Creation of the Unified Building Model allows the definition, specification and agreement of interfaces between a client’s existing systems and the ActiveFacility system.

For each client application that includes building data, ActiveFacility creates a bi-directional interface so the building data in each system is updated through an automated or semi-automated process.

ActiveFacility establishes this system interface on a case-by-case basis using a range of available hardware and software technologies by:

• Identifying other applications in use that include building data
• Identifying the building data entities within those applications
• Creating an Interface Specification Document that details the data entities, the processes that change those entities and the direction of data flow for the interface
• Data cleansing, to identify discrepancies in the data entities in each interfaced system and determine the ‘correct’ data.

The ActiveFacility system is built with a range of industry-approved open technologies including relational database tools, .NET development tools and XML web services that are current best-practice software and technologies.

At the heart of the system is Oracle relational database technology. This highly respected leader in relational databases has significant features when compared to other database management systems.

Oracle supports XML messaging as native datatypes within the database, which allows easier development of XML services.

Oracle provides an object layer as part of its relational technology, with normally expected object-oriented features such as inheritance and messaging. Mapping the objects to relational technology allows the IFC standard to be configured as Oracle objects and Oracle’s traditional relational database technology to be used.

Oracle’s spatial module allows geometry to be stored directly in the database. The geometry objects conform to the OpenGIS specifications and provide the opportunity for tools from companies other than ActiveFacility to access and read the geometry stored within the database. The spatial capabilities also enable queries to be run against the data.

The ActiveFacility schema uses Oracle’s object types and is based on the ISO standard for Building Information Models.

Interfacing to the database is the core technology of Microsoft’s .NET architecture. This brings a high level of development and integration possibilities and acts as the underlying technology interface between the user and the data. As part of the .NET implementation, XML web services are being developed to provide published and standardised ways of interacting with the data.

Software architecture for the ActiveFacility system includes an implementation of Microsoft’s English Query which handles the natural language processing and enables users to communicate with the database in a natural manner, with the system interpreting the questions.

The diagram below illustrates the software architecture of ActiveFacility.