Kukkonen, V. (2023). Method for Using Information Models and Queries to Connect HVAC Analytics and Data. Journal of Computing in Civil Engineering Vol 37. No.6.
Abstract
A significant portion of the energy used in building operations is wasted due to faults and poor operation. Despite volumes of research, the real-world use of analytics applications utilizing the data available from building systems is limited. Mapping the data points from building systems to analytics applications outside the building systems and automation requires expert labor, and is often done in point-to-point integrations. This study proposes a novel method for using queryable information models to connect data points of building systems to a centralized analytics platform without requiring a particular modeling technology. The method is explained in detail through a software architecture and is further demonstrated by walking through an implementation of an example rule from a rule-based fault detection method for air handling units. In the demonstration, an air handling unit is modeled with two different approaches, and the example analytic is connected to both. The method is shown to support reusing analytic implementations between building systems modeled with different approaches, with limited assumptions of the information models.