Revealing the internal structure of IFC-Graph for efficient querying and knowledge discovery

Abstract

The use of graph-based asset information is growing in the Architecture, Engineering, Construction, and Operation (AECO) domain. However, there has been no comprehensive investigation into its internal structure, which hinders the efficiency of information querying and knowledge discovery. This study aims to reveal the internal structure of graph-based IFC (Industry Foundation Classes) information, referred to as IFC-Graph, and to assess the impact of graph structure on the efficiency of information querying and knowledge discovery. First, through a close examination of the IFC standard, five levels of detail were identified and proposed for IFC-Graph. Second, methods for generating graphs at each level were developed. Lastly, the impact of graph structure on information querying and knowledge discovery was assessed. The results show that: (1) relations constitute the main framework of graph-based IFC information and are key to efficiently extracting relational information from IFC-Graph; and (2) the proposed five-level framework makes graph-based asset information more practical to use, by increasing flexibility in graph generation and improving the efficiency of graph queries and knowledge discovery.