MISSION
To advance digital transformation for the built environment through the delivery of consensus- based industry standards, research, and thought leadership focusing on value-driven outcomes.
VISION
To convene industry to adopt and empower transformative digital technology strategies across stakeholders, raising the bar for professional services, that drive improved project delivery and operational processes.
DIGITAL DELIVERY
Priority-Establishing a “digital project delivery approach” as the new normal for leveraging technology industry standards to drive the most efficient and mutually beneficial stakeholder outcomes. Educate and Elevate the body of workforce.
FIELD TECHNOLOGIES
Priority-Promote the connection between digital and physical environments through advanced technology tools that can survey, gather, analyze, and perform work to increase productivity, eliminate waste and supplement our workforce.
DIGITAL TWIN
Priority-Define, and Deliver a framework and output for practical digital twin implementation across the project lifecycle.
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
The five-member Digital Technology Council (DTC) Board of Direction (BOD) provides vision, leadership, and operational guidance for the Council while ensuring effective management of resources to advance the vision of the Council.
Officers are elected from within the council membership through a nominations and election process.
Chair
Alex Belkofer, CM-BIM
McCarthy Building Companies, Inc.
Vice Chair
David Morales Obando
Salas O’Brien
Secretary
Swetha Sadananda
Kaiser Permanente
Members At Large
Brian Melton
Black & Veatch Corportation
Rachel Riopel, AIA
MOREgroup
NIBS Board Liaisons
Sandra K. Benson
Board Advisor, ViaTechnik
Evelyn Fujimoto, Assoc. AIA, LEED AP, NCIDQ, RID NAC
EMF Collaborative
Derrick Harmon
Virtual Intros; Aquila Loop
Staff Facilitator
Jay Kline, PE
Program Director, Digital Technology
Zoe Bourne
Senior Associate, Digital Facilities Integration
Alex Belkofer, Chair, Digital Technology Council
“It is an honor and privilege to help serve the mission of NIBS and the supporting work of the Digital Technology Council to rally AECO industry stakeholders together to reach the next level of digital transformation for the built environment. We are at a critical juncture in the modern era where the intersection of technology evolution and business value must become more closely integrated to reach the next destination of digital maturity for our industry. From expanding upon our origins of defining BIM as a core technology and enabler of digital delivery, and by engaging our community of industry experts to expand this work, we aim to bring together tangible ideas and timely benefit to elevate the impact technology can have to connecting people, process and their data needs.”
David Morales, Vice Chair, Digital Technology Council
“The Digital Technology Council brings together a uniquely diverse group of AECO leaders in support of the broader NIBS mission. Under the enabling legislation, Public Law 93-383, we are strategically positioned to help guide how digital practices evolve across the built environment. Member participation is vital to strengthening the impact of the DTC’s work. I am honored to support NIBS mission and look forward to welcoming more voices into the Council’s committees. ”
OFFICERS
- Champion the Council’s mission to industry and potential sponsors
- Provide input to strategic direction and assist with prioritizing programs and activities
- Cultivate a sustainable organization, developing programs and projects that meet the business objectives of sponsors and members
- Provide technical and financial oversight of the Council projects, with support from the NIBS Board Liaison, and staff
National BIM Standard-United States®
The National BIM Standard-United States® (NBIMS-US™) provides consensus-based standards through referencing existing standards, documenting information exchanges and delivering best business practices for the entire built environment. With open BIM standards, we can build detailed models and deliver accurate products that can be used during commissioning and operation to ensure facility functionality throughout the life of the facility and to deliver high performance, carbon neutral, and net zero energy based facilities.
United States National CAD Standard® (NCS) V7
The NCS is a consensus standard incorporating industry publications. It is comprised of interrelated standards, guidelines and tools for uniformly organizing and presenting facility drawing information. It is the only comprehensive standard for facility planning, design, construction and operation drawings. The NCS consists of The American Institute of Architect’s CAD Layer Guidelines, Construction Specifications Institute’s Uniform Drawing System (Modules 1-8), and National Institute of Building Sciences’ BIM Implementation & Plotting Guidelines.
Digital Twins for the Built Environment
This position paper, written and published by the NIBS Digital Twin Integration Subcommittee (DTI-S), encourages the integration of Building Information Modeling (BIM) and Digital Twin technology, presenting a groundbreaking opportunity for the architecture, engineering, construction, and operations (AECO) industry. This integration sets the stage for innovation, efficiency, and collaboration and envisions a future where BIM and Digital Twin coexist and synergize to drive sustainability and enhance operational performance. By identifying this opportunity, the DTI-S offers the industry a plan for advancement that leverages the full spectrum of digital capabilities. This paper showcases how through strategic integration, leaders, technologists, and AECO practitioners can accelerate significant industry-wide change and engage in informed decision making. [June 2024 / 54 pages]
National BIM Guide for Owners
The purpose of the National Building Information Modeling Guide for Owners (NBGO) is to outline for the building Owner how to develop and implement requirements for the application of Building Information Modeling (BIM) for internal policies and procedures, and explain how to include these requirements in contracts to plan, design, construct and operate buildings. This Guide uses the term “building” generically, in keeping with the terminology of “Building Information Modeling.” It is intended to apply to information modeling for the built environment: site elements and facilities as well as buildings.. [January 2017 / 36 pages]
DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY COUNCIL (DTC) Committees
Committees established by the Digital Technology Council (DTC) Executive Committee (ExCom) serve at the discretion of the DTC ExCom. DTC committees shall be utilized by the DTC ExCom to examine specific topics in need of attention.
Digital Delivery Committee (DD-C)
Digital Delivery Committee (DD-C)
Description
Scope
The Digital Delivery Committee will develop and maintain a national, standards-based digital delivery framework for the built environment, defining minimum requirements, governance practices, and implementation guidance to enable interoperable, lifecycle data exchange across planning, design, construction, commissioning, and operations. The committee’s scope includes advancing NCS and NBIMS evolution guidance, establishing digital twin delivery requirements, defining protocols for AI-enabled project delivery, and aligning workforce competencies and terminology to support consistent adoption. The committee will coordinate related standards, guidance, research, and industry engagement activities to support repeatable implementation across stakeholder group.
Deliverables
- Develop guidance for the next evolution of the National CAD Standard (NCS) and National BIM Standard (NBIMS), including scope, structure, priority standards, and required updates for modern digital workflows for all facility structures.
- Define a national model for digital delivery using digital twins, focusing on lifecycle data continuity, fidelity requirements, governance, and measurable outcomes.
- Establish digital delivery principles and protocols for the AI-enabled project environment, including data quality, automation boundaries, validation steps, and human-in-the-loop requirements.
Digital Twin Integration Committee (DTI-C)
Digital Twin Integration Committee (DTI-C)
Chair: Jacob D-Albora
Secretary: Pouyan Layegh
Description
The Digital Twin Integration Committee focuses on helping the industry move from concept to practical implementation of digital twins by aligning strategy, standards, adoption, and measurable outcomes. The committee brings together owners, practitioners, researchers, and technology providers to define clear use cases, establish consistent integration approaches, and demonstrate defensible value across the asset lifecycle. Its work is centered on reducing uncertainty, improving interoperability, and enabling digital twins to function as trusted operational tools that support decision-making, performance, and long-term asset management.
Scope
The Digital Twin Integration Committee will develop guidance, frameworks, and industry resources that support the successful adoption and integration of digital twins across the asset lifecycle. The committee’s work will address core areas including strategy, standards alignment, organizational adoption, governance, performance measurement, and value realization. It will coordinate with related committees to ensure digital twin approaches align with digital delivery practices, field technologies, and lifecycle data continuity, while producing practical guidance, case studies, and measurable frameworks that enable consistent, scalable implementation across asset types and industries.
Deliverables
Working Group 1: Strategy and Framework
- Develop a practical digital twin framework that defines core use cases, data structures, governance models, and integration approaches.
- Establish guidance for lifecycle data continuity and interoperability aligned with digital delivery standards and related industry practices.
Working Group 2: Adoption and Change Management
- Publish guidance on organizational readiness, stakeholder alignment, and implementation of roadmaps that support sustained adoption.
- Develop best practices and case studies that demonstrate successful change management and long-term operational integration.
Working Group 3: ROI and Perceived Value
- Define common digital twin use cases with associated performance metrics and value drivers.
- Develop methodologies and case studies that demonstrate measurable operational, financial, and risk-reduction outcomes.
Collaboration
The DTI-C is dependent upon the voluntary efforts of its members to collaboratively engage with the drafting of documents and prototyping of tools, to review the products of other efforts within and around the DTI-C and participate as liaisons with groups deemed significant and relevant by the DTI-C. Industry participation is especially important because the alignment between them and a national standard will streamline development efforts between the BIM and Digital Twin communities. This further fosters improvements in the speed and efficiency with which individual, organizational, and industry efforts reach full maturity and ubiquity. Government agency participation is similarly critical to ensuring a more manageable communication effort between vendors and the Government alike. This improves contract oversight, ensures that right-sized solutions are available in the market, and that Government agency strategies can be aligned with a degree of certainty on the state and direction of the market. This participation may be supplemented by funded resources in alignment with the annual planning cycle.
The DTI-C will identify organizations, firms and government agencies which are likely to benefit from the clear and defined integration of BIM and Digital Twin disciplines. It will rely on the assistance of NIBS in encouraging participation in and support of the workgroup as it works to facilitate, foster, and maintain industry engagement.
Field Technologies Committee (FT-C)
Field Technologies Committee (FT-C)
Description
The Field Technologies Committee exists to define and advance best practices, guidance, and scalable solutions for construction inspection and field data workflows, bringing together agencies, academia, industry, and technology providers to ensure field-collected data remains trusted, connected, and actionable across the full construction lifecycle.
Scope
The Field Technologies Committee focuses on practical, real-world implementation of field technologies across transportation and vertical construction, evaluating how inspection, geospatial, and data capture workflows integrate with digital delivery, BIM/VDC, GIS, asset management, and digital twin initiatives to ensure data quality, workforce readiness, and scalable adoption.
Deliverables
- Establishes how digital models (BIM, GIS, design data) are effectively used in the field to drive execution, inspection, and decision-making
- Bridges the gap between design intent and real-world construction workflows
- Field Model Utilization Framework (phase-based and role-based)
- Model-to-Field Integration Best Practices (inspection, QA/QC, workflows)
- Field Feedback Loop Standards (capturing and updating design intent based on field conditions)
- Defines how physical construction is captured, measured, and validated against design
- Establishes consistency in digital as-built deliverables for long-term asset value
- Digital As-Built Validation Framework (scan-to-model, certification processes)
- Reality Capture Standards (drone, LiDAR, photogrammetry, 360 imagery)
- Tolerance & Deviation Guidelines (design vs. installed conditions)
- Focuses on leveraging field data to enable AI-driven insights, automation, and predictive analytics
- Aligns emerging AI capabilities with practical field and owner use cases
- AI Readiness Maturity Model for Owners and Contractors
- Field Data Structure Requirements for AI (standardization and integration)
- AI Use Case Playbook (inspection automation, risk detection, predictive maintenance)
Contact
Jay Kline
Program Director, Digital Technology
National Institute of Building Sciences
Staff Lead
Participating Organizations
Committees & Workgroups
Standards & Publications
READY TO CONTRIBUTE?
NIBS COUNCIL MEMBERS ARE A PART OF THE COMMUNITY DRIVING IMPROVEMENTS IN THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT.