Modern Building Services

FEATURE SMART BUILDINGS Until now, BMS, lighting and other manufacturers of control and monitoring equipment for buildings generally have not natively supported tagging so have not been able to automate the management of data frommultiple system sources. Open framework software can read data from multiple systems but need also to be able to support tagging to fully address the data management issue. In order to “future-proof” projects, it is wise to specify an open framework which can natively support tagging, since it is much easier to design in this standard approach to handling data than to go back later to add tagging. It encompasses the entire value chain of building systems and related intelligent devices. Founding member companies include Siemens, ConserveIT, J2 Innovations, SkyFoundry, Legrand, and Lynxspring. Associate members include many other building-related suppliers and service providers of all types, and as the Project Haystack community grows, so too have the range of applications. New and innovative ways to apply Haystack are constantly evolving. J2 Innovations’ HaySON is a proposal for a new JSON encoding format for Haystack. It aims to improve upon the existing JSON encoding by making Haystack data more accessible for developers. Building contractors and Facility Management companies have also been looking to ‘standardize’ on tagging solutions to enable their clients to derive more real benefits from their building data. As Project Haystack is an open standard there is no cost for using the tagging libraries and open-source reference implementations. There are already tens of thousands of buildings that already have their data haystack tagged but this is just the beginning of this highly significant shift in how building operators handle the many sources of data flowing daily from their building portfolios. The future for the buildings sector will be based on open systems using a tagging standard connected via IP networking and IT-derived messaging standards, with hardware largely independently available from the software that provides the application. Proprietary hardware and software which requires intensive system engineering and locks-in the customer to maintenance and upgrade contracts will be consigned to the past. In its place will be open framework software that “glues” multiple devices and systems together, with largely automated configuration processes. In time andwith collaboration across the industry, Project Haystack will unlock the real value of data being created by our smart buildings. A session on Haystack Tagging in Legacy Building Upgrades will be presented by Jeremy C. Wolfe, J2 Innovations at the 2021 ASHRAE Virtual Design and Construction Conference on the 8-10 March 2021. Sessions will be available on-demand for one year post conference. About the FIN Framework (FIN) FIN is a next-generation software framework for smart buildings, smart equipment and IoT applications. FIN can integrate, control, manage, analyse, visualize, connect and can be embedded on a controller, gateway, HMI or server. The FIN Framework offers OEMs, System Integrators, and end user solutions that are faster, easier, and better. All work developed by the Project Haystack community is provided for use as open-source software under the Academic Free License 3.0. ASHRAE With more than 50,000 members from over 132 nations, ASHRAE is a diverse organization dedicated to advancing the arts and sciences of heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration to serve humanity and promote a sustainable world. MODERN BUILDING SERVICES MARCH 2021 31