A formal representation of data exchange for slope stability analysis of smart road design and construction

The Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) provides standardized product models for the building construction domain. However, the current IFC schema has limited representation for infrastructure. Several studies have examined the data schema for road and highway modeling, but not in a sufficiently comprehensive and robust manner to facilitate the overall integrated project delivery of road projects. Several discussions have focused on slope engineering for road projects, but no solution has been provided regarding the formalized parametric modeling up to now. Iterative design, analysis, and modification are observed during the process of slope design for road projects. The practitioners need to carry out the stability analysis to consider different road design alternatives, including horizontal, vertical, and cross-section designs. The procedure is neither formalized nor automated. Thus, there is a need to develop the formal representation of the product and process of slope analysis for road design. The objective of this research is to develop a formal representation (i.e., an IFC extension data schema) for slope analysis. It consists of comprehensive information required for slope analysis in a structured manner. The deliverable of this study contributes to both the formal representation of infrastructure development and, further, the automated process of slope design for road projects.