Framework for life-cycle infrastructure information modeling and management

An effective infrastructure management system requires a better understanding of the history of these infrastructures. This need was manifested by the investigations following the collapses of bridges in Laval City, Canada and Sliver Bridge in the U.S. Despite the considerable attention given to the adoption of a whole life-cycle approach in Building Information Modeling (BIM), very little work has been done to extend the usability of 3D design and as-built models of highway infrastructures into the operation and maintenance phase. Currently, efforts are being made to standardize the use of 3D models for the design of infrastructure projects within governmental bodies; however a clear framework that delineates the way in which the operation and maintenance data can be integrated into the design model is evidently lacking. Also, there is a tangible absence of a methodology that provides a systematic and automated base for leveraging the already existing project-level life-cycle data for the integrative management of infrastructures networks. In this paper, we propose a life-cycle approach for the infrastructure information modeling, whereby the 3D model will evolve from a design platform into an all-round information management tool whose applicability spans across the entire project life-cycle. Furthermore, the idea of incrementally building an infrastructure network management system based on the aggregation of project-level information models, e.g. BIM, is explored. A case study is used to demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed approach.