The aim of this project is to develop an international standard for the representation and exchange of electronic data relating to structural steel framed buildings.
No open standards for product information currently exist within the construction industry. Data exchange - where it does occur - is on an ad hoc basis using a variety of technologies. If this situation is to be improved, some form of integration needs to take place.
One possibility would be for everyone in the construction industry to begin using the same hardware and software. Such an approach would, however, stifle competition - and is, in any case, quite impractical. Firstly, the computing requirements in different sectors of construction are very different; and, secondly, those using IT in construction will tend, for good reasons, to take a conservative attitude when it comes to the consideration of new or alternative systems.
If IT users in construction are to continue using their present systems and to start exchanging and sharing data, software will be required which can translate between different systems. But, if there are n different applications in the construction industry, then (potentially) n(n-1) translators will be required in order to ensure comprehensive facilities for the interchange of data.
This is where standards for data exchange come in. The creation of a data format, which is internationally agreed, open, and vendor-neutral, will enable each IT user to exchange data across the industry; and each user will require a single translator in order to achieve this. Moreover, the creation of a data format which is product based - rather than based simply on geometrical data - will enable IT users in construction to exchange a full range of information relating to their activities.
The ISO and the development of Application Protocols
AP230 and the CIMsteel Integration Standards
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is a world-wide federation of national standards bodies (ISO member bodies). The work of preparing International Standards is carried out through ISO technical committees. Each member body interested in a subject for which a technical committee has been established has the right to be represented on that committee. International organizations, governmental and non-governmental, in liaison with the ISO, also take part in the work.
ISO 10303 is an international standard for the computer-interpretable representation and exchange of product data and is organized as a series of parts, each published separately. The parts of ISO 10303 fall into one of the following series: description methods, integrated resources, application integrated constructs, abstract test suites, implementation methods, conformance testing, and application protocols.
AP230 (ISO 10303 part 230) is an application protocol for the representation and exchange of information relating to structural steel frames. The computer applications to which it relates are those providing analysis, member design, connection design, and detailing functions for the designers and constructors of buildings.
It will take a number of years before AP230 is accepted by the ISO. During this period, AP230 will be extensively reviewed and appraised by interested parties, and will be incrementally modified to ensure compatibility with existing ISO parts. Because of the long time-scales implied by the development of de jure standards, the Computer Aided Engineering Group at the University of Leeds are pursuing a "twin track" approach: offering the industry an interim solution to data exchange now while providing firm foundations for the development of an ISO standard in the future. This interim solution is the CIMsteel Integration Standards or CIS.
The product model underlying AP230 is based closely on the product model underlying the CIMsteel Integration Standards (CIS) - which were the main deliverable of the Eureka 130 CIMsteel project. The CIMsteel project was aimed at improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the European constructional steelwork industry through the introduction of computer integrated manufacture (CIM). The CIS are ISO-aligned and it is envisaged that the "twin track" approach will provide a clear migration route from CIS to ISO based technology.
The CIMsteel Integration Standards were formally launched on the 28th September 1995 at the DTI in London. Now, software vendors such as ACECAD, QSE, Intergraph, and GoData are promising CIS compliant software by the end of 1996.
AP230 will (when complete) consist of a main AP230 document, an AP Issues log, an AP Validation Report, and an Abstract Test Suites report. These reports will be published, incrementally, on the web and in paper format.
This page is maintained by M A Ward
Last updated 19 April 1996