Bridging the Gap Between Tabular Information Requirements and the Information Delivery Specification (IDS)

Abstract

Building information modeling (BIM) relies on well-defined information requirements to ensure data availability, accurate data exchange, and model consistency. The information delivery specification (IDS) schema has emerged as a standard for structuring alphanumeric information requirements in a computer-interpretable manner. However, current practices primarily define these requirements as entity-based property lists in tabular form, which does not fully exploit the capabilities of the IDS. This research aims to bridge this gap by developing an extended tabular structure that aligns with the IDS while retaining the simplicity and familiarity of classic entity-based property lists. Starting from the way that entities and properties are defined in classical tabular form, the structure is flexibly extended to include definitions of attributes, classifications, materials, and relationships. The resulting table is not bound by a strict structure. The inclusion of the new functionality is optional, and its structure can be customized. In addition, keywords and symbols are introduced to allow the definition of complex restrictions on values. The concept is validated through case studies, including the openBIM building permit of the City of Vienna and the Austrian research project AIA4ALL, demonstrating improved precision in the definition of information requirements. The results show that this method facilitates a gradual transition to the adoption of full IDS functionality.