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Remote ITAC Assessments Using mixed reality, GIS, and rapid modeling, for ITAC energy assessments and ITAC training.

Presented by James Whitfield

for Clark Atlanta University

DOE - Industrial Training and Assessment Centers (ITAC)

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What is Remote Assessment?

OBJECTIVES:

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  • Enable detailed energy assessment of buildings w/o requiring multiple visits
  • Analyze buildings using GIS and DOE energy analysis tools (NREL)
  • Build interactive training for students in preparation for ITAC site visits

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Remote Assessment Timeline/Workflow

SITE VISIT

REMOTE ASSESSMENT

POST-ASSESSMENT

  • Pictures & videos taken as necessary
    • Overhead images via drones
  • Installation of remote monitoring tools
  • 3D scans of key rooms/areas
  • Data collection via monitoring tools
  • 3D model & simulation of building - GIS
  • NREL analysis tools
  • MR environment summarizing info
    • Interactive model
  • Analysis results included in report
  • 3D model & simulation files made available to site
  • Suggesting further DOE analysis tools and Solar assessment results

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Rapid Modeling

Quickly building detailed models of a building for use in our MR environment

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Clark Atlanta University’s ESG Power Plant

ITAC Modeling & MR Case Study

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Base Model - GIS

Using Blender & satellite data (OSM) to quickly make base models of the building(s) with little detail.

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Detailed Model

Building a fleshed-out model of the building from the base model

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3D Model Usages

Simulations & Solar assessments via various analysis tools

Mixed Reality - Remote collaboration, training, and assessments

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Mixed Reality

Importing the models into custom Unity application, adding machinery pipes, etc.

Then exporting to a HoloLens device.

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Remote Assessment Software

Building an interactive environment

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Developing Remote Assessment MR Software

Logistics of current system

Custom HoloLens 2 Mixed Reality application

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  • Unity, C++, OpenXR
  • Microsoft Mixed Reality Toolkit (MRTK)
  • Azure Spatial Anchors
  • Azure Remote Rendering
  • Collaboration / Shared Experiences
    • Photon Unity Networking (PUN Fusion)

Monitoring & analysis tools

  • NREL’s BEopt
  • NREL’s URBANopt
  • Aurora Solar
  • Slipstream’s SketchBox

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HOBOnet

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MR Application Demo

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JoinXR - MR Collaboration Experiments

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrH5LXB5uIE

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References / Links

CAU’s ViSiDeL Research Group - http://visidel.cau.edu/

MR Software Development Guide - https://whitfija.github.io/cau_mr_dev_guide/

Photon Unity Networking - https://www.photonengine.com/pun

ORNL Energy Management Software - https://ornl-amo.github.io/

Azure Remote Rendering - https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/products/remote-rendering

Azure Spatial Anchors - https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/mixed-reality/design/spatial-anchors

Join XR - https://fracturereality.io/projects/joinxr/