Ontology-Based Feature Modeling for Construction Information Extraction from a Building Information Model

A building information model (BIM) provides a rich representation of a building's design. However, there are many challenges in receiving construction-specific information from a BIM, limiting the usability of BIMs for construction and other downstream processes. This paper describes a novel approach that utilizes ontology-based feature modeling, automatic feature extraction based on a well-established AEC XML standard schema, and query processing to extract information relevant to construction practitioners from a given BIM. The feature ontology generically represents construction-specific information that is useful for a broad range of construction management functions. The software prototype uses the ontology to transform the designer-focused BIM into a construction-specific feature-based model (FBM). The formal query methods operate on the FBM to further help construction users to quickly extract the necessary information from a BIM. The tests demonstrate that this approach provides a richer representation of construction-specific information than existing BIM tools. (C) 2013 American Society of Civil Engineers.