Interlinking geometric and semantic information for an automated structural analysis of buildings using semantic web

The advancing digitization in the building industry highlights weak points in the digital infrastructure. Due to heterogeneous software landscapes, cross-application data exchange is a frequently criticized process in particular, for which no satisfying solution exists so far. Open and application-independent data formats are necessary and therefore the current research project SCOPE focuses on developing such formats by applying Semantic Web Technologies. This article proposes an approach that enriches a graph with relevant information for structural design and provides the enhanced description as a calculation basis for structural analysis software. A novel ontology, the TDY-Ontology, is designed to connect geometry descriptions with structural-specific semantic information, like the standard of the analysis to be executed, bearing arrangements, bedding of floor slabs or the definition of joints and loads.