@phdthesis{Senthilvel:1003514,

title = {Linking and managing heterogeneous data using information 

 containers : leveraging linked data for BIM Stage 3 

 CDEs},

author = {Madhumitha Senthilvel},

url = {https://publications.rwth-aachen.de/record/1003514},

doi = {10.18154/RWTH-2025-01088},

year  = {2024},

date = {2024-01-01},

pages = {1 Online-Ressource : Illustrationen},

publisher = {RWTH Aachen University},

address = {Aachen},

school = {Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen},

abstract = {The construction industry is widely known to be extremely 

 fragmented: it involves multiparty, multidisciplinary teams 

 collaborating on the creation, and usage of fragmented, yet 

 interconnected data. These data are generated, stored and 

 processed in diverse tools. As a result, interoperability 

 issues between different tools have been a focal point of 

 research for more than three decades. The introduction of 

 BIM paved the way for improved information management and 

 enhanced information interoperability. Despite significant 

 progress, construction projects continue to face 

 consequential challenges in effectively managing the diverse 

 range of information. In particular, brownfield projects 

 such as the ones for energy retrofitting and renovation deal 

 with an extremely complex mix of legacy and new data that 

 are not always structured.Information interoperability and 

 management is one of the decisive factors which influence 

 the success of these projects. The availability of the right 

 information, at the right time significantly improves 

 overall collaboration and effective project management. 

 Despite extraordinary advances in data capture and 

 availability in the past two decades, projects struggle with 

 utilising them efficiently for decision-making. In typical 

 projects, infrastructure components are represented in 

 various formats, with varying levels of information, 

 depending on the use case for which they were created. While 

 advanced BIM-based paradigms such as Common Data 

 Environments have proved advantageous, there is a 

 significant gap in managing interconnected data in these 

 environments. Major challenges here include gaps in 

 consensus of standardised schema for non-IFC data and lack 

 of standardised vendor-neutral representation of meta-data 

 and interconnected information.In this research, three key 

 issues in managing interconnected information are addressed. 

 The first objective is to provide a formal representation of 

 informal relationships within heterogeneous data in 

 construction projects by utilizing Linked Data approaches. 

 This facilitates easy understanding and retrieval of 

 existing knowledge from various, disparate sources. 

 Furthermore, this research proposes the use of Information 

 Containers, which serve as the central repository for all 

 formalized knowledge throughout a project's lifecycle in a 

 Common Data Environment. These containers promote efficient 

 organization and management of interconnected data, making 

 it easily accessible to all stakeholders involved in the 

 project. The Information Containers are designed with a CDE 

 perspective, focusing on the functional elements of the 

 containers and their stored data. Lastly, to maintain data 

 quality and consistency, the proposed approach incorporates 

 SHACL rule language for validation. This ensures that all 

 data and interlinked relationships conform to predefined 

 standards and adhere to integrity constraints, thus 

 enhancing the overall reliability of the project's 

 information. By addressing these three key issues, this 

 research aims to improve the management of interconnected 

 information in AEC projects. Through the adaption of 

 existing models for Information Containers, and their 

 integration with the functional aspects of CDEs, it is 

 demostrated that heterogeneous interconnected data can be 

 efficiently managed in all phases in the construction 

 industry. Furthermore, by leveraging linked data principles, 

 the integration of the current document-centric practice 

 with the semantic, data-centric practice is demonstrated. 

 The results of this work can potentially push forward the 

 developments of Common Data Environments beyond their 

 current one-dimensional interoperability. Seamless 

 integration and exchange of data, regardless of how the data 

 is structured, has an enormous potential for practical use 

 cases from projects.},

note = {Veröffentlicht auf dem Publikationsserver der RWTH Aachen 

 University 2025; Dissertation, Rheinisch-Westfälische 

 Technische Hochschule Aachen, 2024},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {phdthesis}

}