Technology is a great thing — especially for facility executives. Information contained in leasing contracts and schematics that once filled rooms in different locations can now be housed on an searchable computer network.

But that doesn't necessarily mean that electronic information is any more useful than those reams of paper collecting dust. It all depends on the quality of the data. How can a facility executive make decisions if each document measures space differently for example, whether the information is recorded electronically or not?

That's where data interoperability comes in – it's an especially important concept, not only with the globalization of business, but increasingly, with the high-tech nature of facilities management as well. The idea is to standardize data terms across companies – and the industry – so that facility executives can compare apples to apples.

Who cares? You should. Nationally, lack of data interoperability costs the industry billions, according to one study. And players from across the industry have been laboring to come to agreement on a host of common facility and real estate terms.

Facility executives who want to play a role in the decision-making process need to educate themselves and get involved now. One way to learn more about interoperability is the Facility Information Council (FIC) Annual Meeting and BIM Workshop Sessions this winter. Sessions are being hosted by some of the leading players in the data interoperability movement.