The Information Delivery Specification, which defines information requirements that can be read by humans and interpreted by computers, is now a standard.
This marks a significant milestone in how openBIM workflows are defined and implemented. According to buildingSMART International, which developed the Information Delivery Specification, it reflects a growing demand for more accurate and reliable data exchanges.
With this standard, users can specify what data must be included in a BIM dataset and subsequently validate if it is delivered. It is designed as a free, lightweight, standardised approach to delivery specification and subsequent checking, as intended in ISO 19650.
Traditionally, information requirements are shared in ways that are not computer-interpretable, such as spreadsheets or pdfs. It is very difficult for the right people to access the data relevant to them for a particular situation or work item, buildingSMART International said.
The Information Delivery Specification is an important component in the strategic and technical roadmaps of buildingSMART. It helps all stakeholders in the industry to clearly specify the information needs without ambiguity, so the checking procedures can be automated.
A step forward for openBIM
Léon van Berlo, technical director of buildingSMART International, said: “The Information Delivery Specification becoming a final standard is a major milestone for the buildingSMART community and the openBIM workflows.
“I’m quite excited about how this will improve information exchanges to be more accurate and reliable. The standard has been developed with more than 200 people from 34 different countries. It involved all types of stakeholders, including large clients, modellers, coordinators, software vendors, other standardisation bodies and governments.
“The fact that we have more than a dozen stable implementations already available at the time of the release says something about the maturity of the standard on its release. This initiative is an exemplary effort of how openBIM standards should be developed to guarantee reliability for end-users.”
There is a new webpage for the Information Delivery Specification. There is also a technical GitHub page with more information about the technical specifications. For those with limited access to GitHub, there is an alternative page.
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