buildingSMART Data Dictionary (bSDD)

The “buildingSMART Data Dictionary” (bSDD) is a library of object concepts and related attributes based on the IFD standard (ISO 12006-3).

It is used to identify objects in the built environment and their specific properties regardless of language.

The bSDD is open and international and allows designers, builders and owners on the one hand and product manufacturers and suppliers on the other to share and exchange product information.

BSDD can be accessed at search.bsdd.buildingsmart.org.

The bsDD reduces costs and improves the quality of the building process because it proposes definitions, classifications and shared object libraries, reusable and available for all software solutions, all over the world. The bsDD is a service that allows you to enrich the BIM model and verify the validity of the BIM data, automatically find manufacturers' products, extend the IFC files, create information delivery specifications (IDS) and much more.

The bSDD is a comprehensive database that contains information concerning:

• Classification systems;
• Standards (for example, ISO standards);
• Agreements at a company or project level;
• Comparable concepts in different domains (for example, the same product may have different names depending on the scope);
• Industry-specific terminology.

The main way to use the buildingSMART data dictionary is to access data from other tools that integrate bSDD APIs. At the moment there are only a few tools that have implemented the data dictionary, usBIM.bSDD is one of the first solutions based on buildingSMART Data Dictionary allowing you to classify elements of a BIM model in the IFC format according to the bSDD.

With the bSDD standard it is possible to "extend the IFC". Beyond a certain detail, it becomes impossible to standardize entities and this is the detail where the IFC format actually ends. The bSDD helps users bridge the gap between the standard and the more specific dictionaries and classification systems that are required to enrich the semantics of a data set in a specific project. This is made possible by providing each term that refers to an entity or property with a unique code. This code allows, ideally, the translation of the same entity into multiple languages.

In a BIM process, as we know, there are many people involved and the risk of communication errors due to linguistic and cultural differences is very high. The bSDD supports the use of BIM and openBIM® standards and removes these risks as it allows the technical terms to be unified regardless of the language used. Each entry in bSDD is mapped to all possible derivatives of this concept in different contexts and languages allowing designers, builders and owners on the one hand and manufacturers and suppliers of products on the other to share and exchange product information. The data dictionary is a great example of how buildingSMART is making standards usable according to the principles of openBIM, breaking down all kinds of communication barriers while making workflows much easier to handle.