Darwin and the Dynamism of an Open Source Community at Work Darwin is a good reminder of what it takes to survive times of upheaval, uncertainty, and challenge.

Therese Sullivan, Principal, BuildingContext Ltd Contributing Editor

Click to download Haystack Connections digital magazine, Winter 2017.

In the long history of humankind (and animal kind, too) those who learned to collaborate and improvise most effectively have prevailed.”   – Charles Darwin

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This observation from Darwin is a good reminder of what it takes to survive times of upheaval, uncertainty, and challenge. It feels like that now, as a new administration takes over in Washington DC—one that is on record as being climate-science-denying and fossil-fuel friendly. US government-supported energy R&D has, in part, propelled momentum in commercial building energy efficiency in recent years. There is no reason for this momentum to stall worldwide; but a pull-back in US investment could put American software, controls, and automation companies at a disadvantage. Hopefully, that won’t happen. But, looking at the Darwin quote again, I find a new appreciation for open source organizations like Project Haystack that have worldwide membership and focus. Even if the US government changes course, Project Haystack’s drive to work across applications, companies and geographies to standardize tagging and data modeling practices will continue.

I’ve just finished putting together a new issue of Haystack Connections, and I’m feeling more confident than ever that 2017 will be a year when our industry thrives, not just survives. The Project Haystack vision is that, eventually, all building equipment, meters, and other building -connected devices and software will comply with standard tagging and modeling conventions. Specifying engineers will write their RFP’s with the clause that all vendors deliver devices and software with built-in support for Haystack data modeling. (By the way the Project Haystack offers a guide spec for engineers here.)  End users will have an established in-house point taxonomy that they communicate and enforce among all stakeholders in their buildings’ design, operations and maintenance. In the short amount of time that has passed since the publication of the Spring/Summer edition of Haystack Connections in 2016 and today, there has been steady and certain progress toward realizing this vision, for example:

• Project Haystack membership has expanded, adding more solution vendors and engineering and commissioning firms. ARUP, one of the world’s most well-known MEP firms has recently joined. Other new members include Connexx Energy, SensorFact, and IoTWarez. You’ll learn more about them in the new magazine edition.
• US government-lab-directed test beds and proof-of-concept projects, some of which have Project Haystack modeling at the core, are publicizing their positive results. Whole campus energy management projects, like the National Renewable Energy Labs work for the US Navy which was launched in 2013, are receiving well-merited publicity.
  
• The work of the community has accelerated and intensified. Long-anticipated core tagging definitions and Software Developer’s Kits (SDKs) have been released over the last months. Haystack Connections includes an article about the new tagging system for energy meters and a piece about the latest version of nHaystack for Niagara users. We will also cover the new Python SDK.
• The Haystack community’s biennial conference, Haystack Connect, is scheduled for May, with the list of sponsors and pre-registrants growing. The new edition includes some conference preview articles and details about the Call for Papers.
  
• More end-users are taking interest in Project Haystack. This edition includes an article that summarizes Project Haystack’s value proposition with these newcomers in mind.
• Haystack members and supporters are engaged in educating the wider market about Project Haystack, which is evident by the growing number of trade press articles and whitepapers that they have written. I sample those in the publication too.
• Another way that I keep up to date on the impact of Project Haystack is by following member companies on social media. You will find my curation of some of the most significant tweets and social shares in another article in Haystack Connections.
  

There is a lot more to explore in the Winter 2017 issue.  More than that, I’m looking forward to the Haystack Connect conference this year. To apply Charles Darwin’s thinking, collaboration through open source and standards organizations is a vital adaptation that is enabling the entire commercial building industry to evolve in a sustainable way. Our events and publications are an essential part of how that collaboration happens.  I hope you like Haystack Connections. See you in Tampa in May.