Common data environments in construction: state-of-the-art and challenges for practical implementation
Abstract
Purpose
Information management workflow in building information modelling (BIM)-based collaboration is based on using a common data environment (CDE). The basic premise of a CDE is exposing all relevant data as a single source of truth and facilitating continuous collaboration between stakeholders. A multitude of tools can be used as a CDE, however, it is not clear how the tools are used or if they fulfil the users’ needs. Therefore, this paper aims to investigate current practices of using CDEs for information management during the whole built asset’s life cycle, through a state-of-the-art literature review and an empirical study.
Design/methodology/approach
Literature data is collected according to the PRISMA 2020 guideline for reporting systematic reviews. This paper includes 46 documents in the review and conduct a bibliometric and thematic analysis to identify the main challenges of digital information management. To understand the current practice and the views of the stakeholders using CDEs in their work, this paper used an empirical approach including semi-structured interviews with 15 BIM experts.
Findings
The results indicate that one of the major challenges of CDE adoption is project complexity and using multiple CDEs simultaneously leading to data accountability, transparency and reliability issues. To tackle those challenges, the use of novel technologies in CDE development such as blockchain could be further investigated.
Originality/value
The research explores the major challenges in the practical implementation of CDEs for information management. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study on this topic combining a systematic literature review and fieldwork.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The support of the Cloud-based Building Information Modelling (CBIM) European Training Network funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No 860555 is gratefully acknowledged in making this research possible.
Since submission of this article, the following author has updated their affiliation: Eleni Papadonikolaki is at the Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences, TU Delft, The Netherlands.
Citation
Jaskula, K., Kifokeris, D., Papadonikolaki, E. and Rovas, D. (2024), "Common data environments in construction: state-of-the-art and challenges for practical implementation", Construction Innovation, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/CI-04-2023-0088
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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