“Liam O’Brien, Associate Professor in Architectural Conservation and Sustainability Engineering at Carleton University, is one of the first research partners who will use the data. He outlined some of the limitations of collecting data independently as an academic researcher. He has been working with graduate students to deploy sensors and collect data. This approach has limited his team to small sample sizes of 20-40 buildings. Not only are the numbers small, but the locations had to be local, within the range that grad students could reach traveling by bicycle in the city of Ottawa.
Access to the new data will change the way that O’Brien can use his research resources. He will be able to conduct studies without buying and deploying sensors, freeing funds for other uses. His graduate students will be able to focus on sophisticated task such as data analysis and scientific writing.”
http://www.forbes.com/sites/metabrown/2016/11/30/massive-new-energy-use-data-resource-coming-this-january/#295414e24243