Representation

In the previous part we have considered how digitization affects our treatment of information and our attitudes concerning information. We have seen that there are marked differences between general tendencies and what is happening in AECO. Many of the differences are due to the way information is represented. Digitization relies heavily on symbolic representations that allow efficient and reliable processing of information contained in the symbols and their relations. This lessens the importance of isomorphic representations like drawings, which retain much of the visual appearance of the real things. In this part, we look at the fundamental structure of symbolic representations, differences with analogue representations and how the two come together in BIM, in a way that exemplifies the transitional character of current AECO digitization.