National BIM Standard - United States® Version 3

3 Terms and Definitions

CONTENTS
3.1 Scope of Terms and Definitions.................................................................................................2
3.2 Additional items..........................................................................................................................2
3.3 Terms and definitions ................................................................................................................2
3.4 Glossary .....................................................................................................................................2
3.4.1 Terms .........................................................................................................................................3
3.4.2 Cited standards ........................................................................................................................24
3.4.3 Organizations ...........................................................................................................................31
3.4.4 XML and digital formats ...........................................................................................................36

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3.1 Scope of Terms and Definitions

This section of NBIMS-US™ Version 3 provides a core glossary for a BIM vocabulary. It includes
concepts defined in previous versions of NBIMS-US™, V1 and V2, as well as additional concepts that
have been approved through the Version 3 consensus process. Unless otherwise stated, definitions
assume a general context of Building Information Modeling, and/or Building Information Management,
encompassing all stakeholders and lifecycle phases.

The glossary is not exhaustive. Source information has been added for most definitions in this edition of
NBIMS-US™ Terms and Definitions to assist users to explore concepts in greater depth. In some cases,
definitions have been refined from those given in previous versions of NBIMS-US™. Concepts, and terms
used in machine interpretable languages and schemas (e.g. used within IFC, COBie, etc.) and
specialized terms that apply in the context of specific sections of NBIMS-US™ V3 are not included here.
These application specific terms require the user to explore NBIMS-US™ sections and other source
materials for definitions. For example, please refer to the glossary terms from IFC4x4 that appear in
Subsection 3 of the Exchange Requirements chapters.

The NBIMS-US™ terms and definitions core glossary will continue to evolve as the use of BIM becomes
more ubiquitous in managing the life cycle of the built environment. Users are encouraged to suggest
terms for inclusion in future glossary editions or comment on existing definitions to the NBIMS-US
Terminology Subcommittee at www.nationalbimstandard.org/comment.

3.2 Additional items

All terms and definitions from NBIMS-US™ Version 1 and Version 2 as well as new terms have been
extensively reviewed and approved by NBIMS-US Project Committee.

3.3 Terms and definitions

NBIMS-US™ V1 and V2 glossaries included Organizations, Digital Formats and Citations. The NBIMS-
US Terminology Subcommittee separated these items into three lists and they have been included as
terms and entities that are self-defined. For the purposes of this document, the following terms and
definitions apply.

3.3.1
organizations and selected programs
various organizations and programs cited by authors and used as supportive documentation.

3.3.2
XML and digital formats
various digital formats cited by authors used in the AECOO industry.

3.3.3
citations
referenced standards and publications cited by authors.

3.4 Glossary

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3.4.1 Terms

TERM
DEFINITION SOURCE
(ABBREVIATION or ACRONYM)

Building Information Modeling, BIM is a term which represents three http://www.buildingsmart.org/resources/t

Model or Management separate but linked functions: erms-and-definitions
[BIM3 (cubed)]
Building Information Modeling: Is a
BUSINESS PROCESS for generating and
leveraging building data to design,
construct and operate the building during
its lifecycle. BIM allows all stakeholders to
have access to the same information at the
same time through interoperability between
technology platforms.

Building Information Model: Is the DIGITAL

REPRESENTATION of physical and
functional characteristics of a facility. As
such it serves as a shared knowledge
resource for information about a facility,
forming a reliable basis for decisions
during its life cycle from inception onwards.

Building Information Management: Is the

ORGANIZATION & CONTROL of the
business process by utilizing the
information in the digital prototype to effect
the sharing of information over the entire
lifecycle of an asset. The benefits include
centralized and visual communication,
early exploration of options, sustainability,
efficient design, integration of disciplines,
site control, as built documentation, etc.–
effectively developing an asset lifecycle
process and model from conception to final
retirement.

Association In context of Business Process http://bim.psu.edu/

Modeling, an association is a
named relationship between
two or more objects. It can be
symbolized by a line and an
arrowhead to indicate the
direction of flow (where
appropriate). See BIM Project
Execution Planning Guide for
more detail.

Attribute 1. In general, attributes represent the The buildingSMART Glossary of Terms

characteristics of objects. E.g. Attributes
defined by a building element class may be
Name, Length, Weight, Price, etc. The
attribute values of a specific building
element of a specific building may be
Name = 'Wall-123', Length=6500.0,
Weight=7300, etc.

2. In EXPRESS, (See Standards Section -

EXPRESS) an attribute of an entity type
has a name and data type, and they
represent characteristics of an entity type
and relationships between entity types.

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TERM
DEFINITION SOURCE
(ABBREVIATION or ACRONYM)

Authoritative Source An information source considered the

authority for that type of information, It is
usually managed by an association that has
as its charter sustaining that data.

BIM Best Practice BIM techniques, methods, and processes See John Messner’ s PDF file
that provide consistent results superior to
those achieved by other means.

BIM Deliverables Information (a package of data or models http://bim.psu.edu/

in numerous formats) to be provided to
another party in connection with a BIM- Penn State University BIM Execution
related service over the facility's life-cycle. Planning Guide Glossary.

BIM Goals Objectives used to define and prioritize the http://www.oprtool.org/

potential conflicting values of BIM within a
facility or organization.

BIM Implementation 1. The management of work processes

and software tools to produce required
project information.

2. In BIM software development, the

incorporation of features in software, or the
form those features take in the software.

3. In an IFC context, an application’s

capability to create, use, import, and export
IFC Project data.

BIM Life-Cycle Views The various perspectives of BIM held TBD

depending upon facility phase, facility
element, AECOO discipline, and Level of
Development. These different views often
create unneeded semantic conflict while
well-defined and accepted terms for all
phases could be achieved.

BIM Process Map A diagram showing how BIM will be 2009, Messner, John I., Planning the
applied on a project. The BIM project BIM Execution Process, The
execution plan proposes two levels of Pennsylvania State University
process maps: BIM overview map and
detailed BIM use process maps that define
associated activities and information
exchanges.

BIM Project Execution Plan The plan that results from the BIM Project 2010, Project Execution Planning Guide,
(BIM PxP Plan) Execution Planning Procedure. The plan V2.0
describes how BIM will be implemented
and which goals or BIM Uses will be
pursued.

BIM Project Execution Planning An approved NBIMS-US™ process for http://buildinginformationmanagement.w

Procedure planning the execution of BIM on a project. ordpress.com/2012/05/17/national-bim-
(PxP Procedure) It consists of four primary steps: 1) identify standard-united-states-nbims-us-
BIM Goals and BIM Uses, 2) design BIM version-2-v2-released-may-2012/
Project Execution Process, 3) develop
Information Exchanges, 4) define
supporting infrastructure for BIM

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TERM
DEFINITION SOURCE
(ABBREVIATION or ACRONYM)

Implementation. Guidelines and templates or http://www.nationalbimstandard.org/

make these Planning and Design life cycle
processes reusable.

BIM Use A method of applying building information 2013, March 19 -

modeling during a facility's life-cycle to http://prezi.com/inbum61b3ljt/copy-of-
achieve one or more specific objectives. copy-of-bim-use-ontology /, 2010,
May also be referred to as a BIM "Use Project Execution Planning Guide, V2.0
Case".

Bit preservation A baseline preservation approach that National Digital Stewardship Alliance,
ensures the integrity of digital objects and NDSA Glossary, 2013
associated metadata over time in their
original form, even as the physical storage
media which houses them evolves and
changes.

Business process Documented organizational workflows and As revised using,

activities accomplished in some order via http://www.wbdg.org/pdfs/NBIMSv1_p1 .
open and interoperable information Pdf , pg. 13,
exchange standards and associated http://www.wbdg.org/pdfs/NBIMSv1_p1
technology in support of facility lifecycle .pdf See Figure 2.1-4 on page 21,
management. See Business Process
Modeling Notation and Information
Delivery Manuals in Standards.

Business Rules Business rules formally describe an http://www.brcommunity.com/sbvr_intro

(BR) organization's policies and procedures by duction.php also see Halls'
connecting specific conditions to specific http://www.omg.org/news/meetings/tc/m
actions. In BIM Modeling, Business rules n/special-events/br/Hall-BR.pdf
are appended to static concepts to provide
context specific rules for how the concept
must be applied.

Change Management Change Management is a consulting BIG BIM, little bim: Understand the
methodology used to modify an cultural changes implicit in moving to
organization's business processes and/or BIM - http://www.amazon.com/BIG-BIM-
its social - technical systems. There are little-bim-Edition/dp/0979569923 ; The
many types of Change Management Whole Building Design Guide has a
strategies, having evolved from the so document -
called "Business Re-engineering" http://www.wbdg.org/pdfs/integratebim_
movement, the Total Quality Management harris.pdf
movement, and Information Technology
initiatives. Typically, if a business process
is found to be flawed by auditors, or in
need of improvement, a "root cause
analysis" of the problem is attempted, and
then adjusts the business process based
on the resulting models

Characteristic (property) BIM is about Objects such as Walls, http://docs.buildingsmartalliance.org/MV

Doors, Windows, and other physical things D_COBIE/.
that have parameters (properties) such as
height, relative location, component parts,
that are important to downstream
decisions. (Object -Concepts that cannot
be defined using other concepts; meaning
is provided through a description).
Characteristics can be categorized into the
following property types (in alphabetic
order): behavior, environmental influence,
function, measure, property, and unit. (See

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TERM
DEFINITION SOURCE
(ABBREVIATION or ACRONYM)

also Property) - IFC - MVD relies upon

"characteristics"

Classification Systematic (hierarchical, networked, or Miriam-Webster

faceted) arrangement of Objects or
Processes in groups or categories
according to established criteria within a
specific domain. Problems may arise, such
in AECOO - when multiple domains use
classification systems without attention to
harmonization of terms into a consistent
and complete framework or ontology.

Completeness In information management, a measure of NISTIR 7417 page 76

the degree to which an information
package satisfies a specified requirement
for subject matter, quantity, semantics,
logical, and related qualities explicitly
requested. (See Quality Assurance
process and performance within Software
Engineering disciplines - McConnell's
Construx.com for example).

Component Within the broader context of buildings or David Webber - OASIS

physical infrastructure: 1: A building http://docs.oasis-
element which uses industrial products that open.org/cam/v1.1/os/OASIS-CAM-
are manufactured as independent until Specification-1_1-015-060107.html
capable of being joined with other
elements. (Harris) 2: any subsystem,
subassembly, or other system designed for
use in (or integral with) a structure or part
of a structure, which can include electrical,
fire protection, mechanical, plumbing, and
structural systems and other systems
affecting health and safety. (NEC 545.3) 3.
In Software and Ontology engineering, a
module or smart object that is designed to
be re-used. See Component Assembly
Mechanisms in OASIS.

Concept As defined in the building smart Data http://www.ifd-

Dictionary (bSDD), Concept is an idea library.org/index.php?title=Main_Page
about an object described both by a set of
names and definitions in multiple
languages and also by relating ideas to
each other (See bsDD).

Constraint In BIM planning, one or more owner or http://www.oprtool.org/ for a NIBS

regulatory performance requirements that Study, and the MIT Trade space
must be coherently achieved over the Analysis at
facility life cycle. See Trade Off Analysis. http://web.mit.edu/professional/short-
programs/courses/tradespace_explorati
on_system_design.html

Construction Delivery Method See Project Delivery Method

Context A context, in IFD, is a grouping of http://www.iso.org/iso/catalogue_detail.h

relationships that exists between concepts tm?csnumber=55691 ($250 US?)

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TERM
DEFINITION SOURCE
(ABBREVIATION or ACRONYM)

which drives analysis and assessment.

Coordinate Systems A facility exists or is planned to exist in a 2012,

space represented by 3 geospatial http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/co
coordinates: Longitude, Latitude, and ordinates
Altitude. The position of facility
components in 3D modeling software exist OGC and Spatial relationships - see
as a point, line, or plane from a known http://www.opengeospatial.org/
location (0,0,0), represented in x, y, and z
coordinates.

Cost - Avoidance, (Interoperability) According to a NIST study (NISTR 7417), http://fire.nist.gov/bfrlpubs/build07/PDF/

the categories of costs that are typically b07015.pdf
incurred to minimize technical, software,
and/or data interoperability problems. For
example the lack of using an information
management strategy .

Cost of Organizing Information, The cost incurred to obtain the information Adapted from 2012,
Information Cost and make it available for use. For example http://www.linfo.org/information.html
cost of acquiring information about prices,
quantities and qualities of items, products,
and/or services. Also more broadly to
include the costs of information that falls
into the category of documentation.

Cost Schedule A time frame for the tracking of project cost See PSU's PxP for general formats.
elements, at the detailed line unit cost Consider PIM for specifics -
level, following standard project http://www.wbdg.org/pdfs/jbim_spring11
specifications. .pdf

Data Raw factual bits of unprocessed http://www.diffen.com/difference/Data_v

information. Can be structured, but as an s_Information
aggregate, has no more meaning than the
individual facts alone convey.

Data Exchange The process of taking data structured 2010, BIM Project Execution Guide V2.0
under a source schema to transform and ISO 16739, ISO 10303-11, ISO 16739
restructure into a target schema, so the ($175)
target data are an accurate representation http://www.iso.org/iso/home/store/catalo
of the source data within specified gue_tc/catalogue_detail.htm?csnumber
requirements and minimal loss of content. =51622
ISO 16739 specifies a conceptual data
schema and an exchange file format for
Building Information Modeling BIM data.
The conceptual schema is defined in
EXPRESS data specification language
(EXPRESS) as specified in ISO 10303-11.
ISO 16739 represents an open
international standard for BIM data that is
exchanged and shared among software
applications used by the various
participants in a building construction or
facility management project. ISO 16739
consists of the data schema, represented
as an EXPRESS schema specification,
and reference data, represented as
definitions of properties and quantities.

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TERM
DEFINITION SOURCE
(ABBREVIATION or ACRONYM)

Data Models In software engineering, the term data http://www.buildingsmart.org/standards/i

model is used in two related senses: 1) a fc . and
description of the objects represented by a http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data_model
computer system together with their
properties and relationships; these are
typically "real world" objects such as
buildings, walls, windows, spaces,
suppliers, customers, and orders. 2) a
database model, means a collection of
concepts and rules used in defining data
models: for example the relational model
uses relations and tuples, while the
network model uses records, sets, and
fields. IFC is a Data Model.
http://www.buildingsmart.org/standards/ifc

Data object A description of the objects represented by http://www.w3.org/TR/DOM-Level-3-

a computer system together with their Core/introduction.html
properties and relationships; these are
typically "real world" objects such as
products, suppliers, customers, and
orders. In the second sense, covered by
the article database model, it means a
collection of concepts and rules used in
defining data models: for example the
relational model uses relations and tuples,
while the network model uses records,
sets, and fields mechanisms to show how
data is required or produced by activities.
They are connected to activities through
associations. See Document Object Model
(Standards)

Data Richness (Complexity) In BIM, a measure of the data content of a http://www.opengeospatial.org/domain/b

model; it's suitability for a particular BIM uilt
use. Related to Level of Development
(LOD) and the BIM Context (often
geospatial factors)

de facto standards Formats, methods, or thresholds that may Adapted from NBIMS-US™ V2
have originated from any source, but have
been made publicly available and are
supported by multiple vendors and
products. See also De Jure standards.

de jure standards Standards maintained by an official NBIMS-US™ V2

standards organization, such as
International Organization for
Standardization (ISO) or International
Telecommunications Union (ITU).

Design-Bid-Build A project delivey method which involves The Architect's Handbook of

owner, architect, and contractor in three Professional Practice, 13 ed. page 49
phases of work accomplished in a linear
sequence: The owner contracts with an
architect for design, then employs
documents produced by the architect to
secure competitive bids from contractors,
and then, based on an accepted bid,
contracts with the contractor for
construction of the building.

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TERM
DEFINITION SOURCE
(ABBREVIATION or ACRONYM)

Design-Build A project delivery method in which the The Architect's Handbook of

owner contracts with a single entity-the Professional Practice, 13 ed. page 50
design-builder-with an early cost
commitment during design development.

Detailed BIM Use Process Maps A comprehensive BIM process map that 5.3 BIM Project Exec Planning Guide
defines the various sequences to perform
a specific application of BIM or BIM use.
These maps also identify the responsible
parties for each process, reference
information content, and the information
exchanges, which will be created and
shared with other processes.

Digital Rights Management A system for authorizing the viewing or Refined from Version 1 -
(DRM) playback of copyrighted material http://www.wbdg.org/pdfs/NBIMSv1_p1.
pdf
on a user's computer or digital music
player. Examples include

copyrighted music and with Apple's

FairPlay and Microsoft's Windows Digital

Rights Manager being the two predominant

DRM systems.

Disciplines Practice areas and specialties of the actors OmniClass Table 33 (Disciplines)
(participants) that carry out the processes
and procedures that occur during the life
cycle of a construction entity.

Element A major component, assembly, or http://docs.buildingsmartalliance.org/MV

construction entity part which, in itself or in D_COBIE/ .
combination with other parts, fulfills a
predominating function of a construction
entity. See IFC and MVD use of term.

Early Design 1. In the context of a BIM Execution Plan, 1. As revised from Open Geospatial
the identification of project performance Consortium
and BIM goals, and the types of http://zeroemissiondesign.com/uploads/
information that team members will require BPEA_Final_Demo_Presentation.pdf
and have available in order to achieve
those goals; typically includes 2. http://www.buildingsmart-
development of specific methods for tech.org/future-
generating the quantity, quality, and format extensions/ifc_extension_projects/compl
of information needed to make informed, eted/ar-5-early-design-1
intelligent and timely decisions.

2. A buildingSMART International (bSI)

project AR-9, pursuant to providing IFC
capabilities to support early design
processes in concert with bSI projects PM-
3 and FM-9; integrated into IFC2x2
addendum 1 (Release July 2004).

Exchange Requirement A non-technical description of the NISTIR 7417 page 76

(ER) information needed by a business process
to be executed, as well as the information
produced by that business process.

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TERM
DEFINITION SOURCE
(ABBREVIATION or ACRONYM)

Exchange Requirements Model The data model addressing requirements http://www.slideshare.net/manuvenugop

(ERM) for a single industry process is known as al/ontologybased-approach-for-bim-
an Exchange Requirements Model (ERM). exchanges

Facility A structure (such as a hospital or fire Merriam-Webster

department) that is built, installed, or
established to serve a particular purpose

Facility Management 1. A profession that encompasses multiple http://www.ifma.org/know-

(FM) disciplines to ensure functionality of the base/browse/what-is-fm-
built environment by integrating people,
place, process and technology.

2. Integration of processes within an

organization to maintain and develop the
agreed services which support and
improve the effectiveness of its primary
activities.* *Taken from EN 15221-1
October 2006 (English version).

Floor (Story) An enclosed horizontal division of a 5.4.3.3 Ifc Building Storey in

building characterized by structural surface http://docs.buildingsmartalliance.org/MV
capable of supporting loads imposed upon D_COBIE/
it by occupants. It is sometimes referred to
as a "story". See also "Interstitial Space".

Formal Registry Identifies all file formats stored in an http://www.w3.org/wiki/Ontology_reposit

archive and their properties, and ories
automates the assignment of preservation
strategies. Sometimes combined with a
Repository of reusable model elements as
a solution to very large data models. XML
repositories are being replaced by ontology
repositories in some domains.

Functional Part A unit of information within an exchange As adapted from NBIMS-US™ V2

(FP) requirement that may be fully described
and modeled in its own right.

Gateway In process mapping, a gateway is used to BIM Project Execution Plan

control the divergence and convergence of
sequence flows. A gateway can also be
seen as equivalent to a decision in
conventional flowcharting.

Geospatial Information Systems A geographic(al) information system (GIS) http://www.nibs.org/?page=builidingSMA

(GIS) captures, stores, analyzes and manages RT alliance_gisbimie
data and associated attributes which are
spatially referenced to the Earth. In the
strictest sense an information system
capable of integrating, storing, editing,
analyzing, sharing and displaying
geographically-referenced information. A
building and each of its elements has GIS
references - in 3 planes. Thus the
increasingly large interest in improving BIM
- GIS linkages. The OGC works closely
with buildingSMART alliance® - NIBS in
the BIGie project.

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TERM
DEFINITION SOURCE
(ABBREVIATION or ACRONYM)

Group In BIM process mapping, a group NBIMS-US™ V2 or 4.11 Group

represents a category of information. This Assignment a
type of grouping does not affect the http://docs.buildingsmartalliance.org/MV
sequence flow of the activities within the D_COBIE/
group. The category name appears on the
diagram as the group label. Groups can be
used for documentation or analysis
purposes.

Handover Plan A documented process that results in Adapted from NBIMS-US™ - V2

providing an information quality
management framework that describes the
information handover in terms of scope,
contents, constraints, coding, timing, and
procedures. Part of a BIM implementation
or execution plan.

Harmonization Comparison and normalization of two or Adapted from NBIMS-US™ - V1

more similar standards including issues
such as scope, specifications, guidance or
implementation.

IFC Certification Procedure Certification testing is a process for testing http://www.buildingsmart-

(IFC 4x4**) software's conformance with a given IFC tech.org/certification/details
release specification and its subsets,
defined as views. The aim of the
certification testing is to promote quality in
IFC implementations and demonstrate to
end-users that the software passing the
certification implements the IFC
specification in a consistent way, hence
being able to exchange IFC product data
with other certified software
unambiguously. The buildingSMART IFC
Software Certification procedure is
intended to promote consistent and reliable
implementations of the IFC specification by
many software vendors across multiple
software applications. The consistency
aimed at by the certification program will
help drive rapid evaluation, deployment
and acceptance of the IFC standard for the
exchange and sharing of Building
Information Models. In 2010
buildingSMART developed the new IFC
Certification 2.0 procedure to significantly
improve quality assurance and service to
participating software companies. It
cancels and replaces the old IFC
Certification 1.0 procedure that had been
used 2001-2010.

Implementation Plan The alignment of work processes and Adapted from NBIMS-US™ V2
software tools to produce and deliver the
required handover information. Can apply
to BIM implementation within a single
organization, or across multiple
organizations.

Information Data that has been interpreted, translated, The buildingSMART Glossary of Terms
or transformed to reveal the underlying

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TERM
DEFINITION SOURCE
(ABBREVIATION or ACRONYM)

meaning. See also: data

Information Accuracy How close the information or information Adapted from National BIM Standard -
model is to an actual or planned result and United States™ Version 2 ; See Also
associated requirements. Factors GSA
impacting accuracy include the level of http://www.gsa.gov/graphics/pbs/BIM_G
detail and the level of precision expected uide_Series_02_v096.pdf
at different phases of the BIM Facility Life
Cycle. The “build it first digitally” approach
requires a very complete and very precise
model for all systems included before the
project enters physical construction.
Information accuracy is developed during
the design of project becoming more
specific.

Information assurance The practice of managing information- NBIMS-US™ V1 (per column F)

(IA) related risks. More specifically, IA
practitioners seek to protect the
confidentiality, integrity and availability of
data and their delivery systems. These
goals are relevant whether the data are in
storage, processing, or transit and whether
threatened by malice or accident. In other
words, IA is the process of ensuring that
the right people get the right information at
the right time.

Information Delivery Manual A standard for processes specified when As revised from NBIMS-US™ V1,
(IDM) certain types of information are required NBIMS-US™ V2
during the construction of a project or the
operation of a built asset. It also provides
detailed specification of the information
that a particular user (such as, architect or
building services engineer) needs to
provide at a point in time and groups
together information that is needed in
associated activities: cost estimating,
volume of materials and job scheduling are
natural partners. (See BPMN, Event,
Gateway, IFC, Lane, Pool). Term originally
developed by the Norwegian
buildingSMART organization.

Information Exchange Packages of information passed from one As revised, NBIMS-US™ V2

(IE) party to another in a BIM process, or the
act of passing such information. Can be a
deliverable. Parties involved agree upon
and understand what information content
and format will be exchanged.

Information Packages Facility information required to be delivered http://www.wbdg.org/pdfs/NBIMSv1_p1.

at each phase and step in the BIM Life pdf Figure 5.2-8, page 102
Cycle.

Information Quality Information quality (IQ) is a term to Wikipedia; Since COBie and BIM are
(IQ) describe the contents of information designed to define what data is needed
systems. Pragmatically defined as: "The where, review
fitness of the information provided for its https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&
intended use" q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=10&ved=0
CHUQFjAJ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fptop.only.wip.la%3A443%2Fhttp%2Fprojec
ts.buildingsmartalliance.org%2Ffiles%2

National BIM Standard – United States® Version 3

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TERMS AND D E F I N I T I O N S - P a g e | 13

TERM
DEFINITION SOURCE
(ABBREVIATION or ACRONYM)

F%3Fartifact_id%3D3866&ei=G-
TVUfOsG4OCiwKy6oHoBQ&usg=AFQj
CNEHnobiM1CKbickJwJDtJFJKKfOKA
&sig2=B2Ittzx5xZFu4CDZxKLfTg&bvm=
bv.48705608,d.cGE

Information Technology The Information Technology Infrastructure ITIL Process Maps - http://en.it-
Infrastructure Library (See also Library (ITIL) is a set of practices for IT processmaps.com/products/itil-process-
SOA) service management (ITSM) that focuses map.html
(ITIL) on aligning IT services with the needs of
business. ITIL underpins ISO/IEC 20000
(previously BS15000), the International
Service Management Standard for IT
service management, although differences
between the two frameworks do exist. ITIL
describes processes, procedures, tasks
and checklists that are not organization-
specific, used by an organization for
establishing integration with the
organization's strategy, delivering value
and maintaining a minimum level of
competency. It allows the organization to
establish a baseline from which it can plan,
implement, and measure. It is used to
demonstrate compliance and to measure
improvement. The acronym ITIL is a
registered trademark of the United
Kingdom's Cabinet Office.

Information Value-Chain An effort to visualize the reduction of waste http://www.informationvaluechain.com/

by using IDM or similar documenting tools,
an organization's complex and linked
internal and external workflows are made
explicit. By understanding the factors
behind waste and eliminating them, greater
profit, lower cost, and higher customer
satisfaction will result. See Lean Workflow

Integrated Project Delivery Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) is a AIA

(IPD) collaborative project delivery approach that
utilizes the talents and insights of all
project participants through all phases of
design and construction.

Internet Protocols Methods by which data are sent from one http://www.w3.org/People/Frystyk/thesis
computer to another on the Internet. /TcpIp.html

Interoperability Interoperability is the ability of diverse Wikipedia - See AIA

systems and organizations to work http://network.aia.org/TechnologyinArchi
together (inter-operate). The term is often tecturalPractice/Home/BIMStandards
used in a technical systems engineering
sense, or alternatively in a broad sense,
taking into account social, political, and
organizational factors that impact system
to system performance.

Interoperability Costs Avoidable costs incurred when information http://fire.nist.gov/bfrlpubs/build04/PDF/

technology management problems due to b04022.pdF , Aug. 2004; and 2007,
lack of communication/consistency prevent General Buildings Information Handover
timely completion of a project or extend the Guide: Principles, Methodology and
length of time a facility is not in normal Case Studies, pg.8
operation. A NIST Report (GSR 04-867)

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TERMS AND D E F I N I T I O N S - P a g e | 14

TERM
DEFINITION SOURCE
(ABBREVIATION or ACRONYM)

estimates that over $15.8 Billion dollars are

wasted each year because of inadequate
information management.

Lane (Swim Lane) A way to graph the sequence of activities See OMG's BPMN Standard, or
in a "Pool" of related workflows. Both http://www.visual-
physical as well as data flows within and paradigm.com/product/lz/tutorials/bpmn
between departments. 2.jsp

Lean Construction A production management-based http://www.leanconstruction.org/

approach to project delivery applied to BIM
design and delivery, The performance of
the planning and control systems are
studied, measured and improved.

1
Level of Development Level of Development is the degree to BIMForum "2013 Level of Development
which the element’s geometry and Specification", Part 3.1
attached information have been thought
through—the degree to which project team
members may rely on the information
when using the model.

Level of Precision The closeness of agreement within http://www.colorado.edu/geography/gcra

individual results. ft/notes/error/error.html

Life-cycle Assessment 1. A compilation and evaluation of the 1. International Standard ISO 14040. 2.
(LCA) inputs, outputs and the potential Adapted from AIA Guide to Building Life
environmental impacts of a product system Cycle Assessment in Practice, 2010.
throughout its life cycle.

2. A tool used to understand the energy

use, other environmental impacts, and
costs associated with all life cycle phases
of the building: procurement, construction,
operation, and decommissioning. Its use
requires a set of guiding principles, which
consider the unique character of each
"building" design, complexity in defining
systems, and related decisions.

Life-cycle Costs The sum of the present value of Sustainable Federal Facilities: A Guide
(LCC) investment costs, capital costs, installation to Integrating Value Engineering, Life-
costs, energy costs, operating costs, Cycle Costing, and Sustainable
maintenance costs, and disposal costs, Development. Washington, DC: The
over the lifetime of the product, product, or National Academies Press, 2001.
measure

1
The Level of Development Definitions for LODs 100, 200, 300, 400, and 500 are produced and copyrighted by the American Institute of
Architects as part of AIA Contract Document G202™–2013, Building Information Modeling Protocol Form. The American Institute of Architects
reserves all rights. The definition for LOD 350 was developed by the BIMForum working group. Copyright © 2013. The BIMForum and the
American Institute of Architects. All rights reserved. AIA has licensed the use of the AIA Level of Development Definitions for their inclusion in
the NBIMS-US™. Any additional use requires AIA’s prior written permission and is not covered by any license granted by NIBS.

National BIM Standard – United States® Version 3

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TERMS AND D E F I N I T I O N S - P a g e | 15

TERM
DEFINITION SOURCE
(ABBREVIATION or ACRONYM)

Life-cycle Stages Four (4) areas considered as components AIA Guide to Building Life Cycle
(LCA) of life-cycle assessment (LCA): Assessment in Practice, 2010

1) Materials Manufacturing: Removal of

raw materials from earth, transportation of
materials to the manufacturing locations,
manufacture of finished or intermediate
materials, building product fabrication, and
packaging and distribution of building
products

2) Construction: All activities relating to the

actual building project construction

3) Use and Maintenance: Building

operation including energy consumption,
water usage, environmental waste
generation, repair and replacement of
building assemblies and systems, and
transport and equipment use for repair and
replacement

4) End of Life: Includes energy consumed

and waste produced due to building
demolition and disposal of materials to
landfills, and transport of waste materials.
Recycling and reuse activities related to
demolition waste also can be included and
have a “negative impact.”

Meta Model A meta-model is an explicit UML Diagram http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/eserv/uq:

of the constructs and rules needed to build 72501/Object_management_group_onto
specific models within a domain of interest. logy.pdf
A meta-model can be viewed from three
different perspectives:

• as a set of building blocks and rules used

to build models & ontologies

• as a model of a domain of interest,

(modules for distributed ontologies) and

• as an instance of another model and this

where the model views come into play

Metadata, Administrative Data necessary to allow a repository to http://www.library.illinois.edu/dcc/bestpr

manage information objects, such as actices/chapter_12_administrativemetad
when, how and by whom a resource was ata.html
created and how it can be accessed.
Elements in administrative metadata can
overlap with technical and preservation
metadata because it shares the same
purposes, i.e., to make the resources
accessible in the future. Sometimes
technical and preservation metadata are
also added as administrative metadata.

Metadata, Structural Data indicating how compound information http://www.niso.org/publications/press/U

objects are put together. Example: how nderstandingMetadata.pdf
pages are ordered to form chapters.
Understanding Metadata: Page 3

National BIM Standard – United States® Version 3

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TERMS AND D E F I N I T I O N S - P a g e | 16

TERM
DEFINITION SOURCE
(ABBREVIATION or ACRONYM)

National Information Standards

Organization

Mitigation Costs Costs of activities responding to http://fire.nist.gov/bfrlpubs/build07/PDF/

interoperability problems, including b07015.pdf
scrapped materials costs.

Model View Definition A specification for data exchange. All the http://www.buildingsmart-
(MVD) myriad data included in a Building tech.org/specifications/mvd-overview
information model (BIM), must be broken
down into discrete packages to facilitate
information exchange between the
different parties involved in design,
construction, and operation of a facility.
These packages are specified by Model
View Definitions (MVD’s). The optimal
specification ties the data terms back to
the overarching IFC model.

From a technical process perspective a

MVD defines a subset of the IFC schema
that is needed to satisfy one or many
“Exchange Requirements” and provides
implementation guidance (or
implementation agreements) for all IFC
concepts (classes, attributes, relationships,
property sets, quantity definitions, etc.)
used within this subset. It thereby
represents the software requirement
specification for the implementation of an
IFC interface to satisfy the exchange
requirements. Model View Definitions are
either defined within buildingSMART
International, or by other organizations and
interest groups. MVD's defined externally
are not considered as buildingSMART
MVD's until they are submitted to
buildingSMART International, reviewed by
the buildingSMART teams and finally
accepted.

Model View Definition An IFC View Definition, or Model View http://www.buildingsmart.org/standards/

MVD Definition, MVD, defines a subset of the mvd
IFC schema that is needed to satisfy one
or many Exchange Requirements of the
AEC industry. The method used and
propagated by buildingSMART to define
such Exchange Requirements is the
Information Delivery Manual, IDM (also
ISO/DIS 29481). An IFC Model View
Definition defines a legal subset of the IFC
Schema (being complete) and provides
implementation guidance (or
implementation agreements) for the IFC
concepts (classes, attributes, relationships,
property sets, quantity definitions, etc.)
used within this subset. It thereby
represents the software requirement
specification for the implementation of an
IFC interface to satisfy the exchange
requirements.

National BIM Standard – United States® Version 3

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TERMS AND D E F I N I T I O N S - P a g e | 17

TERM
DEFINITION SOURCE
(ABBREVIATION or ACRONYM)

Object A collection of data, behaviors, and buildingSMART Glossary of terms

attributes or properties that is handled in (revised for use here), buildingSMART
computer applications (and by users) as a International.
single unit with relationships to other
objects. May refer either a class or an
instance of a class.

Ontology In computer science and information http://ontolog.cim3.net/OntologySummit/

science, an ontology is a formal data 2013/communique.html
model that represents a domain (such as
Architecture or Engineering or
Construction or Facilities Management)
and is used to reason about the
specialized objects in that domain, the
relations between them, and then make
inferences and conclusions.

Overview Map A high-level BIM process map that http://www.omg.org/spec/BPMN/2.0/PD

illustrates the relationship between BIM F / http://www.nationalbimstandard.org/
uses which will be employed on the
Facility. Each of the BIM Uses then gets its
own lower level Process Map. See also
Process Guidance Map in Penn State PxP
Guides and NBIMS-US™ V2

Owner/Architect/Engineer/Contract Acronyms used to describe, as a group, NBIMS-US™ V1

or/Operations the principal actors/stakeholders during a
(OAEC or A/E/C/O or AEC or facility’s life cycles.
AECOO)

Owner's Performance Developed and managed by the National http://oprtool.org/about.aspx

Requirements Tool Institute of Building Sciences in partnership
(OPR) Tool with the Department of Homeland
Security/Science and Technology
Directorate to help building owners identify
priorities and prepare a performance plan
for a project by selecting targets for each
of the attributes identified as comprising
high performance by the Energy
Independence and Security Act of 2007
(EISA). The OPR Tool, establishes a
performance-based plan for the owner to
provide to the design team at the
beginning of project programming. The
OPR Tool allows the owner to develop
several scenarios for a project to help
select the optimal combination of
performance levels for Energy,
Environmental, Safety, Security (including
Blast, Ballistic and CBR protection),
Sustainability, Durability, Operational and
Cost Effectiveness attributes to meet their
needs. In this way, the Owner can
communicate goals for multiple project
objectives to the design team allowing for
performance based design instead of
prescriptive solutions.

Owner's Project Requirements Owner's written documentation of the Adapted from ASHRAE GPC-1, 2001.
OPR functional requirements of the "facility" and
the expectations of how it will be used and
operated. They include project and design
goals, budgets, limitations, schedules,

National BIM Standard – United States® Version 3

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TERMS AND D E F I N I T I O N S - P a g e | 18

TERM
DEFINITION SOURCE
(ABBREVIATION or ACRONYM)

owner directives and supporting

information. They include necessary
information for all disciplines to properly
plan, design, construct, operate, and
maintain systems and assemblies.
Associated with each objective or
requirement in the OPR are one or more
performance metrics or criteria

Pool In context of IDM, the symbol representing NBIMS-US™ V2, PxP diagram; or
an entire BIM use or process. This symbol BPMN section from OMG
simply "contains" a number of swim lanes
within which specific departments or actors
perform tasks and exchange data as
required.

Practice Guidelines BIM Practice guidelines are content and NBIMS-US™ V2 - Practices sections
diagrams that aid a project team or http://www.nationalbimstandard.org/
organization in the DESIGN of IT
requirements needed to effectively
implement the information exchange
standards of IFC, IDM, MVD, and BSDD
for their specific project. At any point in
time the team may consider BEST Practice
guidelines as abstracted from successful
case studies (for example, Chapter 9
sections in the BIM Handbook, 2011).

Precision In BIM parameter estimating, the accuracy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accuracy_a

[1] of a measurement system is the degree nd_precision
of closeness of measurements of a
quantity to that quantity's actual (true)
value. The precision [1] of a measurement
system, also called reproducibility or
repeatability, is the degree to which
repeated measurements under unchanged
conditions show the same results.[2]
Although the two words precision and
accuracy can be synonymous in colloquial
use, they are deliberately contrasted in the
context of the scientific method.

A measurement system can be accurate

but not precise, precise but not accurate,
neither, or both.

Product Component or assembly of components Page 103, Figure 5.2-9

intended for permanent incorporation into a http://www.wbdg.org/pdfs/NBIMSv1_p1.
physical facility or digital entity. pdf

Property See Characteristic

Reliability 1. Quantitatively, The probability that the https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&

system or component will perform its q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0C
intended function for a specified period DEQFjAA&url=https%3A%2F%2Fptop.only.wip.la%3A443%2Fhttp%2Fwww.e
under stated conditions. Period can be veryspec.com%2FUSN%2FNAVSEA%2
measured in cycles of use or duration. Fdownload.php%3Fspec%3DNAVSHIP
S_0900-002-
2. Qualitatively, a measure of aggregated 3000_1964.045819.pdf&ei=vmyiUe7fA8
accuracy, certainty, and precision that S8iwKenIHIAQ&usg=AFQjCNEe5CuFM
cvXNtu0Q8PWCnKyKHRBGg&sig2=6v8
fg1tGNpvOSXdbxyvF2Q&bvm=bv.4700

National BIM Standard – United States® Version 3

©2015 National Institute of Building Sciences buildingSMART alliance®. All rights reserved.
TERMS AND D E F I N I T I O N S - P a g e | 19

TERM
DEFINITION SOURCE
(ABBREVIATION or ACRONYM)

may be assumed of a unit of information. 8514,d.cGE

(Warning: This an 800 page pdf. It

appears to have been scanned, but is
searchable)

Roadmap The overall implementation strategy NBIMS-US™ V1 Figures 2.1-4; 2.2-2'

document used to set the definition, 5.2-9
direction, sequence and usually
milestones for an initiative. For example,
the FIATECH Capital Facilities
Technology Roadmap at
http://www.fiatech.org/projects/roadmap/c
ptri.htm.

Role A position charged by contract or job OmniClass Table 34 = Roles; 33

description with certain authorities and (Organizational Disciplines), V1 Refined
responsibilities during the life cycle of a http://www.omniclass.org/
construction project; may be filled by an
individual or an organization. Examples
include: Owner, Construction Manager,
and Operating Engineer.

Schema A formalized model for structuring See sections 5,6,& 7 -

information. http://docs.buildingsmartalliance.org/MV
D_COBIE/

Semantic Interoperability The ability of computer systems to transmit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semantic_int

data with unambiguous, shared meaning. eroperability
A requirement to enable machine
computable logic, inferencing, knowledge
discovery, and data federation between
information systems. Semantic
interoperability is therefore concerned not
just with the packaging of data (syntax),
but the simultaneous transmission of the
meaning with the data (semantics). This is
accomplished by adding data about the
data (metadata), linking each data element
to a controlled, shared vocabulary. The
meaning of the data is transmitted with the
data itself, in one self-describing
"information package" that is independent
of any information system. It is this shared
vocabulary, and its associated links to an
ontology, which provides the foundation
and capability of machine interpretation,
inferencing, and logic.

Sequence Flow In a process mapping, a connecting object http://glossary.businessprocessincubato

that shows the order in which activities are r.com/index.php/8219/sequence-flow
performed. A Sequence Flow is
represented with a solid graphical line. Business Process Model and Notation
Each Flow has only one source and only specification 2.0
one target. A Sequence Flow can cross the
boundaries between Lanes of a Pool but
cannot cross the boundaries of a Pool.
(See: Lane, Pool)

National BIM Standard – United States® Version 3

©2015 National Institute of Building Sciences buildingSMART alliance®. All rights reserved.
TERMS AND D E F I N I T I O N S - P a g e | 20

TERM
DEFINITION SOURCE
(ABBREVIATION or ACRONYM)

Service Life The expected serviceable lifetime, or the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Service_life

acceptable period of use of a product. It is
the time that any manufactured item can
be expected to be 'serviceable' or
supported by its manufacturer.

Space Basic unit of the built environment http://www.omniclass.org/tables/OmniCl

delineated by physical or abstract ass_13_2006-03-28.pdf
boundaries and characterized by function.
A part of the built environment that is Page 2
marked off in some way. It is usually a
component forming a larger, more
significant construction entity. An abstract
architectural concept.

Spatial Program Validation An open IFC-based BIM information http://www.nationalbimstandard.org/nbi

(SPV) exchange that enables designers and ms-us-v2/pdf/NBIMS-US2_c4.3.pdf
building owners to assess the performance
of a building design in satisfying spatial Page 1: Introduction
program requirements defined by the
owner of the building.

Specification 1: An explicit set of requirements to be http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Specification

satisfied by a material, design, product, or
service. Often abbreviated "spec".

2: A formal comprehensive document

outlining requirements for a particular
product or process. In a construction
context, Specifications in North America
form part of the contract documents that
accompany and govern the construction of
a building. The guiding master document is
the latest edition of MasterFormat. It is a
consensus document that is jointly
sponsored by two professional
organizations: Construction Specifications
Canada and Construction Specifications
Institute.

Standard Practice Techniques, methods and processes that See NBIMS-US™ V2

are commonly and typically used by
reasonably qualified practitioners in their
field.

Structural Metadata See: Metadata, Structural

Structured Information Form Data in a structured form that are machine- IBM Watson and Apple's SIRI of interest
interpretable without human intervention. http://www-
03.ibm.com/innovation/us/watson/

Syntax When referring to a programming language computerhope.com

or command, a set of rules that are
associated with the language or command.
When referring to an error, a syntax error
is an error that is encountered when the
programmer or individual who wrote the
code has not followed the rules of the
language, causing the program to fail.

National BIM Standard – United States® Version 3

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TERMS AND D E F I N I T I O N S - P a g e | 21

TERM
DEFINITION SOURCE
(ABBREVIATION or ACRONYM)

Syntax Validation A process to define and verify the NBIMS-US™ V2

arrangement, parameters, and values in a
data set conform to specified
requirements.

System 1. Generally, a combination of smaller http://140.194.76.129/publications/desig

components organized to function as a n-guides/DG_1110-3-
whole, 122_sec/DG_1110-3-122_Sections/c-
5.pdf
2. Applied to the built environment, the
primary elements which together define the
shape, utility, and comfort of a built
environment, typically classified by
discipline, and/or major component such
as Architectural, Structural, Mechanical,
and Electrical, or HVAC, Roofing, Fire
Protection, etc.

Taxonomy One of several ways to organize the Page 48 -

structure of topics and subtopics for the http://www.wbdg.org/pdfs/NBIMSv1_p1.
purpose of retrieval and information pdf
exchange. A taxonomy is a tree structure
with one root and several branches having
unique and common properties. An
example is IFC hierarchy, with the
controlled vocabulary of floors, walls, etc..
The alternative to a hierarchy is a network
structure.

Thesaurus 1. Another way to organize the hierarchical http://ontolog.cim3.net/cgi-

structure of topics and subtopics. A bin/wiki.pl?OntologTaxoThesaurus#nidN
Thesaurus is different from a Taxonomy in XZ (Denise Bedford, World Bank, R
that topics are defined, their synonyms are Smith, Tall Tree Labs)
defined, and an effort is often made to
show the kinds of relationships between
terms. A Taxonomy may be combined with
a Thesaurus to create a Taxo-Thesaurus,
as the World Bank has done to make
document management more accurate and
less expensive. Commitments may be
made to use a specific controlled
vocabulary or ontology for a domain of
interest.

2. A way of organizing subject matter.

Differs from a Taxonomy in that topics are
grouped with their synonyms or references
and these groupings ordered a in non-
hierarchical way by name of the topic,
rather than being organized as topics and
sub-topics in conceptually related
groupings. May be combined with a
Taxonomy to create a Taxo-Thesaurus.
The World Bank has created such a
system.

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TERMS AND D E F I N I T I O N S - P a g e | 22

TERM
DEFINITION SOURCE
(ABBREVIATION or ACRONYM)

Type A generic term, synonymous with Category buildingSMART Glossary of Terms

or "Class" dealing with distinctly different
kinds of things. In context of Information
Technology, Information Architecture, and
Object Oriented Programming, a Type has
more specific features. See OASIS
Standard for Darwin Information TYPING
Architecture for an example of how
NBIMS-US™ data and types of information
might be architected. http://docs.oasis-
open.org/dita/v1.2/spec/DITA1.2-spec.html

Unstructured Information Form Information is data recorded in some Form http://www-

(Document or Display). Unstructured 03.ibm.com/press/us/en/pressrelease/7
Information is Data that cannot be readily 822.wss
machine interpreted. Data, in context of
BIM, is said to exist in one of two forms:
Structured Data or Unstructured Data. The
distinction is usually made on the basis of
"Machine Readability". "Unstructured
Information Form" is data that's
traditionally been thought of as non-
machine (computer) readable. However,
recent technology development by IBM
(See Watson vs. Jeopardy), Apple (See
Siri), and others (Kayvium) strongly
indicate that this distinction is disappearing
in specific sectors as information tools for
reading and interpreting massive amounts
of unstructured text evolve and are
commercialized for trustworthy use in
construction law, environmental case law,
construction liability and similar knowledge
bases.

Usability 1: capable of being used by target users to http://www.merriam-

achieve their goals and the metrics for webster.com/dictionary/usability and
evaluating the design and execution http://www.usability.gov/basics/index.ht
process (See Usability Testing). ml

2: convenient and practicable for use to

achieve the observable results specified in
some contract requiring explicit
effectiveness, efficiency, or other
performance criteria.

Validation A process for certifying the specified http://www.merriam-

quality of a work product. The process of webster.com/dictionary/validate
ensuring a work product or a process
conforms to defined user needs, industry
requirements, and specifications by
following a system of quality assurance or
testing a statistically relevant set of
samples. See BIM Validators at
http://www.nationalbimstandard.org/nbims-
us-v2/pdf/NBIMS-US2_c4.5.pdf

Validator A validator is a computer program used to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Validator

check the validity or syntactical
correctness of a fragment of code or
document. The term is commonly used in
the context of validating HTML, CSS and
XML documents or RSS feeds though it

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TERM
DEFINITION SOURCE
(ABBREVIATION or ACRONYM)

can be used for any defined format or

language. See
http://www.nationalbimstandard.org/nbims-
us-v2/pdf/NBIMS-US2_c4.5.pdf

END of TERMS

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3.4.2 Cited standards

CITED STANDARD DEFINITION SOURCE

(ABBREVIATION or ACRONYM)

AGC Guide to BIM An early effort to frame the role of BIM http://www.tpm.com/wp-
across all project sizes and disciplines. content/uploads/2013/02/AGC_Guide_to
_BIM.pdf

Business Enterprise Architecture The DoD's effort to frame a formal process http://dcmo.defense.gov/products-and-
(BEA) for information delivery based upon Service services/business-enterprise-
Oriented Architecture (SOA) and distributed architecture/10.0/classic/index.htm
object oriented modeling. It is now in its 10th
version

Business Process Execution Business Process Execution Language http://docs.oasis-

Language (BPEL), short for Web Services Business open.org/wsbpel/2.0/wsbpel-v2.0.pdf
(BPEL) Process Execution Language (WS-BPEL) is
an OASIS standard executable language for
specifying actions within business
processes with web services. Processes in
BPEL export and import information by
using web service interfaces exclusively.

Business Process Modeling Notation Business Process Modeling Notation http://www.bpmn.org/

(BPMN) (BPMN) has been adopted by
buildingSMART alliance® for all IDM
(Information Delivery Manual) functions. It is
a method of illustrating business processes
in the form of a diagram similar to a
flowchart. BPMN was originally conceived
and developed by the Business Process
Management Initiative (BPMI). It is currently
maintained by the Object Management
Group (OMG).

BPMN provides a standard, easy-to-read

way to define and analyze public and
private business processes. BPMN provides
a standard notation that is readily
understandable by management personnel,
analysts and developers. The original intent
of BPMN was to help bridge communication
gaps that often exist between the various
departments within an organization or
enterprise. BPMN can also help to ensure
that XML (Extensible

Markup Language) documents designed for

the execution of diverse business processes
can be visualized with a common notation.

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CITED STANDARD DEFINITION SOURCE

(ABBREVIATION or ACRONYM)

Capability Maturity Model (aka The Capability Maturity Model (CMM) is a Succar, Bilal - Handbook of Research on
Minimum BIM) registered service mark of Carnegie Mellon Building Information Modeling and
(CMM) University (CMU) that formalizes Dept. of Construction Informatics: Concepts and
Defense Software Engineering practices Technologies, Building Information
levels. The term "maturity" relates to the Modelling Maturity Matrix (chapter), Also -
degree of formality and optimization of 2013, -
processes, from ad hoc practices, to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capability_Mat
formally defined steps, to managed result urity_Model
metrics, to active optimization of the
processes. It has since been applied more
generically to various technology and
business processes, including BIM. Also
referred to as "BIM Capability Stages" - The
basic ability to perform a task, deliver a
service or generate a product. The major
milestones to be achieved by teams and
organizations as they adopt BIM
technologies and concepts, and defined by
their minimum requirements.

Capital Facilities Information A report published by NIST in 2006. The http://kfa-inc.com/kfa12/capital-facilities-

Handover Guide first part of two related publications. See
also "The General Building Information
Handover Guide: Principles, Methodology
and Case Studies"

CIMSteel Integration Standard Published by The Steel Construction COST is US $100 – at

Release 2: Second Edition Institute CIMsteel Integration Standards https://www.aisc.org/store/p-2017-
(CIS2) (CIS/2.1), a set of formal computing cimsteel-integration-standards-release-2-
specifications that allow software vendors to overview.aspx
make the engineering applications mutually
compatible. See also: http://www.cis2.org/

Construction Operations Building COBie is an information exchange http://www.nibs.org/?page=builidingSMAR

information exchange (COBie) specification for the life-cycle capture and T alliance_cobie
delivery of information needed by facility
managers. COBie

can be viewed in design, construction, and

maintenance software as well as in simple
spreadsheets. This versatility allows COBie
to be used on all projects regardless of size
and technological sophistication.

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CITED STANDARD DEFINITION SOURCE

(ABBREVIATION or ACRONYM)

Data Dictionary-International IFD-International Framework for http://dev.ifd-

Framework for Dictionaries (bsDD) Dictionaries The IFD (ISO 12006-3) library.org/index.php/Ifd:buildingSMART_
standard is developed by ISOTC59/SC and_IFD
13/WG 6. The IFD standard has many
similarities with the EPISTLE4 standard for
the Oil and Gas industry. While the IFC
standard describes objects, how they are
connected, and how the information should
be exchanged and stored, the IFD standard
uniquely describe what the objects are, and
what parts, properties, units and values they
have. IFD provides the dictionary, the
definitions of concepts, the common
understanding necessary for the
communication to flow smoothly

EXPRESSS (data modeling language) EXPRESS is a standard data modeling http://deslab.mit.edu/DesignLab/dicpm/

language for product data. EXPRESS is step.html
formalized in the ISO Standard for the
Exchange of Product model STEP (ISO
10303), and standardized as ISO 10303-11.
EXPRESS data model can be defined in
two ways, graphically and textually.
EXPRESS-G is an iconic language that
provides a subset of the lexical modeling
capabilities; this is defined in Annex D of
ISO 10303-11:1994. EXPRESS-I is another
member of the family and is designed for
the display of data instances and the
specification of abstract test cases. For
formal verification and as input for tools
such as SDAI the textural representation
within an ASCII file is the most important
one. The graphical representation on the
other hand is often more suitable for human
use such as explanation and tutorials. The
graphical representation, called EXPRESS-
G, is not able to represent call details that
can be formulated in textural form.

Global Unique Identifier (GUID) Unique identification number generated and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Globally_Uni
assigned by a computer. que_Identifier

GSA’s National 3D-4D-BIM Guidance In 2003, GSA’s PBS Office of the Chief http://www.gsa.gov/portal/content/1022 76
Program Architect (OCA) established the National
3D-4D-BIM Program. The primary goal of
the program is to promote the value-added
implementation of BIM technologies on
design and modernization of Federal
projects. BIM is primarily used during
preliminary and final concept design to
make design information explicit and gain
process efficiencies. All major projects that
receive design funding in FY2007 and
beyond are required to submit a spatial
program BIM to GSA prior to final concept
presentation. In addition the implementation
of various additional BIM technologies
above the minimum requirements are
encouraged and supported on a project-by-
project basis and through an open and
collaborative process.

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CITED STANDARD DEFINITION SOURCE

(ABBREVIATION or ACRONYM)

Industry Foundation Class A neutral and open specification for object-

(IFC) based data models developed by
buildingSMART to facilitate interoperability
in the building industry. Version 2x3 is In
common use for exchange of BIM
information by many BIM applications.
Version 4 was released for implementation
in 2013.

International Code Council Code The objective of the International Code http://www.iccsafe.org
Compliance Checking Council (ICC) automated code compliance
checking (AC cubed) project (the project) is
to develop a format for SMARTcodes and
implement an approach to use
SMARTcodes to automate code compliance
checking using the ICC International Codes
and Federal, state and local amendments
and additions to those codes. As most all
government agencies with authority to
regulated building design and construction
and use the ICC codes, the availability of
ICC SMARTcodes can have significant
impacts on US construction, in addition to
opening up opportunities to better support
building safety efforts in other countries.

International Framework for Former name of the buildingSMART Data http://dev.ifd-library.org

Dictionaries (IFD) Dictionary (bSDD). See entry for the
buildingSMART Data Dictionary.

Definition edited by bkl20136.06.26

ISO 4157-1 Construction drawings -- This part of ISO 4157 specifies http://www.iso.org/iso/catalogue_detail.
Designation systems requirements for designation systems and a htm?csnumber=26189
designation code for buildings, including
-- Part 1: Buildings and parts of spaces, building elements and components.
buildings (ISO 4157-1:1988)

ISO 4157-2 Construction drawings -- This part of ISO 4157 specifies http://www.iso.org/iso/home/store/catalog
Designation systems requirements for designation systems for ue_tc/catalogue_detail.htm?csnumber=26
190
-- Part 2: Room names and numbers rooms, areas, spaces, and voids in
buildings by room names and numbers.

It is intended for identification of rooms in

the daily use of the buildings. For
identification of rooms in a project
throughout its life-cycle, i.e. conception,
programming, planning, erection,
maintenance, remodeling, and demolition
phases, see ISO 4157-3. (ISO 4157-2:1988)

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CITED STANDARD DEFINITION SOURCE

(ABBREVIATION or ACRONYM)

ISO 4157-3 Construction drawings -- This part of ISO 4157 establishes http://www.iso.org/iso/catalogue_detail.
Designation systems requirements for designation systems for htm?csnumber=26950
rooms, areas, spaces, and voids in
-- Part 3: Room identifiers buildings by room identifiers. It introduces a
new designation concept intended for
identification of rooms in a project
throughout its life cycle, i.e. the conception,
programming, planning, erection,
maintenance, remodeling and demolition
phases. (ISO 4157-3:1988)

ISO 10303 Standard for the Exchange Standard for the computer-interpretable
of Product Model Data representation and exchange of product
manufacturing information. Its official title is:
Automation systems and integration —
Product data representation and exchange.
ISO 10303 can represent 3D objects in
Computer-aided design (CAD) and related
information.

ISO 12006-2 Building construction - Organization of Information about http://webstore.ansi.org

Organization of information about Construction Works - Part 2: Framework for
construction works - Classification of Information provides a
basic structure of information about
Part 2: Framework for classification construction that is grouped into three
of information primary categories composing the process
model: construction resources, construction
processes and construction results.

ISO 15926 Industrial automation The ISO project similar to ifcs that is more http://webstore.ansi.org
systems and integration -Integration oriented toward the oil and gas and process
of life-cycle data for process plants industry. The work is also being
including oil and gas production accomplished under TC 184.
facilities- Part 1: Overview and
fundamental principles

ISO/PAS 16739 Industry Foundation The ISO project tile for the Industry http://webstore.ansi.org
Classes, Release 2x, Platform Foundation Class (ifc) under Technical
Specification (IFC2x Platform) Committee 184 of the International
Standards Organization

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CITED STANDARD DEFINITION SOURCE

(ABBREVIATION or ACRONYM)

IT Infrastructure Library The Information Technology Infrastructure http://www.itil-officialsite.com/

Library (ITIL) is a set of practices for IT
service management (ITSM) that focuses
on aligning IT services with the needs of
business. It is published in a series of five
core publications, each of which covers an
ITSM lifecycle stage. ITIL underpins
ISO/IEC 20000 (previously BS15000), the
International Service Management Standard
for IT service management. ITIL describes
processes, procedures, tasks and checklists
that are not organization-specific, used by
an organization for establishing integration
with the organization's strategy, delivering
value and maintaining a minimum level of
competency. It allows the organization to
establish a baseline from which it can plan,
implement, and measure. It is used to
demonstrate compliance and to measure
improvement.

Leadership in Energy and A program that provides third-party 2013, http://www.usgbc.org

Environmental Design verification of "green buildings". Building
projects satisfy prerequisites and earn
points to achieve different levels of
certification. Prerequisites and credits differ
for each rating system, and teams choose
the best fit for the project.

Levels of BIM Data "Performance" UK A Public Specification defining and http://shop.bsigroup.com/en/forms/PAS

(PAS1192-2) graphically illustrating a 4 Level categories s/PAS-1192-2/
of BIM Data Performance. This UK project
may be relevant to US BIM guidance or
standards to the extent that it achieves ISO
status. Note that the working criteria &
documents that this UK document uses
overlaps or is improved upon by US Federal
agencies.

MasterFormat™ MasterFormat™ is the pre-eminent means COST - Non Member $169

for organizing commercial and institutional http://www.csinet.org/masterformat
construction specifications in North
America. Initially published in 1963 by the
Construction Specifications Institute (CSI)
and Construction Specifications Canada
(CSC), it has been revised many times
since then, and has been used by
individuals and companies in all sectors of
the construction industry for filing and
organizing specifications, product data, and
other construction information.

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CITED STANDARD DEFINITION SOURCE

(ABBREVIATION or ACRONYM)

OmniClass™ OmniClass is a multi-class faceted http://www.omniclass.org/

classification system consisting of tables for
classifying the built environment throughout
its life-cycle.

OmniClass has been developed by OCCS

Development Committee, an all-volunteer
group of individuals and representatives of
organizations assembled for this purpose.
The Committee’s work on OmniClass is
administered by the Construction
Specifications Institute (CSI) and
Construction Specifications Canada (CSC).
The OmniClass tables and introduction can
be downloaded from
http://www.omniclass.org/. A Web Service
OmniClass demonstration is available at
http://bim-cloud.com/OmniClass.html which
illustrates both Cloud Computing platform
and multi-table integrated services.

UniFormat™ UniFormat provides a standard method for

arranging construction information, organized
around the physical parts of a facility called
systems and assemblies. These systems and
assemblies are characterized by their function
without identifying the technical or design
solutions that may compose them. Because
UniFormat organizes the structures in the built
environment by their component elements, a
modified version of it was used as a legacy
source for the basic organization and contents
of OmniClass Table 21-Elements.
See also: Construction Specifications
Institute. Also: ASTM E1557 - 09 Standard
Classification for Building Elements and
Related Sitework-UNIFORMAT II

The General Building Information The General Building Information Handover http://www.wbdg.org/pdfs/nistir_7417.pd f
Handover Guide: Principles, Guide: Principles, Methodology and Case
Methodology and Case Studies Studies (NISTIR 7417))

United States National CAD Standard, The United States National CAD Standard NBIMS-US™ V1
V 5 available, at cost, to download (NCS) is the only comprehensive U.S. CAD
http://www.nationalcadstandard. Standard for the design, construction and
org/ncs5/ facility management industries. The
program’s goal is broad voluntary adoption
of the CAD Standard by the building design,
construction and operation sectors, thereby
establishing a common language for the
building design and documentation process.
Use of NCS eliminates the overhead costs
that organizations now incur to maintain
proprietary office standards, train new staff,
and coordinate implementation among
design team members. The 2-D standard
plays a crucial role in easing the transition
to new BIM software systems and the 3-D
object-based standards.

END of CITED STANDARDS

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3.4.3 Organizations

ORGANIZATION ROLE IN BIM DOMAIN SOURCE

(ABBREVIATION or ACRONYM)

United States Army Research The U.S. Army Research Laboratory (ARL) of www.arl.army.mil
Lab the U.S. Army Research
(ARL) Development and Engineering Command
(RDECOM) is the Army’s corporate, or central,
laboratory. Its diverse assortment of unique
facilities and dedicated workforce of
government and private sector partners make
up the largest source of world-class integrated
research and analysis in the Army.

Associated General Contractors of A professional association for the construction http://www.agc.org/cs/about_agc

America See http://www.agc.org/ industry, located in Washington, DC, operating
(AGC) in partnership with its nationwide network of 95
chartered Chapters, AGC provides a full range
of services to improve the quality of
construction and protecting the public interest.
They provide the BIM Forum. See
http://bimforum.org/

American Society of Heating, Advances the arts and sciences of http://www.ashrae.org

Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning heating, ventilation, air conditioning
Engineers and refrigeration to serve humanity
(ASHRAE) and promote a sustainable world.

BIM A consortium of AECOO practitioners, http://www.bimtaskgroup.org/pas-1192-

Task Force Group – UK academics, and consultants funded by the 22012/
UK Government to develop guidance
documents for the 2016 requirements that all
bidders for UK central government contracts
achieve at least a “Level 2” BIM
Competency. See the PAS 1192-2- 2013
document as a set of diagrams and
specifications that could impact US
Multinational organizations and future US –
UK Harmonization requirements.

buildingSMART Alliance® buildingSMART Alliance is the home of the http://www.nibs.org/?page=builidingSMART

(Alliance or buildingSMART alliance®) North American chapter of buildingSMART, alliance
but also the focal point and coordinator for all
activities related to BIM in North America. The
buildingSMART alliance has a goal of saving
$200B annually by 2020.

buildingSMART International™ A neutral, international and unique not for http://www.buildingsmartalliance.org/index.

(bSi) profit organization supporting open BIM Php/about/
through the life cycle. bSi™ is the umbrella
organization for over 30 chapters, including
buildingSMART alliance®. The mission
(Interoperability) is to accelerate the
exchange of accurate, useful information on
the built environment among all members of
the building community throughout the life-
cycle of a facility. In 2013 bSi is developing
standards under ISO and following two Road
Maps (A Strategic 2020 Roadmap and a BIM
INFRA Roadmap 2016).
Coordination of issues between bSi projects
and buildingSMART alliance® projects may
be documented on relevant websites.

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ORGANIZATION ROLE IN BIM DOMAIN SOURCE

(ABBREVIATION or ACRONYM)

Construction Engineering Research Develop and infuse innovative technologies to

Laboratory (of the US Army) provide excellent facilities and realistic training www.erdc.usace.army.mil/Locations/Const
(CERL)- lands for the Department of Defense, the U.S. ructionEngineeringResearch
Army and many other customers while also
supporting ERDC’s research and development
mission in geospatial research and
engineering,
military engineering, and civil works.

Construction Specifications Institute CSI is a national association dedicated to http://www.csinet.org

(CSI) creating standards and formats to improve
construction documents and project delivery.
The organization is unique in the industry in
that its members are a cross section of
specifiers, architects, engineers, contractors
and building materials suppliers. See:
www.csinet.org

Department of Defense The Department of Defense is the largest http://dodcio.defense.gov/

(DoD) property holder in the government and has a
portfolio of approximately 571,000 facilities.
[There has not been much activity at high
levels related to BIM at this point in time but
their CIO is implementing Agile Cloud
Computing strategy which illustrates how other
federal agencies are likely to evolve.]

Engineer Research and The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ (USACE) http://www.erdc.usace.army.mil/
Development Center Engineer Research and Development Center
(ERDC) (ERDC) helps solve our Nation’s most
challenging problems in civil and military
engineering, geospatial sciences, water
resources, and environmental sciences for the
Army, Department of Defense, civilian
agencies, and our Nation’s public good.

Federal Facilities Council (US) The Federal Facilities Council (FFC) was http://sites.nationalacademies.org/DEPS/F
(FFC) established in 1953 as the Federal FC/DEPS_047398
Construction Council. It operates under the
auspices of the Board on Infrastructure and the
Constructed Environment (BICE) of the
National Research Council. The FFC’s mission
is to identify and advance technologies,
processes, and management practices that
improve the performance of federal facilities
over their entire life-cycle, from planning to
disposal.

Federal Real Property Council (US The Federal Real Property Council was
http://www.acq.osd.mil/ie/fim/library/Exe
Federal group of senior execs) established to implement Executive Order
cut iveOrder_13327.pdf
(FRPC) 13327 Federal Real Property Asset
Management (2004

Fiatech An applied research and capital construction http://www.fiatech.org/interoperability

organization initiated by the Construction
Industry Institute (CII) and NIST to improve
productivity in the construction industry.
Their roadmap aligns with buildingSMART
alliance®, especially their focus on
interoperability

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ORGANIZATION ROLE IN BIM DOMAIN SOURCE

(ABBREVIATION or ACRONYM)

United States General Services The federal agency responsible for public http://www.gsa.gov
Administration buildings and one of seven federal agencies
(GSA) responsible for facility construction. The GSA
is one of the leaders in the BIM effort as they
have required that all new building starts are
required to provide a BIM

International Alliance for A voluntary organization, created in 1995, to

Interoperability represent the
(IAI) public and private sectors in an effort to
facilitate the exchange of dynamic
information among members of the building
community.

Objectives:
1. to develop and recommend practices for
the uniform transmission and sharing of
information and data
2. to provide a forum to promote the use
of the recommended standards of
information sharing
3. to develop a process for certifying
compliance with the recommended
standards.
The IAI was reorganized and
superseded as
buildingSMARTinternational (bSi).
All technical projects of the IAI were
incorporated into bSI.

International Standards Organization World’s largest developer and publisher of

(ISO) international standards. ISO is a network of the www.iso.org.
national standards institutes of 162 countries,
one member per country, with a Central
Secretariat in Geneva, Switzerland, that
coordinates the system. ISO is a non-
governmental organization that forms a bridge
between the public and private sectors. Many
of its member institutes are part of the
governmental structure of their countries, or are
mandated by their government. Other members
have their roots uniquely in the private sector,
having been set up by national partnerships of
industry associations. Therefore, ISO enables
a consensus to be reached on solutions that
meet both the requirements of business and
the broader needs of society.

Lean Construction Institute An organization dedicated to eliminating waste http://www.leanconstruction.org/

(LCI) or non- value added effort for the construction
industry by applying lean concepts

National Aeronautics and Space A United States government agency http://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/

Administration responsible for science and technology related 5-8/features/what-is-nasa-58.html
(NASA) to air and space. NASA was created in 1958
to oversee U.S. space exploration and
aeronautics research. One of several agencies
actively promoting the use of BIM in it’s own
capital improvement program.

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TERMS AND D E F I N I T I O N S - P a g e | 34

ORGANIZATION ROLE IN BIM DOMAIN SOURCE

(ABBREVIATION or ACRONYM)

National Institute of Building The National Institute of Building Sciences http://www.nibs.org/

Sciences was established by Public Law 93-383, Sect.
(NIBS) 809 in 1974. This 501c3 organization was
established to build collaborative relationships
between the public and private sector to
encourage the efficient flow of information
related to the construction industry’s
productivity deficit.

National Institute of Standards & Founded in 1901, NIST is a non-regulatory http://www.nist.gov/building-and-fire-

Technology federal agency within the U.S. Department of research-portal.cfm
(NIST) Commerce. NIST’s mission is to promote
U.S. innovation and industrial
competitiveness by advancing measurement
science, standards, and technology in ways
that enhance economic security and improve
our quality of life. The Building and Fire
Research Labs continues to inform BIM
research and standards groups.

Open Geospatial Consortium A global forum for the collaboration of

developers and users of spatial data products http://www.opengeospatial.org/
(OGC)
and services, and to advance the
development of international standards for
geospatial interoperability

Organization for the Advancement of The Standards Development Organization https://www.oasis-open.org/org

Structured Information Systems with primary responsibility for developing
(OASIS) Open XML Standards for information
exchange.

Object Management Group The Object Management Group (OMG®) is

http://www.omg.org/
(OMG) an international, open membership, not-for-
profit computer industry standards
consortium. Founded in 1989, OMG
standards are driven by vendors, end-users,
academic institutions and government
agencies. OMG Task Forces develop
enterprise integration standards for a wide
range of technologies and an even wider
range of industries. OMG’s modeling
standards, including the Unified Modeling
Language (UML) and Model Driven
Architecture (MDA), Business Process
Management Notation (BPMN) is the
foundation for NBIM’s Information Delivery
Manual (IDM).

OSCRE Real Property Standards The Opens Standards Consortium for Real
Estate through their committee process http://www.oscre.org/
have developed property standards for the
real property industry that have a direct
bearing on the organizational structure of
BIM.

Pankow Foundation (NIBS/Fiatech – Pankow Foundation funds several http://www.pankowfoundation.org/

Architectural Precast Concrete Studies) buildingSMART alliance® grants to define
the data exchange requirements and
workflow scenarios for exchanges between
architect and precast contractor, for
architectural and structural precast
concrete.

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ORGANIZATION ROLE IN BIM DOMAIN SOURCE

(ABBREVIATION or ACRONYM)

United States Green Building A non-profit U.S. based organization http://www,usgbc.org

Council dedicated to sustainable building design and
(USGBC) construction that are the developers of the
LEED building rating system.

World Wide Web Consortium The central international standards http://www.w3.org/Consortium/

W3C organization for the World Wide Web, also
abbreviated WWW or W3.

BIM Task Force Group – UK A consortium of AECOO practitioners, http://www.bimtaskgroup.org/pas-1192-

academics, and consultants funded by the 22012/
UK Government to develop guidance
documents for the 2016 requirements that
all bidders for UK central government
contracts achieve at least a “Level 2” BIM
Competency. See the PAS 1192-2- 2013
document as a set of diagrams and
specifications that could impact US
Multinational organizations and future US –
UK Harmonization requirements.

END of ORGANIZATIONS

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3.4.4 XML and digital formats

XML and DIGITAL FORMAT

DEFINITION SOURCE
(ABBREVIATION or ACRONYM)

Association of General Contractor's schema. http://agcxml.org/background/

Associated General Contractors xml A suite of XML schemas for exchanging
(AGCxml) construction project information between
software applications used by facility owners
and AEC firms.

Automating Equipment Information A common mechanism for designers and http://www.cfixml.org/index.html

Exchange manufacturers using varied software
(AEX) applications to exchange data required to
engineer, manufacture and install equipment
ranging from fans, pumps, valves, heat
exchangers and pressure vessels. AEX XML
specifications are used to automate
information exchange among various
software systems that support capital facility
equipment engineering, procurement,
construction, and operations and
maintenance work processes. XML is a
computer language designed to transport
and store data.

Architects, Engineers and Contractors A data representation standard designed by Adapted from NBIMS-US™ V1 see:
Extensible Markup Language) buildingSMART alliance® for all the non- http://www.agc.org/cs/industry_topics/tech
(aecXML graphic data involved in the construction nology/agc_xm l for NIBS involvement
industries. This information may be and http://agcxml.org/ for the standard.
resources such as projects, documents,
materials, parts, organizations,
professionals, or activities such as
proposals, design, estimating, scheduling
and construction. GC recently engaged the
Burger Consulting Group to lead the charge
of taking the agcXML to the next step.
Building Automation and Control BACnet is a data communication protocol
Networks (See http://www.bacnet.org developed by ASHRAE to standardize 2013, BACnet International
/) communications between
(BACnet) building automation devices from different
manufacturers, allowing data tobe shared
and equipment to work together easily. This
is accomplished using an object-oriented
approach for representing all information
within each controller. BACnet uses any
combination of five types of local area
network or LAN technology for transporting
BACnet application messages. See
LonWorks (http://www.lonmark.org/ ) and
oBIX (http://www.obix.org/ ).

Building Information Modeling XML a http://bimxml.org/

bimXML
complimentary approach to IFC.

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XML and DIGITAL FORMAT

DEFINITION SOURCE
(ABBREVIATION or ACRONYM)

BPEL (Business Process Execution

Business Process Execution Language Language) for Web services is an XML- https://www.oasis-
(BPEL) based language designed to enable task- open.org/committees/bpel4people/
sharing for a distributed computing or grid
computing environment - even across
multiple organizations - using a combination
of Web services.
Using BPEL, a programmer formally
describes a business process that will take
place across the Web in such a way that
any cooperating entity can perform one or
more steps in the process the same way.

Capital Facilities Industry Extensible Technical information shared among http://www.cfixml.org/index.html

Markup Language purchasers, suppliers and engineering
(cfXML) contractors throughout the supply chain for
the procurement and operations and
maintenance of engineering equipment and
plant. Electronic data exchange allows data
to be reliably transferred between
stakeholders without time consuming, costly
and potentially error prone manual
transcription of data. The cfiXML schema
solution provides a common language to
enable stakeholders to share this information
electronically

City Graphic Markup Language CityGML is a common information model and http://www.citygml.org/index.php?id=1523
CityXML XML- based encoding for the representation,
storage, and exchange of virtual 3D city and
landscape models. CityGML provides a
standard model and mechanism for
describing 3D objects with respect to their
geometry, topology, semantics and
appearance, and defines five different levels
of detail. Included are also generalization
hierarchies between thematic classes,
aggregations, relations between objects, and
spatial properties. CityGML is highly scalable
and datasets can include different urban
entities supporting the general trend toward
modeling not only individual buildings but
also whole sites, districts, cities, regions,
and countries.

Electronic Business Extensible Markup Electronic business using extensible markup NISTIR 7417 page 76
Language language is a modular suite of specifications
(ebXML) that enables enterprises to conduct business
over the Internet.

Electronic Business Extensible Markup Electronic Business Extensible Markup HTTP://www.w3.org/XML

Language Language
(ebXML) (ebXML)

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TERMS AND D E F I N I T I O N S - P a g e | 38

XML and DIGITAL FORMAT

DEFINITION SOURCE
(ABBREVIATION or ACRONYM)

Green Building XML An XML schema developed by Green http://gbxml.org/

(gbXML) Building Studio, Inc. to facilitate the transfer
of building information stored in CAD building
information models, enabling integrated
interoperability between building design
models and a wide variety of energy analysis
tools.
IFCxml xml which has been developed to map to the http://www.iai-
(IFCxml) IFC data model. international.org/Model/IFC(ifcXML)Specs.
html

OpenBuilding Information Xchange Standard for a web services protocol for https://www.oasis-
(oBIX) communication between building mechanical open.org/committees/tc_home.php?wg_a
and electrical systems and enterprise bbrev=obix
applications.
Developing as a project of the Organization
for the Advancement of Structured
Information Standards (OASIS)

XML Schema Definition A language for defining the structure or http://www.w3.org/XML/Schema

(XSD) Schema, of an XML encoding; its structure,
content, semantics, elements, attributes,
hierarchy, namespaces, data types, and
default or fixed values.

END of
XML and DIGITAL FORMATS

National BIM Standard – United States® Version 3

©2015 National Institute of Building Sciences buildingSMART alliance®. All rights reserved.