As buildings become more complex, it becomes more difficult to manage and operate them effectively. The holistic management and maintenance of facilities is a multi-domain problem encompassing financial accounting, building maintenance, human resources, asset management and code compliance, affecting different stakeholders in different ways. One technique, called scenario modelling, customises data-driven decision support for building managers during building operation. However, current implementations of scenario modeling have been limited to data from Building Management Systems with little interaction with other relevant data sources due to interoperability issues. Linked data helps to overcome interoperability challenges to enable data from multiple domains to be merged into holistic scenario models for different stakeholders of the building. The approach is demonstrated using an owner-occupied office building.

1. Building Optimisation using Scenario
Modeling and Linked Data
Edward Curry, James O’Donnell, Edward Corry
1st Workshop Linked Data in Architecture
and Construction (LDAC2012)
Ghent
28/29 March 2012

2. Overview
Digital Enterprise Research Institute www.deri.ie
 Introduction
 IRUSE (Built Environment)
 DERI (Semantic Web/Linked Data)
 LBNL (Built Environment)
 Cross-domain Data for Building Management
 Enhanced Decision Support with Scenario Modelling
 Challenges
 Linked Building Data
 DERI Building Use Case
Enabling Networked Knowledge

3. Who are IRUSE?
Based at National University of Ireland, Galway
Research Group of Civil/Mechanical Engineers
5 post-docs & 7 PhDs
3

4. IRUSE interested in Building Optimisation during
Operational Phase
HVAC systems integration and
Optimisation
Information driven building operation
Stakeholders specific performance data
Energy Simulation
Building Information Models
Calibration of simulation models
4

5. About DERI
Digital Enterprise Research Institute www.deri.ie
 Founded June 2003 as a CSET (Centre for Science,
Engineering and Technology).
 Link scientists and engineers / academia and industry
 Fundamental research
 Development of Irish-based technology companies
 Attract industry
 Education & outreach
 DERI Institute
 CSET
 Commercialization, DAI
 EU, EI, direct industry, IRCSET
 DERI strategic plan responds to priorities
 Local: University focus on Informatics, Physical & Computational
Sciences
 National: SMART Economy, Program for Government
 International: EU Digital Agenda
Enabling Networked Knowledge

6. About DERI
Digital Enterprise Research Institute www.deri.ie
 Number one in its core space
 Research Publications > 950
 Participate in 17 standardisation groups (W3C, OASIS)
 Approx 140 members from 30 nations
 57 PhD’s /Masters
 42 completed PhDs/Masters
 Core Industrial Partners:
 MNC’s: Cisco, Avaya, Bel-Labs, Ericsson…
 SME’s: Storm, Celtrak, OpenLink……
 Research: FBK
 Total Research Grants: >€60 million
 SFI, EU Framework, Enterprise Ireland, Industry
Enabling Networked Knowledge

7. The 2012 DERI House
Digital Enterprise Research Institute www.deri.ie
DERI Applied
Research Commercialisation
eBusiness Green &
eLearning
Financial Services Sustainable IT
Health Care Cyber
Data eGovernment
Life Sciences Security Linked
Cloud Analyt
Data
ics
Information Security,
Cloud Data Sensor
Social Software Mining Privacy
Management Middleware
and Retrieval & Trust
Data Natural Service
Reasoning and Knowledge
Visualisation Language Oriented
Querying Discovery
and Interaction Processing Architecture
DERI is designed to provide an integrated solution
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8. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Founded in 1931 Awarded 13 Nobel Prizes
~ $850 Million annual budget
4200 Employees including:
1685 Scientists, Engineers and faculty
475 Postdoctoral fellows
560 Undergraduate and graduate student employees
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9. My position and research activities at LBNL
Energy and Environmental Sciences
Environmental Energy Technologies Division
Building Technology and Urban Systems Department
Create whole building energy
simulation models of buildings Create interoperable processes to
Develop software for whole building support whole building energy simulation
energy simulation
Create stakeholder driven information display methods, based on automated
data processing, for performance evaluation of buildings 9

10. IRUSE, LBNL, and DERI have Complementary Research
Interests
Main focus of
interest at
Decision
IRUSE/LBNL
Support
Holistic Performance View
Resource Performance Fault Stakeholder Financial
Analysis Metrics Detection Analysis Management
Analytic Layer
Main focus of
interest at DERI
Operational Stakeholder
Data Data
Aggregation Layer
RDF
BMS BIM Utilities Weather FM Financial Other Data
Raw Data Silos
10

11. Organisations incur substantial costs as a result of data
mismanagement
Confusion
No Interoperability
Cost Overruns
Higher Costs
Inefficiencies
Building
Manager
11

12. Research Motivation - a concrete example
CO2 levels
Time Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
ASHRAE
08:00-09:00
62.1-2010 09:00-10:00 237 237 200 237
10:00-11:00 237 237 237 200
11:00-12:00 237 180 180 145 237
12:00-13:00 237 200 237 200 149
13:00-14:00 145
14:00-15:00 221 237 145 140
15:00-16:00 221 120 160 140
16:00-17:00 149 250 160
17:00-18:00 200 160
12

13. These are the types of data that we wish to leverage
Utility Bills BMS Sensor &
Weather Data
Meter Data
HR
Occupancy
Security
Fire
Simulation Models Building Models Other Data
Output
13

14. Scenario Modelling provides a holistic interpretation of
building performance
14

15. Define information required by stakeholder and related
data
Scenario Description
Performance Building Performance Performance Formulae Datum Sources
Aspects Objects Objectives Metrics
A
B
C
15

16. A building manager would like to analyse comfort and
energy consumption
Scenario: Compare Comfort & Energy Consumption
Performance Building Performance Performance Formulae Datum Sources
Aspects Objects Objectives Metrics
Measured
Datum 1: Zone
Temperature ( C)
Building Gymnasium Maintain Zone Zone
Zone Temperature Temperature = (Datum1)
Function
Datum 1: Zone
Temperature ( C)
Simulated
Measured
Datum 1: Water
Flow Rate (kg/s)
Datum 2: Water
Supply Temperature ( C)
Datum 3: Water
Return Temperature ( C)
Energy Optimise Chiller Chiller Energy =(Datum 1*Constant
Chiller
Consumption Operation Output *(Datum3-Datum2))
Datum 1: Water
Flow Rate (kg/s)
Datum 2: Water
Supply Temperature ( C)
Constant = Specific Heat Capacity of Datum 3: Water
Return Temperature ( C)
output fluid measured in J/kgK
Simulated 16

17. Cross-Domain Perspective
Digital Enterprise Research Institute www.deri.ie
ENERGY
FINANCE ERP
CARBON BMS
Enabling Networked Knowledge

18. Key Challenges
Digital Enterprise Research Institute www.deri.ie
 Initially developed a Performance Framework Tool
 IFC based
 Encountered significant roadblocks with BIM
 Originally felt BIM was central pillar of performance assessment
 Recognise an as-built BIM is one of many pillars
 Technology and Data Interoperability
 Data scattered among different information systems
 Multiple incompatible technologies make it difficult to use
 Dynamic data, sensors, ERP, BMS, assets databases, …
Enabling Networked Knowledge
18

19. Linked Building Data
Digital Enterprise Research Institute www.deri.ie
 Linking building data builds context between systems
 Relevant information can linked together to build holistic views of the
building
 Broader context can be used in decision making
 Maintains loose coupling between systems
 Allows domain systems to focus on their expertise
 Allows systems to develop independently
Enabling Networked Knowledge
19

20. IRUSE, LBNL, and DERI have Complementary Research
Interests
Main focus of
interest at
Decision
IRUSE/LBNL
Support
Holistic Performance View
Resource Performance Fault Stakeholder Financial
Analysis Metrics Detection Analysis Management
Analytic Layer
Main focus of
interest at DERI
Operational Stakeholder
Data Data
Aggregation Layer
RDF
BMS BIM Utilities Weather FM Financial Other Data
Raw Data Silos
20

21. Case Study: DERI Building
Digital Enterprise Research Institute www.deri.ie
 DERI Building
 No BMS or BEMS
 160 person Office space
 Café
 Data centre
 3 Kitchens
 80 person Conference
room
 4 Meeting rooms
 Computing museum
 Sensor Lab
Enabling Networked Knowledge
21

22. DERI Dataspace
Digital Enterprise Research Institute www.deri.ie
Applications
Decision Support Energy Analysis Energy and Situation Awareness
Systems Model Sustainability Dashboards Apps
Complex Events
Services
Support
Entity Complex Event
Data Provenance Search &
Management Processing
Catalog Query Engine
Service
Linked Data
Adapter Adapter Adapter Adapter Adapter
Sources
Enabling Networked Knowledge

23. Building Energy
Digital Enterprise Research Institute www.deri.ie
1. Data from
Enterprise
Linked Data
Cloud
2. Sensor Data
3. Building
Energy
Situation
Awareness
Enabling Networked Knowledge
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24. DERI Energy Observatory
Digital Enterprise Research Institute www.deri.ie
Enterprise Energy Observatory
Organisation Business Process Personal
Linked dataspace for Energy Intelligence
(Linked Data, Semantic Web, Semantic Sensor Networks)
Enabling Networked Knowledge
24

25. Selected References
Digital Enterprise Research Institute www.deri.ie
 Curry, E., et al . (2011). An Entity-Centric Approach To Green Information
Systems. 19th European Conference on Information Systems (ECIS 2011).
 Hasan, S. et al. (2011). Toward Situation Awareness for the Semantic Sensor
Web: Complex Event Processing with Dynamic Linked Data Enrichment. 4th
International Workshop on Semantic Sensor Networks
 Curry, E., & Donnellan, B. (2012). Green and Sustainable Informatics. In,
Harnessing Green IT: Principles and Practices (in press). John Wiley & Sons
 Curry, E. et al, Using Multi-Domain Data to Optimize Building Operational
Performance: A Linked Data Approach to Interoperability. Advanced Engineering
Informatics. (Under Review)
 White, M. et al. An Energy Efficiency Metric to Report the Cost of Data Centre
Services to Consumers in Real-Time. DCEE 2012, (Under Review)
 Curry, E. et al. Towards an Open Platform for Holistic Real-time Enterprise Energy
Intelligence: A Linked Data Approach, e-Energy 2012, (Under Review)
 Curry. E. et al. Intel and IT Sustainability, MISQE, (Under Review)
Enabling Networked Knowledge