CEN/TC 442/WG 4 - Support Data Dictionaries

This document addresses syntactic and semantic interoperability for information describing assets going through their life cycle in the built environment. It assumes the underlying technical interoperability provided already by the Internet/World Wide Web (WWW) technology-stack. The syntactic aspects relate to the Linked Data (LD)/Semantic Web (SW) formats and the SPARQL direct access method provided. The semantic aspects relate to the LD/SW-based information models in the form of thesauri and ontologies giving meaning to the information.
The following information architecture (Figure 1) applies.
This document specifies:
- a conceptual "L1: Information language" with four RDF-based language bindings being SKOS, RDFS, OWL and SHACL, including:
- a choice of 'linked data'/RDF-based formats (to be used for all modelling and language levels); and
- a generic Top Level Information Model of a total "M1: Information model", here "an upper ontology", including:
- a set of generic information modelling patterns for identification, annotation, enumeration datatypes, complex quality/quantity modelling, decomposition and grouping.
This modelling approach for information models and information sets is relevant within the built environment from multiple perspectives such as:
- Building information modelling (BIM);
- Geographical information systems (GIS);
- Systems engineering (SE);
- Monitoring & control (M&C); and
- Electronic document management (EDM).
Annex E discusses in an informative way how the information models and sets relevant for these different worlds can be linked together using LD/SW technology.
This document does not specify a full meta-'information model', sometimes referred to as a 'Knowledge Model (KM)'. EN ISO 12006-3 provides such an often used model for the built environment. In Annex D, Subclause D.3 it is shown how this existing model can be made compliant to this document. The only direct support for this meta level comes in the form of the possibility to define 'types' (enumeration types or concept types) and 'objectifications' as metaconcepts.
This document does not specify a meta-'information language' since this is already provided by the concrete RDF-based language bindings (being RDFS).
The scope of this document in general excludes the following:
- Business process modelling;
- Software implementation aspects;
- Information packaging and transportation/transaction aspects already handled by ISO TC59/SC13 Information container for linked document delivery (ICDD) ([13]) respectively various information delivery manual (IDM) / information exchange requirements (EIR)-related initiatives; and
- Domain-specific (here: 'built environment'-specific) content modelling in the form of concepts, attributes and relations at end-user level (the actual ontologies themselves) beyond a generic top level information model ('upper ontology') and modelling and linking patterns.

This document sets out the principles and structure for data templates for construction objects. It is developed to support digital processes using machine-readable formats using a standard data structure to exchange information about any type of construction object, e.g. product, system, assembly, space, building etc., used in the inception, brief, design, production, operation and demolition of facilities.
This document provides the specification of a taxonomy model that defines concepts from ISO 12006-3:2007, i.e. objects, collections and relationships between them, to support the information need for the specific purpose of the data template.
This document provides an EXPRESS specification with extensions of the EXPRESS-G notation and specification from ISO 12006-3:2007. These extensions have been provided to support market needs developed since the publication of ISO 12006-3 in 2007.
This document provides the rules for linking between data templates and IFC classes within a data dictionary based on ISO 12006-3:2007.
This document provides the rules for linking between data templates and classification systems within a data dictionary based on ISO 12006-3:2007.
The target audience of this document is software developers and not construction industry domain experts appointed to create data templates based on sources describing information needs.
It is not in the scope of this document to provide the content of any data templates. The data structure provided is intended to be used for developing specific data templates based on standards developed in ISO/IEC, CEN/CENELEC, national standardization organizations, or other sources describing information needs.

This document establishes the rules for defining properties used in construction and a methodology for authoring and maintaining them, for a confident and seamless digital share among stakeholders following a BIM process.
Regarding the definition of properties and groups of properties, this document provides:
—     definitions of properties and groups of properties as a list of attributes;
—     definitions of all the provided attributes.
Regarding the authoring and maintaining process, this document provides:
—     definitions and roles of applicants;
—     definitions and roles of experts and the commission of experts;
—     definitions of request's attributes;
—     definitions of expert's attributes;
—     requirements to establish the management rules to interconnect data dictionaries through the mapping process for properties and groups of properties.
To apply the methodology of this document, it is presupposed that the following are in place:
—     an established governance model for a data dictionary;
—     a framework for a network of data dictionaries.
It is not in the scope of this document to provide the content of the interconnected data dictionaries.

The focus of ISO 16757 is the support of manufacturers to provide their product data in electronic product catalogues. The standard - ISO 16757 Part 4: Dictionaries for product catalogues – describes which data structures are required in a dictionary to support the exchange of product data from manufacturers to designers of building services systems.
Basis for this specification are the standards ISO 12006-3 and ISO 23386.
In the scope of this standard are the following elements:
-   The definition of roles of ISO 12006-3 subjects that are needed to describe the concepts used in current product catalogue dictionaries. These roles include the following:
o   Product classes to represent product groups with similar property sets
o   Blocks that represent reusable and multiply used set of properties
o   System classes that represent the systems into which a product may be installed and provide the system properties which determine the values of dependent product properties
o   Port classes that allow the product independent description of different kinds of ports which can be used for the definition of product classes or blocks
o   Catalogue classes that describe the meta data of a catalogue
o   Tagging classes that allow the tagging of properties to distinguish property roles in the product description
-   A requirement model capturing the necessary structures to describe these roles
-   A mapping to the dictionary model of ISO 12006-3.

This document, EN 17632-2, provides semantic modelling patterns for (at least) the following asset aspects:
•   Support for distinction between spatial regions and real (“tangible”) objects; the latter being discrete or continuous (“bulk matter”);
•   Support for the materialization of physical objects, adding generic chemistry aspects directly relevant for the built environment dealing with concrete, steel and asphalt;
•   Support for the interaction between objects including connections, interfaces and ports (parts of objects where such interaction can take place). Interaction being defined as activities where material, information, energy/forces are transferred;
•   Support for the definition of requirements, unstructured and structured, coming from client needs, laws and regulations or sector recommendations;
•   Support for implicit groups having no explicit members (to model situations like “all main girders of some steel bridge”);
•   Support for the explicit modelling of measurements reusing the existing W3C Semantic Sensor Network (SSN)/Sensor, Observation, Sample, and Actuator (SOSA) ontology, incl. extended QUDT support.
•   Support for geospatial geometry (GeoSPARQL/wgs84)
These patterns are currently inspired by NEN 2660-2 (that is itself finalized and tested in practice in parallel). These modelling patterns can all be positioned in the global modelling framework already provided in the form of the top level taxonomy by Part 1.
Some of the information needs might be resolved by extending existing language level constructs. Finally there is a lot of ‘pattern potential’ under ‘Discrete Object’  and ‘Spatial Region’ in the built environment (road network, tunnel, bridge, road, building, installations). Care will be taken not to cross existing standards boundaries (like for open BIM and GIS).

This document provides a methodology and process to create data templates for construction products that are covered by harmonized technical specifications (harmonized product standards (hEN) and European Assessment Documents (EAD)), under Regulation (EU) No 305/2011 - the Construction Products Regulation (CPR).