Switching to a holistic perspective on semantic component models in building automation - Tapping the full potential of automated design approaches

Abstract

Building automation systems are vital for reducing both energy consumption and carbon footprint of modern buildings. However, the engineering of such building systems is becoming increasingly complex, such that automating the engineering tasks is inevitable. Therefore, semantic component models of high quality and high expressiveness are required. But, as of today, existing models suffer from focusing on isolated aspects, high effort for component model specification, and low expressiveness in terms of the provided model structures. To close this gap, this paper proposes to adapt a holistic approach for modeling components. Firstly, we investigate different dimensions of component aspects and their interrelations and secondly, we develop BA-GSem, a graph-based semantic component model for building automation. Using a case study of a multi-variant room control unit, we illustrate that the correctness of system design results can be determined more precisely when using the detailed semantic model BA-GSem. The results offer a suitable foundation for improving the quality of automated design approaches for building automation, thus facilitating the creation of modern and sustainable buildings.