Interoperability

A Milestone in the Building Industry — Building Information + Facility Information + Geographic Information = BIG BIM Bang

WikiHouse is an open source construction set. It’s aim is to allow anyone to design, download, and ‘print’ CNC-milled houses and components, which can be assembled with minimal formal skill or training.

Interoperability: Definition

Interoperability is a property referring to the ability of diverse systems and organizations to work together…

Cost Analysis of Inadequate Interoperability in the U.S. Capital Facilities Industry

The report entitled “Cost Analysis of Inadequate Interoperability in the U.S. Capital Facilities Industry” was released by NIST in early August 2004. By comparing current business activities and costs related to inadequate interoperability — manual reentry of data, duplication of business functions, and the continued reliance on paper-based information management systems — with an ideal scenario in which electronic data exchange, management, and access would be fluid and seamless, the study quantified $15.8 billion in annual interoperability costs for the capital facilities industry, representing between 1-2% of the industry’s revenue.

It adds that this figure is, in fact, likely to be a conservative estimate, as there were additional significant inefficiency and lost opportunity costs related to interoperability that were beyond the scope of analysis of the study. Another interesting finding from the study was the breakdown of the interoperability cost estimate across the stakeholder group and by the lifecycle phase. ’’Owners and operators bore the highest share: $10.6 billion, about two-thirds of the total estimated costs.’’ Architects and engineers had the lowest interoperability costs at $1.2 billion, while the general contractors and specialty fabricators and suppliers bore the balance at $1.8 billion and $2.2 billion respectively. The breakdown according to lifecycle phase shows ’’the highest cost at the operations and maintenance phase, $9.1 billion’’, followed by the construction phase at $4.1 billion, and finally, the planning, design, and engineering phase at $2.6 billion. ‘Thus, the study shows that the greatest burden of inadequate interoperability is borne by the owners and operators during the ongoing operations and maintenance of a facility.’‘ The full study report can be downloaded from the NIST website.

Optimizing the Construction Process: An Implementation Strategy

AIA, AGC, and CURT Form Collaborative Group to Transform Design and Construction Industry