• Do you ask for 2D drawings or basic PDF deliverables yet know that your road project was modelled in 3D or BIM solutions?
• Is the project handover information you receive not what you need to manage your highway assets?
• Do project participants struggle to hare valuable data?
• Do you lack confidence that your schemes are being designed, constructed and operated consistently?

If you answered yes to one or more of these challenges, then supporting the buildingSMART IFC Road Project could help with these issues. Join numerous National Road Authorities and industry experts in defining open digital standards for highway model development and exchange across the entire asset lifecycle.

Your industry needs you

Register your interest today.

The “IFC Road Project” is looking for experts and stakeholders

buildingSMART International (bSI) is the worldwide authority driving the transformation of the built asset economy through the creation and adoption of open, international standards. IFC (Industry Foundation Classes) is one of five types of open standards in the bSI portfolio, each of which exists to perform different functions in the delivery and support of assets in the built environment. A new and exciting project has been launched called the “IFC Road Project” with an aim of extending existing standards to support linear highway infrastructure.

Many designers and contractors currently struggle to share or leverage the full potential of BIM. Such interoperability problems can be greatly addressed by developing an IFC road schema as a basic exchange format for the sharing of asset models and data.

The IFC Road Project phase 1 includes a work package to identify exchange scenarios that need to be supported in the schema development as well as identification of the element types and concepts that are unique for linear assets. The output of this activity will be presented in a Requirements Analysis Report in October 2018.

Phase 2 will follow, commencing early in 2019 and will include the actual technical development of the schema extension. bSI is seeking additional funding to be able to finalise the project and to ensure the schema is robust and fit for purpose.

To better understand the future and benefits as asset managers and owners with the extended schema in place, please refer to the bSI Infrastructure Asset Managers BIM Requirements reportpublished 9 January 2018. Also, refer to the preparation work done to the IFC schema in the IFC Overall infrastructure project where the schema was extended with alignment and TIN models as a basis for the upcoming projects extending the schema further into the linear infrastructure sector.

A key to the success of the standards developed within bSI is the aim to have international consensus before finalising any standard. This is done through international project teams and recurring expert-panel reviews during the entire duration of the project.

So, why should my National Road Authority get involved?

Currently, the Swedish Transport Administration, the Finnish Transport Authority and the German Federal ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure have together with some of the industry’s leaders in digitalisation signed an MOU and are co-financing the project’s phase 1. bSI is now seeking additional stakeholders for phase 2. In particular, highway asset managers and owners are encouraged to participate to ensure these standards suit their needs.

There are two ways to get involved:

• as a member of a buildingSMART national chapter, you are welcome to participate with well-needed cash funding and/or in-kind resource. This allows you to get involved and have your say on the future standard. A further option is to become a Member of bSI and have even more influence in the development of our standards. Details on how to become a member can be found on the bSI web-page.
• as a member of the expert panel, you can support the development of the “IFC Road Project” by following its progress and providing input into the work. This does not require any buildingSMART national chapter or International membership and is open to anyone with expertise in the road domain from a planning, design, construction and/or operational perspective.

If your organization is going digital, this bSI standard will form the basis for the digitisation of your road infrastructure. Register your interest today.