Linking BrIM to BMS for bridges – Recommendations for integration into existing bridge management practice.

Bridge Information Model (BrIM) is nowadays still being understood as 3D geometric model only and its benefit mainly in replacing drawings as main deliverable in new bridge projects. Many bridge owners across the world anticipate that the value of BrIM is in the entire process, so it could be used throughout the structure's entire life cycle, from the initial design to being recycled at the end of its lifespan. Operation and maintenance data is currently collected in various forms and stored in different repositories as part of a Bridge Management Systems (BMS). To optimize maintenance of the individual structural asset and manage the portfolio, it is beneficial if BrIM and BMS are linked such that information can be exchanged seamlessly, also for existing structures that currently do not have a BrIM model. In our vision, the establishment of a universally accepted standardized framework for data exchange between disparate systems empowers bridge owners. This paper analyses the 28 responses collected from bridge authorities from 15 different countries across five continents and shows that bridge managers recognize the potential of BrIM to enhance their operations, the path to widespread adoption requires addressing data standardization, improving visualization tools, and ensuring compatibility with existing management systems.