From Siloed Centralized Information Systems Towards Federated Data Ecosystems: Developing AECO Data Spaces

Abstract: The Architecture, Engineering, Construction, and Operations (AECO) industry faces challenges in seamless data exchange due to centralized, siloed systems that hinder collaboration throughout the building lifecycle. This research addresses these deficiencies by proposing a conceptual AECO data space prototype using a federated system architecture. By relying on state-of-the-art web technologies, the proposed implementation enables nested data spaces, metadata management, and role-based access control, ensuring transparency, scalability, and user-friendliness. Stakeholder feedback highlights the prototype’s user-friendliness, role-based data access, and centralized data visibility while also revealing a lack of user awareness regarding decentralized data storage mechanisms.