DFI's Information Management Systems Guide Specifications – Introduction and Case Studies-Paper

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The Deep Foundations Institute (DFI) Information Management Systems Committee developed a Data Management Guide Specification to help project owners and designers obtain reliable, usable site and construction data. Published in 2022, it builds on USACE experience but removes government- and US-specific language and allows greater flexibility in software and data formats, making it suitable for varied projects and locations.

The specification is a menu of suggested requirements that owners can tailor to a project’s size and complexity. It follows three sections:

- <strong>General</strong> sets expectations for data integrity and ownership, submission deadlines, file naming, backups, photography, spatial references, quality control, and qualified data-management personnel.
- <strong>Products</strong> describes deliverables such as an authoritative enterprise database, data-transfer reports, web and GIS interfaces, data-management plans, and specialized databases and construction records.
- <strong>Execution</strong> explains how data and deliverables are documented, transferred, maintained, and reviewed. It also covers website security and usability, training and coordination, and data requirements for specific construction activities.

A central objective is to give owners access to a documented, authoritative project data repository, supported where appropriate by GIS tools for viewing spatial information. Contractors describe their procedures in a Data Management Plan, which is approved before construction and updated as needed.

The committee plans to expand the guidance with more detailed requirements for individual construction and geotechnical techniques. It has also begun developing shorter, technique-specific specifications, including one focused on rock grouting.

Keywords

Deep Foundations Institute

Data Management Guide Specification

data management

site and construction data

project owners

geotechnical engineering

GIS interfaces

authoritative database

Data Management Plan

rock grouting