Patent ID: 8484231

Claim:
A process comprising: mapping a data format in an object in a source schema to a data format in an object in a destination schema, wherein the mapping comprises a set of options comprising the data format in the object in the source schema has exactly one analog in the data in the destination schema, the data format in the object in the source schema has more than one analog, the data format in the object in the destination schema has more than one analog, the data format in the object in the source schema has no analog in the destination schema, and the data format in the object in the destination schema has no analog in the source schema; defining an attribute mapping, the attribute mapping comprising a set of value options comprising an optional value, a constant value, an independent value, a simple value, an entity value, a specific query, and an assigned value; wherein the independent value comprises an attribute that has no relationship with a specific object, the simple value comprises a number, a string, a logical value, and an enumeration, and the entity value comprises a composite object including simple values and other entity values; defining a relation between the data format in the object in the source schema and the data format in the object in the destination schema; mapping the data format in the object in the source schema to the data format in the object in the destination schema; when the object in the source schema has no analog in destination schema, introducing a foreign object into the destination schema; when the object in the destination schema refers to one or more dependent objects, wherein a counterpart is not defined in the source schema, generating one or more instances of referred objects according to a predefined policy in the mapping; and converting data in the object in the source schema to the data format in the object of the destination schema; wherein the data format in the object in the source schema and the data format in the object in the destination schema comprise Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) and building information modeling (BIM); and wherein the data format in the object in the source schema and the data format in the object in the destination schema comprise ISO/PAS 16739 (Industry Foundation Classes) and OmniClass™.