Semantic Technologies in Practical Demand Response: An Information Requirement-based Roadmap
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Mulayim, Ozan Baris↗
Engineering topics
Mulayim, Ozan Baris
Publications and source records attributed to Mulayim, Ozan Baris.
BuildingQA: A Benchmark for Natural Language Question Answering over Building Knowledge Graphs
Graph-based representations of building metadata using ontologies like Brick are vital for smart building applications, but querying them remains a challenge for practitioners. Knowledge Graph Question Answering (KGQA) systems, meant to retrieve answers from natural language questions, traditionally require large-scale training data, making them ill-suited for the specialized and data-scarce building domain. The advent of Large Language Models (LLMs) offers a paradigm shift, enabling zero-shot natural language querying without building/domain-specific training. Yet, there is no standardized benchmark for building-specific KGQA which can guide and validate research in this area. To address this gap, our work makes three primary contributions. First, we introduce the BuildingQA Benchmark Dataset, constructed through a multi-stage process of collecting practitioner data, augmenting it with LLMs for linguistic diversity, and curating a final set of 188 questions across 4 buildings. Second, we characterize the benchmark's complexity and ambiguity, introducing a novel method to quantify its "lexical gap" and providing a four-stage diagnostic framework for analyzing how systems fail. Third, we benchmark zero-shot LLM-powered KGQA systems to establish baseline performance and analyze their failure modes. Our evaluation reveals that top-performing systems achieve a maximum F1 score of only 0.38. This result does not indicate a failure of these powerful systems, but rather underscores the unique challenges posed by our benchmark. It demonstrates a critical performance gap, showing that current methods successful on general KGs struggle with the specific lexical and structural nuances of the building domain. BuildingQA1 thus provides the benchmark dataset and foundational analysis needed to drive the development of novel, domain-aware methods required to unlock the use of semantic data in buildings.
Mulayim, Ozan Baris↗
Extraction and Analysis of Time Series Data from Building Automation Systems Using Large Language Models
Semantic schemas like Haystack 4, Brick and ASHRAE standard 223 enable the structured, standardized, and machine-readable representation of building data, facilitating interoperability, data integration, and advanced analytics. However, extracting information from these models requires specialized expertise in SPARQL and other programming languages, skills that are not commonly found among building professionals. Recent advancements in Large Language Models (LLMs), such as ChatGPT, enable the construction of queries using natural language, making it easier for individuals to interact with these systems in a manner that resembles everyday speech. However, these methods have not yet been tested on building semantic ontologies. This paper introduces a novel workflow and tool for enabling users to ask questions about a specific building's data, using natural language and receive answers automatically generated by GPT-4o. Our approach integrates semantic ontologies with advanced LLM capabilities to automate three critical steps: (1) generating SPARQL queries to retrieve time series references from ontological models, (2) extracting the corresponding time series data from the Building Automation System, and (3) performing computations and visualizations tailored to the user's query. The proposed method simplifies access to BAS data, allowing both domain experts and non-specialists to conduct sophisticated analyses without needing extensive technical knowledge of semantic web technologies. By demonstrating this pipeline, we facilitate more accessible and scalable data-driven decision-making in building operations and management.
Mulayim, Ozan Baris↗
Extraction and Analysis of Time Series Data from Building Automation Systems Using Large Language Models
Semantic schemas like Haystack 4, Brick and ASHRAE standard 223 enable the structured, standardized, and machine-readable representation of building data, facilitating interoperability, data integration, and advanced analytics. However, extracting information from these models requires specialized expertise in SPARQL and other programming languages, skills that are not commonly found among building professionals. Recent advancements in Large Language Models (LLMs), such as ChatGPT, enable the construction of queries using natural language, making it easier for individuals to interact with these systems in a manner that resembles everyday speech. However, these methods have not yet been tested on building semantic ontologies. This paper introduces a novel workflow and tool for enabling users to ask questions about a specific building's data, using natural language and receive answers automatically generated by GPT-4o. Our approach integrates semantic ontologies with advanced LLM capabilities to automate three critical steps: (1) generating SPARQL queries to retrieve time series references from ontological models, (2) extracting the corresponding time series data from the Building Automation System, and (3) performing computations and visualizations tailored to the user's query. The proposed method simplifies access to BAS data, allowing both domain experts and non-specialists to conduct sophisticated analyses without needing extensive technical knowledge of semantic web technologies. By demonstrating this pipeline, we facilitate more accessible and scalable data-driven decision-making in building operations and management.
Mulayim, Ozan Baris↗
Large Language Models for the Creation and Use of Semantic Ontologies in Buildings: Requirements and Challenges
Semantic ontologies offer a formalized, machine-readable framework for representing knowledge, enabling the structured description of complex systems. In the building domain, the adoption of ontologies like the Brick schema has transformed how buildings and their systems are modeled by providing a standardized, interoperable language. However, the complexity and the steep learning curve involved in developing and querying semantic models present substantial challenges, often requiring a workforce with specialized expertise. This paper builds on our experience in investigating how Large Language Models (LLMs) can help address these challenges, focusing on their role in constructing and querying of semantic models, particularly using the Brick Schema. Our study outlines the requirements and metrics for evaluating the scalability and effectiveness of LLM-based tools, while also discussing the current challenges and limitations in developing such tools. Ultimately, this paper aims to orient research efforts as various groups experiment with diverse techniques, while enabling more effective comparison of emerging solutions and fostering collaboration across the field.
Mulayim, Ozan Baris↗