The objective of this project is to demonstrate the benefits of applying metadata standardization to existing Department of Defense (DoD) building(s), implement and monitor the benefits of standardization, and develop standard criteria and specifications for adoption across DoD. Implementation of semantic metadata at installation, commissioning and operation stages can provide a series of benefits to facility control systems. While adoption within the building industry is still in early stages, it is anticipated that it will become more prevalent in the near future. Efforts like the Installation of the Future projects at Tyndall Air Force Base, or Barracks of the Future at Fort Benning, GA present an opportunity to leverage findings of this investigation. Early investigation and development of a standardized approach to implement semantic metadata will provide the DoD the opportunity to further improve communication and interpretation of data across the different missions and organizations. 

In the context of buildings, semantic metadata standardization refers to a consistent approach to organize the digital information available for a building and its associated assets. Generally, data points associated into a building include spatial information (building, floor, zones, rooms, etc.); physical systems, equipment, and information (meters; Heating, Ventilation, and Air-Conditioning; electrical, etc.); and points associated with the control and sensing infrastructure. Many of the hurdles associated with device to device communication have already been already solved (Building Automation and Control network, LonWorks, Modbus, etc.); therefore, the purpose of metadata standardization in the context of building control systems is to ease enable value-add applications related to building controls systems. Examples of value-add applications include standardized control sequences (abstracted from vendor specific controls languages), automatic generation of graphics, data visualization of operations, advanced control strategies, Fault Detection and Diagnostic applications, and general data analysis needs.

Standardization will significantly improve use of data across the DoD, and ease Implementation of Data Analytics, Graphical User Interfaces, and Utility Monitoring and Control System integration. While the demonstration will focus on existing buildings, findings and documentation from this project could be used to develop the semantic metadata standard for new buildings thus providing an easier path to adoption of standardized advanced data analytic platforms, customized graphics and dashboards across the tri-services. Additional benefits will be easing the implementation of future control system use cases that will be utilized at the Installations of the Future if a standard semantic metadata is introduced and utilized in the DoD.