Federating cross-domain BIM-based knowledge graph

• Published in: Advanced engineering informatics 2024-10, Vol.62, p.102770, Article 102770
• Main Authors: Teclaw, Wojciech, O’Donnel, James, Kukkonen, Ville, Pauwels, Pieter, Labonnote, Nathalie, Hjelseth, Eilif
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: BIM; Building information modelling; IFC; Knowledge integration; Semantics
• ISSN: 1474-0346
• DOI: 10.1016/j.aei.2024.102770

Despite decades of the digitization of the construction industry, interoperability challenges prevail. One of which is the lack of sufficient integration between domain-specific BIM models. Therefore, the paper proposes a novel methodology for federating cross-domain BIM-based knowledge graphs. The approach leverages the integration of multiple models into a single knowledge graph, aiming to bridge the existing gaps in data exchange and enhance the semantic richness of building information models. Through a detailed exploration of existing data exchange mechanisms, popular ontologies, and schema limitations, this research addresses the interoperability dilemma. A practical demonstration, encapsulated in the “LBD-Online-Merge” demo application, validates the methodology’s efficacy in real-world scenarios, illustrating its potential to revolutionize building operations management and data preparation for the operational phase of a building’s lifecycle. This study significantly contributes to the academic and practical discourse by providing a robust framework for achieving a more integrated, intelligent building information management ecosystem, setting a new benchmark for future research and applications in constructing semantically rich digital twins of the built environment.