A BIM and ontology-based intelligent application framework

As a neutral and open data format, the Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) specification is used to describe and exchange information within the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry. It is the international standard for openBIM. However, the lack of semantic information greatly hinders its application. Ontology technology, on the other hand, can be used to supplement the semantic information to facilitate intelligent uses such as information integration and ontology reasoning. This paper reviews the current research development of ontology technology in the area of building information modeling (BIM) and proposes an intelligent application framework based on BIM and ontology. Key issues for its implementation are also discussed.