoperability, it does not affect inevitability of BIM, it still provides improvement in process and with the development of the industry it will reach its true form. Reading these two articles helped me understand the concept of interoperability better since they are related with their explanations. The need for data exchange is there, and the issues with interoperability are I think is a matter of time. We were not that into BIM tools not long ago, now BIM is a must and I think it won't take long for interoperability to be a issue of past.