FIATECH

Vision

The Vision statement describes what is wanted in the future.

The long term vision of Element 9 of the Capital Projects Technology Roadmap (the Roadmap) is that the execution of future capital projects and operation of capital facilities will be radically enhanced by seamless access to all data, information, and knowledge needed to make optimal decisions in every phase and function of the capital project/facility lifecycle. Element 9 (Lifecycle Data Management and Information Integration) provides a foundation layer for the highly automated project and facility management environment envisioned in the Roadmap.

Data (and information or knowledge) may be "structured", such as in tables or databases, or "unstructured", such as in the form of documents, graphical models or other "packages" containing snapshots-in-time of aggregated information. Data will be self-describing, making its content, the "container", the intended purpose or use, and its history all available to other systems, processes or equipment that may use it. Data will be managed by applying the concepts of aggregation, encapsulation, content, consolidation, and validation.

All data that drives and supports capital projects industry processes will be safely stored and instantly accessible and retrievable on demand, in user-specified form, with complete assurance of security for sensitive data. Data will be available to authorized users in accordance with rigorous standards for data security and integrity. Future capital projects and facility managers will have continuous access to the right data and information, at the right time, and in the right format.

Systems, processes and equipment will be enabled with a complete capability to capture pertinent data relative to their function and state within the lifecycle of the facility and construction processes and will provide requested data to the enterprise knowledge system in the form of accurate information delivered in transparently useable forms. Interoperable systems will operate seamlessly as components of the integrated enterprise. Developed based on agreed standards and protocols for data and information exchange, they will plug-and-play without intervention, and provide seamless access to knowledge-bases and legacy data. Legacy data concerns will be eliminated through knowledge-based systems that transparently extract data from existing systems.

The shared or common data on which the industry operates will be managed as a shared asset, validated by subject matter experts, assuring the provision of needed information (such as regulations, units of measure, expert rule bases, and metadata) and eliminating non-value-added information management tasks. Knowledge-bases spanning every relevant domain will be populated with validated reference data and managed in a secure yet easily accessible structure. The availability of such shared knowledge-bases will reduce the cost and time for accessing and organizing commonly used data.

Connectivity and interoperability of project/enterprise systems is key to the vision of the future. Different systems and applications will be able to exchange and share data without the need for manual translation or re-entry, enabling a true "enter once, use many times" information environment. Connectivity throughout the extended enterprise will enable rapid integration of partners and suppliers to form teams for new projects as well as seamless integration of long-term supply and support networks.

Techniques and tools such as model-based information management will enable complete integration of data, information, and knowledge with the products, processes, and systems with which they are associated. For example, all supplied products and equipment will come equipped with a high-fidelity virtual model embedded (or linked to) all relevant information about the product. This information will include geometry, performance specifications, analytical models, failure modes, usage instructions, and similar data that facilitate project planning, design, procurement, construction, operation, maintenance, and lifecycle support. These "knowledge objects" will be able to be directly "plugged in" to the Asset Lifecycle Information System, while retaining linkages to external information sources to enable updates when the external information is modified.

The Asset Lifecycle Information System for a specific project or facility will be an electronic instance of a facility that evolves over time (i.e. as projects are conducted to modify the facility). It will contain all versions, decisions, deletions and results relating to that facility, including data required for private, internal use by domain experts, for example as they develop alternatives and what-if scenarios prior to a business or technical decision point. The Asset Lifecycle Information System will support a fully integrated facility planning, business modeling, simulation and project management environment. Information germane to the facility will be continuously refreshed through the use of trusted work processes designed to accurately update electronic data.

The Asset Lifecycle Information System will automatically ripple approved changes (i.e. "exposed" or external views of data) to affected project stakeholders and systems. A unified industry knowledge management framework and supporting applications will enable collection and integration of project experience and data in machine-readable form. This knowledge-base will be continuously updated and applied by expert systems to support all technical and business functions of the enterprise, assuring that decisions are optimized for best results.

The Asset Lifecycle Information System will support the rapid generation of procurement packages and supporting schedule and financial data when designs are approved, and the automatic dissemination of the design and quality assurance packages to project team members and qualified suppliers and vendors. Integration with financial reporting systems will provide project managers with one-click visibility into the status of any task or issue, and automatically variances for management action.

The Asset Lifecycle Information System will also include the total construction execution plan data, complete with specifications, bills of material, time-phased labor/material/equipment staging, and resource allocations. It will support the simulation of every task and step in the construction process with an accurate time component, turning the 3-D facility model into a complete, 4-D living simulation. This will enable planners to optimize construction sequencing to drastically reduce build time and cost, and assure safety and security of operations.

Integration of sensing and monitoring functions will enable the Asset Lifecycle Information System to be continuously updated with as-built information, providing complete visibility of progress against plans and budgets. It will also enable immediate identification of problems such as misrouted material/equipment, improper assembly, and safety and security incidents. During design and construction, and when the construction project is complete, the Asset Lifecycle Information System will be available to the facility operation and maintenance function for use as a facility control model, supporting routine operations and maintenance activities as well as planning and execution of facilities upgrades and other actions downstream in the lifecycle.