Database for a remotely accessible building information system

Abstract

A building information system stores and processes both building management system (BMS) data and building-related configuration information, such as building and equipment descriptions and locations, point and meter descriptions, contact information for alarms, utility rates, and manufacturer and vendor information. The BMS data is stored in multiple configurations, including analog, binary, multistate, input and output. One or more mapping structures establish database relationships between the dynamic BMS data received from or destined to points, meters, and controllers on a BMS network. By combining these two types of data in a central repository, building information system services, tools and applications can be integrated through published interfaces to provide expandable functionality. Based on the mapping structures, the building information system services, tools, and applications access BMS data and corresponding configuration data to derive additional data (e.g., power consumption based on monitored current consumption), provide enhanced communications with a client (e.g., email-based alarm notification), and identify point discovery mismatches.

We claim:  
     
         1 . A building information system for communicating building-related data associated with a building with a client application, the system comprising: 
 a database storing the building-related data including building management system (BMS) data and configuration data associated with the building, the BMS data comprising dynamic data and attributes, the dynamic data being detected from at least one of a point and meter within the building, the attributes comprising an identifier of at least one of a point or meter within the building;    a BMS service managing a building subsystem and providing the BMS data stored in the database; and    a data interface communicating the building-related data to the database.    
     
     
         2 . The building information system of  claim 1  further comprising a client interface communicating the building-related data between the client application and the data interface.  
     
     
         3 . The building information system of  claim 1  wherein the BMS data and the configuration data are associatively stored in the database.  
     
     
         4 . The building information system of claim I wherein the data interface comprises a dynamic component communicating the dynamic data of the BMS data between the BMS service and the database.  
     
     
         5 . The building information system of  claim 1  wherein the data interface communicates the building-related data between the client interface and the database.  
     
     
         6 . The building information system of  claim 1  further comprising: 
 a service application accessing the database to process the building-related data.  
 
     
     
         7 . The building information system of  claim 6  wherein the service application includes a polling service causing the BMS service to retrieve dynamic data from a point on the building subsystem in accordance with a periodic polling frequency stored as configuration data in the database and providing the dynamic data associated with the point to the database.  
     
     
         8 . The building information system of  claim 6  wherein the service application includes a metering service causing the BMS service to retrieve dynamic data from a meter on the building subsystem in accordance with a periodic metering frequency stored as configuration data in the database.  
     
     
         9 . The building information system of  claim 6  further comprising: 
 a client application coupled through a communications network to the client interface to access the service application.  
 
     
     
         10 . The building information system of  claim 6  wherein the building-related data includes a first array of point identifiers received from the BMS service in a first point discovery operation, and the service application compares the first array to a second array of point identifiers received from the BMS service in a second point discovery operation, issuing an alarm if the first and second arrays fail to match.  
     
     
         11 . A method for communicating building-related data associated with a building on a building management system (BMS) network, the method comprising: 
 receiving, by a server process, a request through a client interface from a client application;    accessing, in accordance with the request, a database storing the building-related data including building management system (BMS) data and configuration data associated with the building, the BMS data comprising dynamic data and attributes, the dynamic data being detected from at least one of a point and meter within the building,; and    issuing, by the server process, an acknowledgment of the accessing operation to the client application, the acknowledgment including at least one element of the building-related data.    
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11  wherein the request indicates a frequency value for retrieving the dynamic data from a device in the building management system network, and further comprising: 
 storing the frequency value as configuration data in the database;  
 retrieving the frequency value from the database;  
 configuring a building information system service to retrieve the dynamic data from the device in accordance with the frequency value; and  
 storing the dynamic data from the device as building management system data in the database.  
 
     
     
         13 . A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing the operations recited in  claim 11.