Chronological Models (cMod) : towards consistent lifecycle information management

The cMod framework introduces a novel approach to managing chronological construction models, integrating lifecycle phases, update tracking, and spatial context for enhanced Building Information Modeling (BIM) to improve model consistency. Leveraging ontologies—the Ontology for Chronological Construction Processes (OCCP) and the Ontology for Updates and Linked Data (OULD)—the framework unifies these into a Chronological Model ABox (CMA), managed by the cMod Manager (cMM) software. The Area Model concept provides a base for model aggregation. Minimal examples demonstrate phase assignment, update chains, and validation, tested with small-scale IFC models. While promising, limitations include untested scalability, rudimentary Git integration, and conceptual georeferencing. Future work aims to refine querying, versioning, and railway applicability, potentially aligning with the W3C Provenance Ontology (PROV-O). cMod offers a foundation for lifecycle management, aiming to bridge static BIM with dynamic timelines.