AEC/XML DATA Model for Equipment Manufacturers

*By David H. Horner, Civil Engineer*

*CADD/GIS Technology Center for Infrastructure, Facilities and
Environment*

** **

The Facility Maintenance and Operations Committee (FMOC) of the National
Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS) is collaborating with the U.S.
Navy, the National Institutes of Heath (NIH), and the CADD/GIS
Technology Center to promote and develop an eXtensible Markup Language
(XML)-based data format standard for equipment manufacturers. The final
goal is to provide a uniform data standard for defining building
equipment that can be directly integrated with any Computerized
Maintenance Management System (CMMS).

 

XML is the universal format for structured documents and data published
on the Web. XML is a set of rules, guidelines, and conventions for
designing text formats, in a way that produces Web-enabled files that
are easy to generate and read. XML formatted text files are unambiguous
and avoid such common pitfalls as the lack of extensibility, inability
to support internationalization/localization, and the limitation of
platform-dependant applications. Hypertext Media Language or HTML was
the first format language used on the Web. With added functionality, it
progressed to Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML). The designers
of XML simply took the best parts of SGML and produced something that is
no less powerful than SGML, but is vastly more regular and simpler to
use. However, while SGML is mostly used for technical documentation and
much less for other kinds of data, XML is exactly the opposite. A data
structure diagram describing the place where XML-SGML-HTM fits and how
it is structured is shown below.

![](media/image1.png){width="3.1979166666666665in"
height="2.0340277777777778in"}

XML-SGML-HTML based on the structure of the data

**Project Development:** The FMOC and its partners have developed a
feasible and robust model that is supported throughout industry and by
the federal government. Information submitted by manufacturers has been
successfully authored in and/or converted to AEC/XML, and reasonable
cost estimates for authoring documents and converting existing documents
have been obtained. Software developers such as Archibus and Bricsnet
have demonstrated capabilities to read and apply the data within their
applications.

In recognition of the Navy's efforts to fully implement electronic
documentation of building information, the project incorporates the
Navy's Operation, Maintenance, and Support Information (OMSI) data
requirements. Alliances have also been forged with the Machinery
Information Management Open Systems Alliance (MIMOSA) and the
International Alliance for Interoperability (IAI).

This effort will be coordinated with other NIBS-supported efforts
including the U.S. National CADD Standard and Total Building
Commissioning. A successful project will encourage proper attention to
the larger issue of standardization of data across the entire life cycle
of facilities. In many instances the challenge is simply to exercise the
forethought to capture needed data already created for prior needs in
the facility life cycle.

The primary database and structure (schema) can be found at
<ftp://tsc.wes.army.mil/FMOC>.

### Demonstration Process: Demonstration project(s) will be selected to identify the steps required to fully implement the data standard in a CMMS. Candidate buildings will be selected from the agencies that have participated in development of the data model. Project funding will be used to apply the model. The architecture-engineering and/or construction contractor will also be funded to provide project information for the data model. Information will first be provided in SGML and later in XML. NIBS will contract with firms experienced in SGML to apply the submitted project data to the data model. The vendors of the CMMS, used for the demonstration project buildings, will develop data exchange interfaces to allow use of the project data within the context and functionality of their software products.

 

The vendor-developed interfaces demonstrate the process of importing and
exporting XML-defined data in the OMSI into and out of CMMS maintenance
applications. This can be seen in the following diagram and three-sided
pyramid showing the interaction between information and outcome.

![](media/image2.png){width="3.08125in" height="2.2888888888888888in"}

Interaction of Data and Outcome

**Future Work and Development:**We are also working with the IAI's
AEC/XML initiative, which is where the NIBS' and the Navy's efforts fit
within the IAI structure. The FMOC is moving towards product information
data applications. This is very important for equipment manufacturers,
who often provide field engineering to complete the installation of
their systems. The result is often product information too general for
use by building managers and technicians, who need in-depth information.
The following diagrams represent a detailed plan of what has been
accomplished and what is going to be done on the project. The Navy
started with OMSI and that has been integrated into a complete and
usable electronic format. It is this format that will be integrated with
XML for use by engineers, developers and managers for viewing and
retrieving information. That information will shorten the daily
requirements for Facility Managers.

![](media/image3.png){width="3.75in" height="2.3333333333333335in"}

Plan of the OMSI XML Development

 **[OMSI Project Phase 1]{.underline}\
\
**

-      **Develop OMSI data mode**\
    - (complete, 2000, by NAVFAC, Navy DTRC)

-      **Author OMSI data using data model**\
    - (Siemens, Johnson Controls, Clark Nexsen

-      **Convert manufacturer data using data model, technical service
    industry**\
    - (Johnson Controls, Halsey Taylor, Guardian data being converted
    by\
    Tech Books, Inc.)

-      Review and extend data model based on authoring and conversion
    experience\
    - User comments being collected/organized

-      **Produce OMSI manual documents from XML data**\
    - Pagination style design by 'Tweddle Litho pending completion of
    project\
    data

> **[OMSI Project Phase 2]{.underline}**

-      **Use phase 1 experience to develop more granular data model in
    selected area/s\
    **- Archibus, Bricsnet, Clark Nexsen, NAVFAC collaborating in design
    of Planned Maintenance data modeling layer

-      **Use expanded data model to acquire AE and system data from
    participating software vendors**\
    - Bricsnet making necessary modifications to export data in project
    data\
    model

-      **AE firm to extend imported PM data for transfer to
    "owner/manager"**\
    - Clark Nexsen to extend data from Bricsnet import

-      **Owner/Manager to extend data from AE for transfer to CMMS**\
    - NAVFAC to extend data from Clarke Nexsen/Bricsnet

```{=html}
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```
-   **Import extended data into participating CMMS software**\
    - Archibus to provide import filter for extended PM data

*For more information, contact David H. Horner by telephone at (601)
634-3106 or via e-mail at
[hornerd3@wes.army.mil](mailto:hornerd3David.H.Horner@weserdc.usace.army.mil)
.*