ISO 19650-based BIM Information Management Framework
▲ Senior Researcher Won Ji-sun, Department of Future & Smart Construction Research, KICT
Prologue
In this "Digitize or Die" era, digital transformation is recognized as an essential strategy for corporate survival, and is accelerating across all industries. The construction industry is responding to paradigm shifts through the spread of smart construction technologies such as Building Information Modeling (BIM) adoption, construction machine automation, and the activation of Off-Site Construction (OSC).
In July of this year, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) announced the "S-Construction 2030” plan, which aims to achieve "digitalization and automation of the entire construction process by 2030." It presents three promotional tasks for achieving this goal: digitalization of the construction industry, advancement of the production systems, and promotion of the smart construction industry. Of these, the detailed plan for realizing the digitalization of the construction industry specifies the organization of the BIM system and the phased expansion of projects subject to mandatory BIM application. Other countries, including the UK, Denmark, and Ireland, have also introduced the concept of digitalization into their existing BIM roadmaps and are redesigning them as national digital transformation strategies or digital twin strategies. BIM is now recognized as an essential strategic tool for digital transformation.
Upon examination, it is evident that ISO 19650 is being actively adopted. ISO 19650 is a BIM information management framework that standardizes the process and information requirements for BIM information procurement across the life cycle of a construction project, and was established in 2018. This international standard was developed by adding digital information management concepts to the UK’s BIM standards (BS 1192 series), which was previously used as the global standard during the early phases of BIM adoption. The UK, Europe, and Australia have designated the ISO 19650 original text or translation as their national BIM standard, while countries like Singapore, Hong Kong, and Saudi Arabia are revising their national BIM standards to include ISO 19650. Many countries are now mandating ISO 19650 certification as a prerequisite for bidding on public construction projects or offering incentives, and more companies in Korea are obtaining ISO 19650 certification to demonstrate their global-level BIM information management technology and capabilities.
There is a growing trend of the active utilization of ISO 19650 as part of a BIM-based digital transformation policy. Moreover, as a company's ISO 19650 certification and compliance capacity has become a measure of competitiveness, it is necessary to consider the introduction of ISO 19650 at the national level in Korea. Thus, we aim to propose strategies and methods for introducing ISO 19650 in Korea. In this study, we adopted an approach that reflects the key concepts of ISO 19650 in accordance with the situation in Korea. Our research involved three steps. First, we investigated the current status of ISO 19650 adoption in other countries, and derived the key components of the BIM information management framework by examining international standard documents. Second, we analyzed the software, platforms, and other support tools that enable ISO 19650 adoption, and selected the main functions that need to be implemented for practical application. Third, based on the key components of ISO 19650 and the main functions of ISO 19650 support tools, we proposed an ISO 19650 utilization model and suggested ways to introduce it in Korea.
Stages 2 and 3 can be understood as a process of scanning multiple buildings from an urban/regional perspective based on appropriate indicators (whole-building level identification), while Stages 4 and 5 can be understood as a process of closely examining the scanned buildings in detail from a building component perspective (system level diagnostics). In this study, we would like to introduce the data-centric checkup technique of building energy performance that corresponds to Stages 2 and 3 in this context.
Current Status of ISO 19650 Adoption in Other Countries
Generally, national BIM roadmaps utilize BIM maturity models to establish phase-specific goals for BIM adoption levels and situations. Many countries have already been utilizing the BIM maturity model defined in the UK BIM roadmap (British Standards Institution B/555), which was announced in 2011, as a global standard. In the BIM maturity model of the UK, Level 0 is set in an environment centered on documents such as 2D drawings and text, Level 1 is set in an environment where 2D drawings and 3D data files are used concurrently, Level 2 is set in a discipline-specific BIM model environment, and Level 3 is set in an integrated web-based BIM environment that centrally manages data through a single model. The UK is actively utilizing ISO 19650 to attain Level 2, and is preparing a digital transformation roadmap for attaining Level 3. Currently, most countries are in the Level 2 adoption or activation phase. Many countries are in the process of adopting ISO 19650, as shown in Table 1. Thus, the adoption of ISO 19650 is recognized as an essential requirement for attaining BIM Level 2.
The ISO 19650-1 established in 2018 presents the maturity levels of digital information management in each phase as a concept of "stage." The types of data, such as 2D, 3D, and BIM, covered in the UK BIM maturity model have been changed to concepts such as structured, unstructured, BIM, and server-based BIM, and the concept of Common Data Environment (CDE) has been subdivided into the file- and model-based CDE forms and the big data-based CDE forms. Digital information management maturity for each phase is divided into three information management stages along the horizontal axis, and is composed of four layers (standard, technology, information, industry) that represent the major information management perspectives along the vertical axis. In terms of information management perspectives according to standards, Stage 1 is defined as information management based on existing national standards for handling structured and unstructured data, Stage 2 as information management based on ISO 19650 standards for handling shared BIM models, and Stage 3 as information management based on future standards for handling server-based BIM models and structured/unstructured big data. The current stage is Stage 2, and to achieve the corresponding level, information management based on ISO 19650-1 and 2 is required.
Deriving Key Components of BIM Information Management Framework Through Analysis of ISO 19650
To achieve the goals aligned with the BIM maturity level or digital information management maturity level, it is important to specify the national-level BIM standards that must be complied with at each phase. Specifically, there are BIM guidelines, BIM classification systems, contracts related to information procurement and LOD standards, as well as BIM maturity assessment methodologies. The BIM Information Management Framework is a standardized system that supports workflows and data acquisition to generate, utilize, and manage BIM data in an integrated digital construction environment throughout the construction life cycle. BIM standards related to the BIM Information Management Framework include BIM standard classification, building SMART International's IFC, IDM, IFD, and COBie. ISO 19650 covers processes in the digital collaboration system such as subject-specific information requirements, digital model deliverables, workflows, information management plans, CDE, etc. from the perspective of comprehensive use of these open standards. The currently published ISO 19650 series is as follows:
- ISO 19650-1(2018) : Concepts and Principles for Information Management Using BIM
- ISO 19650-2(2018) : Information Management Using BIM in the Delivery Stage
- ISO 19650-3(2020) : Information Management Using BIM in the Operational Stage
- ISO 19650-4(2022) : Process and Standards for Information Exchange
- ISO 19650-5(2020) : Security Management During Information Management Using BIM
( 1 ) ISO 19650-1 (2018): Concepts and Principles for Information Management Using BIM
ISO 19650-1 contains the concepts and principles of an information management framework for BIM collaboration throughout the construction life cycle. Information management is defined as "the process of supporting the production and management of information over the entire construction asset life cycle." The key components of the BIM information management framework are: ① specification of information requirements, ② planning for information delivery, and ③ delivery of information, which support a collaborative environment to enable the consistent delivery of information that varies by project, stakeholder, and purpose through a coherent process and delivery system. In the project delivery phase and operational phase, an information procurement plan is established based on the information requirements of the participants and contractors. In addition, it has the flow in which deliverables reflecting this, such as PIM (Project Information Models) and AIM (Asset Information Models), are delivered and approved. For effective information management, the setting of responsibilities, authorities, and scope of work is crucial, and pertinent functions should be assigned during the project and asset management period. The responsibility assignment items must be specified in the contract document (e.g., through a Responsibility Matrix) to ensure that a person with “AIM approval competency” is designated for asset management and a person with the information standard, process, and CDE configuration competency of the project is designated for project delivery.
( 2 ) ISO 19650-2 (2018): Information Management Using BIM in the Delivery Stage
ISO 19650-2 sets information requirements during the project execution phase, and defines a collaborative environment and process for lead appointed parties and appointed parties to efficiently produce information. The information entities of the project delivery phase are set as the appointing party, lead appointed party, and appointed party. The information management process as well as function and standard requirements for each entity are presented for each project delivery phase. A total of eight information management functions in the project delivery phase are defined, and the detailed information management processes for each entity are specified in each section of Chapter 5 in ISO 19650-2 (5.1 Evaluation and requirements → 5.2 Bid announcement → 5.3 Bidding participation → 5.4 Contracting → 5.5 Resource mobilization → 5.6 Collaborative information production → 5.7 Information model delivery → 5.8 Project completion). In this study, ISO 19650-1 and 2 were analyzed to identify the key components of the framework, including specifications related to information management entities, requirements, processes, deliverables, and roles, and were divided into seven components as shown in Table 2 (1. Information Requirements, 2. Information Delivery, 3. Information Management Entities and Roles, 4. Workflows, 5. Information Procurement Plan, 6. Information Management Level, and 7. CDE).
Deriving Key Functions through Analysis of ISO 19650 Practical Application Support Tools
To apply the ISO 19650 component concept in practice, it is necessary to identify the actually implemented functions and interfaces.
According to a survey of the software, websites, platforms, and other tools that support ISO 19650, it was found that the Plannerly platform from the United States is a representative tool that faithfully incorporates the ISO 19650 concepts. However, there are many tools, like US BEXEL, that only partially support ISO 19650 concepts, such as information delivery and CDE concepts, and open BIM formats such as IFC, BCF, and COBie.
( 1 ) The US: Plannerly
Plannerly is a BIM information management platform that provides integrated support for the appointing party (project owner), designing party (AE), lead appointed party (contractor), and the appointed party (subcontractor) to plan, manage, and validate BIM requirements in one place. It is designed to facilitate the easy and efficient use of BIM standards, requirements, processes, and regulations in accordance with ISO 19650, and provides an environment in which all construction stakeholders can collaborate on information and processes without disruption on a single site. Its interface features ISO 19650 templates (OIR, PIR, EIR, AIR, BEP, etc.) based on the UK BIM Framework guidelines and workflows to enable easy and consistent operations. The platform also incorporates the CDE concept to enable the centralized generation, storage, and management of information. It is largely comprised of six modules: Plan, Scope, Contract, Schedule, Track, and Verify.
( 2 ) The US: BEXEL Manager
BEXEL Manager is software that supports digital workflows in an open BIM environment according to ISO 19650, and provides a collaborative environment to manage the PIM and AIM information delivery models in a CDE environment. It supports open standard formats such as IFC standards, MVD, BCF, and COBie. Based on an analysis of these two support tools, it was determined that the key factors to consider when introducing them to Korea are whether they support a BIM-based workflow, including BIM contract and requirements management, BIM task performance, BIM data verification, collaboration, information requirements definition, information procurement plan establishment, information management level setting, and open BIM standard formats. The main functions to benchmark are derived in Table 4 based on such analysis results.
To create building-level screening indicators, the dataset collected at the building registry level should be matched and integrated (Figure 2, ② Data Preprocessing). However, since publicly collected data is generated for different policy and administrative purposes, there usually is no unique key to link and match the building registry information. Therefore, the location information (latitude and longitude) and address information (street number, dong, ho or suite number) of each data must be processed and linked to match the resolution of the building registry. This task requires string processing technology for non-standardized address and location information, which is quite difficult and requires a substantial budget and time.
Approaches to Introduce the ISO 19650-based BIM Information Management Framework to the Republic of Korea
The ISO 19650 utilization model is a conceptually defined model that integrates the key components of a digital-based BIM execution workflow and data procurement framework for BIM information management, from a user perspective, to enable unified utilization. The ISO 19650 utilization model was constructed based on the main components of the BIM information management framework derived through the analysis of ISO 19650 and the main functions derived through the analysis of ISO 19650 support tools. The ISO 19650 utilization model consists of six modules, as shown in Figure 4. Module 1 is Standards, which signifies Open BIM standard for exchanging and distributing BIM data and Standards for defining the BIM information management operating system. Module 2 is Requirements, which functions to set information requirements, information management entities and roles, and information procurement plans in project phases such as design and construction and facility operation phases. Module 3 is Workflows, and it is designed to define and manage detailed BIM processes for each project delivery and operational phase. Module 4, Deliverables, defines and manages PIM and AIM data, which are information delivery outputs. Module 5 refers to the CDE environment for collaboration and sharing. Modules 2 and 3 pertain to the process area, while modules 4 and 5 consist of the data area created, shared, and saved according to the process. Modules 2 through 5 need to be operated to achieve a sequential flow. Module 1 is used as a criterion for data creation, and module 6 serves as an interface where the BIM information management entity utilizes modules 1 to 5. The concept of each module can be provided in the form of specifications, such as standards and guidelines, or in the form of platform functions.
We propose the following implementation plan and future tasks to apply the ISO 19650 utilization model in practice. First, in order to establish Level 2 of BIM in Korea, it is necessary to customize the major components of ISO 19650 defined in modules 2 through 5 and the open BIM standard defined in module 1 to fit the domestic situation and present it as a national standard. From a regulatory perspective, a strategy is required to gradually expand the mandatory application of ISO 19650 to some public construction companies, and a verification process through pilot projects should be accompanied before making it mandatory. Second, to directly utilize the ISO 19650 utilization model in work, it is necessary to incorporate the workflow of module 3 and develop a BIM project workflow support platform that includes the functions of module 6. For this purpose, it is important to convert document-level specifications into digital specifications and combine clauses and workflow units. In addition, a plan to link ISO 19650's key functions and data with commercial BIM platforms and enterprise ERP systems to operate needs to be prepared to increase the effectiveness of ISO 19650 adoption. Third, with the acceleration of the digital transformation paradigm, proactive future responses are needed, such as revising the BIM roadmap to prepare for the next maturity phase, as well as research on the introduction and stabilization strategy for digital information management maturity Stage 2 and BIM maturity Level 2.
Epilogue
In the era of digital transformation, the adoption and utilization of ISO 19650 in the global market has become an essential strategy for securing global competitiveness. To proactively respond to these changes domestically, an approach to the adoption of ISO 19650 has been suggested. To implement the core functions that can reflect the main components of ISO 19650 and be applied to practical situations, an ISO 19650 utilization model has been defined, and adoption plans and challenges for implementation in Korea have been proposed. It is anticipated that an adoption plan based on ISO 19650 will be reviewed in devising a national-level BIM information management operation system in the future.
