Inspiration
We were inspired by OSISoft workshop and the passion that their representatives had for using data analytics to improve UC Davis' energy efficiency and make a positive impact on the environment.
What it does
Our program extracts data from the OSISoft API and analyzes annual cost/sq ft. for the energy expenditures of electricity, chilled water, and steam. This analysis provides a window into measuring energy efficiency of a building Further analysis would require usage of the building and comparison to similar buildings to determine if energy efficiency is at par.
How we built it
We used the Postman application to generate JSON queries to access the OSISoft API. We extracted data by using the requests library which we downloaded into Python. We wrote all our code in the python IDE, IDLE and debugged on there as well. As many different analytics were present in the API documentation for the UC Davis campus, we decided to use an analytic that was not already present on the website.
Challenges we ran into
We had difficulty accessing the API, due to a server overload. But we tried to optimize our algorithm as much as possible. We also realized that we, at first, were accessing the wrong database.
Accomplishments that we're proud of
We have never accessed an API before or used an application to generate queries. As this was our first time using stored real world data to make a program that generates useful analytics, we were especially thrilled to see our data points being printed on screen.
What we learned
We learned quite a bit in 24 hours including how to extract data from an API and use corresponding library functions to analyze and present that data in a useful manner. We also learned how to use, generate and parse JSON queries.
What's next for OSISoft API Data Analysis
We want to continue to expand our algorithm to analyze many more different variables in order to generate energy efficiency readings that are more accurate. We also want to implement an algorithm that would show cost and changed efficiency as well as environmental impact if a building were renovated or altered in any manner (usage, energy percentages, size, etc).
Log in or sign up for Devpost to join the conversation.