Introduction
Jonathan Ingram is a Kiribati-born British inventor, businessman and author. He is particularly associated with development of early building information modelling (BIM) applications, including Sonata, Reflex and ProReflex. He was awarded the British Computer Society Medal for Outstanding Innovation in 1990, and the Royal Academy of Engineering's Prince Philip Medal in 2016.
Career
A civil engineer, Ingram has a PhD in computer science.
Building information modelling
Sometimes called the 'Father of BIM', Ingram developed Sonata in 1985, the first system that brought the characteristics of modern BIM together in a single application, allowing users to create a single model of a building in a single file. The second generation software, Reflex was released in 1992, while ProReflex was licensed to Revit Systems in 1998. After he sold Reflex to PTC in 1996, he became chief technology officer at PTC, and taught Harvard University's first courses in object modelling.
Ingram wrote a book, Understanding BIM: The past, present and future, published by Routledge in 2020. He contends that some aspects of BIM are not "new" and that BIM has been in existence since 1985.
Awards
- The British Computer Society Medal for Outstanding Innovation, 1990.
- The 2016 Prince Philip Medal from the Royal Academy of Engineering.
Personal life
Ingram was born in Banaba Island (also called Ocean Island) to Maurice Ingram, a doctor. He is the only Godson of Walter Lindrum.In his personal life he was briefly involved with socialite Sue Sangster.