CoDEC is a project funded by the CEDR (Conference of European Directors of Roads) Transnational Research Programme Call 2018 aiming to understand, in a very practical way, the key means for successful implementation of Building Information Modelling (BIM) principles within the European highways industry, in particular with regards to freeing and enriching data flow to and from Asset Management Systems (AMS). 

The project started on 1st October 2019 (duration 24 months). 

The project’s overarching objectives:

• Understand the current status of information management across the highways industry in Europe, and the risks and opportunities for the coming years.
• Derive best practice guidance in the use of sensor/scanning technology to drive Asset Management (AM), by investigating real examples of application to assets.
• Demonstrate and develop practical methods for implementation of CEDR objectives for BIM, by undertaking applied projects in real use cases and consolidating outcomes.
• Provide recommendations for aligning the software industry with CEDR objectives for BIM by understanding the risks and opportunities involved in the market.

PILOT Projects

CoDEC will undertake three Pilot Projects, with the aim of researching and developing real, practical methods, tools and processes for implementing BIM principles in the European Highways industry. These projects will build on existing efforts in this area, such as the European Road OTL, and of course the Master Data Dictionary to be created by CoDEC. Outcomes of these pilot projects will be disseminated to CEDR members for trialling and implementation.

• PILOT project 1 - building a digital twin of an existing highways asset using design/construction data and 3D scanning technologies, and linking to an AMS.
• PILOT project 2 – taking remote sensor data feeds from various highways assets and using these to enrich legacy data in existing systems.
• PILOT project 3 – associating asset data from multiple sources to a 3D BIM model of an urban area with many highways assets using automated “smart” methods.

Expected outcomes:

• Identify the legacy datasets across European NRAs that need to be mapped for BIM
• Produce a European Master Data Dictionary for legacy and likely “new” datasets for key asset types Research new and emerging asset data capture technologies – for example: 3D scanning, remote sensor data capture, LiDAR...
• Create a systematic and practical approach to connect the Master Data Dictionary for both legacy and "new” datasets using the European OTL Framework
• Demonstrate application of BIM principles using existing datasets and systems currently used by European NRAs, and capture lessons learnt and recommendations
• Produce tangible tools, such as software protocols (e.g.: APIs) to connect data across software systems 
• Capture the outcomes of the Pilot Projects and make recommendations to CEDR members for implementing BIM principles in a targeted manner 
• Engage stakeholders in the software industry throughout the process and produce a roadmap for alignment of the highways industry and software providers