Traditional planning processes are often manual, time-consuming, and prone to errors. While much of the recent research has focused on automating the permitting phase, this study addresses an earlier step: automating compliance checks between spatial plans and against local regulations in the early planning stages. To ensure that spatial plans align with general regulatory frameworks prior to the permitting stage, this research introduces a standardized approach by integrating Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) with the Land Administration Domain Model (LADM) Part 5 Spatial Plan Information (ISO Draft International Standard: 19152-5). This integration enhances data management, facilitates seamless information exchange, and ensures adherence to international standards. By automating early-stage plan compliance checks—such as verifying building height limits or distances between structures—the research aims to streamline the process, ensuring that only compliant plans proceed to the permitting phase, where the design itself is assessed for approval.

To achieve this, the integration of IFC with LADM Part 5 is explored to standardize model-based checking between spatial plans during the early planning stage, using Estonia as a case study. As one of the most advanced digital societies, Estonia is continually improving its digital services, making it an ideal setting for this research. The primary goal is to enhance efficiency, interoperability, and standardization in these checks by incorporating LADM Part 5 into the framework, ensuring that various levels of spatial plans adhere to both higher-level regulations and local requirements before progressing to the permitting stage. This includes assessments and validation between different plan levels (e.g., Master Plan vs Detailed Plan) and within the same level (e.g., Detailed Plan vs Detailed Plan).

The methodology involves several key steps. First, a country profile for Estonia using LADM Part 5 is developed and tailored to the specific needs of the Estonian spatial planning system, detailing how the country acquires, stores, and manages its plan data. Subsequently, a new database is created based on this country profile, establishing a framework for data storage. Then, pilot Detailed Plan datasets, encoded in IFC format, are imported into the new LADM database using custom scripts, enabling checks to be executed through standardized data structures. Findings indicate that integrating LADM with Industry Foundation Classes improves data representation and interoperability while creating a consistent framework for plan assessments, thereby contributing to more efficient and reliable planning systems. Additionally, some simpler checks can be performed directly within the new database using straightforward queries.