ISO 19650 (Information Management)

The international standard for organizing information on BIM projects.

Quick Answer

ISO 19650 is a series of international standards for organizing and managing information about buildings and civil engineering works using building information modelling. It defines how appointing and appointed parties set information requirements, plan delivery, and share information through a common data environment across a project and the life of an asset.

The Full Picture

ISO 19650 grew out of the UK BIM Level 2 standards and was published by ISO as an international series. Part 1 sets out concepts and principles, and Part 2 covers the delivery phase of assets. Further parts address asset management, security, and other topics, so readers should check ISO's catalogue for the current list.

The standard is about process and information, not software. It assigns roles: an appointing party, such as an owner, states what information it needs, and appointed parties, such as designers and contractors, plan how they will deliver it. Information requirements are documented, commonly as organizational, project, and asset information requirements, and delivery is planned in documents such as an exchange information requirements document and a BIM execution plan.

A core idea is the common data environment, a single agreed source of information for the project where content moves through defined states, such as work in progress, shared, published, and archived. Naming, status, and approval rules keep information consistent and traceable as it is produced and reviewed.

ISO 19650 relates to technical standards such as IFC but is separate from them: it governs how information is requested, produced, and managed, while formats like IFC and APIs govern how data is exchanged between tools. The standard is more widely adopted in the UK and Europe than in the US, where project teams often borrow its concepts, and adoption is voluntary unless a contract requires it.

Real Examples

→Owner requirements: A public owner issues exchange information requirements with its tender so every bidding team knows what model data and documents must be delivered at each stage.

→Common data environment states: A design team publishes a drawing from work-in-progress to shared status only after internal checks, and the CDE records who approved it and when.

→Naming conventions: A project adopts a file naming and status scheme in line with the standard so documents from many firms can be found and tracked consistently.

Common Misconceptions

People assume: ISO 19650 is a software or API standard.

Actually: It is an information management standard covering roles, requirements, and processes. APIs and formats such as IFC are separate technical means of exchanging the data.

People assume: ISO 19650 is mandatory everywhere.

Actually: Adoption is largely driven by owners, contracts, or national policies. In the US it is used voluntarily and often adapted to project needs.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is ISO 19650?

ISO 19650 is an international series of standards for managing information over the life cycle of built assets using BIM. It defines roles, information requirements, and processes for sharing information, including through a common data environment.

What are the parts of ISO 19650?

Part 1 covers concepts and principles and Part 2 covers the delivery phase. Other parts address asset operation, security, and further topics. Check ISO's catalogue for the current list and editions.

What is the difference between ISO 19650 and IFC?

ISO 19650 governs how information is requested, produced, and managed. IFC is a data format for exchanging model content. They are complementary and are often used together.

What is a common data environment under ISO 19650?

It is the agreed single source of information for a project or asset, where information moves through defined states such as work in progress, shared, published, and archived under controlled rules.