The Common Data Environment (CDE) is a digital place in which information comes together. It should be the foundation from which you manage and disseminate information between multi-disciplined teams throughout the project lifecycle.
The CDE is not just a place to share geometric information. Registers, schedules, contracts, reports and model information are all shared, building on the concept of a “federated” model. It could take the form of a project server, an extranet or a file-based retrieval system.
Document and data management systems range in price and functionality. While some file management systems such as DropBox offer a “freemium” service, they may not be PAS 1192:2 and BS 1192 compliant. Other CDE solutions include features such as document control, instant messaging and the ability to mark up and review model files directly within the CDE.
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On-demand, web-based, hosted, pay-as-you-go services, known as software-as-a-service (SaaS) vendors offer CDE solutions to support the BIM Level 2 mandate. As they are web based, there is usually no software or costly IT infrastructure.
PAS 1192:2 and PAS 1192:3 provide guidance on the framework for how a CDE works, with BS 1192:2007+A1:2015 and Building Information Management – A Standard Framework and Guide to BS 1192 giving detail on the delivery process.
BS 1192 describes the four distinct phases of a CDE – Work in Progress (WIP); Shared; Published Documentation; and Archive – and gives details on naming, numbering and identification of data in the CDE. It is free to the industry as a digital download via the BSI website.
Questions still arise around model ownership, intellectual property and data security. Ownership remains with the originator, and it is only the originator that can change, alter or update it.
To ensure that information is secure, you should follow the principles set out in PAS 1192:5 and be mindful that sensitive projects require a strict access policy.
There is some debate around who should pay for the CDE. A key task is to clarify from the outset if the CDE is to be owned by the client, and whether it forms part of the whole-life costs. At the end of the construction phase, the CDE is a useful tool for the client to base future decisions on and learn from that will benefit future ongoing Post-Occupancy Evaluation (POE).
A key task for the information manager – a role that is defined in the CIC BIM Protocol – will be in setting up and managing the CDE.
By Stefan Mordue, co-author of BIM for Dummies and architect and consultant at NBS Business Solutions. This is an edited version of an article on bimplus.co.uk, and forms part of a “BIM basics” series by Mordue.
