Project Description
Our work focuses on thermography, a data collection and visual analytics technique utilizing thermal cameras, which energy auditors use to identify, diagnose, and document efficiency issues (e.g., missing insulation, air leakage) in buildings. The use of thermography during an energy audit helps the auditor find and communicate problems to building owners and including thermal imagery in inspection reports has been shown to lead to two primary outcomes: (i) an increased likelihood that the building owners will make retrofit decisions and (ii) an increased likelihood that building occupants will engage in conservation behaviors. With respect to increasing the overall energy efficiency of the built environment, both outcomes are desirable.
Our work investigates scaling thermographic inspections along two dimensions: first, scaling in terms of who can perform thermographic audits by building and evaluating computer assisted thermographic tools to help with both capture and analysis; second, scaling in terms of time by building and evaluating new indoor, automated temporal data collection and analysis tools. Related to this, we explore three key areas: (i) current thermographic energy auditing practices, (ii) the application of machine learning, image processing, and information visualization techniques to classify and gather insights from real world thermographic data, and (iii) developing new methods and tools to support human-oriented thermographic data collection and analysis activities.
Publications
A Large-Scale Analysis of YouTube Videos Depicting Everyday Thermal Camera Use
None
Scalable Methods and Tools to Support Thermographic Data Collection and Analysis for Energy Audits
None
PDF | doi | Citation | Scalable Thermography
A Temporal Thermography System for Supporting Longitudinal Building Energy Audits
None
PDF | doi | Citation | Scalable Thermography
Exploring Novice Approaches to Smartphone-based Thermographic Energy Auditing: A Field Study
None | Acceptance Rate: 25.0% (606 / 2424)
PDF | doi | Citation | Talk | Scalable Thermography
The Future Role of Thermography in Human-Building Interaction
None
Understanding the Role of Thermography in Energy Auditing: Current Practices and the Potential for Automated Solutions
None | Honorable Mention
Towards Automated Thermal Profiling of Buildings at Scale Using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and 3D-Reconstruction
None
Talks
Aug. 1, 2018 | PhD Defense, Computer Science
University of Maryland, College Park
May 9, 2017 | CHI2017
Denver, Colorado, USA
April 6, 2017 | Lecture Series at the Laboratory for Telecommunication Sciences
LTS Auditorium, College Park, MD
PDF | Video | HandSight | MakerWear | Project Sidewalk | GlassEar | Scalable Thermography | BodyVis
April 22, 2015 | CHI2015
Seoul, Republic of Korea