Data-driven building operation and maintenance (DBOM) laboratory is a research group that operates within the Carleton Building Performance Research Centre. DBOM research group examines methods to optimize the operation of commercial and institutional buildings for comfort and energy use. The group employs the state-of-the-art data mining techniques on building operation and maintenance (O&M) databases to derive methods that guide analytics-driven indoor climate control and predictive maintenance decisions. The research tools used by the group include:

  • Building automation systems for HVAC, lighting, access control;
  • Computerized maintenance management systems for work order management;
  • IT systems for Wi-Fi traffic analytics;
  • Meters for electricity, natural gas, submeters for heating, cooling, lighting, plug loads;
  • Building performance simulation.

The living laboratory buildings of Carleton University and partner building portfolio management companies are the testbeds for the research group. Moreover, building performance simulation is a commonly used research tool by the group for measurement and verification and large-scale feasibility analysis.

The research topics of DBOM include:

  • Fault detection, diagnostics, and prognostics
  • Model-based predictive control
  • Inverse modelling in building science
  • Occupant-centric control of the indoor climate
  • Data-mining and visualization in building engineering
  • Emerging sensing technologies for indoor climate control

The activities of DBOM are supported by research funding from following institutions:

  • Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
  • National Research Council Canada
  • Natural Resources Canada
  • CopperTree Analytics
  • Bentall GreenOak
  • BGIS
  • Green Power Labs
  • Delta Controls
  • Sensible Building Science
  • Posterity Group
  • Cisco Canada
  • Rimikon

The researchers of the group are affiliated with following organizations: