Energy networks – from process control, to building systems, to far-reaching utilities – rely on a steady diet of information. However, not all data is created equal. sMAP is helping forge a cacophony of data into a smart, efficient system.
Today’s ubiquitous instrumentation generates all manner of physical data into a plethora of silos. sMAP is a simple universal framework for this physical information, a web service that can “absorb” this jumble of data and make it accessible to help energy networks work as a system. More usable data means more ability to match energy demand to renewable supplies or integrate energy-efficiency controls in homes and buildings
Researchers met a host of challenges in designing sMAP. They devised uniform ways to represent data, determined how it moves from sensor to larger system, and ensured that sMAP works seamlessly with a variety of devices, systems, and data repositories. The service is now harmonizing more than 30,000 streams of data from sensors, electrical meters , weather instruments, grid-management tools, building-to-control systems, and other feeds
Research projects at i4Energy and elsewhere are already putting sMAP to work. These efforts range from whole-building energy optimization (such as i4Energy’s Sutardja Dai Hall response test bed at UC Berkeley), to personalized energy management, to next-generation grid design. Work continues to refine the sMAP infrastructure and develop tools to transfer the technology for even wider use.
