For a small percentage of map users, flaws are hidden beneath the surface. Maps that show buildings without their exact addresses are confusing for precision-minded users. Perhaps they show an exact address but are applied to multiple buildings. Maybe the building doesn’t have an address. Perhaps a map was created with an anomaly not seen on any other map. Even tax lots don’t guarantee a specific way to locate a building’s exact location.
Researchers at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), have developed software that uses geographical data to create an open-source grid system. This allows for precise location of a structure. The DOE hopes that the free-of-charge system known as the Unique Building Identifier, (UBID) will allow programs to track energy consumption and emissions.
Harry Bergmann, Technology Manager in DOE’s Building Technologies Office said that “We want decarbonize buildings nationwide by making them less energy-intensive.” To do this, we must first understand which buildings are being discussed and what energy-consuming assets they contain. This is an important step in reducing the energy consumption and emissions of these buildings.
This program is not a mapping tool. Instead, the program was developed by UBID to use a standard language for describing the location of a structure. This code corresponds to latitude and longitude coordinates. These coordinates create a rectangle which shows the location and footprint of a structure. You can also use UBID data with other m aps.
This data can be understood by utility providers, building owners, building managers, and other users who require accurate information about buildings. Cities are increasingly demanding that buildings comply with emission and energy policies. These laws are essential for allowing comparisons of buildings. UBID is able to reliably provide this.
Property codes, not addresses, are coded
UBID assigns a code string consisting of numbers and letters to a building, parcel, or other two-dimensional footprint. This code string is based on an open source grid reference system. This system is used by UBID to determine the center mass of a shape, such as a building. Then, UBID calculates the north, east and south sides using the center. These boundaries are represented by the code strings and can be read or written by UBID users.
UBID is very fast. For a dataset of approximately 1 million records, it can generate identifiers in just 5-10 minutes and detect duplicate records within a matter of minutes. UBID is also free. The software was made open-source by the developers of PNNL and is available for distribution to as many people as possible.
Mark Borkum, PNNL computer scientist, stated that UBID’s uniform, simple format can be used for purposes other than precise geospatial locations.
Borkum, who spent more than three decades developing UBID, said that a city can assign UBIDs for their building stock as well as those UBIDs for their energy benchmarking data. “Now they can cross-reference all of that data easier and more accurately, as well as have access to data on energy usage.”
Contributing to reducing the carbon footprint
Borkum stated that UBID’s potential advantages in analyzing and gathering energy data are some of the greatest attributes of the software.
Borkum stated that policy makers all over the globe have agreed that reducing greenhouse gas emissions is an important component of climate change mitigation. As part of this initiative, energy use in buildings and the systems that create it will need to be monitored. For management and comparison, accurate building location data is essential. UBID will provide this data.”
The DOE’s Audit Template was developed at PNNL and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s ENERGY STAR portfolio manager, according to Sarah Newman, a PNNL Data Scientist. Audit Template can be used with UBID for building asset tracking and audits. Portfolio Manager allows you to collect energy-use information that can be shared and analysed by energy managers and other energy professionals. Portfolio Manager is also used by most cities who have energy benchmarking programs.
Newman, who is the team leader of the Analytics and Tools group in PNNL’s Buildings and Connected Systems group, stated that UBID’s compatibility to energy-tracking programmes is a huge asset. She said, “This will assist cities who are trying to implement an energy benchmarking program for their community’s buildings inventory.”
Businesses, non-profits and cities are all interested in this appeal
Several local governments have tapped into open-source, free UBID, including Washington, D.C., Miami-Dade County, and Portland, Maine.
Newman stated that UBID is also appealing to nonprofits and commercial entities. LightBox, a data firm known for real estate analytics, was an early adopter of the UBID methodology and a tester.
Zach Wade, vice-president of data at LightBox, stated that “Since our nationwide collections of parcel boundaries, building footprints, and other information, we are a natural partner to UBID.” “Our boundaries are necessary for computing UBIDs at large scale across the country. We have done this across our entire building footprint data. We support open standards for real estate data connectivity problems. This is why we have been working closely with PNNL.
LightBox assists the National Low Income Housing Coalition and the Public and Affordable Housing Research Corporation. LightBox will assign a UBID for federally-assisted rental properties in the National Housing Preservation Database. The non-profits maintain a database of 80,000 properties that helps communities keep their stock of affordable and public housing.
Kelly McElwain is a senior research analyst at Public and Affordable Housing Research Corporation. She stated that assigning UBIDs for affordable homes in NHPD could help researchers match them with other administrative data sources and better understand their proximity and transit options.
Borkum and Newman gathered LightBox and housing non-profits in November 2020. Wade is collaborating with them to assign UBIDs to the National Housing Preservation Database dataset.