COBie IFC Terminology

The information provided here reflects the compilation of the terms and definitions found in NBIMS-US™ V2 for the COBie 2.4 version.

Understanding COBie and IFC terminology is crucial to the delivery of Building Information Models and this extensive work has been undertaken by NBIMS-US and provided here for industry use with a search capability. The terminology includes COBie definitions which identify the Tables and Columns which make up the schema.

TERMDEFINITION
actorperson, an organization, or person acting on behalf of an organization. A specialization of the general term object. See COBie contact.
AECarchitecture, engineering, and construction
attributeunit of information within an entity, defined by a particular type or reference to a particular entity. There are three kinds of attributes: direct attributes, inverse attributes and derived attributes. See COBie attribute.
Attribute (COBie)a worksheet in the COBie spreadsheet. Attribute records identify external files that provide information associated with data in a given COBie deliverable. Attribute.Name, Attribute.SheetName, Attribute.RowName, Attribute.Category comprises the compound key for this worksheet.
Attribute.AllowedValuesa comma delimited list of one or more allowed values.
Attribute.Categorya classification of the type of information contained within one row. If allowable values are not specified by contract, the default values are: “As Built”, “Submitted”, “Approved”, “Exact Requirement”, “Maximum Requirement”, “Minimum Requirement”, and “Requirement”.
Attribute.Descriptiona general text description of the attribute.
Attribute.Namethe name of the attribute.
Attribute.Row Namea foreign key identifying the row in the associated Attribute.SheetName.
Attribute.SheetNamespecifies references in in this row as pertaining to COBie data in any other COBie worksheet.
Attribute.Unitthe unit defining the value of the attribute.
Attribute.Valuethe value of the attribute.
BAMiebuilding automation management information exchange format
BIMbuilding information modelling
bSabuildingSMART alliance®
bSibuildingSMART International
buildinga building represents a structure that provides shelter for its occupants or contents and stands in one place. The building is also used to provide a basic element within the spatial structure hierarchy for the components of a building project (together with site, story, and space). See COBie facility.
building storyThe building story has an elevation and typically represents a (nearly) horizontal aggregation of spaces that are vertically bound. See COBie floor.
COBieconstruction-operations building information exchange format
COBieLiteNIEM compliant COBie XML schema, files conforming to that schema
Componenta worksheet in the COBie spreadsheet. Components are the individual instances of the products identified by Type. Component.Name is the primary key for this table.
Component.AssetIdentifieran alternative identifier for the specific component to be used as defined by associated contract.
Component.BarCodethe bar code found on the installed product name plate. During planning and design phase: not applicable.
Component.Descriptiona general text description of the component.
Component.InstallationDatethe date on which the product or equipment was placed in its final location. During planning and design phase: not applicable.
Component.Namethe Component.Name must match the value found on design drawing schedules at the equivalent project stage of the current deliverable. For equipment scheduled by Type (and not Component) naming requirements to ensure unique names for every component shall be specified by contract.
Component.SerialNumberthe serial number of the installed equipment. Component.SerialNumber must match the value found on installed equipment nameplates. During planning and design phase: not applicable.
Component.Spacea foreign key identifying the COBie.Space.Name. For components not contained in a single space, the value shall refer to the space from which the equipment is most likely to be maintained.
Component.TagNumberif a tag is required to be affixed to the product or equipment during construction, this value is the designation for this product or equipment found on the associated tag. During planning and design phase: not applicable.
Component.TypeNamea foreign key identifying the COBie.Type.Name.
Component.WarrantyStartDatethe date on which the product or equipment was first powered. During planning and design phase: not applicable.
constraints on attributesdata type restricting the values of attributes. The most general constraint is about the existence of attribute values. There are basically two types: mandatory and optional attributes. Values of mandatory attributes must be provided whereas values of optional attributes may be omitted. For aggregation data types such as Set, List, or Array, the existence constraint is often refined by a minimal and maximal number of elements, which is also known as cardinality.
contactA worksheet in the COBie spreadsheet. Each row in the Contact worksheet identifies a person or company referenced elsewhere in a COBie spreadsheet. Contact.Email is the primary key for this worksheet.
Contact.Categorythe category of business in which the specific Contact is engaged. If allowable values are not specified by contract, the default value for this information is the current OmniClass Table
Contact.Companythe name of the company for the Contact.
Contact.Countrythe country for the Contact.
Contact.Departmentthe name of the department for the Contact.
Contact.EmailA well-formed email address used to identify this specific Contact.
Contact.FamilyNamethe Contact is a person, the family name of the Contact
Contact.GivenNameif the Contact is a person, the given name of the Contact
Contact.OrganizationCodethe organizational code for the Contact.
Contact.Phonethe telephone number for the Contact.
Contact.PostalBoxthe postal box address for the Contact.
Contact.PostalCodethe zip, or postal code, address for the Contact.
Contact.StateRegionthe state or regional address for the Contact.
Contact.Streetthe street address for the Contact.
Contact.Townthe city or town address for the Contact.
Coordinatea worksheet in the COBie spreadsheet. Coordinate records identify simple geometric information associated with data in a given COBie deliverable. Coordinate.Name is the primary key for this worksheet.
Coordinate.Categorya classification of the type of information contained within one row. If allowable values are not specified by contract, the default values are: “point”, “lineendone”, “lineend-two”, “box-lowerleft”, and “box-upperright”.
Coordinate.ClockwiseRotationrotation of the referenced object around the identified point, if applicable.
Coordinate.CoordinateXAxisrelative coordinate of the referenced object.
Coordinate.CoordinateYAxisrelative coordinate of the referenced object.
Coordinate.CoordinateZAxisrelative coordinate of the referenced object.
Coordinate.ElevationalRotationrotation of the referenced object around the identified point, if applicable.
Coordinate.Namethe name of the coordinate.
Coordinate.RowNamea foreign key identifying a specific row in the Coordinate.SheetName.
Coordinate.SheetNamespecifies references in in this row as pertaining to COBie data in a COBie.Facility, COBie.Floor, COBie.Space, COBie.Type or COBie.Coordinate worksheet.
Coordinate.YawRotation –rotation of the referenced object around the identified point, if applicable.
CreatedBythe contact email of the person or company creating or updating a row of COBie data.
CreatedOnthe date on which the information provided in a row of COBie data was created or updated by the person or company identified in the created by field.
derived attributeunit of information computed from other attributes using an expression defined in the schema.
direct attributescalar values or collections including Set (unordered, unique), List (ordered), or Array (ordered, sparse) as defined in [ISO 10303-11] Similar to the term "field" in common programming languages.
Document.ApprovalBya classification of the type of information contained within one row. If allowable values are not specified by contract, the default values are: “Owner Approval”, “Contractor Certified”, and “Information Only”/
Document.Categorya classification of the type of information contained within one row. If allowable values are not specified by contract, the default values are: “Preconstruction Submittals”, “Shop Drawings”, “Product Data”, “Samples”, “Design Data”, “Test Reports”, “Certificates”, “Manufacturer Instructions”, “Manufacturer Field Reports”, “Operation and Maintenance”, “Closeout Submittals”, “Contract Drawings”, “Design Review Comment”, “Specifications”, “Request for Information”, “Client Requirements”, “Contract Specifications”, “Contract Drawings”, “Requests for Information”, “Contract Modifications”, and “Punch List Items”.
Document.Descriptiona general text description of the description.
Document.Directorythe path name to the file. If COBie is delivered on a portable media the directory should be the relative path name from the COBie file to the referenced document. If the COBie file references documents that are available on the World Wide Web, the complete path name to the document including the internet protocol used shall be included. In all cases the document directory should include the trailing “/” of all path names.
Document.Filethe name of the file, with file extension, that contains the associated information.
Document.Referenceif different from the Document.Directory/Document.File this is a reference to documents provided from manufacturers’ catalogs or websites
Document.RowNamea foreign key identifying the row in the associated Document.SheetName.
Document.SheetNamespecifies references in in this row as pertaining to COBie data in any other COBie worksheet.
Document.Stagea classification of the type of information contained within one row. If allowable values are not specified by contract, the default values are: “As Built”, “Submitted”, “Approved”, “Exact Requirement”, “Maximum Requirement”, “Minimum Requirement”, and “Requirement”.
elementtangible physical product that can be described by its shape representation, material representations, and other properties. A specialization of the general term product. See COBie.Component.
element occurrenceelement's position within the project coordinate system and its containment within the spatial structure.
entityclass of information defined by common attributes and constraints as defined in [ISO 10303-11]. Similar to the term "class" in common programming languages but describing data structure only (not behavior such as methods).
enumerationconstruct that allows an attribute value to be one of multiple predefined values identified by name. Similar to the "Enumeration" construct as defined in [ISO 10303-11]. Similar in concept to "enum" in common programming languages.
external referencelink to information outside the data set, with direct relevance to the specific information the link originates from inside the data set.
ExternalIdentifierthe unique identifier of the identified external object that would allow COBie data to be matched back to the data from which it was developed in the named external system.
ExternalObjectthe name of the data object within the computer system that holds the data provided in a given row of COBie data. The default values for external object are the associated IFC entities that are mapped (and those that are excluded) when transforming IFC data to a given row of COBie data.
ExternalSystemthe name of the computer system generating the row of COBie data.
Facililtya worksheet in the COBie spreadsheet. There may only be one row in the facility worksheet. Projects composed of multiple facilities, shall be described by separate COBie spreadsheets. Facility.Name is the primary key for this worksheet.
Facility.AreaMeasurementthe associated measurement method used to calculate spatial are measurement applied to all COBie information other than that found in the Attribute worksheet.
Facility.AreaUnitsthe associated unit of measurement applied to all COBie information other than that found in the Attribute and Impact worksheets.
Facility.Categorythe category of facility described by the COBie data set. If allowable values are not specified by contract, the default value for this information is the current OmniClass Table 11.
Facility.CurrencyUnitthe associated unit of measurement applied to all COBie information other than that found in the Attribute and Impact worksheets.
Facility.Descriptiona general text description of the facility.
Facility.ExternalFacilityIdentifierfor information originating in IFC models this information is an additional object identifier, allowing information about this Facility to be referenced back to the computer software that initially generated that information.
Facility.ExternalFacilityObjectfor information originating in IFC models this information is an additional object identifier, allowing information about this Facility to be referenced back to the computer software that initially generated that information.
Facility.ExternalSiteIdentifierfor information originating in IFC models this information is an additional object identifier, allowing information about this Facility to be referenced back to the computer software that initially generated that information.
Facility.ExternalSiteObjectfor information originating in IFC models this information is an additional object identifier, allowing information about this Facility to be referenced back to the computer software that initially generated that information.
Facility.LinearUnitsthe associated unit of measurement applied to all COBie information other than that found in the Attribute and Impact worksheets.
Facility.Namethe name of the Facility as it appears on design drawings, or as otherwise specified by contract.
Facility.Phasethe designation of the phase of the project reflected in a given COBie data set.
Facility.ProjectDescriptiona general text description of the project.
Facility.ProjectNamethe name of the Project as it appears on design drawings, or as otherwise specified by contract.
Facility.SiteDescriptiona general text description of the site.
Facility.SiteNamethe name of the Site as it appears on design drawings, or as otherwise specified by contract.
Facility.VolumeUnitsthe associated unit of measurement applied to all COBie information other than that found in the Attribute and Impact worksheets.
featureparametric information and additional property information modifying the shape representation of an element to which it applies.
Floora worksheet in the COBie spreadsheet. Floors are the vertical levels of a vertical facility. Geographic areas, such as a facility’s site, may also be identified on the floor worksheet. Floor.Name is the primary key for this worksheet.
Floor.Categorya classification of the type of information contained within one row. If allowable values are not specified by contract, the default values are: “Floor”, “Roof”, and “Site”.
Floor.Descriptiona general text description of the floor.
Floor.Elevationelevation at the top of the floor structure. If allowable values are not specified by contract, the default value is measured as a relative value compared to the facilities datum.
Floor.Heightdistance between top of floor structure to bottom of structure above. Typically applicable to rows having the Floor.Category of “Floor”.
Floor.Namethe name of the floor as it appears on other contract documents, such as design drawings.
FMfacility management
Groupcollection of information that fulfils a specified purpose. A specialization of the general term object. See COBie.Zone & COBie.System.
GUIDglobally unique identifier
HVACieheating, ventilating, and air conditioning information exchange format
identificationcapability to find, retrieves, report, change, or delete specific instances without ambiguity.
IFCindustry foundation classes
ifcXMLan XML schema for IFC Step files based on STEP XML transformation rules
IFDinternational framework for dictionaries
instanceoccurrence of an entity. Similar to the term "instance of a class" in object oriented programming.
inverse attributeunit of information defining queries for obtaining related data and enforcing referential integrity. Similar to the term "navigation property" in entity-relational programming frameworks.
Issuea worksheet in the COBie spreadsheet. Issue records identify allow the exchange of business process and exception reporting information related to other parts of a given COBie deliverable. Issue.Name, Issue.SheetName, Issue.RowName comprise the compound key for this worksheet.
Issue.Chancea classification of the type of information contained within one row. If allowable values are not specified by contract, the default values are: “Has Occurred”, “High”, “Moderate”, “Low”, and “Unknown”.
Issue.Descriptiona general text description of the issue.
Issue.Impacta classification of the type of information contained within one row. If allowable values are not specified by contract, the default values are: “Very High”, “High”, “Moderate”, “Low”, and “Unknown”.
Issue.Mitigationa general text description of the mitigation.
Issue.Namethe name of the coordinate.
Issue.Ownera foreign key identifying the COBie.Contact.
Issue.Riska classification of the type of information contained within one row. If allowable values are not specified by contract, the default values are: “Very High”, “High”, “Moderate”, “Low”, and “Unknown”.
Issue.RowName1a foreign key identifying a specific row in the Issue. SheetName1.
Issue.RowName2a foreign key identifying a specific row in the Issue. SheetName2.
Issue.SheetName1specifies references in in this row as pertaining to COBie data in any other COBie worksheet.
Issue.SheetName2specifies references in in this row as pertaining to COBie data in any other COBie worksheet.
Issue.Typea classification of the type of information contained within one row. If allowable values are not specified by contract, the default values are: “Change”, “Claim”, “Coordination”, “Environmental”, “Function”, “IndoorAirQuality”, “Installation”, “RFI”, “Safety”, and “Specification”.
LCielife-cycle information exchange format
librarycatalogue, database or holder of data, that is relevant to information in the data set. It is information referenced from an external source that is not copied into the data set.
MVDmodel view definition
NBIMS-US™National BIM Standard-United States®
NIBSNational Institute of Building Sciences
NIEMnational information exchange model
objectanything perceivable or conceivable that has a distinct existence, albeit not material.
object occurrencecharacteristics of an object as an individual. Similar to "object", "instance", "individual," “component” in other publications.
object typescommon characteristics shared by multiple object-occurrences. Similar to "class", "template", and “type" in other publications.
processobject-occurrence located in time, indicating "when". See COBie job.
process occurrenceconceptual object that may occur at a particular time.
process typecommon characteristics shared by multiple process occurrences.
productphysical or conceptual object that occurs in space. It is specialization of the general term object. See COBie.Component.
product occurrencephysical or conceptual object that may have a location in space and shape characteristics.
product typecommon characteristics shared by multiple product occurrences. See COBie.Type.
projectencapsulation of related information for a particular purpose providing context for information contained within. Context information may include default measurement units or representation context and precision.
propertyunit of information that is dynamically defined as a particular entity instance. Similar to "late-bound" or "run-time" in programming terminology. See COBie.Attribute.
property occurrenceunit of information providing a value for a property identified by name.
property set occurrenceunit of information containing a set of property occurrences, each having a unique name within the property set.
property set templateset of property templates serving a common purpose and having applicability to objects of a particular entity. Similar in concept to "extension class" in common programming languages.
property templatemetadata for a property including name, description, and data type. Similar in concept to "extension property" in common programming languages.
proxyobject that does not hold a specific object type information. A specialization of object occurrence.
quantitymeasurement of a scope-based metric, specifically length, area, volume, weight, count, or time.
quantity occurrenceunit of information providing a value for a quantity.
quantity setunit of information containing a set of quantity occurrences, each having a unique name within the quantity set.
relationshipunit of information describing an interaction between items.
representationunit of information describing how an object is displayed, such as physical shape or topology.
resourceentity with limited availability such as materials, labor, or equipment. A specialization of the general term object. The "resource definition data schemas" section is unrelated to this concept. See COBie resource.
resource occurrenceentity with inherent financial cost, which may be passed onto processes, products, and controls to which it is assigned.
resource typecommon characteristics shared by multiple resource occurrences.
selectconstruct that allows an attribute value to be one of multiple types or entities. Similar to the "Select" construct as defined in [ISO 10303-11]. Similar to a "marker interface" in common programming languages.
spacearea or volume bounded actually or theoretically. See COBie space.
Spacea worksheet in the COBie spreadsheet. Spaces are the horizontal decomposition of floors into areas which have common functional purpose and user. Vertically, spaces run from top of floor to bottom of slab above. Occupied space runs to bottom of the ceiling as expressed by Space.UsableHeight. Large Spaces which have more than a single functional purpose or user may be separated into individual spaces. Spaces may also be used on floors of type “Roof” or “Site” to identify spatial regions outside a facility enclosure. Space.Name is the primary key for this worksheet.
Space.Categorythe category of space described by the COBie data set. If allowable values are not specified by contract, the default value for this information is the current OmniClass Table 13.
Space.Descriptionthe description of the space found on design drawings at the equivalent project stage of the current deliverable.
Space.FloorNamea foreign key identifying the COBie.Floor.Name.
Space.GrossAreatotal space area as specified in the design contract and calculated by the identified Facility.AreaMeasurement.
Space.Namethe Space.Name must match the value found on design drawings at the equivalent project stage of the current deliverable.
Space.NetAreausable space areas as specified in the design contract and calculated by the identified Facility.AreaMeasurement
Space.RoomTagsignage provided for each space. Signage applied to doors, if different, is identified as Attribute records related to each applicable door. The information here is equivalent to that found in construction signage submittals.
Space.UsableHeightdistance from top of finished floor to bottom of ceiling. If there is no ceiling then this value must match Floor.Height.
Sparkieelectrical system information exchange format
Specific COBie spreadsheet terms and definitionsThe following terms and definitions are provided in the order that the COBie worksheets are presented in the COBie spreadsheet form. Common author and Originating system information, described above, are excluded.
SPFSTEP physical file
SpreadsheetMLan XML schema for Microsoft Excel spreadsheet 2003
STEPstandard for the exchange of product data
systemorganized combination of related parts within an AEC product, composed for a common purpose or function or to provide a service. System is essentially a functionally related aggregation of products. See COBie system.
transactiona discrete exchange of specific a defined subset of a larger information exchange specification.
typebasic information construct derived from a primitive, an enumeration, or a select of entities. Similar to the "Type" construct as defined in [ISO 10303-11]. Similar in concept to "typedef" or "value type" in common programming languages. See COBie type.
Typea worksheet in the COBie spreadsheet. Types are the different products and equipment to be installed in the facility. Type.Name is the primary key for this worksheet.
Type. NominalWidthan approximate measure of the bounding box surrounding the product type.
Type.AccessibilityPerformanceduring planning and design phase: specific constraints that should be/have been considered during the specification process. During construction and handover phase: the text description of associated information found on a product manufacturers product data sheet.
Type.Assettype A classification of the asset within one row. If allowable values are not specified by contract, the default values are: “Fixed” and “Movable”.
Type.Category Typethe category of type described by the COBie data set. If allowable values are not specified by contract, the default value for this information is the current OmniClass Table 23.
Type.CodePerformanceduring planning and design phase: specific constraints that should be/have been considered during the specification process. During construction and handover phase: the text description of associated information found on a product manufacturers product data sheet.
Type.Colorduring planning and design phase: specific constraints that should be/have been considered during the specification process. During construction and handover phase: the text description of associated information found on a product manufacturers product data sheet.
Type.Constituentsduring planning and design phase: specific constraints that should be/have been considered during the specification process. During construction and handover phase: the text description of associated information found on a product manufacturers product data sheet.
Type.Descriptiona general text description of the type. If description is present on desging drawings schedules, this value must match.
Type.DurationUnitthe identification of the unit of measure associated with value found in Type.ExpectedLife. If allowable values are not specified by contract, the default values are: “month” and “year”.
Type.ExpectedLifeduring handover phase: the expected service life of the product type given the level of service within the facility. During planning, design, and construction phase: left blank unless conducting total cost of ownership studies.
Type.Featuresduring planning and design phase: specific constraints that should be/have been considered during the specification process. During construction and handover phase: the text description of associated information found on a product manufacturers product data sheet.
Type.Finishduring planning and design phase: specific constraints that should be/have been considered during the specification process. During construction and handover phase: the text description of associated information found on a product manufacturers product data sheet.
Type.Gradeduring planning and design phase: specific constraints that should be/have been considered during the specification process. During construction and handover phase: the text description of associated information found on a product manufacturers product data sheet.
Type.Manufacturerduring construction and handover phase: the Contact.Email of the installed product. During planning and design phase: not applicable.
Type.Materialduring planning and design phase: specific constraints that should be/have been considered during the specification process. During construction and handover phase: the text description of associated information found on a product manufacturers product data sheet.
Type.ModelNumberduring construction and handover phase: the manufacture’s model number of the installed product. During planning and design phase: not applicable.
Type.ModelReferenceduring construction and handover phase: the manufacturer’s catalog or reference resource, such as website, where information abut the installed product type may be found. During planning and design phase: not applicable.
Type.Namethe Type.Name must match the value found on design drawing schedules at the equivalent project stage of the current deliverable.
Type.NominalHeightan approximate measure of the bounding box surrounding the product type.
Type.NominalLengthan approximate measure of the bounding box surrounding the product type.
Type.ReplacementCostduring construction and handover phase: The manufacture’s suggested retail price for this type. During planning and design phase: not applicable.
Type.Shapeduring planning and design phase: specific constraints that should be/have been considered during the specification process. During construction and handover phase: the text description of associated information found on a product manufacturers product data sheet.
Type.Sizeduring planning and design phase: specific constraints that should be/have been considered during the specification process. During construction and handover phase: the text description of associated information found on a product manufacturers product data sheet.
Type.SustainabilityPerformanceduring planning and design phase: specific constraints that should be/have been considered during the specification process. During construction and handover phase: the text description of associated information found on a product manufacturers product data sheet.
Type.Warrantydescription a general text description of the warranty.
Type.WarrantyDurationLaborduring construction and handover phase: the length of the warranty period for labor repairs provided by the product manufacturer. Typically the same as Type.WarrantyDurationParts. During planning and design phase: not applicable.
Type.WarrantyDurationPartsduring construction and handover phase: the length of the warranty period for replacement parts provided by the product manufacturer. During planning and design phase: not applicable.
Type.WarrantyDurationUnitthe identification of the unit of measure associated with values found in Type.WarrantyDurationParts and Type.WarrantyDurationLabor. If allowable values are not specified by contract, the default values are: “month” and “year”.
Type.WarrantyGuarantorLaborduring construction and handover phase: the Contact.Email of the party, or parties, responsible for labour costs during the warranty period. Typically the same as Type.WarrantyGuarantorParts. During planning and design phase: not applicable.
Type.WarrantyGuarantorPartsduring construction and handover phase: the Contact.Email of the party, or parties, responsible for replacement parts during the warranty period. During planning and design phase: not applicable.
URIuniform resource identifier
USUnited States of America
UUIDuniversally unique identifier
WSiewater system information exchange format
zonea zone is a group of spaces, partial spaces or other zones. See COBie zone.
Zonea worksheet in the COBie spreadsheet. Zones are aggregations of spaces that provide some common purpose. Zone.Name, Zone.Category, and Zone.SpaceName provide the compound key for this worksheet.
Zone.Categorya classification of the type of information contained within one row. If allowable values are not specified by contract, the default values are: “Circulation Zone”, “Lighting Zone”, “Fire Alarm Zone”, “Historical Preservation Zone”, “Occupancy Zone”, and “Ventilation Zone”.
Zone.Descriptiona general text description of the zone.
Zone.Namethe name of the specific function performed by a group of spaces within a given
Zone.SpaceNamesa foreign key identifying the COBie.Space.Name. The plural designation of “SpaceNames” indicating use of a delimited list of Space.Name values is depreciated in COBie version 2.4.