APPENDIX E

Building Information Modeling Data Drop Reviews

Data drops are milestones within building information modeling (BIM) development or points during a project where data is extracted from the model and is delivered to some waiting party. That party could be the project “owner,” various members of the design team (e.g., architect, mechanical engineer), or the contractor, as examples. Data drops are intended to represent information (the data) provided from one entity to another. Typically, data drops align with the project phases, as illustrated in the provided flow charts. Data drops also allow these parties an opportunity to review the model for design intent and compliance or accuracy.

Reviews of Data Drops 1 and 2 are similar and are presented as a single process. The distinction would be with timing aligned with the completion of the design phase and the start of construction, respectively.

The data drop reviews illustrated in Figure E-1 begin when the “Design or Construction Package is Received.”

• Data Drop 1: package inclusive of a design model with certain specified element attributes populated.
• Data Drop 2: package inclusive of a construction model with additional element attributes populated.

Upon receipt, two parallel reviews may take place. In the review called “QC of the Model Per Phase Standards,” the BIM is reviewed for agreement with the project-specified BIM standards. Some examples of items that might be checked include the presence of specific parameters in the file, non-duplication of parameters, consistency with level standards, the appropriate use of types/families, and adherence to published best practices for BIM. This model review can be done manually or automatically, using configured model checkers.

In the review called “QC of the Asset Data Per Phase Standards,” the element parameters representing asset attributes are reviewed for agreement with the project-specified data standards. Some items that might be checked include the mark/ID population, description, assembly code/classification, and room/space parameters. Reviews should include checking for a value’s presence and adherence to specified value lists or population rules.

After these reviews have been executed, the next step is to “Publish an Assessment Report with Remediations” and provide the report to the BIM owner/author. This report should identify the defects in the model and data in relation to the project standards as well as provide information on how to remediate the issues. The model owner/author will then “Update the BIM Model” to address the identified defects. These updates would occur in the phase-appropriate model, either the design or construction model, depending on the project’s current phase.

To ensure that these updates occur, airports should confirm that their contracts and project execution plans specify that this deliverable is a requirement for specific milestone fees and align these reviews with larger deliverables like design and construction package submittals.

The last step of the data drop review process is “(Test) Load Data and Model into Enterprise Asset Register.” The asset register used in this step should be a sandbox or development version of the organization’s asset register. The purpose of using this development version of the register is two-fold. First, it provides practical verification that the BIM and data are being constructed and provided in a way that will integrate into the airport’s enterprise infrastructure or highlights any issues in that regard. Second, it provides a way for stakeholders/users to start reviewing the data in a context that is meaningful to them (i.e., in the systems they use every day).

The field data verification and collection activities (see Figure E-2) can begin as the project is being constructed or after the equipment is installed. This activity is most efficiently performed either by the construction team as they are installing the equipment or by a commissioning agent. The contractor should be given the ability to determine the most efficient timing and method for performing the project-specific activities. Regardless of who performs these activities, they should be governed by data specifications and procedures to ensure the expected results.

During field data verification, three separate tasks should be performed, although they do not need to be performed together or in any specific sequence. The responsible party should be given some autonomy to determine the most efficient and effective way to perform these tasks to achieve the specified output. These tasks include the following:

• Field Verify Model and Asset Data. The elements from BIM identified as “assets” should be located and have the phase-specified parameters verified (i.e., Does the asset exist? Is it in the right place? Is the nameplate data correct?). Some additional data collection may be specified for this activity including serial number, installation date, and photos.
• Apply Asset Labels and Capture Unique ID. It is a widespread best practice to affix a physical, organization-specific ID to anything being tracked as an asset to indicate ownership and make it clear that the item is considered an asset. Such labels can be used to easily identify the asset in an enterprise tracking system. Typically, this label is in the form of a barcode or QR code to allow it to be scanned with mobile capability. The responsible party places a label with a unique ID onto the asset and then captures the assigned ID on the asset record from the BIM model or data set. This creates a direct relationship between the physical label and the digital asset data. This task is most often carried out in conjunction with the “Field Verify Model and

• Asset Data” task and is most efficiently performed during installation before assets get covered by walls and ceilings or otherwise become difficult to access.
• Collect and Attach Product Data Submittals, Warranties, and O&Ms. During a capital project, a considerable number of documents are created, compiled, and acquired that can provide valuable information to airport staff during the operation and maintenance (O&M) of the asset across its lifecycle. If these documents are collected, organized, and linked to the asset records, it becomes much easier to ensure that this valuable data does not get lost as the project is handed over to the airport. Many data interoperability standards and tools, as well as downstream enterprise applications, support the exporting, loading, and linking of these documents to the asset record.

Regardless of the method utilized to collect this data, the last step is to “Update the Construction BIM Model to As-Built Data.” This simply means ensuring that the BIM is uploaded into or is in some fashion linked to the master data set, the construction model.

Because large capital programs are typically handed over to the airport in phases, as various parts of the program are completed, the verified as-built data is likely to be submitted by the construction team in a similar, staggered fashion, but not necessarily. Contract language specifies how project closeout deliverables are provided. Keep this in mind as you develop processes and procedures, as well as capital project contracts with asset information handover requirements clauses.

The “Data Drop 3—As-Built Package” reviews, as shown in Figure E-3, are executed in alignment with the contract requirements, but these reviews could occur on an individual discipline-level, as the BIM becomes available. The expectation is that the BIM being reviewed is no longer changing as the equipment and structures it depicts have been installed, field verified, and possibly even commissioned.

Three parallel reviews may take place, but not necessarily in any particular sequence:

• QC of the Model Per Phase Standards. This is a review for agreement with the project-specified model standards. Some examples of items that might be checked include the presence of specific parameters in the file, non-duplication of parameters, consistency with level standards, the appropriate use of types/families, and adherence to published best practices for BIM. This BIM reflects the as-built conditions, so the check may also include a review of tolerances on the geometry per project standards. This model review can be done manually or automatically using configured model checkers.
• QC of the Asset Data Per Phase Standards. This is a review of the element parameters representing asset attributes for agreement with the project-specified data standards. Some items that might be checked include the mark/ID population, description, assembly code/classification, and room/space parameters. The BIM reflects as-built conditions, so this review should include a review of the organization (unique) ID, install date, room/space parameters, and a check for a value’s presence and adherence to specified value lists or population rules.
• QC of the Asset Attachments Per Phase Standards: The compiled attachments should be reviewed for agreement with the project-specified, attached document standards. Some examples of items that might be checked include the presence of product data submittals, wiring diagrams, shop drawings, warranty coverage, and O&M manuals. The project execution plan should define, by asset type, the expected types of attachments and should be confirmed with the Division 01 project closeout specifications section. The review should also ensure that the attached document is the correct and appropriate document for the asset.

After these three reviews have been executed, the next step shown in Figure E-3 is to “Publish an Assessment Report with Remediations.” The assessment report is for the model owner/author and should identify defects in the model and data in relation to the project standards as well as provide information on how to remediate the issues. The model owner/author should then “Update the Construction BIM Model” to address the identified defects. These updates would occur in the construction model, which should now reflect as-built conditions. To ensure that these updates occur, airport staff should specify in their contracts that this deliverable is a requirement for specific milestone fees and align these reviews with larger deliverables like design and construction package submittals.

As the construction BIM is reviewed and verified to meet project standards, the next key data management activity is to create a BIM for facility management (FM). The “Create the BIM for FM Package” activity is illustrated in Figure E-4. This activity starts when an as-built construction BIM has been received and passes all quality control checks. The objective of this activity is to optimize the BIM for downstream O&M systems and processes.

The first task step, “Convert Construction Model to FM Model,” involves copying the construction BIM and then stripping it of all components unnecessary for its use in support of operating and maintaining the constructed assets. Some examples of these components include extraneous levels, elements, notations, linked models, and linked drawings that were added solely for the support of design and construction coordination and serve no functional purpose to O&M. The reason for removing these elements is to make the resulting model easier to integrate and navigate, as well as improve performance by reducing the complexity of the model and its file size. Once the FM model is created, the next step is “QC FM Model Per Phase Standards.” During this quality control review, the model itself is reviewed for agreement with the project-specified FM model standards. Examples of checks that could occur in this step include ensuring that extraneous components have been removed and that critical components have not been removed. This model review can be done manually or automatically using configured model checkers.

The next step is to “Publish Assessment Report with Remediations.” This report should be provided to the model owner/author, should identify the defects in the model and data in relation to the project standards, and include information on how to remediate the issues. The model owner/author should then “Update the BIM for FM Model” to address the identified defects. These updates would occur in the FM model. To ensure that these updates occur, airport staff should confirm that the contract language regarding this deliverable makes it a requirement for receipt of specific milestone fees and align these reviews with larger deliverables like commissioning package submittals.

The final key data management activity in the overall capital project life cycle is to “Load Data into Enterprise Asset Register” (see Figure E-5).

An enterprise asset register will mean different things to different organizations. It could be a common data environment (CDE) data lake that supports all of an organization’s enterprise systems, a specific enterprise application assigned as the asset register (like an EAM or GIS system), or simply a file repository of spreadsheets and documents that contain all the compiled asset data. The specifics and complexity of loading data into the enterprise asset register will depend on your organization’s IT infrastructure and portfolio of systems.

While the activity illustrated in Figure E-5 must be performed near the end of a capital project to integrate the final as-built collection of data, it can also be run as a test in earlier phases if your airport has an IT infrastructure to support that. If this is possible, it is highly recommended. Discovering potential data quality and data load issues earlier in the project allows them to be addressed more easily. This process begins when a QC-reviewed BIM or asset data package is published at or near the end of a project phase. Upon receipt, three parallel sets of activities may take place.

One of these activities, although not necessarily first in the sequence, is “Export Asset Data Set.” This activity is to extract or copy the asset data from the format in which it was delivered to a format that can be manipulated for loading into the airport’s downstream systems. This activity can be simple, unnecessary, or complicated depending on how well the delivery format specified for the project aligns with the format required for loading into the airport’s asset register. For example, if the data is provided in an Autodesk Revit model, exporting the asset data set may consist of exporting from Revit into a COBie (Construction Operations Building Information Exchange) format using a standard plug-in. When the data is in a workable format for loading, the next step is to “Prepare Asset Data for Load.” The complexity of this activity depends on how closely aligned the data standards specified for the project are to the data standards required by the airport’s asset register. This activity may include normalizing the asset classifications and descriptions of asset records to the asset classifications and descriptions required by the asset register if the project did not specify that the classification set be used. The output of this sequence of steps will be a file that is directly loadable into the asset register.

The second parallel set of activities starts with “Export Attached Documents,” which would only be done after Data Drop 3, as this is when attached documents would be expected to be available. This step consists of extracting the documents from wherever they were delivered by the contractor, which could be a file share location, a zip file, or even a document management system used for the project. The next dependent step is to “Stage Attached Documents in Upload/Storage Location.” The files need to be relocated to a place where they can be uploaded from or accessed by the asset register. The details of this step will be dependent on the airport’s configuration of the asset register.

When each of the previous two parallel sets of activities has been performed, the “Load Asset Data into Asset Register” step can be executed. This step will look quite different depending on