ISO 12006-3:2022

Overview

ISO 12006-3:2022 - Building construction - Organization of information about construction works - Part 3 - defines a language‑independent, object‑oriented information model for building and construction data dictionaries. The standard provides a framework to create extensible dictionaries that can act as ontologies, taxonomies, meronomies, lexicons and thesauri, enabling consistent classification and cross‑referencing of construction information across systems and standards.

Key Topics

• Information model and taxonomy framework: a flexible, object‑oriented model to define concepts (subjects), properties, relationships and units that describe construction works.
• Language independence and multilingual support: supports lexicons and multi‑language text to enable international use.
• Unique identifiers and governance: every entity uses a universal unique identifier (UUID); the model supports change requests and expert review to manage dictionary evolution.
• Interoperability and cross‑referencing: enables linking classification systems, information models, object models, data templates and process models within one common framework.
• Technical specifications included:
  • EXPRESS‑G and EXPRESS data specifications (detailed schema constructs)
  • Annexed UML and XML/XSD representations to support implementations
  • An API specification (Annex B) for interconnection and programmatic access between dictionaries
• Extensible content types: the published schema lists object types and data elements (e.g., concepts, properties, units, languages, relationships) to support rich semantic definitions.

Applications and Who Uses It

ISO 12006-3:2022 is intended for organizations that need standardized, machine‑readable building information vocabularies and dictionaries:

• BIM implementers and software vendors: to build or consume standardized dictionaries that improve model interoperability.
• Specification authors and classifiers: to create taxonomies and product classification systems that link to model data.
• Facility managers and owners: to unify asset data dictionaries and enable consistent data exchange across lifecycles.
• Standards developers and integrators: to map between classification schemes and product models. Practical uses include: creating shared data dictionaries, enabling semantic search across BIM repositories, mapping between national classification systems and industry models, and integrating multiple data dictionaries via the described API.

Related Standards

• ISO 12006-2 - Classification systems for construction
• ISO 23386 / ISO 23387 - Concepts for data dictionary governance and properties
• Product and data modelling standards: ISO 10303-41, ISO 10303-221, ISO 15926-2, ISO 16739-1
• Units and quantities: ISO 80000 (referenced normative) These related standards are commonly used together with ISO 12006-3 to achieve robust, interoperable construction information ecosystems.

Keywords: ISO 12006-3:2022, information model, data dictionary, BIM, ontology, taxonomy, API, EXPRESS, XML, UML, construction works.