Help Shape the National BIM Standard Words: Francine Abramoff/Public/News/20110414120000-1.jpg" width="600" height="338" border="0" alt="All sectors of the building industry need to be involved in the development of the National BIM Standard." />All sectors of the building industry need to be involved in the development of the National BIM Standard. It takes many people to get a new building up and running. They all have specific information they need to know and they all have information to share with other members of the project team. The importance of accurately sharing such information is one of the many reasons why building information modeling (BIM) is having such a profound impact on the building industry. It is also why all sectors of the building industry need to be involved in the development of the National BIM Standard - United States (NBIMS-US). The National Institute of Building Sciences buildingSMART alliance is currently working on NBIMS-US Version 2 and is looking to all members of the industry to participate in the process. This will be the first full consensus release of the NBIMS. The Alliance is accepting ballot submissions to update current sections of the standard and to expand it to cover the latest technologies. Since NBIMS Version 1- Part 1 was first released in 2008, a number of new processes have evolved, including information exchange standards for construction operations and product specifications. In addition, the Alliance has worked with various associations and organizations to address the BIM needs of specific member groups. However, there are many other members of the project team that have not yet gotten involved and the standard will only reflect the input of those who participate in the process. The open period for NBIMS-US ballot submissions runs through May 2. Both individuals and organizations can participate on the NBIMS-US Project Committee (but first, they must become members of the National Institute of Building Sciences and its buildingSMART alliance). To get involved in the process, visit www.buildingsmartalliance.org/nbims/committees. The buildingSMART alliance, a council of the National Institute of Building Sciences, develops the National BIM Standard - United States to streamline the collection and use of construction data. The Institute is a liaison between the public and private sectors, working with government, building industry and manufacturing stakeholders to advance building science and technology.