Detecting, modeling and quantifying differences in terms meaning, in BIM environment

CTU Prague, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Thakurova 7, 166 29 Prague, Czech Republic

^* Corresponding author: sura@fsv.cvut.cz

Abstract

Professional tasks in BIM involve sharing information among many participants, and require the use of the most precise terms to meet the following conditions. First, the user (reader) must not hesitate over the meaning. Second, various users should understand them alike, or better – in the same way. Less vague expressions provide more reliable basis for decision analysis and decision making, and for a joint, seamless, unquestionable consensus. Formal definitions of terms are used for that purpose where necessary, e.g. for logical or computer processing, but other terms remain or need to remain without such precise formal definitions. The principles for comparing difference in understanding the meaning of a term by different subjects are examined. We specify principles for measuring and calculating difference in, and vagueness of, meaning. Then, variables and scaling methods are proposed to measure the difference in and vagueness of meaning. The presented measuring scales can be applied for example in the process of refinement, unifying or splitting BIM terms, or group consistency in understanding a BIM-oriented terms can be assessed using the concept of vagueness.