While the advent of computer technology has greatly improved the speed of steel design, bottlenecks still occur due to repetitive data entry requirements. To help facilitate the electronic transfer of data between different members of the design and construction team, the Board of Directors of the American Institute of Steel Construction, Inc. (AISC) has endorsed Version 2.0 of the CIMsteel Integration Standards (CIS) (see: http://www.cis2.org/).
CIS is a protocol through which seemingly stand-alone programs, such as structural analysis, CAD and detailing systems, can communicate with each other. By providing a neutral data format, CIS allows data interchange between a wide variety of program types—as long as these programs have been designed to take advantage of the CIS format. The need for such a protocol is tremendous. "The challenge before the construction industry is to create a means for collaboration and data sharing between the various parties: owner, architect, engineer, supplier, and contractor," explained P. Bradford Vaughan, P.E., Manager of Power Operations, Black & Veatch, LLP, in Overland Park, KS, and a member of AISC’s EDI Review Team. "Each has their own specialized software that limits the industry's ability to work together using common data."
Adopting CIS will greatly ease the transfer of information—such as project drawings, design calculations and connection designs—between all members of the design and construction team, including engineers, fabricators, detailers and erectors. "Standardizing and using EDI will streamline existing work processes, allowing owners to receive more value for their construction dollar," said Mark Holland, P.E., Chief Engineer with Paxton & Vierling Steel Co. in Omaha and Co-Chairman of the AISC EDI Review Team. "The use of EDI is the next logical step in the evolution of the construction process. Implementation of CIS and standardizing the electronic exchange of structural steel project information will pave the way in realizing a quantum leap in the construction process."
In addition to increasing accuracy, it would reduce the cost involved with each project team reproducing drawings. "By taking advantage of the extensive effort in developing CIS/2.0, the entire steel industry can share and exchange data that previously had to be reentered for each proprietary software package," explained Joseph E. Harrison, Senior System Consultant with Intergraph Corp. in Huntsville, AL, and a member of AISC’s EDI Review Team. "For structural designers and engineers, use of the standard within steel design software will increase productivity and accuracy while reducing design costs. For software vendors, implementation of the standard will greatly reduce the number of translators that currently have to be supplied and maintained to retain communication with other products. Adoption of the standard also creates business opportunities by providing access to data that may not have existed in or been generated from an application. Intergraph believes that AISC's selection of CIS/2.0 as the standard for electronic data interchange will prove beneficial for structural engineers, software vendors and the steel industry worldwide."
Added Vaughan: "The adoption of an accepted protocol for electronic data exchange will provide both horizontal (exchanges between software performing similar functions) and vertical (exchanges between products that rely on results from another as inputs) integration. This will result in data exchange throughout the steel construction process--engineering, bidding, procurement, detailing, fabrication, transportation, and erection--creating efficiencies that will help lower the installed cost of structural steel construction."
Finally, an EDI standard will tighten project schedules and reduce project time. "Fluor Daniel has always sought new technology to improve our engineering and construction work processes. We recognized several years ago that the CIS standard had tremendous potential to benefit the steel industry through electronic data interchange. Now that the AISC, along with other important companies in the industry have endorsed the CIS 2.0 standard, we urge everyone to learn how."
AISC, headquartered in Chicago, is a not-for-profit organization established in 1921 to serve the structural steel industry in the United States. The organization's mission is to promote the use of structural steel through research activities, market development, education, codes and specifications, technical assistance, quality certification and standardization. AISC maintains the specification for the design of structural steel framing in the U.S. It has a long tradition of more than 75 years of providing assurance and service to the steel construction industry by providing reliable information.
AISC is committed to taking a leadership role in achieving standardization
of electronic data exchange for the structural steel design and construction
industry. For current and any future information regarding standardization
of electronic data exchange for the structural steel design and construction
industry, please refer to the AISC web site at http://www.aisc.org/releases/edi.htm
or contact: Steve Hamburg, AISC, (312) 670-5413, hamburg@aiscmail.com