Australian Research Council (ARC)
Linkage Project

This project is funded partially by the Australian Government through the Australian Research Council.

SBEnrc’s research Project 2.33 New project management structures: Infrastructure modelling (BIM) and Location (GIS) has been successful in leveraging into this ARC Linkage project.

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January 2017 – December 2019

CONie is the proposed common name for a specification for information exchange for horizontal infrastructure. The name is drawn from the universally accepted equivalent specification for vertical infrastructure named COBie (Construction to Operations for Building information exchange). The CONie project tackles a specific data problem; the information exchange bottleneck at the end of road construction. It is usually an unstructured and unsearchable, discrete paper and file-based document hand-over practice. The proposed CONie will provide contractible methods, mandating the use of a connected digital repository (such as an SQL database) constructed to a standard specification, and suitable for automated input into re-designed compatible operations management systems.

Objectives

This project, builds upon SBEnrc Project 2.33 New Project Management Structures: Infrastructure Modelling (BIM) and Location (GIS). It aims to design CONie: a draft digital open source performance-based construction contract specification for delivering road construction information to operational network asset management. Identification of the need for standardised digital road asset data to enable use of the persistent advances in complexity of information exchange platforms provides scope for both large and small solutions.
This discrete research project is linked to the outcomes of the more comprehensive on-going Austroads data standards for Australian and New Zealand road asset management. CONie is focused on a specific construction process, hand-over. Using contract-required hand-over information as the basic dataset, the aim of the project is to develop a way to reduce road asset data costs, including standards and methods for implementing, testing, and enforcing the delivery of construction information.

Industry Outcomes

The new suite of open standards will provide methods for implementing, testing and enforcing the delivery of road construction handover information that is usable for road asset operations.
The design outcome will be a prototype definition of CONie along with a proof-of-concept, coded in a multi-platform development environment suitable for demonstration apps for mobile and desktop devices.

 

Documents for Downloading

The following documents provide additional detail regarding this current research, including project outcomes to date:

Research Reports

Austroads Research Report AP-R568-18, Scoping Study for a Location Referencing Model to Support the BIM Environment (May 2018, 3Mb)

Previous Research

New project management structures: Infrastructure modelling (BIM) and Location (GIS), 2015

Presentations

Project Management Structures: Infrastructure Modelling (BIM) and Location (GIS), Russell Kenley, CObie to CONie Presentation, 9 September 2015

A proposal to use Semantic Web Technologies for improved road network information exchange, Michael G. Niestroj, David A. McMeekin, Petra Helmholz and Michael Kuhn, 4 October 2018

Overview of standards towards road asset information exchange, Michael G. Niestroj, David A. McMeekin and Petra Helmholz, 5 October 2018

Publications

ISWC: Modelling data provenance of road network data produced using Semantic Web Technologies, M. Niestroj, I. Ivanova, D. McMeekin, P. Helmholz (2022)

Thesis by Michael Georg Niestroj: Utilising Semantic Web Technologies for Improved Road Network Information Exchange (September 2021)

ISPRS Annals (ISPRS Geospatial Week): Introducing a Framework for conflating road network data with semantic web technologies. M. Niestroj, D. McMeekin, P. Helmholz, 2019 (publication is pending)

Developing a handover information exchange specification between construction and asset management for road networks, R Perumpilly, R Kenley, T Harfield, M Niestroj, P Helmholz, R Drogemuller (2019). Proceedings of the 36th International Conference of CIB W78, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK

ISPRS Annals (ISPRS Mid-term symposium commission 4): A proposal to use Semantic Web Technologies for improved road network information exchange. M. Niestroj, D. McMeekin, P. Helmholz, M. Kuhn, 2018

ISPRS Archives (ISPRS Mid-term symposium commission 4): Overview of  standards towards road asset management exchange. M. Niestroj, D. McMeekin, P. Helmholz, 2018

CONie is not COBie: Information exchange differences between network and building handover to asset management, R Perumpilly, R Kenley and T Harfield, 10th Malaysian Road Conference & Exhibition, 29-31 October 2018

Three location referencing method families: A new theoretical framework, R Kenley, R Yeo and T Harfield, 10th Malaysian Road Conference & Exhibition, 29-31 October 2018