Heritage Building Information Modelling: Towards a New Era of Interoperability

Heritage Building Information Modelling (H-BIM) is an application of Building Information Modelling (BIM) in the field of documentation, preservation and managing of historic sites. The universal value of cultural heritage made a huge demand on applying such technology in this field, such important value needs an innovative system in data management for the documentation of historic buildings, where a historic building 3D model stands on heterogeneous data sets and should be interoperable with different software tools in order to handover the information to several users. The interoperability is defined as the ability of two or more systems to exchange information, data and knowledge. This paper outlines the importance of interoperability in optimizing the usage of data; by reducing wasted time and effort in gathering, translating and integration of data, and how it gives a wider dissemination which allows public users to benefit from the documentation and conservation process for a deeper understanding of heritage sites; outlying and reviewing the case of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, and how the Heritage Information Modelling could provide a precise restoration documents form; being interoperable with game engines.