Building Performance Treemap Navigation for HVAC Data Overload
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Solution Overview
Problem
Energy analysts face challenges in analyzing commercial building HVAC systems due to data overload, difficulty in comparing equipment performance, and lack of context for data, which hinders effective energy conservation measure recommendations.
Innovation Solution
An interactive visualization tool is provided, featuring a treemap for hierarchical representation of building geometry and HVAC equipment, along with a graph pane for detailed analysis, a treemap filter for analytic-based filtering, and a date/time control mechanism for selecting analysis intervals.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If comprehensive HVAC system data is collected for analysis, then analysis accuracy is improved, but data overload occurs making it difficult to identify relevant information
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the comprehensive HVAC data into hierarchical groups and categories (e.g., by equipment type, building zone, time period, performance metric). This segmentation allows analysts to navigate from high-level summaries to detailed data only when needed, reducing the perceived data volume while maintaining access to complete information for accurate analysis.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts and highlights only the most relevant data points and anomalies from the comprehensive HVAC dataset based on predefined criteria and analyst selections. By extracting key performance indicators, deviations from baseline, and critical equipment status, the system presents a focused subset of data that maintains analytical accuracy without overwhelming the user with complete raw data.
2Measurement precision
If detailed equipment performance data is presented, then analysis depth is improved, but ease of comparison between equipment is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by providing different levels of data detail in different interface areas. Summary comparison views use aggregated metrics for easy cross-equipment comparison, while detailed analysis areas provide comprehensive performance data for specific selected equipment. This allows analysts to easily compare equipment at a high level and drill down into detailed performance characteristics only when needed for specific equipment.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adds temporal and hierarchical dimensions to equipment performance data presentation. By organizing data across multiple time scales (real-time, daily, monthly, yearly) and hierarchical levels (building, floor, zone, equipment), the system enables comparison across equipment while providing access to detailed performance data through navigation rather than simultaneous display of all details.
3Quantity of substance
If raw HVAC data is presented without context, then data completeness is improved, but understanding and interpretation become difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces multiple intermediary layers between raw HVAC data and the analyst, including baseline comparisons, performance benchmarks, anomaly detection algorithms, and contextual metadata. These intermediaries process raw data to extract meaningful context, such as comparing current performance against historical baselines, identifying deviations from expected operation, and providing equipment-specific contextual information, thereby making complete data understandable without losing completeness.
4Loss of information
If comprehensive building and equipment hierarchy is displayed, then system context is improved, but visualization complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a nested hierarchical visualization structure where buildings contain floors, floors contain zones, and zones contain equipment. This nested doll approach allows the complete system hierarchy to be displayed in a compact, organized manner where each level is visible within the context of higher levels. Analysts can navigate through nested levels to access detailed information while maintaining awareness of the overall system context, avoiding the need for separate complex visualizations for each hierarchical level.
Data Source
AI summary
A tool for providing a visualization of a system may reveal an interactive navigation environment for building performance observation and assessment. The tool may be associated with a processor. The environment may incorporate a treemap, a graph pane, a treemap filter, a graph pane selector, a selected units box and a date/time control mechanism. A visualization of the environment, among other things, may be presented on a display. The treemap may exhibit a building geometry and/or equipment units hierarchically, along with some data information. Units may be interactively selected from the treemap and placed in the box for analysis. The graph pane may show a configuration and display of unit analysis. Selection of detailed views for units in the box may be provided by the graph pane selector. Date and time intervals for analysis may be selected by the control mechanism.