Key Points
- ONESTRUCTION and DataKaveri sign MoU at IISc Bengaluru for construction data collaboration
- Partnership aims to integrate Japanese openBIM standards with India’s IUDX platform
- Agreement signed during inaugural Japan-India AI Strategic Dialogue
ONESTRUCTION Inc, a Japanese construction technology company, and DataKaveri Systems, the commercial arm of IISc Bengaluru’s Centre of Data for Public Good, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Thursday to collaborate on urban and construction data exchange in India.
The agreement, signed at the Indian Institute of Science in Bengaluru, aims to give urban planners better access to construction and infrastructure data. This information, which includes floor plans, utility layouts and building histories, is often lost or locked away once construction projects end.
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Representatives from Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and India’s Ministry of External Affairs attended the signing ceremony. The event took place on the sidelines of the inaugural Japan-India AI Strategic Dialogue, a bilateral government initiative focused on artificial intelligence and data infrastructure cooperation.
What the Partnership Covers
The collaboration brings together two organisations working on different parts of the same problem. ONESTRUCTION, based in Tottori, Japan, specialises in construction data workflows. DataKaveri operates the Intelligent Universal Data Exchange, a platform that enables secure sharing of city data across organisations and national boundaries.
Construction and infrastructure data remain among the least digitised datasets in urban environments globally. Industry standards such as Industry Foundation Classes, a globally recognised format that organises construction data into consistent, shareable structures, have improved data sharing within individual projects. However, the infrastructure needed to govern and exchange that data at city or national scale has remained underdeveloped.
Under the MoU, the two organisations will explore integrating construction data that follows openBIM standards, an approach to building information modelling that uses open data formats, with the IUDX platform.
They will also collaborate on developing artificial intelligence applications for smart city and urban infrastructure planning, and jointly pursue bilateral funding opportunities.
IUDX Platform Already Active in 55 Indian Cities
DataKaveri’s IUDX platform is already deployed across 55 smart cities in India. The platform covers urban mobility, utilities, environment and public services data. It includes privacy controls such as confidential computing and secure enclaves, which allow AI models to process sensitive data without any party losing ownership or control.
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ONESTRUCTION’s OpenAEC Suite platform is built around Industry Foundation Classes.
The platform makes construction-related data accessible across different software tools and project participants throughout a building’s entire lifecycle, from design through construction to ongoing maintenance.
Lucas Haywood, Vice President of Global Strategy, ONESTRUCTION Inc, said the partnership addresses a key challenge in urban data management. “Open data standards for the built environment are gaining significant momentum globally, driven by government mandates and the recognition that interoperable data formats can preserve and transfer the value of construction information between stakeholders across an asset’s entire lifecycle,” Haywood said.
He added that the next step is connecting construction data with other city information. “The next frontier is making that data useful in the context of everything else that describes a city, mobility, environment, utilities, services,” he said. “What excites us most about this collaboration is not just what it means for Japan and India, but the reusability of what we build together.”
Ashok Krishnan, Vice President of Commercial Business and Revenue, CDPG and DataKaveri Systems, said the construction industry holds valuable data that rarely gets used beyond individual projects. “The construction industry sits on a goldmine of data, yet much of it remains locked within organisational boundaries and rarely used beyond individual projects,” Krishnan said.
He noted that integrating ONESTRUCTION’s capabilities with the IUDX platform would allow standardised construction data to flow into AI applications and digital twins used by city managers and urban planners. “India and Japan share the ambition and institutional foundations to make this a global model,” Krishnan said.
Your Questions, Answered
What is the ONESTRUCTION and DataKaveri partnership about?
The two companies signed an MoU to collaborate on integrating construction data with India’s urban data exchange platform, helping city planners access building information more easily.
What is the IUDX platform?
The Intelligent Universal Data Exchange is a platform operated by DataKaveri that enables secure sharing of city data across organisations. It is deployed across 55 smart cities in India covering mobility, utilities and public services.
What are openBIM standards?
OpenBIM refers to an approach to building information modelling that uses open data formats like Industry Foundation Classes. These standards allow construction data to be shared across different software tools and organisations.
What is the Japan-India AI Strategic Dialogue?
It is a bilateral government initiative between Japan and India focused on advancing cooperation in artificial intelligence and data infrastructure. The inaugural dialogue took place alongside the MoU signing at IISc Bengaluru.