Net Zero Real Estate Atlas Initiative
At the heart of our research program is the Net Zero Real Estate Atlas initiative. This project focuses on building business intelligence around the real estate industry's energy performance over time and through various interventions. Leveraging UBC’s operational leadership as a real estate owner and operator, we aim to provide actionable insights for real estate owners, developers, and policymakers to meet climate targets.
Research Objectives – Phase 1
Data Analysis
Examine historical and real-time energy consumption data from UBC’s Urban Data Lake to understand building performance trends.
Predictive Modelling
Develop models to forecast building energy usage and performance, supporting strategic decision-making and integrating various machine learning techniques.
Data Visualization
Create compelling visualizations to validate hypotheses and communicate insights to UBC staff, researchers, executives, and students.
Collaboration
Partner with real estate industry experts, UBC faculty, and the Urban Data Lab team to achieve research outcomes and provide practical learning experiences for careers in data science, data analytics, and energy and real estate management.
Urban Data Lake Overview
The Urban Data Lake at the University of British Columbia (UBC) showcases innovation and interdisciplinary collaboration in environmental and sustainability research. Established in 2018 by Dr. James Tansey and Dr. Mike Kennedy, the Urban Data Lake was created to make research data on the built and natural environment more accessible to UBC's researchers, staff, and students.
Urban Data Lake Dashboard
The Urban Data Lake Dashboard provides a dynamic interface for exploring the wealth of data collected across UBC's campus. This tool allows stakeholders, including researchers, policymakers, and industry partners, to interact with live data streams on energy usage, water consumption, and other key urban metrics. The dashboard is designed to support data-driven decision-making and to facilitate the development of predictive models and sustainability strategies.
Evolution of the Urban Data Lake
- 2019: Funded by the Campus as a Living Lab initiative, the UDL integrated building and transportation data, creating a data solution that laid the foundation for future research.
- 2020: Additional backing from the Rogers-UBC 5G partnership advanced sustainability projects, including intelligent transportation, smart buildings, and natural asset management.
- 2022-2023: After a brief leave to assist Canadian start-ups, Dr. Kennedy returned to UBC, driving further development of the UDL with continued support from Rogers and UBC Parking.
- 2024: The Centre for Climate and Business Solutions recognized the UDL's potential and provided significant support, enabling ongoing evolution under Dr. Kennedy’s leadership.
Collaborations and Alumni Since its inception, over 25 UBC collaborators have contributed to the UDL’s mission to make high-resolution and near-real-time data available for research. UDL alumni have gone on to become data scientists and engineers in Canadian and global companies.
Leadership & Team
Dr. Mike Kennedy – Program Lead
Dr. Mike Kennedy is a Research Associate in the Data Analytics and Intelligent Systems Lab and the Centre for Climate and Business Solutions at UBC. As one of the leading experts on data analytics for environmental sustainability, Dr. Kennedy supervises interns and students working on data analytics projects related to building energy performance, intelligent transportation planning, and natural asset management.
Team Collaborations
Dr. Kennedy leads a collaborative team of UBC staff, faculty, postdoctoral fellows, and students who leverage the UBC campus as a living lab. Their research brings city-scale data and insights to research partners in the real estate and telecommunications industries, supported by the UBC Campus as Living Lab, UBC-Rogers 5G Partnership, Mitacs, and UBC Parking.
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