Improving Situational Awareness of the As-Is Building Conditions through Multi-Modal Sensing and Analytics Using Thermal Camera-Equipped Smartphones

Youngjib Ham, Hyungchul Yoon, B F Spencer

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

Abstract

The demand for improving energy efficiency of existing buildings is rising, hence many construction firms are shifting their efforts from constructing new buildings to rehabilitating the existing ones. Currently, visual inspections are conducted for building envelopes or mechanical systems, and auditors try to collect energy-related contextual information to examine if their performance is maintained as expected by the design. However, occupants still continue to face challenges in identifying and being aware of 'where' and 'what' energy problems are emerging or likely to emerge in their buildings for taking timely corrective actions. This paper proposes a new ubiquitous context-aware application for building energy diagnostics using thermal camera-equipped smartphones. The proposed mobile platform consists of: (1) thermography-based visual sensing and analytics for characterizing building energy problems; and (2) infrastructure-free (i.e., available in GPS or WLAN-denied environments) remote 3D localization of the problems by leveraging multi-modal visual and motion sensory data from smartphones. Experimental results on an instructional facility promise that the proposed method offers significant potentials for recording the location and severity of building energy problems. As an efficient practice in energy informatics, such near real-time feedback will improve occupants' situational awareness of the as-is building conditions and facilitate associated sustainable retrofits.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publicationConstruction Research Congress 2016
Subtitle of host publicationOld and New Construction Technologies Converge in Historic San Juan - Proceedings of the 2016 Construction Research Congress, CRC 2016
EditorsJose L. Perdomo-Rivera, Carla Lopez del Puerto, Antonio Gonzalez-Quevedo, Francisco Maldonado-Fortunet, Omar I. Molina-Bas
PublisherAmerican Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)
Pages898-908
Number of pages11
ISBN (Electronic)9780784479827
DOIs
StatePublished - 2016
EventConstruction Research Congress 2016: Old and New Construction Technologies Converge in Historic San Juan, CRC 2016 - San Juan, Puerto Rico
Duration: May 31 2016Jun 2 2016

Publication series

NameConstruction Research Congress 2016: Old and New Construction Technologies Converge in Historic San Juan - Proceedings of the 2016 Construction Research Congress, CRC 2016

Other

OtherConstruction Research Congress 2016: Old and New Construction Technologies Converge in Historic San Juan, CRC 2016
Country/TerritoryPuerto Rico
CitySan Juan
Period5/31/166/2/16

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Civil and Structural Engineering
  • Building and Construction

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