Keywords: interoperability, open platforms, application protocols, electronic data exchange, standards, STEP.

Despite the available technology and standards, one of the difficulties with which construction sector's enterprises are faced, in managing and in advancing in the business market, is the lack of interoperability. The endless number of different information models, available platforms and possibilities for interconnection between systems and applications [1], has driven companies to a messy scenario. This problem is internally recognized by the companies when automatic data exchange between applications in electronic format is requested (e.g. between heterogeneous applications like CAD to cost estimation) and externally when enterprises have business relationships with new partners (e.g. between applications of the same type CAD to CAD).

The ideal situation is one where all applications could easily be integrated, regardless of the platforms in use, as if all platforms were the same, interoperating in flexible enterprise environments. This leads to an open platform able to support and share the virtual building as a product model described in such an extent that it serves as the basis for the completed building life cycle. This model building will allow better precision in product definition (i.e. better co-ordination between design results from different disciplines), more effective project management (i.e. better planning and control as it is based on current and complete information) as well as significant savings (e.g. automatic compilation of bills of materials in digital form as data to cost estimation; automatically generated data for climate and energy simulation) [2].

This paper addresses the vision that, in the near future enterprises will be able to seamlessly interoperate with each other through reorganization of existent standard application protocols and the use of open platforms. After introducing the industrial situation and actual needs with respect to interoperability of computational systems and applications, it underlines the importance of adapting existing standards for data exchange [3,4] and then refers to the internal structure of a standard data access interface and its functions [5,6]. The paper concludes proposing a global architecture for the translator to assist in establishing flexible and configurable civil engineering enterprise environments, reusing the available technologies and adopting the suitable standards for data exchange.

1

Ducroux, F., "The IT Integration Supporting the Extended Enterprise", Proceedings of ICE'99, International Conference on Concurrent Enterprising, The Hague, The Netherlands, Nottingham: University of Nottingham, ISBN 0 9519759 86, 137-145, 1999

2

Tarandi, V., "Editorial: IFC - Product Models for the AEC Arena", ITcon Vol. 8, 2003.

3

ISO 10303 Standard for the Exchange of Product Data (STEP), ISO TC184/SC4, Part 1, Overview and Fundamentals Principles, International Organization for Standardization

4

IAI/IFC, International Alliance for Interoperability, Industrial Foundation Classes, http://www.iai.org.uk

5

Jardim-Gonçalves, R., "A Framework for Multilevel Standard Protocols and Interoperability", PhD Thesis, FCT, Lisbon 2004

6

Jardim-Gonçalves, R., Steiger-Garção, A., "Agile Manufacturing: 21st Century Manufacturing Strategy", Chapter 48: Putting the pieces together using standards. Elsevier Science Publishers, pp. 735-757, ISBN: 0-08-043567-X, 2001

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