Introduction


The ISO 19650 international series of standards looks at information management using building information modelling. 


Information quality with respect to classification and codes to indicate the status and revision of each published specification is core to these standards:

  • Classification – specification sections and systems are classified according to the national standard in each country.

  • Revision code – the revision code for each published specification should be to an agreed standard.

  • Status code - a status code system should be agreed upon to indicate the permitted use of the published specification.

Moreover, each published specification should have a unique, human-readable ID created using an agreed-upon, documented convention consisting of fields separated by a delimiter. The 'Publication details' facilitates capturing this information according to the standard for a specific project, as illustrated in Figure 1.


Figure 1 - The Publication details window in NBS Chorus.

Figure 1 - The 'Publication details'.



When working to BS EN ISO 19650-2

The BS EN ISO 19650-2 standard includes a National Annex that expands on the basic requirements for those working to UK standards and practices.


The screenshots below show how publication history may develop when following the UK BIM Framework guidance.


Figure 2 below shows that, using the Uniclass classification system, the information in the published specification will be structured according to the ISO 12006-2 framework. Consistency in the Suffix codes used (FCS for Floor covering systems, for example) can also help with ‘packaging’ similar systems.


Figure 2 - Uniclass classifications within the specification.

Figure 2 - Uniclass classifications within the specification.


Figure 3 below shows how a record of specifications published from the platform can be viewed in the Publish history tab. In this example, it is worth highlighting some of the fields that have been populated:

  • Number - A unique ID for the published specification that follows the BS EN ISO 19650 standard has been recorded here. The delimiters of the ID LAKR-HAM-43-XX-SP-A-00006 show that this is a specification (SP) from the architectural (A) practice Hamil Design (HAM) on the project Lakeside Restaurant (LAKR). When this PDF is uploaded to the common data environment, the data can be quickly seen by using this naming convention.
  • Status - The status S4, as defined in BS EN ISO 19650, indicates that this particular specification was published for stage approval.
  • Revision - The revision code of P02 shows that this publication is still provisional, and it also shows where it is in the sequence of publications.


Figure 3 - A Publish history showing unique ID, Status and Revision codes.

Figure 3 - A Publish history showing unique ID, Status and Revision codes.


Figure 4 demonstrates that with a consistent coding system, users can easily filter extensive lists of publications to find specific information. For instance, they can quickly identify all publications related to floor covering systems or those suitable for stage approval.


Figure 4 - Using the search filter to quickly find published specifications.

Figure 4 - Using the search filter to quickly find published specifications.


The UK BIM Framework website has extensive free-to-use guidance to support those working to this series of standards.