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In the field of digitalisation of roads, the importance of Building Information Modelling / Management (BIM) can’t be underestimated. The BIM program of the Flemish Agency for Roads and Traffic aims to provide an answer to the digital collaboration in the infrastructure construction sector.
As a road manager, AWV is applying BIM for collaboration during the design and implementation of projects, and aims for the use of smart information models during further maintenance and operation. Better coordination of roadworks during the infrastructure life cycle will improve efficiency, safety and reduce customer journey disruption and environmental side effects.
BIM is a cornerstone in building a digital twin of our physical road infrastructure on the Core and Comprehensive TEN-T network. It will allow us to shift up a gear towards Cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems (C-ITS) and Cooperative and Connected Automated Mobility (CCAM).
Road digitalization ensures more efficient and therefore cheaper construction sites, but can also save a lot of money in the long term through more efficient maintenance. It is also a necessary source of information to be able to offer road users and input for C-ITS services.
The BIM program is a step to inventorying and digitising infrastructure, in order to obtain a digital twin of the physical infrastructure for data-driven asset management, and which will allow us to support CCAM applications. In this way we are building a safe, smooth and sustainable mobility of tomorrow.
The Building Information Management (BIM) project is a collaborative approach to construction project management that focuses on the creation, sharing, and use of digital models of buildings and infrastructure across the entire life cycle of the infrastructure assets.
Name of the organisation carrying out the project: Flemish government – Agency for Roads and Traffic.
Objectives
The primary objective of the BIM project is to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the entire construction process, from design to maintenance, by leveraging advanced technology and interdisciplinary teamwork.
As such, BIM is a cornerstone in building a digital twin of our physical road infrastructure.
Results expected
One of the key expected results of the BIM project is enhanced collaboration among the various stakeholders involved in the construction process. By sharing a single source of accurate and up-to-date information, architects, engineers, contractors and project managers can work together more effectively to avoid errors, reduce waste, and ensure that the project is completed on time and within budget.
Another expected result is efficiently collecting the available information across the entire life cycle of the infrastructure assets. By gathering that information once, as close to the source as possible, and exchanging it in a standardised way, we can make that uniform data available to those who need it at any time during the life cycle.
Project description
The task entailed the creation of the object type library (OTL) which is a semantic data standard (the same “language”): a description of the information needs for all physical assets. It maps out which objects can be built in Flanders, which definition they have, the properties and relationships in line with the standardisation bodies that describe the building regulations for the infrastructure in Flanders.
The DAVIE portal for contractors was officially launched. DAVIE is an application for Data Acceptance, Validation and Information Extraction. The data portal DAVIE ensures proper reception of the data and flow, conversion to a readable representation of the data in a digital twin database and application, which enables further data management and updates. We offer application users the opportunity to upload data, have it validated automatically against the OTL data standard, then have the content verified and flow to the digital twin database and application.
The OTL Subset Tool (OST) is available for creating custom subsets for a project. The tool allows to specify and define which OTL-compliant BIM data must be supplied to suit a project. The tool helps the road authority and contractors to define the information delivery specification specifically tailored to their project. Webinars explaining the operation and tools and helping contractors use them were organised.
Implementation schedule
The Building Information Management task within the Meridian project was completed at the end of 2022.