Data Transparency Tool: Enhancing Building Information Modelling to BEM Interoperability

Building information modelling (BIM) has been heralded as a process that incorporates data about a project from conception to demolition and allows clients, architects, contractors, facility managers and other stakeholders to access and use appropriate information as needed. However, in practice, the one inclusive model has been supplanted by numerous models that rely on the transfer of domain specific data. Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) and gbXML are two file formats that can be used for data transfer. However, when tested for transferring information between BIM and building energy modelling (BEM) software, in some cases, the exchange of data was not complete, accurate, or transparent to the user. A data transparency tool (DTT) was developed to report the completeness and accuracy of the data transfer for gbXML. The process of creating the tool was divided into three steps. First, gbXML enumerations were matched with a defined set of critical building variables that affect energy consumption. These variables were grouped under four main categories: program, form, fabric and equipment. Utilizing the gbXML schema, new XML schemes were mapped that matched the variable set. The results are then displayed in the DTT, which automatically analyse the populated data.