Asset information model (AIM)
Quick definition: The information model that supports the operation, maintenance and management of an asset during its operational phase.
Explanation
Beginner explanation
The AIM is the owner's "operating manual" in data form: the list of equipment, spaces, warranties, maintenance information and key documents needed to run the asset, kept up to date over its life.
Technical explanation
The AIM is structured according to the Asset information requirements. It is initially populated from the Project information model at handover and then maintained through the operational phase (ISO 19650-3 covers information management in operations). The AIM can provide information back to future projects on the same asset, for example a renovation, and may be connected to operational systems; adding live data connections moves it toward a Digital twin.
Practical example
A hospital's AIM links each air-handling unit to its location, maintenance schedule, O&M manual, warranty and commissioning record, and is updated whenever a unit is replaced.
Why it matters
An accurate AIM reduces time spent searching for information, supports planned maintenance and gives future projects a reliable starting point.
Common confusion
The AIM is not the same as the as-built model, which may contain far more geometry than operations need and may lack operational data.
Standards and references
- ISO 19650-1:2018 — Organization and digitization of information about buildings and civil engineering works, including building information modelling (BIM) — Information management using building information modelling — Part 1: Concepts and principles. ISO, 2018. Clause 3 and Clause 4.Original VDC Stack.io wording, based on the standard
Supports: AIM as operational-phase information model; relation to PIM and AIR · Status: Stage 90.92 (to be revised). Revision ISO/DIS 19650-1 at stage 40.93 on 2026-08-18 (decision for new DIS ballot).
VDC Stack.io writes its own explanations and does not reproduce copyrighted standards text. Consult the cited standard for normative wording.
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VDC Stack.io. (2026). Asset information model (AIM). In VDC Stack.io Knowledge Dictionary. Retrieved from https://vdcstack.io/dictionary/asset-information-model/