Memoori's 10th Webinar in the 2019 Smart Buildings Series. We spoke with Chris Irwin, VP Sales EMEA & Asia at J2 Innovations about the FIN 5 software framework and “Simplifying Building Automation by Leveraging Semantic Tagging with a New Breed of Software”.

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Leveraging Semantic Tagging with a New
Breed of Software for Smart Buildings
Chris Irwin
- Project Haystack Executive Envoy for Europe
also
- VP Sales EMEA & Asia + VP Global Marketing for J2 Innovations

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The Evolving Data Problem in Buildings
• Buildings becoming more complex
• More applications = more devices = more data
• Barrier to effective data use is the diversity of systems,
data types, formats etc.
• Much of recorded data is “locked” on hard drives
• Not being effectively “mined” for value

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The Challenge of Data Management
• Remembering abbreviations and coded labelling
is natural for us, - but not for computers
• It’s personal, so each develop a different syntax
• Names can’t do the job
The result -
• Most data produced by devices & equipment is
poorly defined as to what the data means

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The Challenge of Data Management
• No standardised approach to adding semantic
data (metadata) to device data
• Manual, labour-intensive processes are required
to add semantic definitions to data before
analysis, presentation and other value creation
can begin
• This is a barrier to effective & efficient use of
device data – adds cost and slows the use of data

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The data paradox
On the one hand, data seems to be everywhere, in every
system ready for the “picking”
However, although everyone is asking for data,
sometimes it is without understanding it, or how and
where it should be applied, or how it affects workflow
and business operations
There’s the joke that goes….
“80% of data management is about organising the data,
and 20% is complaining about having to organise it.”

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Defining a standard approach - Unifying Data
• Data that matters
• Quality & integrity
• Tagging & Modelling
• Governance
• Portability
• Consistency
• Best practice
• Understanding
• Normalisation
• Socialisation
• Management
• Uniformity
• Interoperability
• Exchange
www.datafoundation.org
Many factors to consider in a unified data standard
– according to the Data Foundation

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How Tagging Simplifies Building Automation
Benefits of adding metadata:
• Applications can quickly find and interpret data
• Disparate systems can share data automatically
• Automatic generation of relevant information for management –
operations, energy, etc.
• Eliminates a lot of manual work – reduces cost to gain value from the
data
• Unlock the data

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The Goal – making data from diverse systems easy to work
with
marketing.project-haystack.org
project-haystack.dev
project-haystack.org/forum/topic/687

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Project Haystack is…
• a community of
people working to
address the need for a
standard “semantic
modelling” method for
device data
• worldwide community
• open source – no cost
to use
• proven and deployed
in tens of thousands of
facilities

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Value Creation
Tagging :
• Creates new opportunities for value creation for
owner/operators, facilities managers integrators,
and OEMs
• Ensures multiple users are using same version of the
organisation’s data
• Systems and data sources are linked and well
managed to ensure that any data used by the
organisation is consistent & accurate
• Safeguards that the right data gets to the right
person at the right time

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Project Haystack provides…
A standardised methodology for describing data that makes it easier and more cost effective to
analyse, visualise, and derive value from our operational data
So what is tagging really……
We can also think of it as a “MARK-UP LANGUAGE” for data…..

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Analogy: A mark-up language for device data
• Why can I point my browser at your website and read what you published?
• We didn’t pre-arrange for me to be able to interpret your website code
• It only works because industry agreed on a mark-up language (HTML)
• If you use HTML I can read the “data” on your website (text)
• Haystack does the same thing for device data

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The Project Haystack
homepage the way we
see it
The same page described in HTML

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Defining data and its context
• Lets analyze this: zn3-wwfl4 = 21.2
• Hmmmm… what does this number represent? Deg C, F, KW, kPa???
• Need to know units. Let’s say it is DegC
• Hmmmm… so it’s 21.2 DegC OK?
• What is it? - Zone temp, Return air temp, Chilled water temp? Let’s say it’s a Zone
• Ok, so what is the schedule for that space? Schedule #1 = 7:30 AM - 6:30 PM
• What AHU is it served by? AHU-1
• What FCU serves it? FCU-27
• How can I convey these answers in a standard way that other software can interpret?

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Standardising the metadata – 3 types
Defining data and its context

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But Project Haystack is more than just about tagging…
• 1st – a standard methodology for defining and representing device
metadata (descriptive data) – a specification on how to do it
• 2nd – Standard vocabulary (tag sets), taxonomies (equipment models)
developed by consensus of the community
• 3rd – Software Tools
• REST API to easily exchange Haystack tagged data among applications
• Reference implementations: Java, node.js, Dart, Python, C++ others
• Plug-ins to enable various systems to “speak” Haystack
• Tools to streamline the tagging process
• 4th – Ongoing effort by Working Groups to develop tagging models,
extend the standard, working with other standards groups, and
educating the market

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The Pay-off – what it enables
• Applications that just work!
• Example: equipment graphics that auto-generate just by reading the metadata associated with
points
• Control logic can ”find” all similar devices it should be applied to (think of room controls or FCUs)
• Easier integration among software applications
• apps can understand and consume data without human interaction to “map” data
• A new generation of engineering tools to streamline project implementation tasks

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Haystack – adoption and support
• Used in systems and software deployed in tens of thousands of buildings to
model hundreds of thousands of devices
• last count – well over 30K facilities!
• Adoption by equipment manufacturers for next generation product – some
on the market today
• Intel joins Project Haystack as a Board Member (March 2017)
• Many systems integrators trained and using Haystack in projects every day
• Over 1,600 registered users on Project Haystack Forum
• CABA White Paper March 2016

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Project Haystack – our members

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BACnet Collaboration with Haystack
ASHRAE Standard 223P:
"Designation and
Classification of Semantic
Tags for Building Data”
provides a dictionary of
semantic tags for descriptive
tagging of building data
including building
automation and control data
along with associated
systems

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Evolution of data
management

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Project Haystack v4 – in beta
(at public review stage since March 2019)
https://project-haystack.dev/

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Project Haystack v4 – What’s new?
• Naming
• Classification
• Relationships

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Project Haystack v4 – What’s new?
• Naming
VFDs
Energy
Zones
AHUs
VAVs
Unitary
Equips
Chillers
Boilers
Tanks
Electrical
Panels
Networks
Lighting
Libraries
Security

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lib::
IoT
Naming – Libraries needed to identify different meanings
hot
lib::
food
hot

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Project Haystack v4 – What’s new?
• Classification

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Classification is hard

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English is our enemy
hot-water = hot + water
site-meter = site + meter
hot-water = hot + water
site-meter = site + meter X siteMeter

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Project Haystack v4 – What’s new?
• Naming
• Classification
• Relationships

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Project Haystack v4 – What’s new?
• Naming
• Classification
• Relationships
= Vocabulary
= Taxonomy
= Ontology

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Why does any of this matter?
• Data portability & abstraction
• Reduce commissioning errors
• Powerful data queries
• Intelligent rules, moving to AI
• Intuitive configuration tools & UI software

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Haystack – key take-aways
• Deployed, working, proven in THOUSANDS of applications
• Open source, community-driven, ZERO cost to access documentation and use
• Extensible beyond community agreed equipment models – you can use Haystack
methodology with your own tags/descriptors outside of standard group work on
models

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Haystack – key take-aways (continued)
• Lightweight – can be implemented in small devices, network level controllers,
standard databases – also text files, & Excel worksheets
• Human readable and machine readable
• Accessible/understandable by real users – technicians and engineers that do
systems integration
• The standard, libraries and tools continue to advance through the efforts of a
worldwide open source community

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Customer expectations are changing…
and suppliers have to adopt accordingly
80%
of customers want
improved visualization
of their data
69%
of customers expect
improved operations UX
of customers demand
mobile and location
independent
access to their data
of customers expect
new digital offerings
65%
50%
Source: Customer Survey by Siemens

35. New Digital Technologies Change the Requirements
for Building Automation and IoT
UX Design
Intuitive engineering
and operator
workflows
Data Mgmt.
Intelligent data
management
and visualization
Extensibility
Continuous supply
of new value
adding Apps
Cyber Security
Security by design,
continuously
evolving
Mobile First
Ability to control
buildings from any
devices
Openness & IoT
Integrate any device,
easy data supply
via the IoT Apps
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“How can I keep up with
Digital technology trends,
while not loosing the focus
on my business”

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Leading platform for building
automation & IoT
Open Framework to
add your OEM Apps for
your business needs
With FIN Framework you can tackle new
digital technologies and focus on your
specific business needs
Strong set of
FIN Apps
Focused on partnerships
with successful OEMs
Why…
OEM Apps
FIN Apps

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§
FIN Framework - the most innovative framework for Building
Automation and IoT
One software, one app suite, one toolset
- Runs on Edge*, Global, Server, Cloud*
• State-of-the-art
framework for building
automation and IoT
• One software for building
management and building
controls
• Runs on Global, Server
and Cloud
• Operatable from desktop,
tablet and mobile phone
• Tagging based concept,
utilizing the most modern
standard Haystack
Building Integration Framework
Building Management Station
Developer platform with open APIs
* Edge and Cloud applications are in Alpha; Cloud application is IoT tunnel into local instance
Controller Engine

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Overview on FIN Framework
• Modular and flexible software
framework for OEM development
• Helps your next project get to market
faster with lower development costs
• Choose to buy and build any
combination of FIN features to work
with your hardware, software tools
and apps
• Latest technology with tagging and
data modeling built-in
• Support for the latest Haystack
standard
• Supports multiple open protocols

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With FIN Framework you can shape your own
product
4 Step Design Process
1. OEM developers first need to decide which of
FIN's many features they need to use
2. Then create the additional custom
functionality required by the new product
they create
3. Next, the hardware required needs to either
be developed or, selected from existing
available platforms
4. FIN Framework includes a full suite of
connectors for the popular open standard
protocols. We also provide a Connector
framework for creation of custom connectors
to your and 3rd party systems

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FIN Framework –
Equipment Graphics
Alarms
City Center AHU-1 Graphic
Summer School
Point Graphics
City Center Vav-03
• Magic Bubbles are context sensitive and automatically generate links to related applications
• Navigation is more efficient and intuitive for users
City Center AHU-1

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FIN Framework –
Custom Graphics
• Powerful tools and optimised wizards make creating graphics fast and easy
• Flexible so you can create your own widgets and unique user experiences

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FIN Framework –
Historian
• Create ad hoc charts
• Simple to create baselines, powerful roll-up feature
• Export data simply

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FIN Framework –
Control Logic
• Simplicity of block programming – the power of line programming
• Use any function library
• Create one routine and it will run in control engine against many equipments; so
faster more efficient, and much easier to roll-out changes

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FIN Framework –
Dashboards
Example dashboard from a real project
• Full library of dashboard widgets, all fully configurable
• Easy to create custom designs
• Whole screen is customisable; flexible navigation
• Easy data export roll-up and data aggregation because of tagging
• Live weather, maps and video

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FIN Framework –
Tagged Database
• Powerful tool for creating tagged database
• Haystack standard is built right into FIN
• Add tags programmatically, leverage pay-offs in apps
• Add histories, create relationships, and view points all-in-one app

48. FIN 5 – Fast – templates and tagging
Graphic
s
Control Logic
Q&M Manuals
OEM Apps
Summary
Use the template Put it into FIN Framework
Get
everything
done in
seconds
a webinar

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FIN Framework 5.0
Peace of mind - highest level of cyber-security

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FIN Connectors
1 Please get in touch with sales team for more information about connectors listed and further integration possibilities

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A leading software framework
for Building Automation and IoT
• Founded in 2009
• Creator of the FIN Framework,
released Version 5 to the market
• Co-founder of the Haystack community
• With more than 50k+ instances in
more than 20 countries worldwide
• 13 OEMs, 13+ distributors, 500+ trained
system integrators, 3,500+ community
members and actively growing every day

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Recently Acquired by Siemens
Smart Infrastructure
• Acquisition of leading software framework for
building automation and IoT
• California based company
• Remains independent legal entity within
Siemens Smart Infrastructure
• Heavy expansion plan in place, beyond footprint
in North America, moving into EMEA and Asia
• Focus on OEM business

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Questions?
Chris Irwin
J2 Innovations
chrisi@j2inn.com