System configuration design of BIM object-oriented database for civil engineering

Building information modeling (BIM) creates tremendous value for civil engineering through information integration. Not only does it make the formulation of data storage strategies more important at the beginning of a civil engineering project, but it also shows the potential value of further research into a unified BIM model that highly integrates all information in the project life cycle. However, it is not easy to store all the information in the project life cycle into a unified BIM model. To achieve this goal, this study proposed a shareable BIM back-end data system object-oriented database for BIM front-end applications (BIM-OODB), and established its complete system configuration. Based on the database design theory, three main aspects of BIM-OODB design are discussed, namely use case design, architecture design, and schema design. Then, four demonstration cases were selected to discuss the system implementation process of BIM-OODB in building and infrastructure projects. The results show that BIM-OODB has the potential to enable all participants to work around the unified shareable data system throughout the project life cycle. This study provides a reference for civil engineers to formulate data storage strategies in the early stage of a civil engineering projects and IT engineers to develop civil engineering data applications.