Persistent Digital Identifiers for Construction Products

The project brings together the unique expertise and capabilities of RIBA Enterprises (RIBAE), BSI and the Construction Products Association (CPA) to address a critical infrastructural requirement for digitising the construction sector; the need for a common, persistent digital identification system for all construction products. The system will utilise and build on the success of a scheme that is well-established in the content sector, enables interoperability of existing identifier schemes and reliability of long-term access to product information.
The project will research and define the required meta data schema, pilot and validate the approach and establish a Registration Agency to assign and manage identifers and associated metadata. This will enable new business models for the project partners and the wider construction industry, facilitate data exchage and e-commerce and support the adoption of BIM. The scheme offers potential for expansion both to other aspects of construction information and into international markets.