We all know that feeling when the solution to a problem we have invested significant time into suddenly and unexpectedly reveals itself in a wondrous “a-ha” moment. Such an epiphany can be described as an enlightening realization that allows a problem or situation to be understood from a new and deeper perspective.

Epiphanies, once deemed as insight from the divine, are relatively rare occurrences, but what if today’s artificial intelligence (AI) tools can inspire and increase the frequency of epiphanies about the nature of very complex problems?

BuildingIQ has set out to do exactly that —to move epiphanies out of the realm of the miraculous and into our everyday experience. We recently launched our powerful AI-driven inference engine, named Epiphany, which pulls together disparate data points within a given system; creates a virtualized network of that holistic system; and then learns how each point is connected and influenced by the other points in the network. This approach reveals previously hidden interdependencies that used to hold back those moments of clarity we all seek when attempting to understand a convoluted issue.

Epiphany and Intelligent Buildings

Already in use today powering BuildingIQ’s Outcome-based Fault Detection (OFD) service, Epiphany is bringing a new level of understanding to the buildings we serve. Through its four major components that complement each other, Epiphany enables triangulation that not only produces data-based prioritization of faults and system anomalies but can also drive higher-level business functions like budgeting and resource allocation. The components are:

• Influence Engine – reveals the impact of all points relative to a whole building
• Influence Delta – examines how an influence changes over time
• Delta-T – correlates real energy impacts with comfort impacts
• Correlation Map – maps the relationships between points

Watch the video below to see how Epiphany turns mountains of building data into useful insights for facilities teams and executives as well as building owners and operators.

Thanks to the billions of data points we manage from the 130 million square feet of buildings under our service, we have seen how the promise of the Internet of Things (IoT) hinges on advanced analytics. Even though IHS Markit estimates that the number of connected devices will soar past 125 billion over the next ten years, in practice the majority of this data sits unused.

For the dream of intelligent buildings to become a reality, engines like Epiphany are required to augment on-site teams’ ability to sift through and make intelligent inferences from, the growing amount of building data. Further, AI engines can elevate our understanding of complex building systems and become an indispensable ally in risk reduction, knowledge management, operational optimization, and predictive financial planning.

Epiphany Beyond Buildings

We acknowledge that no industry can afford to ignore AI, and the IoT evolution is just beginning. Beyond buildings, IoT sensors and computer intelligence are being integrated into nearly every aspect of a business, and our lives. This is why we designed Epiphany to be a wide-ranging toolset for the industry where stand-alone data points require a networked-approach to realize their full potential.

While we can never know for certain what the future will hold, we can foresee that it will be an increasingly-connected world. AI may prove to be the new form of intelligence where epiphanies are born to help shine a light on our most complicated problems.

Steve Nguyen is VP of Product and Marketing at BuildingIQ. He loves products and ideas that transform markets or society. Whether they are transformative in and of themselves, or because they are enablers. He’s driven by creating the stories, teams, and strategy that make these agents successful.