Visit Citebite Deep link provided by Citebite
Close this shade
Source:  http://cig.bre.co.uk/iai_uk/iai/page3.htm

 

IAI logo

International Alliance for Interoperability (IAI)

Twelve companies involved in the AEC/FM Industry started the IAI. They were all interested in being able to interoperate; that is, they wanted to be able to work with each other’s information without being concerned about the software they were using or which anyone else was using.

This group created a series of prototype software applications that were demonstrated at the A/E/C Systems ‘95 show in Atlanta, Georgia. These prototypes proved that interoperability was not just a dream; it could be made into reality.

With this successful public demonstration, the original twelve companies opened up participation in this effort in September 1995 to AEC/FM companies worldwide. The IAI was born!

There are now 9 Chapters worldwide, each serving the needs of a geographical region. Membership of the IAI has grown to over 600 companies from over 20 countries

Austria Australia Belgium Canada Denmark
Finland France Germany Hungary Ireland
Japan Korea Netherlands New Zealand Norway
Singapore Switzerland South Africa Sweden UK
USA

IAI Mission, Vision and Values

The IAI Vision, Mission and Values are contained in a Charter that has been agreed by all of its international participants:

Vision

To enable software interoperability in the AEC/FM industry.

Mission

To provide a universal basis for process improvement and information sharing in the construction and facilities management industries.

Values

How is the IAI Organized

The IAI is organized into Chapters, each of which represents an international region.

Chapters

Each Chapter is a separate organization and is established according to local custom. For instance, in North America and the United Kingdom, the Chapters are incorporated as not for profit companies. The German Speaking Chapter however is established as a form of Technical Association.

Each Chapter contributes to the overall IFC specification process, and wherever possible, participating members are involved in the process of completing technical components of the IFC specifications.

Membership

The IAI has an open membership policy. It has participation from many different types of organization in the AEC/FM industry, including architects, engineers, contractors, building owners and managers, building product manufacturers, software vendors, information providers, government agencies, research labs, and universities.

The IAI member companies and the individuals representing these companies have skills that fall into two general categories:

Domain experts are individuals involved with the daily practice of their expertise in the building industry, such as architects, engineers, contractors and facility managers. Domain experts are typical of the end users that can enjoy the significant benefits of the IAI and applications based on the IFC Specifications.

Technical experts are individuals with a background in research, software design and engineering and typically have some experience in the AEC/FM industry.

Together, these two groups of experts leverage their respective skills towards the common goal of defining the shared project model.

Funding

IAI is a not for profit organization that funds its operation through membership fees. These funds are used for several purposes:

Each Chapter sets its own level of membership fees according to its own requirements. Each Chapter pays contributions to the funding of the international organization.

Domain Committees

In an effort to categorize the various domains involved in the building life cycle, each Chapter has established a series of "domain committees" that are best suited to their representative members. Each domain committee is interested in a specialized discipline, such as architecture or HVAC, or a specialized process, such as construction or facilities management. A domain committee is composed of members with experience in the area of the domain’s specialization.

A domain expert who is assisted by a specialist in the development of computer software specifications (or models) chairs a domain committee. Each committee develops a specification or model of their particular domain as it applies to the overall shared project model. The domain committees typically include other domain experts and technical experts. Product manufacturers and software vendors are also members of the domain committees, which facilitates coordination between the discipline and their product suppliers and technology vendors. Cross-domain meetings and coordination are promoted to integrate the needs between domains.

 

International Organization

Each Chapter is represented on the International Council of the IAI. The International Council meets twice a year to coordinate the business and technical work being carried out.

The international organization includes business and technical committees that co-ordinate planning and implementation strategy. These include:

International Council (IC)

Acts as the executive board of the IAI and consists of two members from each Chapter. One member must be the Chair of the Chapter.

International Executive Committee (EXCOM)

Co-ordinates all international business activity and manages the international operations and finances of the IAI on a day to day basis between meetings of the International Council. Members of EXCOM are the International Business Manager, the chair of International Technical Management committee, the IFC Product Managers and others elected by the International Council as considered necessary. The Chair of the International Council acts as the Chair of EXCOM.

International Technical Management (ITM)

Co-ordinates international technical activity, overviews project proposals to ensure that they meet the development goals of the IAI and reviews the available resources required to complete projects. Members of ITM are Chapter Technical Co-ordinators, Group Leaders and the Product Managers for IFC Releases. The ITM is the highest level technical decision making and technical project management body for the IAI. Its mission is to:

In order to carry out the technical development activities of IAI, ITM delegates work to various Support Groups. Each Support Group has a leader who is a member of ITM.

Model Support group (MSG)

Members of MSG are modeling specialists selected for their proven skills. Their primary role is the integration of the IFC model and its documentation. To ensure quality and implementability of the model, there is close liaison with the ISG.

Implementation Support group (ISG)

The ISG has a key role in ensuring the quality and implementability of the IFC model. For this purpose, it works closely with the Model Support Group to provide proof of concept of model developments and to ensure that model documentation (the IFC specifications) provide clear guidance to implementers. Additionally, ISG has the role of developing the IFC certification program and coordinating demonstrations of IFC compliant software at exhibitions and conferences.

User support group (USG)

The USG has the primary role of supporting IAI members working on IFC development projects including technical advice on modeling and guidance on bringing models developed within a project to a high level of quality enabling it to be integrated into IFCs. Part of the support and guidance role is the continued improvement of the IFC development methodology. Additionally, USG will coordinate IFC demonstration projects and assist projects that wish to develop a demonstration project.

Technical Advisory Group (TAG)

Members of the TAG includes leading figures from the industrial and academic world who have made distinctive contributions to the technology used by IAI through research, development and implementation.

The role of TAG is to provides guidance on the future technologies that need to be considered in IFC development. It also facilitates review of the IFC model by specialists who may not be members of the IAI; part of our policy to ensure the highest possible quality of the IFC Object Model. A further task is to progress academic development and use of IFCs within colleges and universities and to extend this to research and development projects. Finally, TAG has the role of coordinating development of the IFC Roadmap to plan what is needed in the future. This takes input from the other technical development Groups and from the broader membership of the IAI.

 

- return to main page - next page -

<