BuildingSMART Data Dictionary (bSDD)

As they design and construct buildings, professionals need to work interoperably with each other. But how does a software application talk to a product database? How can a designer be sure that the engineers understand the attributes attached to his design? How can design standards from overseas be incorporated?

The buildingSMART Data Dictionary is the mechanism that enables this to happen. It creates a catalogue of what objects are called (the ‘vocabulary’) and brings together disparate sets of data into a common view of the construction project or asset, whether information from a product manufacturer, typical room requirements, cost data or environmental data.  It can also cope with different languages.

The Data Dictionary is based on a concept developed by the standards organisation ISO, notably in ISO 12006-3: 2007 (Building construction: Organization of information about construction works, Part 3: Framework for object-oriented information). Thanks to the Dictionary, an open BIM model can be linked to data from many sources, improving interoperability and paving the way for analysis and design checks at an early stage of the project.

Visit http://www.ifd-library.org for more information.