Development and Application of an Industry Foundation Classes-Based Metro Protection Information Model

Metro protection is the task of evaluating, detecting, and controlling the potential threats presented by external projects to metro structures. To solve the problems encountered in metro protection work, including the isolation of models, difficulties in information extraction, and lack of data processing methods, this study introduced a building information model/modeling (BIM) technology and proposed a metro protection information model (the MPIM) based on the Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) international data standard and its expansion mechanism. According to the information exchange requirements for metro protection, the MPIM defines new customized IFC entities, property sets, and enumeration types to express the models in the metro protection domain. Then the conversion methods of the MPIM and other model formats and the information extraction and application technologies are studied. A metro protection system was developed to implement the MPIM-based model integration and provide assist in preliminary evaluation of external projects via information-rich the MPIM. A trial of the system from Guangzhou Metro’s Modiesha Station to Xingangdong Station indicated that the utilization of the MPIM in metro protection workflow could improve working efficiency and save time obviously; management staff claimed that the application of the system saved more than 40% of the time for project evaluation.