Meeting the Challenge

Virtual buildings information system (VBIS) was developed to provide a solution for these challenges and to realize the opportunities. The development was sponsored in part by an Australian government grant program supporting innovative development in key industry sectors. The objectives of the development were to:

• Provide an open agnostic standard that is system allowing it to work with all commercially software applications.

• Promote consistency in asset information needed for facility and asset management.

• Facilitate ease of information handover in activities such as procurement or construction to operations transitioning.

• Support better use of BIM in FM.

• Enable improved access to existing disparate information to achieve facility outcomes.

Digital building data systems

The as-built and design information from new construction projects include BIM models, digital documentation and drawings, various database files and communication records. Many existing buildings are on a pathway to digitize existing as-built records. This information is typically lacking the granularity of the asset inventory (or asset register as known in Australia) definitions required for key activities in the operations phase.

Operational systems include lifecycle planning, maintenance planning, performance recording and benchmarking and contract management. All these operational systems also generate and store valuable digital building data.

The other key digital information source is management systems. These include financial systems, statutory safety records and business risk mitigation. The challenge for management systems is to keep pace with the ever-changing asset lists through the churn of a building life cycle.

Consistency needed to realize digital insights

Analytics provide the ability to define software-based workflows that allow automating finding operational issues or opportunities for improvement through the consistent and continuous monitoring of gathered information. The software-based workflows are normally set up to detect equipment specific unusual behavior including faulty equipment, unusual performance or even predicting an upcoming failure and highlight scenarios that require human intervention or remediation. The situations can target improvements in energy, performance, longevity and protection of assets but also greater building objectives such as occupant safety and business continuity.

The accuracy of digital insights is dependent on the ability to align all the information systems with the asset. Importantly, the asset inventory must be defined to the right granularity needed for operational activities.

The alignment is achieved through consistent references to data or metadata enabling the analytics platform to access the information. With the full spectrum of information available, complex scenarios can be defined in the analytics platforms. Typical examples of insights:

• Short term: Comparison of maintenance activity impact on real-time performance and occupant comfort to analyze and make improvements to maintenance programs.

• Long term: analysis of reactive breakdown records against planned maintenance, real-time performance and the lifecycle plan to ensure operational tweaks are identified to ensure the longevity of asset life and maximize performance.

Application of analytics without consideration of the quality and consistency of the baseline information can lead to false triggers due to bad information. These false triggers can increase the effort of the operations team to rule them out, instead of the technology providing time efficiencies. When analytics rules are deployed to carry out automated fault detection across building air systems, it is important to understand the specific configuration of the various air handler and terminal unit systems. If this is not considered, the rules will attempt to detect anomalies and poor performance conditions not applicable to the equipment it is monitoring. A simple example is analytics detecting heating coil poor performance in a variable air volume terminal unit that is not equipped with zone reheats.

 

Introducing the VBIS standard

VBIS is an open standard. It is not a software application. It standardizes how assets and asset information are classified and facilitates a standardized means for commercial applications to communicate. This allows users to easily locate information on assets that are in various applications.

VBIS consists of two key components:

1: An asset classification structure with tagging (VBIS Tag)

A unique identifier called a VBIS Tag is provided based on a 4-level asset classification structure detailing the disciplines, products and product specific sub types of assets located within facilities.

The VBIS Tag can be allocated to various data components as a metatag to associate the data with the asset. This enables FMs to identify all scattered data associated with specific assets to bring together a whole-of-life view of an asset. This can be compared to an allocation of a universally recognized ID to specific asset types to then allow the asset to stamp ownership on its data scatters across various applications.

VBIS classification structures and tags have been developed for all common asset types that make up the built environment ranging from structural, services, fittings and furniture.

Examples of the four-level classification structure and the VBIS Tag

2. A mechanism to locate the tagged data scattered across applications (VBIS Search Syntax)

This consists of a standardized format to pass the VBIS Tag and other search parameters between applications using a dynamic URL format. The search parameters and the format of the request are defined as part of the VBIS standard. This can be compared to adopting a common language by different applications to communicate and retrieve information tagged with the VBIS Tag. This enables an FM to locate scattered information by clicking on a button in the application that triggers this request to other locations or applications.

An example of a VBIS Search Syntax information request

The VBIS enabled application ecosystem

The VBIS standard applied to commercially available applications facilitates an ecosystem approach to storing and making use of information. The FM now has the freedom to select best-in-class function specific applications for the different types of information, with the information clearly identified and able to be discovered as required. The search syntax provides the common interoperability language that allows easy integration if the application is changed; it becomes as easy as pointing to the new domain of the new application.

The development was supported by funding from the Victorian (Australia) state government in support of innovation for the construction technologies sector. VBIS has been endorsed, and included, in the Victorian Government’s Digital Asset Strategy Framework and the Queensland state government’s Data and Information Guideline. VBIS has received testimonials from organizations such as the Australasian BIM Advisory Board and is in discussions with multiple industry bodies to ensure alignment.

A partnership has also began with Brick where both initiatives have the aligned goal of promoting a consistent standardized approach to structuring data to gain better insights but with differing focus areas. Brick, through collaboration with Project Haystack and ASHRAE, defines an extensive dictionary of I/O points and relationships between assets and points. With the VBIS classifications mapped, this provides a comprehensive model that assists with deploying technologies such as analytics and asset management activities. Commercial software vendors have started becoming VBIS-enabled by adopting the standard, providing benefits to both the vendor and asset operators. This begins the journey to a standardized communication approach between commercial applications to enhance interoperability and allow the end user easy access to all information.

Equipment suppliers such have commenced VBIS tagging their product catalogue. A major Australian equipment supplier tagged 26,000 products to date and can be searched by VBIS tag on their website.

A number of VBIS enabled application ecosystems have been deployed to date where asset owners and operators can take advantage of the ease of access to various information to make well informed decisions about their portfolio. Adoption has taken place at different stages of the asset lifecycle from design, construction and through to operation, which has highlighted the flexibility. VBIS received the Australian Business Awards 2020 award in Building Technology and is also a finalist in the FMA FM Industry Awards for Excellence 2020.

A way forward

While all these challenges are highlighted separately, the good news is that they all stem back to the same root cause and as such can be resolved through a holistic approach.

1. Define organizational information requirements

2. Align asset information requirements

3. Connect asset information model & asset information architecture

4. Detail technology requirements

5. Implement technology roadmap