As the construction industry embraces digital transformation, data fragmentation has become a critical challenge. Enter the Common Data Environment (CDE). Widely touted as the cornerstone of connected construction, CDEs can be the catalyst for improving collaboration among the many people and technologies involved in a project. Conventional wisdom advises that there should be a single CDE for each project, which each stakeholder can access and contribute to. Although this seems like an ideal scenario, it does not align with the reality of the construction landscape. A single project can involve dozens or more separate teams, each with their own technology requirements. Given the complexity and sheer volume of people and data involved in construction projects, should we focus more on centralizing or connecting data? In this article, we’ll explore why connected thinking is critical to realizing the promise of common data environments.
The reality of how common data environments are used
CDEs fill the need for a tool that can aggregate construction data and make it accessible across project teams and throughout the asset lifecycle. Although it seems ideal to use a single system for all stakeholders at every stage of a project, it is not realistic. In reality, most projects require multiple CDEs, which can be attributed to several factors:
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The lack of standardization around data governance and management between internal and external partners creates the need for multiple systems.
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In the interest of protecting proprietary data and maintaining data ownership, project stakeholders may prefer to keep some information in their own system.
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The complexity of projects requires large volumes of data, all of which are not useful for all stakeholders.
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The client or owner may determine which CDE is used for a project, but it may not meet the needs of all stakeholders.
The Common Connected Data Environment, Part 1: The Why
Because of this reality, it is time to change the perspective around CDEs. Instead of prioritizing a single common data environment, which will never fit the needs of the many stakeholders involved in a project, we should move to adopt a network of connected common data environments.
With a connected data environment, multiple CDEs for different stakeholders can communicate with each other.
Trimble
The key to a connected common data environment is interoperability
A CDE cannot—and should not—meet all the needs of teams working on a construction project. But using different systems can lead to data integration challenges. Given that data integration is a major barrier to digital transformation, it is essential to address this issue while respecting the need for technology choice.
The key to developing a connected construction ecosystem where large amounts of detailed data can flow quickly, efficiently and at scale is interoperability. Interoperability allows different technologies, regardless of their use case or manufacturer, to work together.
In recognition of the need for better connectivity between construction technologies, several industry organizations are developing interoperability standards. For example, the European Digital Building Licensing Network is defining a common strategy for building permits, with interoperability as a key objective. And the OpenBIM project is creating vendor-agnostic BIM processes designed to facilitate interoperability. Tekla participated in the development of OpenBIM standards together with buildingSMART, OGC, ISO, CEN and others. Trimble continues to be a partner and supporter of buildingSMART as OpenBIM becomes more widely adopted around the world. In addition to contributing to the development of AEC industry standards, Trimble adopts communication standards and APIs to further improve connectivity between disparate systems. These initiatives are part of a broader shift in the industry from closed technology suites to more flexible, open and connected technology ecosystems.
Features and functionalities to look for in a connected CDE
As a central component of a connected construction ecosystem, a CDE must be interoperable with various technologies, ranging from modeling tools to machine control and other CDEs.
To ensure you adopt a CDE that enables you to collect and analyze disparate data, make better-informed decisions, and collaborate more efficiently with internal and external partners, look for these features and functionalities.
Collaboration outside the box
A connected CDE is designed to work fully functionally with other technologies, regardless of vendor. It allows you to maximize automation and streamline workflows between internal and external teams. Look for the following collaboration features:
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API-First mindset: Data should not be locked into a specific product or ecosystem. A CDE that is built to be API first, such as Trimble Construction Cloud, enables easy integrations between third-party tools and other Trimble products.
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Open and accessible data: A common language is key to interoperability. Standards like Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) and Geography Markup Language (GML) allow data to flow seamlessly between technologies without sacrificing quality.
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Common functionality of the project: The concept of “project” is likely to be different for the different technologies you use between departments. A CDE with common project functionality allows you to establish a standard project definition across cloud-enabled systems within your internal technology suite. It serves as a basis not only for collaborating and bringing together different stakeholders, but also for communicating and coordinating around the different stages of the construction life cycle.
Scalability and extensibility
Your technologies, teams, and types of projects will change over time. A connected CDE should have the ability to scale and adapt to new systems, technologies, workflows and business processes. As your technology requirements and use cases evolve, CDE should be extensible enough to adapt with you to ensure consistent and integrated data flow across software and platforms. Whether it’s big data requirements, frequency of user activity, or complex data manipulation and processing and models, a connected CDE should be able to scale along with your requirements, while being reliable and reliable to provide you with the level of trust and confidence. you need to keep your projects and daily operations running smoothly.
Choose a solution from a vendor that anticipates these future requirements and aims to connect software systems rather than keep data in silos. A connected CDE should provide the infrastructure for extensibility, allowing integrators or third-party customers to develop custom solutions or applications on top of the CDE. A connected CDE should make it easy to integrate other software, systems, and platforms by using public APIs and using BIM standards so that your data, workflows, and processes can be used across your organization.
Security and authorization
With so much data flowing between multiple organizations, teams, and devices, a connected CDE provides multiple layers of security. This should include features such as read/write access as well as an audit trail of changes made to the system. Compliance with international security standards is a key security strategy we employ, such as compliance with ISO 27001 guidelines. While protecting all customer data is critical, we pay special attention to protecting personal data in accordance with regulatory frameworks such as GDPR.
Granular access controls should allow data owners to dictate who has access to what data, in specific contexts and for specific time periods. A robust enterprise CDE puts the end customer in the driver’s seat while enforcing common sense controls and secure default security preferences.
Availability and discovery of account-level data
A connected CDE allows flexibility in how information is stored and retrieved. A CDE that can store information at the account level allows you to more efficiently display private and relevant customer data. For example, a new surveyor can access historical data related to the survey and scan from the account level. This prevents you from having to perform the same survey activities multiple times and supports faster onboarding for new employees.
Role-based access
A connected CDE provides the right information to the right people at the right time. Look for a solution that allows you to tailor access to users based on their role and stage in the project timeline.
The common connected data environment, part 2: As Trimble sees it
Take advantage of a common, connected data environment
As the technological evolution of the construction industry continues, it is good to have a competitive market of solutions to choose from. As a technology user, you shouldn’t be forced into a particular vendor ecosystem that may not fit all of your needs today and probably won’t in the future.
A connected CDE lays the groundwork for building a future-proof technology suite without being locked into a particular vendor. When you can share data seamlessly between internal teams, partners and customers, you can unlock new efficiencies, increase collaboration and deliver projects more effectively. Trimble is committed to improving industry collaboration. Our solutions combine interoperability and powerful out-of-the-box features so you can reap the full benefits of a common data environment.
Contact Trimble to learn more about how a connected CDE can help you.
