When it comes to data, it is one thing to have access to it; it’s another to make it actionable.
With more data available than ever before the industry is presented with a new challenge. Device data is stored and communicated in many different formats. It has inconsistent, non-standard naming conventions, and provides very limited descriptors to enable us to understand its meaning. Simply put, the operational data from smart devices and equipment systems lacks information to describe its own meaning. Without meaning, a time consuming manual effort is required before that data can be used effectively to generate value. The result is that the data from today’s devices, while technically “available”, is hard to use, thus limiting the ability for building operators to fully benefit from the value contained in the data.
Standardize what you call things. A multi-building campus with buildings built at different times with different contractors is likely to have multiple names and tags for similar pieces of equipment. You don’t want to end up with ten different names for air handlers or pumps. Multiple naming conventions in an existing building or portfolio of existing buildings is the largest and most time consuming issue involved with implementing an integrated building management system.
One naming convention to look at is Project Haystack (www.project-haystack.org).Project Haystack is open-source community utilizing tags and semantic data models to define and describe the meaning of data from smart devices of all types and enables software applications to automatically consume, analyze and present data from devices and equipment systems.
There’s no point in collecting inaccurate data. This is why Performance Solutions partnered with Lynxspring and Connexx Energy. To get the most accurate information you’ll need to ‘tune-up” the building systems and check the calibration of sensors and meters regularly. The building systems themselves should be regularly re-commissioned.
Data is a corporate asset and empowering companies to seek and make good fact-based decisions that drive better outcomes. Connecting to it; collecting it, storing it, insuring its integrity; analyzing it, and using it to make business decisions and develop strategy. Determining who controls and who owns the data and what is done with it will lead us down some interesting paths. Furthermore, as data velocity is on the rise, companies must be able to rapidly analyze it and get actionable advice instantaneously. It is not about more data, but rather asking the right questions to get the right data, understand it and help solve specific problems and address specific issues.
Marc Petock is Vice President, Marketing at Lynxspring and Connexx Energy where he leads corporate and product marketing strategy and execution, brand management, public relations and communications to support both companies strategic and growth initiatives. Marc is a contributing author, noted speaker and recognized industry leader having earned several industry accolades. Marc serves on the board of directors of Connexx Energy and Project Haystack; is an advisor to the Realcomm Organization and a Contributing Editor to Automatedbuildings.com.