ISO 19650-4:2022 – International Standard for BIM Information Exchange
ISO 19650-4:2022 is the first edition of the international standard governing the organization and digitization of information for buildings and civil engineering works, specifically focused on Information exchange. Issued by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and developed by Technical Committee ISO/TC 59, this document provides the explicit process and criteria for decision-making when executing an information exchange. It operates within the broader ISO 19650 series, supplementing the general principles found in ISO 19650-1 and the management requirements of ISO 19650-2 (delivery phase) and ISO 19650-3 (operational phase).
The standard's regulatory scope encompasses assets of all sizes and complexity levels, including building portfolios, campuses, infrastructure networks, and individual pieces of infrastructure. It defines the detailed implementation of information containers, which must possess persistent identifiers, metadata for retrieval within a Common Data Environment (CDE), and systematic archiving. The document establishes a framework for quality assurance and quality control, ensuring that information delivery does not limit future use while supporting the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Professional users, including architects and lead appointed parties, utilize this standard to manage the transition of data between the work in progress (WIP), shared, and published states. It outlines specific roles such as the information provider, information receiver, and information reviewer, providing a structured approach to identifying and mitigating risks through change actions.
Process Steps and Information States
The information exchange process involves several distinct steps and states to ensure the reliability and repeatability of data production. These are summarized as follows:
- Mobilization and Testing: Execution of methods to ensure the flow of information prior to finalizing requirements and exchanging deliverables.
- Work in Progress (WIP): The initial stage where information providers produce information containers using shared or published resources as background data.
- Shared State: A collaborative state where information is reviewed against specific criteria before being approved for broader use within the project team.
- Published State: The state used for key decisions, completion of delivery stages, or operational trigger events.
Decisions on Change of State
The standard specifies two primary decision points that govern how information transitions through the management process. These decisions require the application of structured criteria to ensure compliance with the Exchange Information Requirements (EIR).
- Decision A: approve for sharing: The information provider reviews the information container prior to granting approval for it to transition into the shared state.
- Decision B: authorize and accept for publication: The information receiver reviews the container to either reject or authorize it for the published state, often involving a two-step process by the lead appointed party and the appointing party.
- Change Actions: Procedures for identifying, allocating, and implementing necessary revisions when issues or risks are detected during the review process.
Criteria for Reviewing an Information Exchange
To ensure the quality of the resulting Project Information Model (PIM) or Asset Information Model (AIM), the information reviewer must evaluate exchanges against five core criteria defined in Clause 7.
- Conformance: Checking the information container against the chosen exchange schema (e.g., Industry Foundation Classes or IFC) and data formats.
- Continuity: Ensuring content is consistent with previous versions, status changes, and geospatial co-location (geo-location and site location).
- Communication: Verifying that data can be stored without degradation or loss caused by translation or conversion, including units of measure and character sets.
- Consistency: Checking for the absence of duplication, spatial conflicts, or contradictions in attributes and properties.
- Completeness: Confirming the presence and adequacy of information against the level of information need specified by the EIR.
Open Schemas and Data Format Standards
Annex A provides an informative list of open schemas and formats that enable interoperability across different software platforms. The standard encourages the use of these open formats to prevent disadvantage to information receivers.
- Open Schemas: Examples include IFC (ISO 16739-1), GML (ISO 19136), and Posc/Cesar (ISO 15926).
- Industry Formats: References to COBie for asset equipment handover, CFIHOS for plant handover, and Oscre for property transactions.
- Open Data Formats: Support for PDF (ISO 19005), Open Document Format (ISO/IEC 26300), and SQL (ISO 9075-1).
- BCF: The Building Collaboration Format is recognized as the industry consensus for identifying and communicating issues.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary purpose of ISO 19650-4?
It specifies the detailed process and criteria for decision-making during an information exchange to ensure the quality of project and asset information models.
Which building types does this standard apply to?
It is applicable to assets of all sizes and complexities, including portfolios, campuses, infrastructure networks, and individual buildings.
What are the requirements for an information container?
An information container must have a persistent identifier, metadata for CDE retrieval, and be made persistent through revisioning and systematic archiving.
What is the difference between Decision A and Decision B?
Decision A is the approval for sharing information within the project team, while Decision B is the authorization and acceptance of information into the published state.
Which schema is recommended for building data exchange?
The standard references IFC (ISO 16739-1) as an example of an open schema for enabling interoperability.
What is the role of an information reviewer?
The information reviewer is the actor responsible for reviewing the information and its container against criteria like conformance, continuity, and completeness before approval.
How should issues detected during an exchange be handled?
Detected issues require change actions, which involve identifying risks, allocating them for revision, and implementing necessary changes in the work in progress state.
Does ISO 19650-4 allow the use of proprietary data formats?
Yes, provided they do not disadvantage the immediate or future needs of any information receivers.
