Step 3 GIS Data Preparation

This step is conducted by the GIS manager and may take some time, depending on the quality of the available data. The GIS manager prepares a shapefile (a .zip folder with the .shp, .dbf, .cpg, .prj, and .shx files in it) of the seed area defined in step 2 and uploads it to UBEM.IO via the Data Preparation workflow. The uploaded file should meet the data requirements below. UBEM.io will attempt to alert you to errors before proceeding, but for best results and smooth functionality, please validate your data first.

Shapefile Data Requirements

  • Building footprints

    • Max 20,000 buildings, however for > 5,000 buildings, expect long processing times in the application.

    • Closed footprint polygons with no edges < 0.1m. Footprints with area < 1.0 m will be automatically ignored.

    • No overlapping footprints.

  • Building ID

    • column with a unique identifier for each building

  • Building height

    • Numeric field in meters (if difficult to obtain, this field needs to be calculated beforehand by the IS manager using the number of stories or obtained from LiDAR data)

    • All building heights should be > 3m. Buildings with height < 2m (or null) will be ignored. Buildings with height between 2m and 3m will be automatically changed to 3m.

  • Primary/Secondary Grouping

    • UBEM.IO supports two grouping categories to divide the building stock into archetypes (see Step 4).

    • In most cases the primary group is a categorical field consisting of program type, construction type, or zoning, e.g. “single family ranch,” “condo,” “retail,” “office,” or “school”

    • The secondary input is usually building age or year of last renovation. The secondary grouping is optional.

  • All fields: There are no null entries for the required fields

  • Optional other field: window to wall ratios for buildings, which provides higher fidelity modeling

  • Optional other field: heating fuel type, e.g. what fuel is primarily used to provide heating to the building

Valid foodprints are show in blue. Invalid foodprint footprints are missing one of the requirements listed above. To fix those buildings, the GIS manager should go back into the original GIS software and reupload the new shapefile.

Once there are are no errors left, the GIS manager needs to assign building ID, height, program type and age fields to the appropriate shapefile entries. This step is key since the GIS managers knows the data set better than the energy modeler. Once complete without any errors. The GIS manager can download the resulting exchange file (*.uio) and share it with the energy modeler who can proceed to Step 4 Build Baseline UBEM.

After uploading the shapefile, building footprints should be shown on top of an OpenStreetMap.