COBie data
It’s hard to find a BIM manager who’s never heard of COBie data. But only a few of them know what it stands for and how it’s connected to BIM.
Description
- C – construction;
- O – operations;
- B – building;
- I – information;
- E – exchange.
It’s a standard set on the international level that stands for building data exchange. It’s used within the product information handover from constructors to the operational team members.
COBie specifications represent the industry experience, but they don’t consist of the information concerning the project handover itself. This part is under the responsibility of the project holder.
Key Principles
COBie is a good basis for transferring construction document information into an online form. Basically, COBie is aimed to exchange traditional templates and point decisions for more digitalized building data for optimized management.
Thus, COBie is based on the following principles:
- Classification. COBie is fully streamlined in a system of classification, but a certain system is not pointed out. It’s up to the project holder which system is used. The classification system provides a great help in information navigation. It significantly simplifies its processing.
- Information model. COBie and BIM are aligned and closely connected. Building digital information models means that COBie contains the most successful practical experience. Thus, the interaction with other design and construction tools becomes much simpler.
- Format. COBie data can be delivered in a few different formats. For example, a COBie spreadsheet that makes it possible for an open BIM to take part in a workload with no necessity to know any specific information.
Structural Model of COBie Data
As it was mentioned above, COBie is based on a smart building information model. It covers three areas:
- design;
- construction;
- general.
The design part covers the most essential details about the structural parts:
- the central part of registered assets;
- types (the category of the product);
- spaces (rooming);
- segments (space groups);
- the building facilities;
- equipment (floors, systems).
The construction part describes the job, means and resources, and extra components. Basically, it’s devoted to collecting of non-standard information from such documents as the guidelines, manuals, lists of spares.
The general items are devoted to data that can be linked to every single item from alternative lists. For example:
- contacts of project parties;
- documentation regarding the equipment delivery;
- way of tagging customer’s data to an item of any type (attributes);
- classification.
Conclusion
COBie has developed around 10 years ago. It shows the great results in describing and defining construction elements. A COBie spreadsheet (data) contains a certain number of sheets listing space and building parts, floors, and other object features. Such spreadsheets answer two key questions:
- where;
- what.
PMTech services can simplify processing and delivery of COBie data in accordance to your demands. We know how to work with it because we are a team of skillful specialists working with quality technical means. We’ll get the necessary data, create the graphical model on its basis, and provide you with final content for your project.