A data exchange format for the engineering of building automation systems

In building automation, various engineering tools for the different sub-domains of the automation system, e.g. heating, ventilation, and lighting, are used by different planners. Data exchange between these tools is at a low degree, which causes a lot of work to be done manually. This bears optimization potential for the engineering process in building automation. The whole planning process can benefit from a data exchange format that covers the different sub-domains and is independent of vendor specific tools. Such a format offers the chance of data exchange at a high degree of interchangeability. Within this paper, the authors propose a solution for a vendor-independent data exchange format for an improved engineering process of building automation systems, which provides the basis for the automated design of building automation systems.