New Explorer

July 29, 2022 06:29

With the New Explorer tool of the Search and Explore feature, users can quickly search for any twin loaded into their platform or browse for twins by clicking through the various categories and subcategories to see what is available. This functionality allows users to see a wealth of important information related to the twins in the platform which can include

Summary information related to the twin
Related Twins
Sensors
Files
Time Series
Relationship map
3D Model

From the new explorer area users will be presented with a simple to use interface where they can search for twins loaded into their platform by either using the keyword search field or browse the twins loaded into their platform by clicking any of the category options from the explore area of the page.

Searching & Exploring

Keyword Search

With the keyword search, users can enter a full or partial name into the search field, then hit the enter key or click the right pointing arrow to begin searching their platform for twins. Users will then be taken to the results page to further narrow or select the twin they wish to view information for.

The more characters or specific the name entered, the more specific results the user should expect to see. For example, typing 'air' into the search field could return any twin that has the letters 'a-i-r' anywhere in its name within the platform. Whereas searching 'air handling unit' would most likely return a smaller list of twins since the search is more specific.

Explore

Browsing the models of interest on the main search and explore page allows users more flexibility to begin finding twins within their platform when either they aren't too sure exactly what they are looking for or what it may be named.

Clicking on any of the models of interest will immediately take the user to the results page where they can further browse subcategories or use the search field to further narrow the list of twins to what it is they are looking for.

Viewing Results

The main page displaying the search or explore results will initially list all of the twins that match the users search.

Depending on the information the user is looking for or how the user prefers to see these results, there is an option in the top right that allows users to switch between a list view or a table view of the search results. Click the associated icon to change the results view as needed.

Results page - List view

Results page - Table view

Additional options are available on the left to refine or further narrow the returned results, this includes:

Search field
- If the search field was used as described above, this will display the value that was entered for the search. Modified or change the search value as needed to further refine or change the search.
Twins/Files toggle
- The Twins and Files toggle allows users to narrow results to search just twins or files
Categories
- The Categories list allows users to further browse or narrow results based on the categories and subcategories of twins that have been added to the platform. Users can continue to click the subcategories listed to navigate down the list to the specific twin(s) they may be looking for.
Buildings
- By default the results will display the twins for all building(s) the user has access to. Selecting one or more buildings from the list allows users to narrow their twin results as needed.
  - Site level users will only see twins from the building(s) they have access to
  - Portfolio level users will see all twins from all buildings in the portfolio
Reset
- In the top left corner is a Reset option that can be used to quickly clear and reset any category and subcategory and/or building selections should the user need to perform a new search.

Once the desired twin has been found, users can click on it from the list or table to view more detailed information. The information seen here will vary depending on the twin that was selected and the information that has been loaded into your platform.

On the left, users will see the twin's name at the top of the panel, just below will be the other twins that are related to your selected twin, this could include: Buildings, Equipment Groups, Levels and Assets and more. Clicking on any of these values will provide you with options to either Open or Locate.

Open will take the user to the same results page, but for the selected related twin
Locate will highlight the selected twin in the Relations Map on the far right

To the right, users will see a series of tabs across two different panels that can display a variety of different pieces of information. The tabs that will be displayed will vary depending on the selected twin and the information related to it, but this can include:

Summary (visible for all twins)
Related Twins (visible for all twins)
Sensors
Files
Asset History
Time Series
Relations Map
3D Model

Summary tab

The main summary tab is where users will see the information for the twin that has been loaded into the platform. The information that can be seen here will vary depending on the twin selected and the information that was uploaded during your implementation, but this could include information such as: Name, ID, warranty information, operational specs, and much more. Administrators will also have the ability to edit and update this information as needed.

Editing Twin Information

Users with administration access will have the ability to edit this twin information to add, update, or remove data. To make changes:

Click the pencil icon in the top right corner of the Summary tab
1. Note: some fields including but not restricted to: ID, SITE ID, Globally Unique ID are not editable
Click into the data field to add, edit or remove information from and make your changes as needed
Additional data fields can be seen and edited by clicking the Show More button
Click the checkmark icon near the top right corner to save any changes

Related Twins tab

The related twins tab will display a list of all twins related to your selected twin. If there is a larger list of related twins there are options at the top of the tab to Filter the list by name, or use the All relationship types drop-down field to narrow the list to a specific type of relationship.

Clicking on any of the related twins in this list will take you to the same twin information page for the newly selected twin. To go back, users can click the Back button near the top left, just below the main menu button.

Files tab

Some twins may also have files associated with them which can be downloaded for review, if so, a files tab will appear with a count in the top right corner of the tab indicating how many files are associated with the twin. Users can access these files by

Click the Files tab to see the list of files
Click the Download button to download and open any of the files as needed

Asset History tab

The ability to see past historical data related to an asset can be a key component when troubleshooting issues with the piece of equipment. The asset history tab provides just this information, specifically listing all past:

Insights
Inspections
Scheduled tickets
Standard tickets

Users can modify the date period for how far back they wish to view data from, by clicking the calendar field, then selecting from the pre-set date periods or by clicking the calendar to select a custom date and time range. They can also filter the history list by selecting the history type (All Types, Insights, Inspections, Scheduled Tickets, or Standard Tickets).

Sensors tab

If the selected twin has live data associated with it, a Sensors tab will appear indicating how many sensors/data points are being reported. At the top are the connectors that are bringing this data into your platform, while listed below are the individual sensors.

Clicking the Monitor button to the right of any of the sensors will enable the data point to be displayed in the graph on the Time Series tab to the right (explained in more detail below). Click the Monitor button a second time to disable the data point in the Time Series graph.

Time Series tab

As described above in the Sensors tab description, if there is live data associated with the selected twin, users can enable the selection of data points in the mini Time Series tab on the right.

Data points can be enabled by either clicking the Monitor button in the Sensors tab to the left, or by clicking the drop-down arrow in the Time Series tab, then clicking the icon beside any of the data points listed below. Enabled data points will be moved to the top of the list and the icon beside the name will be highlighted with a green background.

Viewing Time Series data

Once sensors/data points have been enabled they will appear in the graph below, showing users the historical operation of the twin over the time period that has been selected. Users can adjust the view of the reported data from the pre-set date options of:

24H
48H
7D
This Month
Custom date range, where the user can select the date period as needed

If a deeper analysis is required to troubleshoot potential issues with a piece of equipment, users can click the Go To Time Series button near the top right to go to the full Time Series tool within the platform. From there, users can enable the same data points as well as have access to enable data points to be displayed from multiple twins and even different buildings all at the same time, and more. See the separate Time Series article for more detail on functionality of the full time series feature.

Relations Map tab

The Relations Map tab provides users with a clear visual representation of how the different pieces of equipment and systems within the building are related to other pieces of equipment or systems.

This can aid users in troubleshooting potential issues by being able to quickly see not just the related twins, but how they interact with each other as well. In some cases, the lines connecting the various items in the map may be animated to show the direction of flow, if one piece of equipment (or groups of pieces of equipment) feed others, such as boilers that feed hot water pumps, which in turn feed air handling units as example.

Using the Relations Map

Clicking on any of the twins represented in the relations map window will take the user to the selected twin, with the relations map being updated accordingly. In some cases, users may see a plus sign with a number beside it (+3 as example), indicating there are additional twins that are related but are not currently being displayed. Clicking the number will expand those hidden twins to display more detail.

The more twins that are displayed in the map may require users to zoom in/out to see more or less detail, this can be done with the scroll wheel on your mouse. Users can also 'pan' by clicking on blank space in the map and dragging left, right, up, or down as needed.

3D Model

For some twins users may also see a 3D model tab that will provide spatial context into where the twin is located in the building. To view the 3D model

Click the 3D Model tab
Click the 3D model icon to open the list of disciplines that can be enabled
Click the icon beside each discipline name to enable or disable the layer
Left click and drag the mouse to tilt, turn, or rotate the map as needed
Right click and drag the mouse to pan left, right, up or down
Use the scroll wheel on your mouse to zoom in/out