Cobuilder participates in the launch of a European data dictionary: a turning point for the construction sector

With the launch of a European data dictionary by Define and Cobuilder, European countries and construction companies will be able to accelerate their transition towards standardized management of their data, thus guaranteeing their interoperability and reproductivity beyond their borders.

Define, a data platform for construction players

In recent years, more and more European countries have launched their own initiatives to develop national data dictionaries in the construction sector. Many of them rely on Define, an online platform that allows its users to create, manage and share data models.

More precisely, Define Data Dictionary is a solution developed for companies in the construction industry and managed by the players in the sector themselves via a board of directors made up of various players in the construction sector and thanks to Cobuilder including the role is to integrate data from the platform in compliance with technical requirements and international standards.

Today, Define launches one of its biggest assets yet: the European Data Dictionary. To enable countries and businesses across our continent to adopt a common digital language based on standards for the entire sector, ensuring interoperability and reproducibility.

For Lars Fredenlund, CEO of Cobuilder: “One of the objectives of the European Data Dictionary is to unify a diverse but highly interconnected market. A dedicated working group composed of industry players within Define participates in the consensus governance of the European Data Dictionary. Over time, more experts will join to provide their knowledge and expertise to help us build the strongest and richest database possible. »

The advantages of a common approach

This European data dictionary is based on CEN-CENELEC standards. This both avoids the effort of deploying a new data dictionary for each country from scratch, but also ensures that all countries and companies, regardless of language, culture, etc. ., will rely on the same data structures.

Additionally, like national data dictionaries, the European Data Dictionary can be useful for small businesses that do not have the means to develop and maintain their own.

Finally, the development of this dictionary is in line with the regulatory project to establish digital passports for construction products, the objective of which is to establish common digital documentation for all construction products on the European market.

For Lars Fredenlund: “The changing regulations are also encouraging further digitalization of the construction sector, particularly in areas such as building information modeling (BIM), building logs, digital passports and registers. This proves that the industry needs a common European data dictionary more than ever to power all the changes to come. »

In practice, how Define's European data dictionary works

The Define platform currently supports the interconnection of separate data dictionaries. With the European Data Dictionary, a hierarchy will be established in which it will be at the top and will contain all the common European definitions and share them between the national data dictionaries of the countries. This ensures that all businesses, regardless of their country of origin, can work within a single common data framework, providing interoperability and a ready-to-use resource when setting up their data dictionaries.

The European Data Dictionary should not only include new data models, but, over time, provide access to new classification schemes, data sources and use cases of the information need level, which constitutes a new step towards implementing a standardized data structure where data is interoperable, shared and can be reused.

Benefits for French companies in the construction sector

The European Data Dictionary embodies the vision of interconnected data dictionaries and aligns with the principle of “taking a global perspective while implementing local strategies”. It promotes collaboration between companies from different countries, allowing them to operate within a consistent data framework.

This common digital language for the construction industry strengthens interoperability and streamlines the development of distinct data dictionaries. This interoperability will allow French construction companies to easily integrate their operations with those of their European counterparts, access common definitions and maintain a competitive advantage in an increasingly globalized construction market.

The European Data Dictionary is available on Define Hub, where industry players can find more information about Define and data dictionaries.