U.S. patent application number 14/495827 was filed with the patent office on 2015-04-30 for systems and methods for processing data relating to energy usage.
The applicant listed for this patent is C3 Energy, Inc.. Invention is credited to Edward Y. Abbo, Houman Behzadi, John Coker, Scott Kurinskas, Thomas Rothwein, Thomas M. Siebel, David Tchankotadze.
Application Number | 20150120224 14/495827 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 52996339 |
Filed Date | 2015-04-30 |
United States Patent
Application |
20150120224 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Siebel; Thomas M. ; et
al. |
April 30, 2015 |
SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR PROCESSING DATA RELATING TO ENERGY
USAGE
Abstract
Processing of data relating to energy usage. First data relating
to energy usage is loaded for analysis by an energy management
platform. Second data relating to energy usage is stream processed
by the energy management platform. Third data relating to energy
usage is batch parallel processed by the energy management
platform. Additional computing resources, owned by a third party
separate from an entity that owns the computer system that supports
the energy management platform, are provisioned based on increasing
computing demand. Existing computing resources owned by the third
party are released based on decreasing computing demand.
Inventors: |
Siebel; Thomas M.;
(Woodside, CA) ; Abbo; Edward Y.; (Woodside,
CA) ; Behzadi; Houman; (San Francisco, CA) ;
Coker; John; (Atherton, CA) ; Kurinskas; Scott;
(San Mateo, CA) ; Rothwein; Thomas; (San Jose,
CA) ; Tchankotadze; David; (Sunnyvale, CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
C3 Energy, Inc. |
Redwood City |
CA |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
52996339 |
Appl. No.: |
14/495827 |
Filed: |
September 24, 2014 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
61897159 |
Oct 29, 2013 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
702/61 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06F 16/258 20190101;
G06F 16/2365 20190101; G06Q 10/06 20130101; G06Q 50/06 20130101;
Y02P 90/82 20151101; G01R 21/133 20130101; G06F 16/24568 20190101;
G06F 16/24542 20190101; G06F 16/288 20190101; G01R 21/00
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
702/61 |
International
Class: |
G01R 21/133 20060101
G01R021/133 |
Claims
1. A computer implemented method comprising: loading, by a computer
system, first data relating to energy usage for analysis by an
energy management platform; stream processing, by the computer
system, second data relating to energy usage; and batch parallel
processing, by the computer system, third data relating to energy
usage.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the loading includes converting
the first data relating to energy usage from a canonical form
according to a data model of the energy management platform.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein the loading includes performing
validation on the first data relating to energy usage.
4. The method of claim 3, wherein the performing validation on the
first data relating to energy usage includes at least one of:
examining structure of the first data to ensure that required
fields are present; detecting gaps in the first data; detecting
anomalies in the first data; identifying outliers in the first
data; and conducting referential integrity checks on the first
data.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein the loading includes storing a
first type of the first data relating to energy usage in a
relational database.
6. The method of claim 5, wherein the first type of the first data
relating to energy usage includes customer data.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein the loading includes storing a
second type of the first data relating to energy usage in a
key/value store.
8. The method of claim 7, wherein the second type of the first data
relating to energy usage includes meter data.
9. The method of claim 7, wherein the loading includes normalizing
the second type of the first data relating to energy usage.
10. The method of claim 9, wherein the loading includes storing the
normalized second type of the first data relating to energy
usage.
11. The method of claim 1, wherein the stream processing includes
converting the second data relating to energy usage according to a
data model of the energy management platform.
12. The method of claim 11, wherein the stream processing includes
persisting the converted second data relating to energy usage.
13. The method of claim 12, wherein the stream processing includes
scheduling processing of the second data relating to energy usage
based on receipt of an event notification.
14. The method of claim 13, wherein the stream processing includes,
using stream processing logic specified by at least one of the
energy management platform and a user of the energy management
platform, processing the second data relating to energy usage.
15. The method of claim 14, wherein the stream processing includes
at least one of: providing an alert based on the processed second
data relating to energy usage; persisting the processed second data
relating to energy usage; and providing a new stream based on the
processed second data relating to energy usage.
16. The method of claim 1, wherein the batch parallel processing
includes: receiving a request for a batch job; identifying a data
set for the batch job associated with the third data relating to
energy usage; and dividing the batch job into batches.
17. The method of claim 16, wherein the batch parallel processing
includes scheduling processing of the batches.
18. The method of claim 1, further comprising: provisioning
additional computing resources owned by a third party separate from
an entity that owns the computer system based on increasing
computing demand; and releasing existing computing resources owned
by the third party based on decreasing computing demand.
19. A computer-storage medium storing computer-executable
instructions that, when executed, cause a computer system to
perform a computer-implemented method comprising: loading first
data relating to energy usage for analysis by an energy management
platform; stream processing second data relating to energy usage;
and batch parallel processing third data relating to energy
usage.
20. A system comprising: at least one processor; and a memory
storing instructions configured to instruct the at least one
processor to perform: loading first data relating to energy usage
for analysis by an energy management platform; stream processing
second data relating to energy usage; and batch parallel processing
third data relating to energy usage.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] The present application claims priority from U.S.
Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/897,159, filed Oct. 29,
2013, entitled "SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR PROCESSING DATA RELATING TO
ENERGY USAGE," which is incorporated in its entirety herein by
reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates to the field of energy
management and, more particularly, processing of data relating to
energy usage.
BACKGROUND
[0003] Conventional energy management tools are intended to help
companies track energy usage. For example, such tools may collect
certain types of energy-related information, including billing
statements and energy meter readings. The collected information may
be used to understand energy usage. Such tools may also generate
reports that detail energy-related information and usage. The
reports may be used to identify a possible need for energy savings
initiatives.
[0004] Conventional energy management tools are often provided
through custom implementations of multiple products provided by
different vendors. Custom implementations can require considerable
upfront expense and delay associated with purchase and maintenance
of various hardware and software packages. Further, custom
implementations can necessitate significant expense and
complication in the integration of disparate software packages as
well as challenges in connecting to required data sources. Custom
implementations likewise can be difficult to maintain and upgrade.
In addition, the functionality of a custom implementation is often
limited given the narrow scope of its intended purpose.
SUMMARY
[0005] To allow analysis of data relating to energy usage,
embodiments of the invention include systems, methods, and computer
readable media to provide an energy management platform. First data
relating to energy usage is loaded for analysis by the energy
management platform. Second data relating to energy usage is stream
processed. Third data relating to energy usage is batch parallel
processed.
[0006] In an embodiment, the loading includes converting the first
data relating to energy usage from a canonical form according to a
data model of the energy management platform.
[0007] In an embodiment, the loading includes performing validation
on the first data relating to energy usage.
[0008] In an embodiment, the performing validation on the first
data relating to energy usage includes at least one of: examining
structure of the first data to ensure that required fields are
present; detecting gaps in the first data; detecting anomalies in
the first data; identifying outliers in the first data; and
conducting referential integrity checks on the first data.
[0009] In an embodiment, the loading includes storing a first type
of the first data relating to energy usage in a relational
database.
[0010] In an embodiment, the first type of the first data relating
to energy usage includes customer data.
[0011] In an embodiment, the loading includes storing a second type
of the first data relating to energy usage in a key/value
store.
[0012] In an embodiment, the second type of the first data relating
to energy usage includes meter data.
[0013] In an embodiment, the loading includes normalizing the
second type of the first data relating to energy usage.
[0014] In an embodiment, the loading includes storing the
normalized second type of the first data relating to energy
usage.
[0015] In an embodiment, the stream processing includes converting
the second data relating to energy usage according to a data model
of the energy management platform.
[0016] In an embodiment, the stream processing includes persisting
the converted second data relating to energy usage.
[0017] In an embodiment, the stream processing includes scheduling
processing of the second data relating to energy usage based on
receipt of an event notification.
[0018] In an embodiment, the stream processing includes, using
stream processing logic specified by at least one of the energy
management platform and a user of the energy management platform,
processing the second data relating to energy usage.
[0019] In an embodiment, the stream processing includes at least
one of: providing an alert based on the processed second data
relating to energy usage; persisting the processed second data
relating to energy usage; and providing a new stream based on the
processed second data relating to energy usage.
[0020] In an embodiment, the batch parallel processing includes:
receiving a request for a batch job; identifying a data set for the
batch job associated with the third data relating to energy usage;
and dividing the batch job into batches.
[0021] In an embodiment, the batch parallel processing includes
scheduling processing of the batches.
[0022] In an embodiment, additional computing resources, owned by a
third party separate from an entity that owns the computer system
that supports the energy management platform, are provisioned based
on increasing computing demand. Existing computing resources owned
by the third party are released based on decreasing computing
demand.
[0023] Many other features and embodiments of the invention will be
apparent from the accompanying drawings and from the following
detailed description.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0024] FIG. 1 illustrates an example environment of an energy
management platform in accordance with an embodiment of the
invention.
[0025] FIG. 1A illustrates an example energy management platform in
accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
[0026] FIG. 2 illustrates an example applications server of an
energy management platform in accordance with an embodiment of the
invention.
[0027] FIG. 3 illustrates an example data loading process in
accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
[0028] FIG. 4 illustrates an example stream process in accordance
with an embodiment of the invention.
[0029] FIG. 5 illustrates an example batch parallel process in
accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
[0030] FIG. 6 illustrates an example machine within which a set of
instructions for causing the machine to perform one or more of the
embodiments described herein can be executed in accordance with an
embodiment of the invention.
[0031] The figures depict various embodiments of the present
invention for purposes of illustration only, wherein the figures
use like reference numerals to identify like elements. One skilled
in the art will readily recognize from the following discussion
that alternative embodiments of the structures and methods
illustrated in the figures may be employed without departing from
the principles of the invention described herein.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0032] Embodiments of the invention relate to an energy management
platform that overcomes disadvantages associated with conventional
solutions. In an embodiment, the energy management platform can be
implemented as a software-as-a-service (SaaS) solution hosted in
the cloud. The energy management platform may provide analytical
applications for energy management that are built on a robust
architecture.
[0033] The energy management platform in accordance with
embodiments of the invention provides myriad benefits. In an
embodiment, as a SaaS implementation, users of the energy
management platform do not have to purchase and maintain hardware
or purchase and integrate disparate software packages, reducing
upfront costs and the upfront resources required from IT resources,
such as an IT team or outside consultants. The energy management
platform can be delivered "out-of-the-box", reducing the need to
define and produce precise and detailed requirements. The energy
management platform may leverage industry best practices and
leading capabilities for data integration, which reduces the time
required to connect to required data sources. Software maintenance
updates and software upgrades may be "pushed" to users of the
energy management platform automatically, thereby ensuring that
software updates are available to users as quickly as possible.
[0034] The energy management platform in accordance with
embodiments of the invention provides various capabilities and
advantages for an enterprise. Smart meter investment can be
leveraged to derive accurate predictive models of building energy
performance throughout a region of interest. Energy data can be
compiled and aggregated into consolidated and consistent views of
building performance across the region. Energy usage can be modeled
and forecasted across some or all of the buildings in the region.
The energy performance of buildings can be benchmarked against
industry standards as well as internal benchmarks of the
enterprise. The energy performance of buildings can be compared to
identify low-performing outliers for potential energy improvements.
The effectiveness of energy improvements can be tracked, measured,
and quantified to identify those that provide the highest impact
and greatest return on investment. The allocation of the costs and
benefits of energy improvements among all stakeholders can be
analyzed so that the enterprise, as well as broader constituents,
can understand the return on its energy-related investments.
[0035] FIG. 1 illustrates an example environment 100 for energy
management in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. The
environment 100 includes an energy management platform 102,
external data sources 104.sub.1-n, an enterprise 106, and a network
108. The energy management platform 102, which is discussed in more
detail herein, provides functionality to allow the enterprise 106
to track, analyze, and optimize energy usage of the enterprise 106.
The energy management platform 102 may constitute an analytics
platform. The analytics platform may handle data management,
multi-layered analysis, and data visualization capabilities for all
applications of the energy management platform 102. The analytics
platform may be specifically designed to process and analyze
significant volumes of frequently updated data while maintaining
high performance levels.
[0036] The energy management platform 102 may communicate with the
enterprise 106 through user interfaces (UIs) presented by the
energy management platform 102 for the enterprise 106. The UIs may
provide information to the enterprise 106 and receive information
from the enterprise 106. The energy management platform 102 may
communicate with the external data sources 104.sub.1-n through APIs
and other communication interfaces. Communications involving the
energy management platform 102, the external data sources
104.sub.1-n, and the enterprise 106 are discussed in more detail
herein.
[0037] The energy management platform 102 may be implemented as a
computer system, such as a server or series of servers and other
hardware (e.g., applications servers, analytic computational
servers, database servers, data integrator servers, network
infrastructure (e.g., firewalls, routers, communication nodes)).
The servers may be arranged as a server farm or cluster.
Embodiments of the invention may be implemented on the server side,
on the client side, or a combination of both. For example,
embodiments of the invention may be implemented by one or more
servers of the energy management platform 102. As another example,
embodiments of the invention may be implemented by a combination of
servers of the energy management platform 102 and a computer system
of the enterprise 106.
[0038] The external data sources 104.sub.1-n may represent a
multitude of possible sources of data relevant to energy management
analysis. The external data sources 104.sub.1-n may include, for
example, grid and utility operational systems, meter data
management (MDM) systems, customer information systems (CIS),
billing systems, utility customer systems, utility enterprise
systems, utility energy conservation measures, and rebate
databases. The external data sources 104.sub.1-n also may include,
for example, building characteristic systems, weather data sources,
third-party property management systems, and industry-standard
benchmark databases.
[0039] The enterprise 106 may represent a user (e.g., customer) of
the energy management platform 102. The enterprise 106 may include
any private or public concern, such as large companies, small and
medium businesses, households, individuals, governing bodies,
government agencies, non-governmental organizations, nonprofits,
etc. The enterprise 106 may include energy suppliers (e.g.,
utilities), energy service companies (ESCOs), and energy consumers.
The enterprise 106 may be associated with one or many facilities
distributed over many geographic locations. The enterprise 106 may
be associated with any purpose, industry, or other type of
profile.
[0040] The network 108 may use standard communications technologies
and protocols. Thus, the network 108 may include links using
technologies such as Ethernet, 802.11, worldwide interoperability
for microwave access (WiMAX), 3G, 4G, CDMA, GSM, LTE, digital
subscriber line (DSL), etc. Similarly, the networking protocols
used on the network 108 may include multiprotocol label switching
(MPLS), transmission control protocol/Internet protocol (TCP/IP),
User Datagram Protocol (UDP), hypertext transport protocol (HTTP),
simple mail transfer protocol (SMTP), file transfer protocol (FTP),
and the like. The data exchanged over the network 108 may be
represented using technologies and/or formats including hypertext
markup language (HTML) and extensible markup language (XML). In
addition, all or some links may be encrypted using conventional
encryption technologies such as secure sockets layer (SSL),
transport layer security (TLS), and Internet Protocol security
(IPsec).
[0041] In an embodiment, each of the energy management platform
102, the external data sources 104.sub.1-n, and the enterprise 106
may be implemented as a computer system. The computer system may
include one or more machines, each of which may be implemented as
machine 600 of FIG. 6, which is described in further detail
herein.
[0042] FIG. 1A illustrates an example energy management platform
102 in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. In an
embodiment, the energy management platform 102 may include a data
management module 110, applications servers 112, relational
databases 114, and key/value stores 116.
[0043] The data management module 110 may support the capability to
automatically and dynamically scale a network of computing
resources for the energy management platform 102 according to
demand on the energy management platform 102. The dynamic scaling
supported by the data management module 110 may include the
capability to provision additional computing resources (or nodes)
to accommodate increasing computing demand. Likewise, the data
management module 110 may include the capability to release
computing resources to accommodate decreasing computing demand. The
data management module 110 may include one or more action(s) 118, a
queue 120, a dispatcher 122, a resource manager 124, and a cluster
manager 126.
[0044] The actions 118 may represent the tasks that are to be
performed in response to requests that are provided to the energy
management platform 102. Each of the actions 118 may represent a
unit of work to be performed by the applications servers 112. The
actions 118 may be associated with data types and bound to engines
(or modules). The requests may relate to any task supported by the
energy management platform 102. For example, the request may relate
to, for example, analytic processing, loading energy-related data,
retrieving an energy star reading, retrieving benchmark data, etc.
The actions 118 are provided to the action queue 120.
[0045] The action queue 120 may receive each of the actions 118.
The action queue 120 may be a distributed task queue and represents
work that is to be routed to an appropriate computing resource and
then performed.
[0046] The dispatcher 122 may associate and hand-off a queued
action to an engine that will execute the action. The dispatcher
122 may control routing of each queued action to a particular one
of the applications servers 112 based on load balancing and other
optimization considerations. The dispatcher 122 may receive an
instruction from the resource manager 124 to provision new nodes
when the current computing resources are at or above a threshold
capacity. The dispatcher 122 also may receive an instruction from
the resource manager to release nodes when the current computing
resources are at or below a threshold capacity. The dispatcher 122
accordingly may instruct the cluster manager 126 to dynamically
provision new nodes or release existing nodes based on demand for
computing resources. The nodes may be computing nodes or storage
nodes in connection with the applications servers 112, the
relational databases 114, and the key/value stores 116.
[0047] The resource manager 124 may monitor the action queue 120.
The resource manager 124 also may monitor the current load on the
applications servers 112 to determine the availability of resources
to execute the queued actions. Based on the monitoring, the
resource manager may communicate, through the dispatcher 122, with
the cluster manager 126 to request dynamic allocation and
de-allocation of nodes.
[0048] The cluster manager 126 may be a distributed entity that
manages all of the nodes of the applications servers 112. The
cluster manager 126 may dynamically provision new nodes or release
existing nodes based on demand for computing resources. The cluster
manager 126 may implement a group membership services protocol. The
cluster manager 126 also may perform a task monitoring function.
The task monitoring function may involve tracking resource usage,
such as CPU utilization, the amount of data read/written, storage
size, etc.
[0049] The applications servers 112 may perform processes that
manage or host analytic server execution, data requests, etc. The
engines provided by the energy management platform 102, such as the
engines that perform data services, batch processing, stream
services, may be hosted within the applications servers 112. The
engines are discussed in more detail herein.
[0050] In an embodiment, the applications servers 112 may be part
of a computer cluster of a plurality of loosely or tightly
connected computers that are coordinated to work as a system in
performing the services and applications of the energy management
platform 102. The nodes (e.g., servers) of the cluster may be
connected to each other through fast local area networks ("LAN"),
with each node running its own instance of an operating system. The
applications servers 112 may be implemented as a computer cluster
to improve performance and availability over that of a single
computer, while typically being more cost-effective than single
computers of comparable speed or availability. The applications
servers 112 may be software, hardware, or a combination of
both.
[0051] The relational databases 114 may maintain various data
supporting the energy management platform 102. In an embodiment,
non-time series data may be stored in the relational databases 114,
as discussed in more detail herein.
[0052] The key/value stores 116 may maintain various data
supporting the energy management platform 102. In an embodiment,
time series data (e.g., meter readings, meter events, etc.) may be
stored in the key/value store, as discussed in more detail herein.
In an embodiment, the key/value stores 116 may be implemented with
Apache Cassandra, an open source distributed database management
system designed to handle large amounts of data across a multitude
of commodity servers. In an embodiment, other database management
systems for key/value stores may be used.
[0053] In an embodiment, one or more of the applications servers
112, the relational databases 114, and the key/value stores 116 may
be implemented by the entity that owns, maintains, or controls the
energy management platform 102.
[0054] In an embodiment, one or more of the applications servers
112, the relational databases 114, and the key/value stores 116 may
be implemented by a third party that may provide a computing
environment for lease to the entity that owns, maintains, or
controls the energy management platform 102. In an embodiment, the
applications servers 112, the relational databases 114, and the
key/value stores 116 implemented by the third party may communicate
with the energy management platform 102 through a network, such as
the network 108.
[0055] The computing environment provided by the third party for
the entity that owns, maintains, or controls the energy management
platform 102 may be a cloud computing platform that allows the
entity that owns, maintains, or controls the energy management
platform 102 to rent virtual computers on which to run its own
computer applications. Such applications may include, for example,
the applications performed by the applications server 200, as
discussed in more detail herein. In an embodiment, the computing
environment may allow a scalable deployment of applications by
providing a web service through which the entity that owns,
maintains, or controls the energy management platform 102 can boot
a virtual appliance used to create a virtual machine containing any
software desired. In an embodiment, the entity that owns,
maintains, or controls the energy management platform 102 may
create, launch, and terminate server instances as needed, paying
based on time usage time, data usage, or any combination of these
or other factors. The ability to provision and release computing
resources in this manner supports the ability of the energy
management platform 102 to dynamically scale according to the
demand on the energy management platform 102.
[0056] FIG. 2 illustrates an example applications server 200 of an
energy management platform in accordance with an embodiment of the
invention. In an embodiment, one or more of the applications
servers 112 may be implemented with applications server 200. The
energy management platform 102 includes a data integrator (data
loading) module 202, an integration services module 204, a data
services module 206, a computational services module 208, a stream
analytic services module 210, a batch parallel processing analytic
services module 212, a normalization module 214, an analytics
container 216, a data model 218, and a user interface (UI) services
module 224.
[0057] The analytics platform supported by the applications server
200 includes multiple services that each handles a specific data
management or analysis capability. The services include the data
integrator module 202, the integration services module 204, the
data services module 206, the computational services module 208,
the stream analytic services module 210, batch parallel processing
analytic services module 212, and the UI services module 224. All
or some services within the analytics platform may be modular and
accordingly architected specifically to execute their respective
capabilities for large data volumes and at high speed. The services
may be optimized in software for high performance distributed
computing over a computer cluster including the applications
servers 112.
[0058] The modules and components of the applications server 200 in
FIG. 2 and all the figures herein are merely exemplary, and may be
variously combined into fewer modules and components, or separated
into additional modules and components. The described functionality
of the modules and components may be performed by other modules and
components.
[0059] The data integrator module 202 is a tool for automatically
importing data maintained in software systems or databases of the
external data sources 104.sub.1-n into the energy management
platform 102. The imported data may be used for various
applications of the energy management platform 102 or the
application server 200. The data integrator module 202 accepts data
from a broad range of data sources, including grid and operational
systems such as MDM, CIS, and billing systems, as well as
third-party data sources such as weather databases, building
databases (e.g., Urban Planning Council database), third-party
property management systems, and external benchmark databases. The
imported data may include, for example, meter data (e.g.,
electricity consumption, water consumption, natural gas
consumption) provided at minimum daily or other time intervals
(e.g., 15-minute intervals), weather data (e.g., temperature,
humidity) at daily or other time intervals (e.g., hourly
intervals), building data (e.g., square footage, occupancy, age,
building type, number of floors, air conditioned square footage),
aggregation definitions (hierarchy) (e.g., meters to building,
buildings to city block, building's regional identification), and
asset data (e.g., number and type of HVAC assets, number and type
of production units (for plants)).
[0060] The data integrator module 202 also has the ability to
import information from flat files, such as Excel spreadsheets, and
has the ability to capture information entered directly into an
application of the energy management platform 102. By incorporating
data from a broad array of sources, the application server 200 is
capable of performing complex and detailed analyses, enabling
greater business insights.
[0061] The data integrator module 202 provides a set of
standardized canonical object definitions (standardized interface
definitions) that can be used to load data into applications of the
application server 200. The canonical objects of the data
integrator module 202 may be based on current or emerging utility
industry standards, such as the Common Information Model (CIM),
Green Button, and Open Automatic Data Exchange, or on the
specifications of the application server 200. The application
server 200 may support these and other standards to ensure that a
broad range of utility data sources will be able to connect easily
to the energy management platform 102.
[0062] Canonical objects may include, for example:
TABLE-US-00001 CANONICAL OBJECT DEFINITION AND DESCRIPTION
Organization An individual entity or sub entity involved in the
consumption of energy. Example data source: Customer Information
System (CIS). Associated data includes: name, organizational
hierarchy, organizational identification number, primary contact,
contact information. Facility A facility such as an office, data
center, hospital, etc. A facility is placed at a location and is
owned or leased by an organization. Example data sources: CIS,
billing system, data warehouse. Associated data includes: facility
name, mailing address, ownership, facility identification number,
service address, building characteristics such as floor area,
longitude/latitude, date of construction. Service Agreements an
organization has with a utility. Example data sources: billing
system, data warehouse. Associated data includes: service account
number, billing account number, bill-to accounts, types of services
provided (electricity, natural gas, water), associated meters and
facilities. Billing Vendor data as presented on utility bills.
Example data source: billing system. Associated data includes:
start date, end date, billed consumption, billed demand, peak
demand, reactive demand, taxes and fees, bill number. UsagePoint
The resource-consuming entity for which interval data is provided.
Example data sources: meter data management system (MDM).
Associated data includes: asset associated with meter, type of
resource measured (electricity, natural gas), measurement
methodology, unit of measure. MeterReading A unique type of
measurement - for example, power (kW), consumption (kWh), voltage,
temperature, etc. A MeterReading contains both measurement values
and timestamps. Example data sources: MDM. Associated data
includes: resource consumption data, resource demand data, time
period. Energy An action undertaken to reduce the energy
consumption and Conservation spend. Measure Example data sources:
data warehouse, spreadsheets. Associated data includes: project
name, project type, estimated cost, estimated resource savings,
estimated financial savings, simple payback, return on investment,
measure lifetime, facility. External Industry standard benchmark
data. External Benchmarks can Benchmark apply for a whole facility
or can apply to an end-use category. Example data sources: third
party databases. Associated data includes: facility type, building
size, climate region, building vintage, end use, end use energy
intensity, whole building energy intensity, energy cost intensity,
whole building energy cost intensity. Region User-defined
geographic area where an organization does business. Hierarchy of
subsections that allows the creation of aggregated analyses. Data
source: CIS, data warehouse. Associated data includes: region
definitions, parent/child relationship definitions.
[0063] Once the data in canonical form is received, the data
integrator module 202 may transform the data into individual data
entities in accordance with the data model 218 so that the data can
be loaded into a database schema to be stored, processed, and
analyzed.
[0064] The data integrator module 202 is capable of handling very
high volumes of data (e.g., "big data"). For example, the data
integrator module 202 may frequently process interval data from
millions of digital meters. To receive data, the application server
200 may provide a consistent secured web service API (e.g., REST).
Integration can be carried out in an asynchronous batch or
real-time mode. The data integrator module 202 may incorporate
real-time and batch data from, for example, utility customer
systems, building characteristic systems, industry-standard
benchmark systems, utility energy conservation measures and rebate
databases, utility enterprise systems, MDM, and utility operational
systems. When an external data source does not possess an API or
computerized means by which to extract data, the application server
200 can pull data directly from a web page associated with the
external data source (e.g., by using web scraping).
[0065] The data integrator module 202 also may perform initial data
validation. The data integrator module 202 may examine the
structure of the incoming data to ensure that required fields are
present and that the data is of the right data type. For example,
the data integrator module 202 may recognize when the format of the
provided data does not match the expected format (e.g., a number
value is erroneously provided as text), prevents the mismatched
data from being loaded, and logs the issue for review and
investigation. In this way, the data integrator module 202 may
serve as a first line of defense in ensuring that incoming data
meets the requirements for accurate analysis.
[0066] The integration services module 204 serves as a second layer
of data validation or proofing, ensuring that data is error-free
before it is loaded into a database or store. The integration
services module 204 receives data from the data integrator module
202, monitors the data as it flows in, performs a second round of
data checks, and passes data to the data services module 206 to be
stored.
[0067] The integration services module 204 may provide various data
management functions. The integration services module 204 may
perform duplicate handling. The integration services module 204 may
identify instances of data duplication to ensure that analysis is
accurately conducted on a singular data set. The integration
services module 204 can be configured to process duplicates
according to business requirements specified by a user (e.g.,
treating two duplicate records as the same or averaging duplicate
records). This flexibility allows the application server 200 to
conform to customer standards for data handling.
[0068] The integration services module 204 may perform data
validation. The integration services module 204 can detect data
gaps and data anomalies (e.g., statistical anomalies), identify
outliers, and conduct referential integrity checks. Referential
integrity checking ensures that data has the correct network of
associations to enable analysis and aggregation, such as ensuring
that loaded meter data is associated with a facility or,
conversely, that facilities have associated meters. The integration
services module 204 resolves data validation issues according to
the business requirements specified by a user.
[0069] The integration services module 204 may perform data
monitoring. The integration services module 204 can provide
end-to-end visibility throughout the entire data loading process.
Users can monitor a data integration process as it progresses from
duplicate detection through to data storage. Such monitoring helps
to ensure that data is loaded properly and is free of duplication
and validation errors.
[0070] The data services module 206 is responsible for persisting
(storing) large and increasing volumes of data, while also making
data readily available for analytical calculations. The data
services module 206 partitions data into relational and
non-relational (key/value store) databases and also performs
operations on stored data. These operations include creating,
reading, updating, and deleting data. A data engine of the data
services module 206 may persist data for stream processing. The
data engine of the data services module 206 also may identify a
data set to be processed in connection with a batch job for batch
parallel processing.
[0071] The data services module 206 may perform data partitioning.
The data services module 206 takes advantage of relational and
non-relational data stores, such as the relational database 114 and
the key/value store 116. By "partitioning" the data into two
separate data stores, the relational database 114 and the key/value
store 116, the application server 200 ensures that its applications
can efficiently process and analyze the large volumes of data, such
as interval data originating from meters and grid sensors. The data
in the relational database 114 and the key/value store 116 is
stored in accordance with the data model 218 of the energy
management platform 102.
[0072] The relational database 114 is designed to manage structured
and slow-changing data. Examples of such data include organization
(e.g., customer) and facility data. Relational databases, like the
relational database 114, are designed for random access
updates.
[0073] The key/value store 116 is designed to manage very large
volumes of interval (time-series) data, such as meter and grid
sensor data. Key/value stores, like the key/value store 116, are
designed for large streams of "append only" data that are read in a
particular order. "Append only" refers to new data that is simply
added to the end of an associated file. By using the dedicated
key/value store 116 for interval data, the application server 200
ensures that this type of data is stored efficiently and can be
accessed quickly.
[0074] The data services module 206 may perform distributed data
management. The data services module 206 may include an event queue
that schedules provision of notifications to perform stream
processing and batch parallel processing. With respect to batch
parallel processing, the scheduling may be based on rules that
account for the availability of processing resources in an
associated cluster in the energy management platform 102. As data
volumes grow, the data services module 206 automatically adds nodes
to the cluster to accommodate (e.g., store and process) the new
data. As nodes are added, the data services module 206
automatically rebalances and partitions the data across all nodes,
ensuring continued high performance and reliability.
[0075] The computational services module 208 is a library of
analytical functions that are invoked by the stream analytic
services module 210 and the batch parallel processing analytic
services module 212 to perform business analyses. The functions can
be executed individually or combined to form complex analyses. The
services provided by the computational services module 208 may be
modular (i.e., dedicated to a single task) so that the
computational services module 208 can parallel process a large
number of computations simultaneously and quickly, which allows for
significant computational scalability.
[0076] The computational services module 208 also may leverage
distributed processing to create even greater scalability. For
example, if a user is interested in calculating the average annual
electricity use for hundreds of thousands of meters, the energy
management platform 102 is capable of rapidly responding by
distributing the request across multiple servers.
[0077] The stream analytic services module 210 performs
sophisticated analyses on real-time and near-real-time streams of
data. A stream may represent, for example, a feed of high volume
data from a meter, sub-meter, or grid sensor. In an embodiment, the
stream may be a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA)
feed of data. The stream analytic services module 210 may be
invoked to analyze this data when the analysis needs to be
conducted soon after the data is generated.
[0078] The stream analytic services module 210 may include a stream
processor to convert the stream into data that is in accordance
with the data model 218. The stream analytic services module 210
also may include stream processing logic, which can be provided by
a user of the energy management platform 102. The stream processing
logic may provide a calculated result that can be persisted and
used for subsequent analysis. The stream processing logic also may
provide an alert based on a calculated result. For example, a
utility may want to receive alerts and on-the-fly analysis when
there is an unexpected and significant drop or spike in load. This
load variation could be caused by a malfunctioning piece of
equipment or sudden damage to equipment, and could possibly
represent great risk to the distribution system or an end customer.
Data about the unexpected load change can be rapidly recognized,
analyzed, and used to send the necessary alert. The stream
processing logic also may provide, after processing the original
stream, a new stream based on the processed original stream for
another purpose or application of the energy management platform
102.
[0079] The stream analytic services module 210 may perform near
real-time, continuous processing. Because processing by the stream
analytic services module 210 occurs very quickly after the data
arrives, time-sensitive, high priority analyses provided by the
energy management platform 102 are relevant and actionable.
[0080] The stream analytic services module 210 may provide
horizontal scalability. In order to manage large volumes of data
simultaneously, processing by the stream analytic services module
210 can be distributed throughout a server cluster, a set of
computers working together.
[0081] The stream analytic services module 210 may provide fault
tolerance. Streams may be persisted. If a processing failure occurs
on one node (e.g., a computer in a cluster), the workload will be
distributed to other nodes within the cluster with no loss of data.
A stream may be discarded after the processing performed on the
stream is completed.
[0082] A non-limiting example is provided to illustrate performance
of the stream analytic services module 210. Assume streams of
recently generated electricity consumption and demand data. The
streams may be provided to an event queue associated with the data
services module 206. When the data arrives into the event queue,
automatic analytic processes are triggered. Multiple analytic
processes, or analyses, can be run upon the same data set. The
analytic processes may be performed in parallel. Parallel
processing on the same data set enables faster processing of
multiple analyses. The outputs of these analytic processes may be
alerts and calculations that are then stored in a database and made
available to designated end users as analysis results. The analytic
processes and processing tasks may be distributed across multiple
servers that support the stream analytic services module 210. In
this way, large data volumes can be rapidly processed by the stream
analytic services module 210.
[0083] The batch parallel processing analytic services module 212
may perform a substantial portion of analysis required by users of
the energy management platform 102. The batch parallel processing
analytic services module 212 may analyze large data sets comprised
of current and historical data to create reports and analyses, such
as periodic Key Performance Indicator (KPI) reporting, historical
electricity use analysis, forecasts, outlier analysis, energy
efficiency project financial impact analysis, etc. In an
embodiment, the batch parallel processing analytic services module
212 may be based on MapReduce, a programming model for processing
large data sets and distributing computations on one or more
clusters of computers. The batch parallel processing analytic
services module 212 automatically performs the tasks of
parallelization, fault-tolerance, and load balancing, thereby
improving the performance and reliability of processing-intensive
tasks.
[0084] A non-limiting example is provided to illustrate performance
of the batch parallel processing analytic services module 212. As
examples, a benchmark analysis of energy intensity, a summary of
performance against key performance indicators, and an analysis of
unbilled energy due to nontechnical losses could be jobs handled by
the batch parallel processing analytic services module 212. When a
batch processing job is invoked in the energy management platform
102, an input reader associated with the batch parallel processing
analytic services module 212 breaks down the processing job into
multiple smaller batches. This break down reduces the complexity
and processing time of the job. Each batch is then handed to a
worker process to perform its assigned task (e.g., a calculation or
evaluation). The results are then "shuffled," which refers to
rearrangement of the data set so that the next set of worker
processes can efficiently complete the calculation (or evaluation)
and quickly write results to a database through an output
writer.
[0085] The batch parallel processing analytic services module 212
can distribute worker processes across multiple servers. Such
distributed processing is employed to fully utilize the
computational power of the cluster and to ensure that calculations
are completed quickly and efficiently. In this way, the batch
parallel processing analytic services module 212 provides
scalability and high performance.
[0086] The normalization module 214 may normalize meter data that
is to be maintained in the key/value store 116. For example,
normalization of meter data may involve filling in gaps in the data
and addressing outliers in the data. For example, if meter data is
expected at consistent intervals but data actually provided to the
energy management platform 102 does not have meter data at certain
intervals, the normalization module 214 may apply certain
algorithms (e.g., interpolation) to provide the missing data. As
another example, aberrational values of energy usage can be
detected and addressed by the normalization module 214. In an
embodiment, normalization performed by the normalization module 214
may be configurable. For example, the algorithms (e.g., linear,
non-linear) used by the normalization module 214 may be specified
by an administrator or a user of the energy management platform
102. Normalized data may be provided to the key/value store
116.
[0087] The analytics container 216 may perform analytic processing.
The analytics container 216 may include a machine learning module
(not shown) that implements one or more varieties of machine
learning algorithms to enhance energy and smart grid analytics. In
an embodiment, the machine learning module may perform a plurality
of processing steps including prediction followed by feedback and
learning.
[0088] In an embodiment, prediction may include feature extraction,
classification, and ranking. With respect to extraction, analytic
processing may be performed on meter datasets, event datasets or
other datasets. The data sets may include information from grid and
operational systems, such as MDM, CIS, and other types of data
identified herein. The datasets may be used to identify signatures
of theft, consumption, demand, or other features such as
consumption on inactive meter, tamper events, drop in consumption,
producer at night, etc. The datasets may be based on data
maintained in the relational databases 114 and the key/value stores
116. With respect to classification, different features may be
selectively merged or weighted, and elements may be grouped to
generate a set of follow-up opportunities. With respect to ranking,
resulting opportunities may be prioritized based on the preferences
and business operations of the enterprise 106. In an embodiment,
prediction may be performed by the energy management platform
102.
[0089] In an embodiment, feedback may involve investigation by the
enterprise 106 (e.g., utility) resulting in empirical data
regarding energy usage or smart grid operation or conditions. The
results of investigation may allow for the provision by the
enterprise 106 of feedback to the machine learning module to adjust
learned detection parameters.
[0090] The UI services module 224 provides the graphical framework
for all applications of the energy management platform 102. The UI
services module provides visualization of analytical results so
that end users may receive insights that are clear and actionable.
After analyses are completed by the stream analytic services module
210 or the batch parallel processing analytic services module 212,
they may be graphically rendered by the UI services module 224,
provided to the appropriate application of the energy management
platform 102, and ultimately presented on a computer system (e.g.,
machine) of the user. This delivers data insights to users in an
intuitive and easy-to-understand format.
[0091] The UI services module 224 provides many features. The UI
services module 224 may provide a library of chart types and a
library of page layouts. All variations in chart types and page
layouts are maintained by the UI services module 224. The UI
services module 224 also may provide page layout customization.
Users, such as administrators, can add, rename, and group fields.
For example, the energy management platform 102 allows a utility
administrator to group energy intensity, energy consumption, and
energy demand together on a page for easier viewing. The UI
services module 224 may provide role-based access controls.
Administrators can determine which parts of the application will be
visible to certain types of users. Using these features, the UI
services module 224 ensures that end users enjoy a consistent
visual experience, have access to capabilities and data relevant to
their roles, and can interact with charts and reports delivering
clear business insights.
[0092] FIG. 3 illustrates an example process 300 for data loading
in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. At block 302,
the data integrator module 202 and the integration services module
204 receive data relating to energy usage as canonical objects. The
canonical objects may be consistent with industry standards or
specifications unique to the energy management platform 102. At
block 304, the data integrator module 202 and the integration
services module 204 perform different tasks, such as initial data
validation, duplicate handling, and subsequent data validation on
the received data. At block 306, the data integrator module 202
converts the data according to the data model 218. For first types
of data, the process 300 proceeds from block 306 to block 308. At
block 308, the data services module 206 provides the first types of
data to the relational database 114. One example type of the first
types of data is customer data relating to an energy usage account.
Other examples of data stored in the relational database 114 may
include information concerning organizations and organization
hierarchies, grid assets and grid asset hierarchies, service
agreements, billing accounts, and meter characteristics. At block
310, the relational database 114 stores the first types of
data.
[0093] At block 312, the computational services module 208 performs
post-processing on the first types of data. The stored first types
of data may be post-processed to derive any kind of information
that may be requested by an application of the energy management
platform 102. Post-processing may include, for example, aggregate
calculations and performance denormalization performed on the
stored first types of data. Aggregate calculations may include, for
example, summing periodic energy expenditures (e.g., monthly bills)
into a total figure (e.g., annual amounts). Performance
denormalization may include, for example, processing of the stored
first types of data to optimize query performance. Other types of
post-processing are possible. At block 314, the relational database
114 stores the post-processed first types of data.
[0094] For second types of data, the process 300 proceeds from
block 306 to block 316. At block 316, the data services module 206
provides the second types of data to the key/value store 116. One
example type of the second types of data is "raw" meter data
relating to energy usage. Other examples of data stored in the
key/value store 116 may include meter readings, meter events,
weather measurements such as temperature, relative humidity, dew
point, downward infrared irradiance, and asset state changes. At
block 318, the key/value store 116 stores the second types of data.
At block 320, the normalization module 214 normalizes the second
types of data. Normalization may involve, for example, filling in
gaps or addressing outliers in the data. The normalization
algorithms may be provided by the energy management platform 102 or
the user. At block 322, the key/value store 116 stores the
normalized second types of data.
[0095] The process 300 can be used in various circumstances. For
example, the data provided by the external data sources
104.sub.1-n, as appropriate, can be received and processed by the
energy management platform 102 in accordance with the process 300.
Further, suitable portions of the process 300 can apply to data
derived from other data processing techniques of the energy
management platform 102, such as stream processing and batch
parallel processing. Many other uses of the process 300 are
possible in addition to the examples discussed herein. For example,
other uses of the process 300 may include weather measurements,
meter events, energy efficiency measures, grid assets, phasor
management unit measurements, and customer information.
[0096] FIG. 4 illustrates an example process 400 for stream
processing in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. A
stream, such as a SCADA feed, is provided to the stream processor
of the stream analytic services module 210. At block 402, the
stream processor of the stream analytic services module 210
converts the stream according to the data model 218. At block 404,
the data engine of the data services module 206 persists the data
in the event queue. The data is persisted in the event queue until
the processing of the stream is complete, at which time the data
may be discarded. At block 406, the event queue of the data
services module 206 receives notification of an event, such as
completed persistence of the data, and schedules data processing.
According to the schedule, the event queue provides to the stream
processor of the stream analytic services module 210 a notification
to process the data.
[0097] At block 408, the stream processor of the stream analytic
services module 210 receives the notification to process the data.
The notification provided to the stream processor may be based on
scheduling logic of the event queue that accounts for load
balancing for and availability of computing resources to process
the data. The stream processor of the stream analytic services
module 210 provides an instruction to the stream processing logic
of the stream analytic services module 210 to process the data. At
block 410, the stream processing logic of the stream analytic
services module 210 processes the data. The stream processing logic
may be based on any specifications of the user or an administrator
of the energy management platform 102.
[0098] The process 400 proceeds to one or more of block 412, block
414, and block 416, which represent examples of different actions
that can be taken by the stream processing logic. At block 412, the
data engine of the data services module 206 persists the processed
data. The processed data may be persisted in the relational
database 114 or the key/value store 116. At block 414, the
integration services module 204 receives from the stream processing
logic an indication of an event, such as an alert, based on the
processed data. The alert, in turn, may trigger the integration
services module 204 to take action, such as notifying an
application or resource, internal or external to the energy
management platform 102, about a real-time or near real-time
condition relating to energy usage or management. At block 416, the
stream processor of the stream analytic services module 210
receives a new stream of data based on the processed data. In
response to receipt of the new stream of data, the process 400 may
proceed to block 402 to initiate another cycle of the process
400.
[0099] The process 400 can be used in various situations. In one
example situation, energy loss may be evidence or caused by myriad
occurrences, such as energy usage readings on inactive meters
(e.g., AMR, AMI), tampered or bypassed meters, and malfunctioning
meters. Stream processing in accordance with the process 400 can
allow for rapid identification of meters potentially associated
with energy loss. With respect to persisting data, a table could be
created that stores the identification of the meters associated
with energy loss and their related meter data. The table then could
be persisted for use by an application of the energy management
platform 102. With respect to provision of alerts, once meters
associated with energy loss are identified, the process 400 may
generate alerts that prompt communications to appropriate field
personnel to be dispatched to investigate such meters. In another
example situation, a stream of meter data may need to be converted
for use as a new stream. With respect to generating a new stream,
meter data provided at, for example, 15-minute intervals can be
converted to a new stream of aggregated meter data reflecting, for
example, one hour intervals. The new stream, in turn, may be
processed in accordance with the process 400 and the stream
processing logic associated with the new stream. Many other uses of
the process 400 are possible in addition to the examples discussed
herein. For example, other uses of the process 400 may include:
identification and quantification of unbilled energy due to theft
and malfunction; identification of opportunities to reduce
operational and capital expense by right-sizing system voltage and
power factor; estimation of load predication and potential load
reduction at multiple aggregation levels; computation of outage
metrics by region within the grid distribution system; and
examination of dynamic load patterns, voltage abnormalities, and
optimal equipment capacities to create a profile of the health of
grid assets.
[0100] FIG. 5 illustrates an example process 500 for batch parallel
processing in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. The
process 500 may be invoked in any manner, such as through a command
from a user interface, a scheduler (e.g., cron), or an API. At
block 502, the batch processor of the batch parallel processing
analytic services module 212 receives a request for a batch job. At
block 504, the data engine of the data services module 206
identifies a data set for the batch job. At block 506, the batch
processor of the batch parallel processing analytic services module
212 divides the batch job into batches. At block 508, the event
queue of the data services module 206 schedules processing of the
batches. According to the schedule, the event queue provides to the
batch processor of the batch parallel processing analytic services
module 212 a notification to process the batches.
[0101] At block 510, the batch processor of the batch parallel
processing analytic services module 212 receives the notification
to process the batches. The notification provided to the batch
processor may be based on scheduling logic of the event queue that
accounts for load balancing for and availability of computing
resources to process the data. The batch processor of the batch
parallel processing analytic services module 212 provides an
instruction to the batch processing logic of the batch parallel
processing analytic services module 212 to process the batches. At
block 512, the batch processing logic of the batch parallel
processing analytic services module 212 processes the batches. The
batch processing logic may be based on any specifications of the
user or an administrator of the energy management platform 102. At
block 514, the batch processor of the batch parallel processing
analytic services module 212 receives the processed batches. The
processed batches may be used in accordance with an application of
the energy management platform 102.
[0102] The process 500 can be used in various situations. For
example, reports relating energy usage can be generated on, for
example, a daily, monthly, or yearly basis using batch parallel
processing. In this regard, the reports generated by batch parallel
processing may aggregate, analyze, and compare data across any
number of KPIs, such as periodic (e.g., yearly) energy cost,
periodic (e.g., yearly) energy consumption, periodic (e.g., year
over year) change in energy cost, periodic (e.g., year over year)
change in consumption, energy cost per square area, and energy
consumption per square area. Many other uses of the process 500 are
possible in addition to the examples discussed herein. For example,
other uses of the process 500 may include generation of energy
efficiency recommendations across a portfolio of facilities;
evaluation of load forecasting statistical models across a
portfolio of meters to determine load shedding opportunities; and
customer segmentation identification and evaluation.
[0103] FIG. 6 is a diagrammatic representation of an embodiment of
the machine 600, within which a set of instructions for causing the
machine to perform one or more of the embodiments described herein
can be executed. The machine may be connected (e.g., networked) to
other machines. In a networked deployment, the machine may operate
in the capacity of a server or a client machine in a client-server
network environment, or as a peer machine in a peer-to-peer (or
distributed) network environment.
[0104] The machine 600 includes a processor 602 (e.g., a central
processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), or both),
a main memory 604, and a nonvolatile memory 606 (e.g., volatile RAM
and non-volatile RAM), which communicate with each other via a bus
608. In some embodiments, the machine 600 can be a desktop
computer, a laptop computer, personal digital assistant (PDA), or
mobile phone, for example. In one embodiment, the machine 600 also
includes a video display 610, an alphanumeric input device 612
(e.g., a keyboard), a cursor control device 614 (e.g., a mouse), a
drive unit 616, a signal generation device 618 (e.g., a speaker)
and a network interface device 620.
[0105] In one embodiment, the video display 610 includes a touch
sensitive screen for user input. In one embodiment, the touch
sensitive screen is used instead of a keyboard and mouse. The disk
drive unit 616 includes a machine-readable medium 622 on which is
stored one or more sets of instructions 624 (e.g., software)
embodying any one or more of the methodologies or functions
described herein. The instructions 624 can also reside, completely
or at least partially, within the main memory 604 and/or within the
processor 602 during execution thereof by the computer system 600.
The instructions 624 can further be transmitted or received over a
network 640 via the network interface device 620. In some
embodiments, the machine-readable medium 622 also includes a
database 625.
[0106] Volatile RAM may be implemented as dynamic RAM (DRAM), which
requires power continually in order to refresh or maintain the data
in the memory. Non-volatile memory is typically a magnetic hard
drive, a magnetic optical drive, an optical drive (e.g., a DVD
RAM), or other type of memory system that maintains data even after
power is removed from the system. The non-volatile memory may also
be a random access memory. The non-volatile memory can be a local
device coupled directly to the rest of the components in the data
processing system. A non-volatile memory that is remote from the
system, such as a network storage device coupled to any of the
computer systems described herein through a network interface such
as a modem or Ethernet interface, can also be used.
[0107] While the machine-readable medium 622 is shown in an
exemplary embodiment to be a single medium, the term
"machine-readable medium" should be taken to include a single
medium or multiple media (e.g., a centralized or distributed
database, and/or associated caches and servers) that store the one
or more sets of instructions. The term "machine-readable medium"
shall also be taken to include any medium that is capable of
storing, encoding or carrying a set of instructions for execution
by the machine and that cause the machine to perform any one or
more of the methodologies of the present disclosure. The term
"machine-readable medium" shall accordingly be taken to include,
but not be limited to, solid-state memories, optical and magnetic
media, and carrier wave signals. The term "storage module" as used
herein may be implemented using a machine-readable medium.
[0108] In general, the routines executed to implement the
embodiments of the invention can be implemented as part of an
operating system or a specific application, component, program,
object, module or sequence of instructions referred to as
"programs" or "applications". For example, one or more programs or
applications can be used to execute specific processes described
herein. The programs or applications typically comprise one or more
instructions set at various times in various memory and storage
devices in the machine and that, when read and executed by one or
more processors, cause the machine to perform operations to execute
elements involving the various aspects of the embodiments described
herein.
[0109] The executable routines and data may be stored in various
places, including, for example, ROM, volatile RAM, non-volatile
memory, and/or cache. Portions of these routines and/or data may be
stored in any one of these storage devices. Further, the routines
and data can be obtained from centralized servers or peer-to-peer
networks. Different portions of the routines and data can be
obtained from different centralized servers and/or peer-to-peer
networks at different times and in different communication
sessions, or in a same communication session. The routines and data
can be obtained in entirety prior to the execution of the
applications. Alternatively, portions of the routines and data can
be obtained dynamically, just in time, when needed for execution.
Thus, it is not required that the routines and data be on a
machine-readable medium in entirety at a particular instance of
time.
[0110] While embodiments have been described fully in the context
of machines, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the
various embodiments are capable of being distributed as a program
product in a variety of forms, and that the embodiments described
herein apply equally regardless of the particular type of machine-
or computer-readable media used to actually effect the
distribution. Examples of machine-readable media include, but are
not limited to, recordable type media such as volatile and
non-volatile memory devices, floppy and other removable disks, hard
disk drives, optical disks (e.g., Compact Disk Read-Only Memory (CD
ROMS), Digital Versatile Disks, (DVDs), etc.), among others, and
transmission type media such as digital and analog communication
links.
[0111] Alternatively, or in combination, the embodiments described
herein can be implemented using special purpose circuitry, with or
without software instructions, such as using Application-Specific
Integrated Circuit (ASIC) or Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA).
Embodiments can be implemented using hardwired circuitry without
software instructions, or in combination with software
instructions. Thus, the techniques are limited neither to any
specific combination of hardware circuitry and software, nor to any
particular source for the instructions executed by the data
processing system.
[0112] For purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are
set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the
description. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the
art that embodiments of the disclosure can be practiced without
these specific details. In some instances, modules, structures,
processes, features, and devices are shown in block diagram form in
order to avoid obscuring the description. In other instances,
functional block diagrams and flow diagrams are shown to represent
data and logic flows. The components of block diagrams and flow
diagrams (e.g., modules, engines, blocks, structures, devices,
features, etc.) may be variously combined, separated, removed,
reordered, and replaced in a manner other than as expressly
described and depicted herein.
[0113] Reference in this specification to "one embodiment", "an
embodiment", "other embodiments", "another embodiment", or the like
means that a particular feature, design, structure, or
characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is
included in at least one embodiment of the disclosure. The
appearances of, for example, the phrases "according to an
embodiment", "in one embodiment", "in an embodiment", or "in
another embodiment" in various places in the specification are not
necessarily all referring to the same embodiment, nor are separate
or alternative embodiments mutually exclusive of other embodiments.
Moreover, whether or not there is express reference to an
"embodiment" or the like, various features are described, which may
be variously combined and included in some embodiments but also
variously omitted in other embodiments. Similarly, various features
are described which may be preferences or requirements for some
embodiments but not other embodiments.
[0114] Although embodiments have been described with reference to
specific exemplary embodiments, it will be evident that the various
modifications and changes can be made to these embodiments.
Accordingly, the specification and drawings are to be regarded in
an illustrative sense rather than in a restrictive sense. The
foregoing specification provides a description with reference to
specific exemplary embodiments. It will be evident that various
modifications can be made thereto without departing from the
broader spirit and scope as set forth in the following claims. The
specification and drawings are, accordingly, to be regarded in an
illustrative sense rather than a restrictive sense.
[0115] Although some of the drawings illustrate a number of
operations or method steps in a particular order, steps that are
not order dependent may be reordered and other steps may be
combined or omitted. While some reordering or other groupings are
specifically mentioned, others will be apparent to those of
ordinary skill in the art and so do not present an exhaustive list
of alternatives. Moreover, it should be recognized that the stages
could be implemented in hardware, firmware, software or any
combination thereof.
[0116] It should also be understood that a variety of changes may
be made without departing from the essence of the invention. Such
changes are also implicitly included in the description. They still
fall within the scope of this invention. It should be understood
that this disclosure is intended to yield a patent covering
numerous aspects of the invention, both independently and as an
overall system, and in both method and apparatus modes.
[0117] Further, each of the various elements of the invention and
claims may also be achieved in a variety of manners. This
disclosure should be understood to encompass each such variation,
be it a variation of an embodiment of any apparatus embodiment, a
method or process embodiment, or even merely a variation of any
element of these.
* * * * *