The Victorian Digital Asset Strategy (VDAS) dictionary has been developed to provide a home for the evolving engineering vocabulary.
Aligned to international best practice and standards, and supporting the VDAS implementation, the VDAS dictionary is home to relevant terms and acronyms essential to Building Information Modelling and Digital Engineering.
Disclaimer: Definitions on this site have been provided for information purposes only.
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ABAB
Australasian BIM Advisory Board
AIR
Asset information requirements
AMAF
Asset Management Accountability Framework
Appointed party
Provider of goods or services to an appointing party.
Source: ISO 19650-1:2018
Appointing party
See Employer.
Asset
Defined as an ‘item, thing or entity that has potential or actual value to an organisation’. Assets can be tangible or intangible through physical and non- physical (digital) assets. Data and information should be considered a digital asset.
Source: ISO 55000.
Victorian major infrastructure assets are large-scale infrastructure assets owned by the Victorian Government.
Asset information
Information is defined as ‘meaning data’.
Source: ISO 22263:2008 and ISO 19650-1:2018.
In the context of assets, information relates to the re-interpretable representation of asset-related data in a formalised manner suitable for communication, interpretation or processing. Asset information is a key requirement for the successful creation and management of any physical asset. The value of asset information is enhanced when specified and considered early by the client/asset owner/operator. DE enables and facilitates the integration and sharing of asset information and data requirements across all phases of the asset life cycle.
Asset management
Asset management is the coordinated activities of an organisation to realise value from asset(s). Asset management is a suite of activities that enable physical and non-physical assets to deliver the value they were designed to deliver. Asset management typically involves an asset management system. The system will ensure resources, the competence, the awareness, the communication, the information requirements and the documented information are all enabled and focused on enabling the value that asset management delivers from the assets.
Source: ISO 55000.
Victorian major infrastructure assets are large-scale infrastructure assets owned by the Victorian Government.
Asset information requirement (AIR)
Data and information requirements by the appointing party in relation to the operation of an asset.
Source: ISO 19650-1:2018.
Asset owner
The individual, entity, or organisation responsible for asset management policy, strategy, planning and decision-making for optimising the cost, risk and performance of assets over their life cycle. Note: ownership of physical and non-physical assets may differ over the life cycle of the asset.
BIM
Building information modelling
Building Information Modelling (BIM)
Use of a shared digital representation of a built or to be built asset to facilitate design, construction and operation processes to form a reliable basis for decisions.
Source: ISO 29481-1:2016, 3.2.
BIM is a subset of DE that integrates technology, process improvements, and digital information to radically improve client and project outcomes and asset operations. BIM is a strategic enabler for improving decision making for both buildings and public infrastructure assets across the whole life cycle. It applies to new build projects and crucially, BIM supports the renovation, refurbishment and maintenance of the built environment.
Source: EU BIM Task Group Handbook, 2018
CAD
Computer-aided design
CAFM
Computer-aided facility management
CDE
Common data environment
CFO
Chief Financial Officer
CIO
Chief Information Officer
COBie
Construction Operations Building information exchange
Common data environment (CDE)
Agreed source of information for the whole asset life cycle used to collect, manage and disseminate all relevant approved project documents for multi-disciplinary teams in a managed process. Pairing a CDE with DE processes enhances collaborative information flow, which can be readily leveraged from one phase of the asset life cycle to the next. Note: A CDE may use a project server, an extranet, a file-based retrieval system or another suitable toolset.
Source: ISO 19650-1.
Computer-aided design (CAD)
A geometric/symbol-based computer drawing system that replicates hand- drawing techniques. CAD software can prepare 3D lines, surfaces or solids that are suitable for presentation on hard-copy plots of drawings, and/or as background data for other 3D data or BIM.
Construction Operations Building information exchange (COBie)
Structured facility information for the commissioning, operation, and maintenance of a project often in a neutral spreadsheet format that is used to supply data to the asset owner or operator to populate decision-making tools, facilities management, and asset management systems. COBie can facilitate transformation from document-centric to information-centric handover processes to facility and asset operator’s post-construction.
Source: PAS1192.2-2013.
COO
Chief Operating Officer
CTO
Chief Technology Officer
D&C
Design and Construct
Data
Information represented in a manner suitable for automatic processing.
Source: 701-01-11.
Reinterpretable representation of information in a formalised manner suitable for communication, interpretation or processing. Information can be processed by human or automatic means. Also known as digital information.
Source: ISO/IEC 2382-1.
DE
Digital Engineering
DEEP
Digital Engineering Execution Plan
DELWP
Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning
DET
Department of Education and Training
Digital engineering (DE)
A contemporary and collaborative approach to working on assets allowing for a faster and more efficient approach to delivering projects and managing physical assets. It is a convergence of emerging technologies such as BIM, GIS and other related systems for deriving better businesses, projects and asset management outcomes. DE enables a collaborative way of working using digital processes to enable more productive methods of planning, designing, constructing, operating and maintaining assets through their life cycle. The core elements of DE include a standardised classification system, open data format, object-based models, spatially located data, and common data environment across all asset phases.
Digital Engineering Execution Plan (DEEP)
A plan that delivers and explains how the digital information management aspects of the appointment will be carried out by the appointed parties prior to and during contract award. For Victorian Government major projects, a DEEP may integrate with other execution plans, such as project execution plans, detailed contractor’s activity proposal, and activity execution plan.
Digital model
A three-dimensional representation in electronic format of infrastructure elements representing a combination of solid objects and specially located data with true-to-scale spatial relationships and dimensions. A model may include additional information or data. Also known as digital twin/ BIM model / data rich 3D model.
Source: ConsensusDocs 301 BIM Addendum, 2008.
DPC
Department of Premier and Cabinet
DTF
Department of Treasury and Finance
ECI
Early contractor involvement
EIR
Exchange information requirement
Employer
Individual or organisation named in an appointment or project contract as the employer. Receiver of information concerning works, goods or services from a lead appointed party.
Source: ISO 19650-1:2018.
Note: For Victorian Government projects, this is the project team or asset owner representing the Victorian Government department or agency, also known as appointing party.
EMV
Emergency Management Victoria
EPA
Environment Protection Authority
EPCM
Engineering, procurement and construction management
Exchange information requirement (EIR)
Specification for data and information by the appointing party that the appointed party is expected to meet during the appointment.
Source: ISO 19650-1:2018, 3.19.
An EIR provides guidance and pre-qualification documentation for appointed parties and forms the basis of appointment and tender documents on a project using DE. An EIR defines which information is produced at each asset stage – together with the required level of detail and definition. For Victorian Government major projects, an EIR may integrate with other traditional contract documents, such as project scope, technical requirements, and the project agreement. Also known as Employer’s information requirements (EIR) and Organisational information requirements (OIR).
FEED
Front-end engineering and design
Fit for purpose
Data is considered fit for purpose when it is appropriate for its intended use.
Source: IM-GUIDE-09
Geographic information system (GIS)
A system used for the design, capture, storage, management and analysis of geographic data.
Source: Commonwealth Government
GIS
Geographic information system
HVHR
High Value High Risk
IFC
Industry Foundation Classes
Industry foundation classes (IFC)
A specification for a neutral data format to describe, exchange and share information typically used within building and facility management industry sectors. IFC data model consists of definitions, rules and protocols that uniquely define data sets, which describe capital facilities throughout their life cycles. IFC is the only non-proprietary, open global data model specification available.
Source: buildingSMART
IFC is defined by ISO 16739:2018 – IFC for data sharing in the construction and facility management industries. Note: In some circumstances, where there is a concern about lack of data readability or interoperability with some specific tools or purposes, the native files can also be shared together with IFC files.
Information
Knowledge concerning objects, such as facts, events, things, processes or ideas, including concepts, that within a certain context, have a particular meaning.
Source: ISO/IEC 2382-1
Information model
Set of structured and unstructured information containers. This can relate to the operational phase or the delivery phase of a built asset i.e. a project information model or an asset information model respectively. Information models may include geometrical models, schedules, databases, etc. Unstructured information containers may include documentation, video clips, sound recordings etc.
Source: ISO 19650-1: 2018
INSW
Infrastructure New South Wales
Intellectual property (IP)
The results or output of intellectual activity and creative effort. IP assets are intangible and their economic value exists largely in the set of exclusive rights that an owner has in the asset. IP may be protected through copyright, trademarks, patents, designs, circuit layouts and plant breeder’s rights.
Source: Department of Treasury and Finance IP Policy, August 2012
IoT
Internet of Things
IP
Intellectual property
IPEP
Infrastructure projects experts panel
ISO
International Organization for Standardisation
Level 2 BIM
Level 2 BIM is a level of maturity in BIM, which is distinguished by collaborative working. It involves developing asset information in a collaborative data-rich 3D environment created in separate discipline models. The collaboration is in the form of information exchange processes specific to a project and coordinated between different systems and project participants.
NBS
National Building Specification
NDEPP
National Digital Engineering Policy Principles
OPV
Office of Projects Victoria
Organisational information requirement (OIR)
Specification for what, when, how and for whom information is to be produced in relation to organisational objectives.
Source: ISO 19650-1:2018
OVGA
Office of the Victorian Government Architect
RACI
Responsible, accountable, consulted and informed
Responsible, accountable, consulted and informed (RACI matrix)
A matrix that clearly sets out the roles and responsibility for elements (such as scope, interfaces, information, etc.) of the project at various stages of the project’s life cycle. Roles and responsibilities of individual team members as well as the schedule of responsibilities for deliverables of the overall team should be defined. The RACI matrix should be a core element of the contractual obligations for all parties. With respect to DE, roles and responsibilities of data, interfaces, information, intellectual property, and assumptions should be clarified early, prior to contract award. Note: Victorian Government major projects may use existing systems and frameworks to define roles and responsibilities more broadly for the project. The RACI matrix for the DE component of works may fall under those existing systems and frameworks.
RPV
Rail Projects Victoria
SMES
Survey Mark Enquiry Service
TfNSW
Transport for New South Wales
Uni Class 2015™
A UK classification system. Uni Class 2015™ is a classification scheme for the construction industry. It is intended for organising library materials and for structuring product literature and project information. Uni Class 2015™ comprises tables, each of which represent a different class of construction information and deal with a different scale of information. Each table can be used as a standalone table for the classification of a information type. In addition, terms from different tables can be combined to classify complex subjects.
Source: UniClass 2015™
VCC
Value Creation and Capture
VCIR
Victorian Critical Infrastructure Register
VCIRA
Victorian Critical Infrastructure Resilience Arrangements
VDAS
Victorian Digital Asset Strategy
VDASSC
Victorian Digital Asset Strategy Steering Committee
VDRP
Victorian Design Review Panel
VGRMF
Victorian Government Risk Management Framework