A Methodology for a Performance Information Model to support Facility Management

Current facility management practice relies on different systems which require new technologies to integrate and manage information more easily. Building information modeling offers a good opportunity to improve facility information management by providing a unified platform for various data sources rather than an intuitive information interface. Although current research trends reveal that there is a continuously growing interest in facility management aided by building information modeling, an integrated model is still hard to obtain. This paper aims at developing a novel methodology based on building information modeling and facility management systems integration, underpinned by a performance information model. The implementation process of a performance information model is described, including information technologies involved, the data and process requirements, and the building performance assessment methods used. A first pilot case-study has been conducted with regards to surgery rooms in healthcare buildings. The proposal can support condition-based maintenance work schedule, as well as the achievement of organizational, environmental, and technical requirements. Among the practical implications found: Improved technological and environmental performances assessment; better visualization of building condition; improved decision-making process; facilitated maintenance tasks planning and maintenance records management

Procedural Modeling-Based BIM Approach for Railway Design

Building information modeling (BIM) is a powerful methodological approach for designers that has revolutionized the field of architecture and construction for some years now, minimizing errors and making the entire design, construction, and management process more efficient. The first results have been so encouraging that many countries, from Europe to the United States to Asian countries, have adopted specific regulations to promote its development and use. BIM models are based on the Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) standard, i.e., an object-based file format with a data model developed by building SMART to facilitate interoperability. Objects are characterized by properties, such as geometry, material, cost, and all related construction process information, such as scheduling or the maintenance process. The 3D modeling of these objects geometric information is parametric, in order to make the design more flexible. This research work offers an insight into the possibilities offered by different BIM-based tools for parametric modeling applied in the railway sector whereby an example of a railway section model is presented. Indeed, the focus will be on the creation of parametric objects representing railway components, as existing BIM object libraries lack them in the IFC2 × 3 standard format

A Decision Support System to Facilitate File Format Selection for Digital Preservation

This paper presents a method to facilitate decision making for the preservation of digital content in libraries and archives using institutional risk profiles that highlight endangered files formats (in danger of becoming inaccessible or unusable). The primary contribution of this work is the combined use of both machine-mined data and human-expert input to select and configure institution-specific preservation risk profiles. The machine-mined data used the developed File Format Metadata Aggregator (FFMA), and the crowdsourced expert input was collected via two surveys of digital preservation practitioners. A by-product of this endeavor is the ability to visualize risk factors for analysis. The underlying decision support system used the Cosine Similarity algorithm to provide recommendations for matching risk profiles to selected institutional risk settings. This method improves the interpretability of risk factor values and the quality of a digital preservation process. The aggregated information about the risk factors is presented as a multidimensional vector that shows a particular analysis focus and its resulting impact on selected file formats. Sample risk profile calculations and the visualization of risk factor dimensions are shared in the evaluation section

A Decision Support System to Facilitate File Format Selection for Digital Preservation

This paper presents a method to facilitate decision making for the preservation of digital content in libraries and archives using institutional risk profiles that highlight endangered files formats (in danger of becoming inaccessible or unusable). The primary contribution of this work is the combined use of both machine-mined data and human-expert input to select and configure institution-specific preservation risk profiles. The machine-mined data used the developed File Format Metadata Aggregator (FFMA), and the crowdsourced expert input was collected via two surveys of digital preservation practitioners. A by-product of this endeavor is the ability to visualize risk factors for analysis. The underlying decision support system used the Cosine Similarity algorithm to provide recommendations for matching risk profiles to selected institutional risk settings. This method improves the interpretability of risk factor values and the quality of a digital preservation process. The aggregated information about the risk factors is presented as a multidimensional vector that shows a particular analysis focus and its resulting impact on selected file formats. Sample risk profile calculations and the visualization of risk factor dimensions are shared in the evaluation section

Procedural Modeling-Based BIM Approach for Railway Design

Building information modeling (BIM) is a powerful methodological approach for designers that has revolutionized the field of architecture and construction for some years now, minimizing errors and making the entire design, construction, and management process more efficient. The first results have been so encouraging that many countries, from Europe to the United States to Asian countries, have adopted specific regulations to promote its development and use. BIM models are based on the Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) standard, i.e., an object-based file format with a data model developed by building SMART to facilitate interoperability. Objects are characterized by properties, such as geometry, material, cost, and all related construction process information, such as scheduling or the maintenance process. The 3D modeling of these objects geometric information is parametric, in order to make the design more flexible. This research work offers an insight into the possibilities offered by different BIM-based tools for parametric modeling applied in the railway sector whereby an example of a railway section model is presented. Indeed, the focus will be on the creation of parametric objects representing railway components, as existing BIM object libraries lack them in the IFC2 × 3 standard format

Procedural Modeling-Based BIM Approach for Railway Design

Building information modeling (BIM) is a powerful methodological approach for designers that has revolutionized the field of architecture and construction for some years now, minimizing errors and making the entire design, construction, and management process more efficient. The first results have been so encouraging that many countries, from Europe to the United States to Asian countries, have adopted specific regulations to promote its development and use. BIM models are based on the Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) standard, i.e., an object-based file format with a data model developed by building SMART to facilitate interoperability. Objects are characterized by properties, such as geometry, material, cost, and all related construction process information, such as scheduling or the maintenance process. The 3D modeling of these objects geometric information is parametric, in order to make the design more flexible. This research work offers an insight into the possibilities offered by different BIM-based tools for parametric modeling applied in the railway sector whereby an example of a railway section model is presented. Indeed, the focus will be on the creation of parametric objects representing railway components, as existing BIM object libraries lack them in the IFC2 × 3 standard format