4.3.7.1 Introduction

The ISO 19650 standard is written in a very general and partly abstract way. This is to ensure that the rules and best practices for information management can be applied as widely as possible. For practical application, however, adaptation to the specific features of the respective type of infrastructure is essential. Only then could practical benefits be derived from the application of the standard. Such adaptations and "translations" of the general rules, which are often formulated abstractly in the standard, into the "language" of the respective professional discipline are necessary in order to exploit the benefits of the ISO 19650 standard for the respective professional discipline. 

At this point, it is important to emphasize that BIM, as interpreted by the ISO 19650 standard, is primarily focused on the acquisition and exchange of information relating to construction objects. Professional aspects such as design techniques or construction technologies are of course always important, but only to describe the general framework within which information management is performed. Furthermore, it must be clearly stressed that information management (like any management) is always situated in an organizational context. The goals of the respective organization, in this case the owner or operator of the road infrastructure, and the strategies and tasks derived from these goals determine the framework in which information management is practiced. For this reason, this chapter always refers to the respective general framework that determines the organization's actions, i.e., the organizational or professional context. This is to show that different solutions may be optimal in different circumstances.