CA2354723A1 - Method and system for monitoring and evaluating facility conditions and functionality over a communications network - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention teaches a method and system for evaluating, monitoring, and managing Facility Conditions and Functionality for one or more facility objects (e.g., a building, an HVAC system, a roof, etc.) from a centralized location, such as the office of a Centralized Monitoring Agent. The methods and systems described herein include illustrative embodiments that overcome the limitations of the prior art by employing a communications network (e.g., the Internet) and/or universal communications protocols (e.g., TCP/IP, HTTP, etc.) to acquire current and accurate Facility Management Information (FMI) associated with one or more facility objects, wherein the FMI may include data representing a physical characteristic, a condition, functional adequacy, and/or a project list associated with the one or more facility objects.

Description

VFF-001.50 METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR MONITORING AND
EVALUATING FACILITY CONDITIONS AND
FUNCTIONALITY OVER A COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK
Copyright Notice The following patent disclosure includes material that is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction of the disclosure by any person as it appears in the records of the Patent and Trademark Office, to but otherwise reserves all rights to the copyright whatsoever.
Field Of The Invention The present invention relates generally to facilities management, and more specifically, to a method and system that enables a Centralized Monitoring Agent (e.g., a 15 State Board of Education) to monitor, evaluate, and manage the conditions, functionality, prospective projects, capital planning, and regulatory compliance of one or more facilities (e.g., state schools) via a communications network (e.g., the Internet). Thus, the invention is particularly useful where a Centralized Monitoring Agent is responsible for monitoring, evaluating, and managing a plurality of geographically dispersed facilities.
Backøround Of The Invention Facilities management refers to the management of various types of properties-e.g., office buildings, hospitals, educational institutions, hotels, tunnels, bridges, aquariums, museums, shopping centers, sports facilities, cultural properties, recreational facilities, welfare centers, and the like-which includes monitoring, evaluating, and maintaining the conditions and functionality of the constituent systems and structures of a facility-e.g., walkways, entrances, exits, foundations, stairs, elevators, escalators, walls, doors, windows, roofs, insulation, doors, floors, ceilings, plumbing systems, electrical systems, sanitary systems, HVAC systems, lighting systems, alarm systems, computer networks, mechanical 3o systems, and the like. A facility manager may be responsible for: managing the day-to-day operations of a facility; providing "preventative maintenance" services for a facility;
managing a facility's resources--e.g., coal, gas, oil, materials for producing a commercial product, cleaning materials, Internet access time, and the like; ensuring that a facility is in VFF-00I .50 compliance with internal, local, and federal regulations--e.g., corporate bylaws, zoning laws, OSHA requirements, and the like; and calculating the costs for constructing, updating, and replacing the constituent systems and structures of a facility. The goal of facilities management is to detect deficiencies in a timely manner, cure potential problems at an early S stage, project capital budgets so as to extend the life cycle of a facility, and maintain adequate resources for day-to-day operations, thereby adding value to a property and maintaining a safe, efficient, compliant, and productive environment.
Traditionally, facility managers relied on paper, calculators, spreadsheet computer programs, and mathematical formulas to manipulate Facilities Management Information 1o (FMI) so as to track costs, generate deficiency costs, and develop capital budgets for the maintenance and construction of facilities. FMI may include "physical characteristic" data and "condition" data, including a facility's area, height, use, construction type, efficiency, and code compliance.
Current and accurate FMI is critical for both facilities managers and for those 15 responsible for monitoring and evaluating facilities conditions and functionality (FCF), such as a Centralized Monitoring Agent (CMA). FMI is plugged into mathematical formulas, which are generated from years of studies and statistical analysis, to depict the functional behavior of a facility over time. By plugging the FMI for a particular facility into the appropriate formula, a facilities manager, or a CMA, can accurately maintain the 2o facility, track costs for the facility, generate deficiency costs for the facility, evaluate the regulatory compliance of the facility, calculate a capital budget for the facility, and the like.
A CMA is a person or entity responsible for monitoring and evaluating the FCF
of one or more geographically dispersed facilities. Frequently, a CMA manages multiple facilities for one or more organizations from one central office location. As used herein, the 25 term "organization" includes a corporation, an association, a non-profit organization, a government agency, a state agency, a county agency, a military installation, and the Like.
Examples of CMAs include government agencies, such as Boards of Education for state schools, Boards of Governors or Regents for Colleges and Universities, the Government Services Administration for federal buildings, state or federal legislatures or executives, and 3o the like. Other examples of CMAs include corporate boards of directors, external facilities service providers or consultants, and the like. Often, a CMA is responsible for ensuring that an organization's facilities are maintained adequately and consistently in accordance with VFF-001.50 the rules and regulations of a regulatory agency. To do this, the CMA must process FMI for each facility using spreadsheet programs and mathematical formulas (as previously discussed).
The main obstacle to monitoring, evaluating, and managing a facility, or a plurality of facilities, is the acquisition of current and accurate FMI. Acquiring valid FMI is difficult for CMAs since they are often responsible for multiple, geographically dispersed facilities.
Usually, a facility manager who is assigned to or employed by an organization submits FMI
for the organization's facilities to the CMA, or the CMA actively solicits the information from the organization-e.g., by mailing paper questionnaires to the organization or i o contracting with an independent source to inspect the organization's facilities. Neither method, however, provides the required combination of current, accurate, and defensible FMI at an economically feasible cost, especially when applied to an organization with significant holdings dispersed over a large geographic area (e.g., an international corporation). The first method, whereby a facility manager submits the FMI, is subject to inaccuracies due to inconsistent evaluation criteria, inconsistent estimation methods, and the self interest of the facility manager.
The second method of inspection, via paper questionnaires or independent contractors, is economically infeasible in many cases. Additionally, it is often met with organizational resistance at the local level. The resistance results from, or is exacerbated by, 2o the disconnect between the collection process, the data entry process (e.g., for a spreadsheet program), and the analysis process. For example, a local facilities manager may be asked to provide FMI on either paper questionnaires or in person to an inspector without having a clear understanding of how it is to be used in the final analysis. The facilities manager may also be asked to provide the same information multiple times for different purposes. In such situations, we have found that the facilities manager often resents the duplication of effort or fears that the information will subsequently be used against him (e.g., as an admission of a defective condition). Furthermore, even if a CMA obtains current and accurate FMI for a facility, the FMI must be first interpreted by the CMA and then entered into a software program, thereby increasing the chance for data entry errors.
3o In an effort to improve upon the monitoring, evaluation, and managing of FCF, computer.vendors are producing facilities management software that simulates the behavior of facilities over time by using software models to mimic their functionality and behavior.

VFF-001.50 However, the facilities management software that is currently available does not follow universal communications protocols such as the TCP/IP protocol or the HTTP
protocol, and thus, all system software, including the user interface and network connections (e.g., to the Internet), must be configured to interact with a specific vendor's closed-system. Since computer platforms can vary dramatically, the installation and integration of such closed-systems is often an arduous process. That is, the installation and integration of such closed-systems often results in undesirable complexity, time delays, installation costs, and training costs.
Moreover, the currently available software fails to provide a solution for the 1o difficulties in obtaining current and accurate FMI for a facility. Thus, even if a CMA is successful in integrating a vendor's proprietary software into its computer platform, it still needs to rely on the previously discussed means of acquiring FMI for facilities.
Furthermore, after acquiring FMI, the CMA must first interpret the FMI and then enter it into the proprietary software, thereby increasing the chance for data entry errors.
Therefore, there is a need for a method and system that overcomes these deficiencies, in terms of improving the acquisition of current and accurate FMI, so as to enable a CMA to monitor, evaluate, and manage one or more facilities from a central location. Furthermore, there is a need for a facilities management and maintenance solution that is not restricted by a software vendor's proprietary technology.
2o Citation of the above methods and systems is not intended as an admission that any of the foregoing is pertinent prior art. Further, all references referred to throughout this application are incorporated in their entirety by reference herein.
Summary Of The Invention It is a general purpose and object of the invention to teach a method and system for monitoring, evaluating, and managing Facility Conditions and Functionality (FCF) for one or more facility objects from a centralized location, such as the office of a Centralized Monitoring Agent (CMA). The methods and systems described herein include illustrative embodiments that overcome the limitations of the prior art by employing a communications 3o network (e.g., the Internet), and/or universal communications protocols (e.g., TCP/IP, HTTP, etc.), to receive or acquire current and accurate Facility Management Information (FMI) associated with one or more facility objects. The FMI may include data representing VFF-001.50 -S-a physical characteristic, a condition, functional adequacy, and/or a project list associated with the one or more facility objects.
In one illustrative embodiment, the invention employs a server process to receive FMI for one or more geographically dispersed facility objects via the Internet. In operation, a subscriber at one of the facilities, such as a resident or local facilities manager, invokes a client process (e.g., a web browser) to request a "questionnaire" (e.g., an HTML page/form) from the server process. The questionnaire poses one or more questions to the subscriber so as to solicit current and accurate FMI for her facility object(s). The server process then selects one or more facility models based on the FMI from a CMA database, submits the 1o FMI to the one or more facility models, and invokes a simulation; wherein the facility models include software describing the composition of the facility object(s), such as the installation costs, replacement costs, life cycle, functionality, behavior, and the like. The simulation generates an FCF report for the facility objects) which may include a budget description (e.g., a capital budget description), a compliance description, a condition description, a cost description, a construction or reconstruction cost description, a deficiency condition description, a facility condition index, a functionality description, a life-cycle cost description; a long-term plan description, a maintenance schedule, a percent renewed statistic, a percent used statistic, a project description, a structure condition index, and/or a system condition index. Accordingly, a CMA having access to the FCF
report may 2o effectively monitor, evaluate, and manage the FCF of the facility object(s).
In another illustrative embodiment, the invention employs a server process to receive FMI from one or more geographically dispersed facility objects via the Internet. In operation, a subscriber at one of the facilities invokes a client process to request an "iterative questionnaire" from the server process. The iterative questionnaire poses graduated levels of questions to the subscriber such that subsequent questions are posed to the subscriber based on the subscriber's response to previous questions. Thus, the iterative questionnaire solicits current and accurate FMI in an efficient and timely manner. The server process then selects one or more facility models based on the FMI from a CMA
database, submits the FMI to the one or more facility models, and invokes a simulation. The 3o simulation generates an FCF report which enables a CMA to monitor, evaluate, and manage the FCF of the facility obj ect(s).

VFF-001.50 In yet another illustrative embodiment, the server process actively solicits the FMI
from a remote subscriber database by periodically polling the subscriber database at predetermined intervals. The server process then selects one or more facility models based on the FMI from a CMA database, submits the FMI to the one or more facility models, and invokes a simulation. The simulation generates an FCF report which enables a CMA to monitor, evaluate, and manage the FCF of the facility object(s).
In yet another illustrative embodiment, the server process actively solicits the FMI
and related information directly from "smart facility objects" by periodically polling them at predetermined intervals; wherein each smart facility object has intelligence (e.g., a 1o microprocessor) and/or a memory embedded therein to monitor and record its physical condition and utilization so as to generate current and accurate FMI. The server process then selects one or more facility models based on the FMI from a CMA database, submits the FMI to the one or more facility models, and invokes a simulation. The simulation generates an FCF report which enables a CMA to monitor, evaluate, and manage the FCF
of the facility object(s).
Other obj ects of the invention will, in part, be obvious, and, in part, be shown from the following description of the methods and systems shown herein. Further, as those skilled in the art will appreciate, the various features of the invention may be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of the two.
Brief Description Of The Drawings The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the invention will be appreciated more fully from the following further description thereof, with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:
Figure 1 diagrammatically depicts one embodiment of a system according to the invention which enables a Centralized Monitoring Agent to monitor, evaluate, and manage Facility Conditions and Functionality (FCF) for one or more facility objects from a centralized location;
3o Figure 2 diagrammatically depicts one embodiment of a software system suitable for operating on the system depicted in Figure 1;

VFF-001.50 Figures 3A to 3J are "screen shots" which collectively depict an illustrative "questionnaire" for one embodiment of the invention;
Figure 3K is a screen shot depicting an illustrative FCF report generated by one embodiment of the invention;
Figures 4A to 4E are screen shots which collectively depict an illustrative questionnaire for one embodiment of the invention;
Figure 5 is a flow chart depicting one mode of operation of the invention for one illustrative embodiment of the invention; and Figures 6A to 6J are screen shots which collectively depict an illustrative glossary 1o for one'illustrative embodiment of the invention.
Description Of The Illustrated Embodiments The methods and systems described herein provide, inter alia, a method and system for monitoring, evaluating, and managing Facility Conditions and Functionality (FCF) for 15 one or more facility objects from a centralized location, such as the office of a CMA
(defined in the background). The invention is described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which illustrative embodiments of the invention are shown. The invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the illustrative embodiments set forth herein; rather, these illustrative 2o embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art.
The invention is described as operating within a client-server environment. As is known-to those skilled in the art, client-server environments may include public networks (e.g., the Internet) and private networks (e.g., an intranet). As used herein, the term 25 "Internet" shall incorporate the term "intranet," and any references to accessing the Internet shall be understood to mean accessing an intranet as well. Accordingly, the invention may be used with all client-server communications, and is not limited to communications between a web server and a web client.
It is to be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of 3o describing the illustrative embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. As used herein, the phrase "facility object" collectively refers to an "integrated facility" (e.g., an entire piece of property}, a "constituent system" of a facility (e.g., an HVAC
system}, VFF-401.50 _g_ and/or a "constituent structure" of a facility (e.g., a roof). As used herein, the term "Facilities Management Information" (FMI) includes, but is not limited to, data representative of the "physical characteristics" and "condition" of a facility object. Physical characteristic data may include the area, height, use, construction type, and the like for a S facility object . Condition data may include an age, a code compliance indicator, an efficiency indicator, and/or a preventative maintenance indicator for a facility object.
FMI may also include "functional adequacy data" and "project lists" for a facility object. Such functional adequacy data and project lists may include information representative of the ability of a facility object to satisfy a predetermined function and/or a long-term plan. Functional adequacy data and project lists may also include information for a project that must be completed for a facility object so that it complies with a particular regulation(s). For example, suppose that a recently enacted building code requires that the fire alarms of each school building within a state include annunciation devices with strobes by the year 2003. FMI may be provided which includes project information for satisfying such a state requirement within the allotted time frame. Functional adequacy data and project lists may also include data representing a construction project (or task) that should (or must) be completed so that a facility object is capable of performing a particular function or is capable of meeting its future objectives. For example, suppose that a state enacts a law mandating that each elementary school have a computer lab by the year 2003.
2o FMI may be provided which includes project information for constructing the computer labs.
It is to be understood that as used herein, including the appended claims, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Further, any reference that is cited herein (e.g., an issued patent, a book, a magazine article, a scientific paper, etc.) is incorporated into this application in its entirety by reference in order to more fully describe the state of the art to which this invention pertains.
Figure 1 depicts an illustrative embodiment of one system (i.e., system 10) according to the invention for monitoring, evaluating, and managing FCF for one or more 3o facility objects from a centralized location with a system that employs client-server technologies and capabilities, including but not limited to, standard communications protocols (e.g., TCP/IP, HTTP, etc.). System 10 includes: server computer system 14; CMA

VFF-001.50 database 18 (which rnay be either proprietary or non-proprietary) which is coupled to server 14; multiple local client computer systems 12A-12C; multiple remote client computer systems 12X-I2Z; and multiple third-party systems 18X-18Z, such as facilities management service providers.
Server I4 may include conventional hardware components, such as: a processor;
a memory for temporary storage of data and applications (e.g. a RAM); a nonvolatile memory for permanent storage of data and applications (e.g., a ROM); a system bus which couples the processor and memory; a mass storage device (e.g., a magnetic storage disk, an optical storage disk, etc.) coupled to the processor and memory; a visual display unit such 1o as a computer monitor; user-input devices such as an Automatic Speech Recognition and Natural Language Understanding application, a touch screen, a keyboard, a mouse, a trackball, and the like, as well as wireless equivalents thereof; I/O
controllers for managing the reception and transmission of signals for coupled peripherals, such as printers, disk drives, visual display units, user-input devices, and the like; and a network connector-e.g., 15 a modem connected to traditional phone lines, an ISDN link, a TI-line, a T3-line, a modem connected to cable television channels, an ethernet connection, a satellite connection, and the like--for connecting to a communications network (e.g., the Internet).
As used herein, the term "processor" refers to a system or device that provides control, performs arithmetic and logical operations, extracts computer instructions, decodes 2o computer instructions, and/or executes computer instructions, such as a central processing unit, a digital signal processor, a microprocessor, a controller, an application specific integrated circuit, an integrated circuit, a hybrid circuit, a module, a programmable logic device; and the like. As used herein, the phrase "communications network"
refers to a LAN, a MAN, a WAN, the Internet, a wireless network, and the like.
25 As depicted by Figure I, for this illustrative embodiment, server 14 connects to the plurality of local clients 12A-12C via LAN connector 20 and connects to the plurality of remote clients 12X-12Z and third-party systems 18X-18Z via WAN connector 16.
For this embodiment, WAN connector 16 includes a shared 10 megabit ethernet connection to a muter; preferably the router is selected for its proximity to a major Internet node, such as 3o the MAE-EAST Internet node. Accordingly, the LAN and WAN connectors enable server 14 to interact with, and exchange data with, the plurality of local clients I2A-12C, the plurality of remote clients 12X-12Z, and the plurality of third-party systems 18X-18Z, VFF-001.50 thereby enabling server 14 to solicit and/or receive FMI from clients 12A-12C
& 12X-12Z
and third-party systems 18X-18Z. Additionally, third-party systems 18X-18Z may include resources which may be made available to server 14 and clients 12A-12C & 12X-12Z.
Server 14 may be supported by a commercially available server platform, such as a Sun SparcTM system running a version of the UNIX~ Operating System (OS).
Additionally, server 14 may include server software running under the OS that is capable of interacting with, or exchanging data with, clients 12A-12C & 12X-12Z and third-party systems 18X-18Z. In this illustrative embodiment, server 14 includes HTTP web server component 25 which listens for requests from clients 12A-12C & 12X-12Z, and in response to such a 1o request, resolves the request by: identifying a file, module; program, and/or script; _ dynamically generating data that may be associated with that request, including text, graphics, animations, multimedia, various executable applications, and the like; and returning the data to the requesting client. The operation of HTTP web server component 25 of server 14 may be understood more fully from Laurie et al., Apache The Definitive Guide, O'Reilly Press (1997), Graham, HTML Sourcebook, Wiley Computer Publishing (1998), and Deitel et al., Internet and World Wide Web-How To Program, Prentice Hall, Inc. (2000).
For this illustrative embodiment, CMA database 18 contains multiple facility models (discussed later) for multiple facility objects (e.g., an entire building, a HVAC
system, a roof, a sidewalk, etc.). Additionally, CMA database 18 may also contain information regarding a subscriber 's (e.g., a facilities manager's) account, such as a password, privileges, information for one or more facility objects assigned to the subscriber, and the like. CMA database 18 may include any suitable database system, including the commercially available Microsoft Access database, and it can be either a local or a distributed database system. The design and development of database systems suitable for use with system 10 follow from principles known in the art, including those described in McGovern et al., A Guide To Sybase and SQL Server, Addison-Wesley (1993). CMA
database 18 may be supported by any suitable storage system, such as a series of local 7200 RPM Seagate hard drives, a RAID system, a tape drive system, a floppy diskette, and the like. Although CMA database 18, as depicted by Figure 1, is separate from server 14, it will be understood that CMA database 18 may be integrated into server 14.

VFF-001.50 Server 14 may also include mechanisms that extend its capabilities in interacting with any one of the clients 12A-12C & 12X-12Z, and in interacting with any one of the third-party systems 18X-18Z. For example, HTTP web server 25 may have built in mechanisms, such as compiled modules, for enabling server 14 to generate an HTML form, such as a "questionnaire," for a client process. In one illustrative embodiment, the client process may be a browser program running on one or more of the clients 12A-12C
& 12X-12Z and having the ability to display the questionnaire on the screen of a visual display coupled to one or more of the clients 12A-12C & 12X-12Z. As will be discussed in more detail below, a subscriber at one of the clients 12A-12C & 12X-12Z may employ the questionnaire to submit current and accurate FMI to the server 14 for processing. _ Additionally, HTTP web server 25 may have access to a directory of executable files, such as a "cgi-bin" directory, each of which files may be employed for performing the operations, or parts of the operations, that implement the methods and systems of the invention. Therefore, it is understood that the architecture of server 14 may vary according to the application. The implementation and employment of compiled modules, CGI
scripts, and other mechanisms that extend the functionality of an HTTP web server, such as HTTP
web server 25, may be understood more fully from Graham, HTML Sourcebook, Wiley Computer Publishing (1998} and Deitel et al., Internet and World Wide Web-How To Program, Prentice Hall, Inc. (2000).
2o Clients 12A-12C & 12X-12Z may include any suitable computer system, such as a minicomputer system, a personal computer, a computer workstation, a handheld computing device, a wireless access device, or any Internet access device equipped with a network client that is capable of accessing a network server, such as server 14, so as to exchange information. To this end, clients 12A-12C & 12X-12Z may include conventional hardware components, including: a processor; a memory for temporary storage of data and applications; a nonvolatile memory for permanent storage of data and applications; a system bus coupling the processor and memory; a mass storage device coupled to the processor and memory for storing data; a visual display unit for presenting information to a subscriber on a screen; user-input devices for enabling a subscriber to input information for 3o an application; I/O controllers for managing the reception and transmission of signals for coupled peripherals; and a network connector for connecting to a communications network.

VFF-041.50 As is well-known, each of the clients 12A-12C & 12X-12Z may employ a computer OS such as the IBM OS/2~ operating system, the Apple System/7~ OS, the DOS OS, the IJNIX~ OS, the WINDOWS~ OS, and the like. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that clients 12A-12C & 12X-12Z need not include full-blown computer systems. That is, a client system such as a "dumb-terminal" (e.g., an IBM 3270 terminal), or a client system having limited computational capability, may be utilized in accordance with an embodiment of the invention for accessing server 14 in a client capacity.
For security purposes, clients 12A-12C & 12X-12Z, third-party systems 18X-18Z, and server 14 may employ a security system, such as any of the conventional security 1o systems that have been developed to provide a secured channel for transmitting data over the Internet. One such system is the Netscape secured socket layer (SSL) security mechanism that provides to a remote subscriber a trusted path between a conventional web browser program and a web server. Therefore, optionally and preferably, clients 12A-12C
& 12X-12Z, third-party systems 18X-18Z, and server 14 may have built in 128 bit or 40 bit SSL capability and may establish an SSL communications channel when transmitting and receiving data. Additionally, other security systems and mechanisms may be employed, such as those described in Bruce Schneir, Applied Crytpography, Addison-Wesley (1996) and Philip Zimmermann, Cryptography for the Internet, Scientific American, pp.

(October 1998). For purposes of illustration, however, the systems described herein, 2o including system 10, will be understood to employ a public channel, such as an Internet connection through an Internet service provider, to connect clients 12A-12C &
12X-12Z, third-party systems 18X-18Z, and server 14.
Acting through one of the depicted clients 12A-12C & 12X-12Z, a subscriber at a facility (e.g., a resident facilities manager) may access the resources on server 14. To this end, each of the clients 12A-12C & 12X-12Z is equipped with or equipped to interact with a client process, such as a browser program, that allows it to download computer files or documents, such as HTML pages, XML pages, SGML pages, XHTML pages, and the like, from server 14. For example, a subscriber at one of the clients 12A-12C & 12X-12Z may employ a browser program to view the illustrative "questionnaire" depicted by Figures 3A
3o to 3J on an attached visual display and employ user-input devices to enter information into the questionnaire, thereby submitting FMI to server 14 for processing (discussed later). The browser program may reside either in the memory of the client or in the memory of server VFF-001.5 0 14. As is familiar to those skilled in the art, such browser programs may include the Netscape web browser, the Microsoft Internet Explorer web browser, the Lynx web browser, the Mosaic program, or any other suitable browser program.
As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, server 14 and clients 12A-12C
&
I2X-12Z may be assembled from conventional and commercially available computer hardware. Accordingly, the invention may be implemented with readily available and relatively inexpensive computer equipment. The conventional computer hardware may become configured according to the methods and systems of the invention by the operation of computer software that configures the conventional computer hardware to operate as 1o methods and systems according to the invention.
For example, Figure 2 depicts one embodiment of a software system (i.e., software system 200) suitable for configuring the conventional computer hardware depicted in Figure 1 to operate as a system according to the invention. In particular, Figure 2 depicts software system 200 as including client process 2I0, HTTP listener process 220, HTTP
web server process 230, server temporal process 240, daemon 250 (e.g., a server process, a program, a script, etc.), authorization table 270, log file 260, verification agent 280 (e.g., a server process, a program, a script, etc.), and simulation process 290 (e.g., a server process, a program, a script, etc.). In one illustrative embodiment, client process 210 is a browser program that is operating on any one of the clients 12A-12C & 12X-12Z and is capable of 2o downloading and responding to HTML processes that are served by server 14.
In particular, the browser program is capable of forming one or more connections with HTTP
web server process 230 and transferring HTML pages therefrom. As will be apparent to those skilled in the art; a separate client process may be simultaneously running on each of the clients 12A-12C & 12X-12Z, thereby allowing a subscriber at each client system to download and respond to HTML processes that are served by server 14. For the sake of clarit~l, however, the remaining discussion will focus on one client process (i.e., client process 210) operating on one of the clients 12A-12C & 12X-12Z.
Figure 2 further depicts that client process 210 forms one or more connections with HTTP listener process 220. HTTP web server process 230 may be any suitable server process including the Apache server. Suitable servers are know in the art and are disclosed in detail in Jamsa, Internet Programming, Jamsa Press (1995). HTTP listener process 220 may be an executing program operating on server 14 which monitors a port, such as the VFF-001.50 well-known port 80, and listens for client requests to transfer a resource, such as an HTML
page, from server 14 to client process 210. As is well-known in the art, the requested resource that is transferred to the client may include images, audio, animations, video, audio streams, video streams, executable applications, hyperlinks, and the Like.
In one embodiment, the system employs the TCP/IP protocol and the HTTP
protocol over the Internet. To this end, client process 210 employs the HTTP
protocol to transmit a "page request" specifying an HTML page name, a location (e.g., an IP address and port number), and a method to retrieve the requested page. HTTP listener process 220 detects the page request and passes the request to an executing HTTP web server process, 1 o such a's server process 230. It will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that_ although Figure 2 depicts one HTTP web server process, multiple HTTP web server processes may be simultaneously executing on server 14. In such a scenario, the plurality of HTTP web server processes typically pass the document request around in a round-robin manner until an HTTP web server process is identified that is available and configured to 15 service the client request.
Far this embodiment, server process 230 is available and configured to service the client request originating from client process 210. To this end, server process 230 causes server temporal process 240 to branch off. Server temporal process 240 receives the page request and processes it to generate an HTML page to be served to the client.
For this 2o embodiment, server temporal process 240 is a CGI script (e.g., a Perl script) configured to generate an HTML form, which is served to client process 210. Client process processes the HTML form generated by server temporal process 240 so as to generate a graphical image on the visual display that is attached to the client system hosting client process 210. For this embodiment, the graphical image is presented to a subscriber at the 25 client system so as to represent a "questionnaire." The subscriber may employ a user-input devices) to enter FMI into the questionnaire and to submit the FMI to a server process running on server 14, which may be under the control of a CMA.
Therefore, for this embodiment, the invention provides multiple subscribers with a universal interface, the "questionnaire," for submitting current and accurate FMI to a CMA
30 over the Internet and in accordance with the HTTP protocol; thereby enabling the CMA to monitor, evaluate, and manage multiple facility objects from a central location without having to rely on paper questionnaires or independent inspectors (as discussed in the VFF-001.50 background). Furthermore, the adherence to standard communications protocols removes the need for the costly and time consuming integration of proprietary software packages (as discussed in the background). Additionally, the questionnaire removes data entry errors (as discussed in the background) because the FMI is directly submitted to the CMA
through a communications network (e.g., the Internet), and thus, the CMA need not re-enter the data into the CMA's computer network.
Referring now to Figures 3A to 3J and 4A to 4E, "questionnaires" for illustrative embodiments of the invention will be described in detail. The depicted questionnaires offer solutions for the problems associated with prior art methods and systems for acquiring FMI
to (as discussed in the background) in that they provide a subscriber, such as a facilities manager, with a structured format for entering FMI for a facility obj ect(s), thereby guiding or navigating the subscriber through the FMI data entry process. As the following discussion illustrates, the inventive questionnaires provide advantages over prior art methods and systems for acquiring FMI, including the following features: data validation mechanisms (e.g., embedded validation rules} for reducing the occurrence of erroneous and redundant FMI entries; intuitive user-interfaces for facilitating the entry of FMI by novice-subscribers having little, if any, familiarity with computer systems; and communications network connections for: expediting the acquisition of FMI, reducing data entry errors (as previously discussed), ensuring that a CMA has current and accurate FMI for one or more 2o facility objects, and enabling a CMA to monitor, evaluate, and manage the FCF of one or more facilities from a central location.
Refernng first to Figures 3A to 3E, a series of "screen shots" are depicted which collectively form one embodiment of a "questionnaire," according to the invention, for acquiring "physical characteristic data" for a facility object(s). As previously discussed with reference to Figures 1 & 2, a subscriber at one of the client systems 12A-12C
& 12X-12Z
may employ browser program 210 to forward a "physical characteristic questionnaire request" to HTTP listener process 220, which then forwards the request to server process 230 running on server system I4. It is to be noted that the questionnaire request may also include the URL associated with server 14. In one embodiment, server process 3o responds to the questionnaire request by causing server temporal process 240 to branch off.
Server temporal process 240 receives the questionnaire request and processes it to generate an HTML page which is presented to the subscriber as an "initial entry screen." In one VFF-001.50 embodiment, server temporal process 240 may be implemented with a CGI script (e.g., a Perl script) configured to generate the initial entry screen, as well as the other screens, which together form one embodiment of a questionnaire according to the invention.
Refernng now to Figure 3A, one embodiment of initial entry screen 3000 is depicted. While viewing initial entry screen 3000, the subscriber may continue the FMI
data entry process by activating "Enter Site" button 3001 (e.g., by clicking on it with a mouse). Then, the subscriber is presented with "subscriber-verification screen" 3100, as depicted by Figure 3B. Subscriber-verification screen 3100 requests a "user name" and "password" from the subscriber. The user name and password are entered by the subscriber 1o into user name field 3101 and password field 3102, respectively. The subscriber then activates "OK" button 3103 so as to forward the entered user name and password to server temporal process 240. Then, server temporal process 240 verifies the validity of the user name and password and, if they are valid, presents the subscriber with screen 3200 of Figure 3C.
As depicted by Figure 3C, the subscriber is presented with hierarchical information representative of a plurality of "regions," wherein each region includes one or more building facility objects. It must be noted that this hierarchy is not fixed and may take on different forms based on the practices of a particular CMA. Screen 3200 includes "list headings" 3201 and "list records" 3202, wherein the list headings 3201 identify the names of the fields for each object, and wherein the list records 3202 identify the values for each field for each record. In operation, the subscriber selects the region for her building facility objects) by clicking on the appropriate record 3202, thereby forwarding the selected region to server temporal process 240. Server temporal process 240 then presents the subscriber with screen 3300 of Figure 3D.
As depicted by Figure 3D, screen 3300 is similar in format to screen 3200, except that the next level of hierarchy is presented based on the selection previously made by the subscriber on screen 3200. In this case, building facility objects within the previously selected region (i.e., Great Plains RVC) are listed in list 3303. It must be noted that this "stepped navigation" throughout the hierarchy may be accomplished for any number of 3o levels following the same process, and that the location within the hierarchy may be identified by referring to heading 3301. Next, the subscriber employs a user-input device to VFF-001.50 select a building facility object from list 3303, thereby presenting the subscriber with the lowest level of the hierarchy, as depicted by Figure 3E.
Referring now to Figure 3E, a "physical characteristic questionnaire" 3400 is depicted for the building facility object that the subscriber selected while navigating through the previous screens depicted by Figures 3A to 3D. Here, the building facility object is representative of the "Barksdale AFB" facility, which was previously selected by the subscriber from list 3303. As depicted by Figure 3E, physical characteristic questionnaire 3400 presents the subscriber with text input fields, pull down menus, check boxes, and buttons for entering the physical characteristic data for the selected building 1o facility object. In this embodiment, the available fields for entering physical characteristic data include: Building Name 3402, Address 3403, Building Number 3404, Stories 3405, Site Gross Area 3406, Building Gross Area 3407, Date Built 3408, Date Last Renovated 3409, VTF Category Code 3410, Facility Type 3411, Building Use 3412, Replacement Value 3413, Site CCI 3414, Building CCI 3415.
i 5 The Building Name 3402, Address 3403, Building Number 3404, Stories 3405, Site Gross Area 3406, Building Gross Area 3407, Date Built 3408, Date Last Renovated 3409, and Replacement Value 3413 entry fields will be familiar to those skilled in the art. The fields VTF Category Code 3410, Facility Type 341 l, Building Use 3412, Site CCI 3414, and Building CCI 3415 are fields which have been added to this embodiment for this 2o particular CMA. The selections in these fields are used in the algorithms of this embodiment to select the appropriate facility models) so as to generate an FCF
report for the building facility object. Also provided are additional fields 3416-3419 which represent data desired by this particular CMA.
In an alternative embodiment, a "Glossary Of Terms" button, such as button 3502 of 25 Figure 3F, may be included in the physical characteristic questionnaire 3400. In the event that a subscriber is unfamiliar with a particular term, she may click on Glossary Of Terms button 3502 to prompt temporal process 240 to display a glossary on the subscriber's visual display. Figures 6A-6J illustrate glossary 6000, which is an illustrative embodiment of such a glossary. It is to be noted that the disclosed glossary feature provides advantages over the 3o prior art in that a novice-subscriber having little, if any, facilities management experience, may employ the glossary to complete the questionnaires of the invention. The disclosed glossary feature also offers advantages over the prior art for experienced subscribers in that VFF-00I .50 a subscriber may employ it to ensure that she and an associated CMA are attaching the same meaning to a particular term, thereby improving upon the accuracy of the FMI data entry process.
As depicted by Figure 3E, some of the entry fields require an input. For example, for this embodiment, the subscriber must employ browser program 210 and user-input devices to enter data into the Building Number 3404, Stories 3405, Building Gross Area 3407, Date Built 3408, VTF Category Code 3410, Facility Type 3411, Building Use 3412, Replacement Value 3413, Site CCI 3414, and Building CCI 3415 entry fields or else server temporal process 240 will not accept any information from the browser program.
Rather, server'temporal process 240 will display an error message, preferably with instructions, on the subscriber's visual display so as to direct the subscriber to enter the required information. It is to be noted that this is one of the previously discussed data validation mechanisms, which may be implemented by embedding validation rules into the HTML
code of physical characteristic questionnaire 3400 (e.g., by employing JavaScript logic).
z5 For this example, the subscriber is also presented with data from an alternate data source, which in this case is Lotus Notes database 3421. In one embodiment, the alternate database is coupled to clients 12A-12C & I2X-I2Z or to systems 18X-18Z. The subscriber may reference the information in the alternate database when inputting the data into the data fields to improve the accuracy of the data entry process; or the subscriber may forward 2o information from the alternate database directly into the data fields to improve the accuracy of the data entry process. It will be noted that this is yet another feature of the invention which offers an advantage over the prior art methods and systems for acquiring FMI.
After all of the physical characteristic data is properly entered, the subscriber activates the "Save" button 3424, causing the FMI to be transmitted to server temporal 25 process 240. In the event that the subscriber desires to return to the last saved state, the subscriber may activate "Reset" button 3423. For example, the subscriber may want to return to the last saved state to correct or update a previous data entry.
Referring now to Figures 3F to 3J, a series of screen shots are depicted which collectively form one embodiment of a questionnaire, according to the invention, for 30 acquiring "condition data" for a facility object(s), such as the building facility object representative of the Barksdale AFB facility. The subscriber proceeds to the "condition VFF-001.50 questionnaire" by activating "Questionnaire" button 3422 of Figure 3E. The subscriber is then presented with screen 3500, as depicted by Figures 3F through 3J.
Screen 3500 presents to the subscriber questions related to "Site Improvements"
3501 so as to solicit the required FMI in a user friendly, narrative format.
By default, the subscriber is presented with the first question in the series, as depicted by Figure 3F. For this embodiment, each question may have one or more subquestions, and the subscriber may answer the questions and subquestions in any order. Further, the subscriber may navigate through the questions by activating the "Previous" button 3519 and the "Next"
button 3518, or by selecting the appropriate question number displayed in "question index"
l0 3503. The title of each question number may be viewed by use of a "mouse hold-over"
device 3504, which may be embedded in or implemented by the HTML code. The question index 3503 also indicates the status of the question (e.g., incomplete vs.
complete) by use of differentiating colors.
As an illustration of the inventive process, the following description is provided for one question associated with the condition of the Barksdale AFB facility. The remaining questions for this building, as well as for the other buildings depicted by Figure 3D, would follow the same or a substantially similar process to completion. The illustrative example chosen, "Question 13," is associated with the "Roof Covering" of the Barksdale AFB
facility. The alternative views shown in Figures 3G-3J represent the result of dragging the scroll bar 3515 (e.g., with a mouse) to view the continuous flow of the questions related to Site Improvements 3501.
As illustrated by Figures 3F to 3J, each question represented by question index 3503 begins with a "declarative statement," such as statement 3510. Declarative statement 3510 specifies the particular facility object to be assessed, which in this case is the "Roof Covering" for the Barksdale AFB facility, and the purpose of the assessment.
In this example, declarative statement 3510 is associated with subquestions 3512, 3520, 3521, 3522, and 3523.
Beginning with subquestion 3512, the subscriber is asked to identify the type of roof covering used in the Barksdale AFB facility. For this example, the subscriber activates 3o check box 3513, indicating an asphalt covering type. The subscriber may enter the amount of the asphalt covering type by entering a value, in square feet, in "Amount"
3514 entry VFF-001.50 field. Next, subquestion 3520 asks the subscriber for the year that the current roof covering was installed, which the subscriber may enter into entry field 3524.
As illustrated by Figure 3H, the subscriber is then asked to answer subquestion 3521, which is implemented with radio buttons in a multiple choice format. It is to be noted that this is yet another embodiment of a data validation mechanism according to the invention. That is, the subscriber has to answer this question, and in doing so, she may only select one answer, thereby removing the possibility of erroneous and redundant data entries.
Now referring to Figures 3I and 3J, an iterative aspect of the questionnaire is depicted, wherein a subsequent subquestion is presented to the subscriber based on the 1o subscriber's answer to a previous subquestion. This rnay be referred to as an "iterative questionnaire" or "graduated questionnaire." Figure 3J depicts the state of the questionnaire if the subscriber selects the first choice for subquestion 3521. Since the first choice indicates that the roof needs no repairs, no additional information is required, and thus, Figure 3J depicts subquestion 3522 as being inaccessible. Figure 3I depicts the state of the questionnaire if the subscriber selects the second, third, or fourth choice for subquestion 3521. Since selecting the second, third, or fourth choice indicates that roof maintenance is required, additional information is also required, and thus, Figure 3I depicts subquestion 3521 as now being accessible, thereby enabling the subscriber to enter the appropriate additional information. As depicted by Figure 3I, such additional information includes the 2o amount of roofing in need of repair. It is to be noted that this embodiment illustrates yet another advantage over the prior art in that the subscriber is guided through the FMI data entry process in an iterative and efficient manner, thereby removing the need for the subscriber to answer irrelevant questions.
After a subquestion has been answered correctly, the subscriber activates Save button 3517 to transmit the FMI to server temporal process 240, which forwards the FMI to simulation process 290. Then, simulation process 290 analyzes the FMI, selects the appropriate facility model from CMA database 1$ based on the FMI, submits the FMI to the appropriate facility model, invokes a simulation of the facility model, and generates an FCF report therefrom. The FCF report may include calculated "costs" for repairing a 3o facility object, such as the roof of the Barksdale AFB facility. The subscriber may then activate Exit button 3516 to return to input screen 3400.

VFF-001.50 From input screen 3400, the subscriber or the CMA may view the FCF report by activating Building Data Summary Report hyperlink 3420. The subscriber or the CMA is then presented with FCF Report 3600 as depicted by Figure 3K. FCF Report 3600 displays the name of the facility 3601 and lists its associated FCF data, which may include a cost to repair or replace facility objects therein or thereon. It is to be noted that Figure 3K depicts only one example of an FCF report for one illustrative embodiment of the invention. The depicted FCF report provides the CMA with information to analyze the needs of the Barksdale AFB facility, thereby enabling the CMA to monitor, evaluate, and manage the FCF of the facility from a remote location.
to ~ Referring now to Figures 4A to 4E, a series of screen shots are depicted which collectively form one embodiment of a questionnaire, according to the invention, for acquiring "condition data" for a facility object(s). A subscriber at one of the client systems 12A-12C & 12X-12Z may employ browser program 210 to forward a "condition questionnaire request" to server process 230 running on server system 14. It is to be noted that the questionnaire request may also include the URL associated with server system 14.
In one embodiment, server process 230 responds to the questionnaire request by forwarding it to server temporal process 240. Server temporal process 240 receives the questionnaire request and processes it to generate an HTML page which is presented to the subscriber as a "subscriber-verification screen" on a visual display coupled to the subscriber's client 2o system. In one embodiment, server temporal process 240 may be implemented with a CGI
script (e.g., a Perl script) configured to generate the subscriber-verification screen, as well as the other screens, which together form one embodiment of a questionnaire according to the invention.
Refernng now to Figure 4A, one embodiment of the subscriber-verification screen is depicted. As depicted by Figure 4A, subscriber-verification screen 4000 requests a "user name" and "password" from the subscriber. The user name and password are entered by the subscriber (e.g., with user-input devices) in user name field 4001 and password field 4002, respectively. The subscriber then activates the "Enter Site" button 4003 (e.g., by clicking on it with a mouse) so as to forward the entered user name and password to server process 230, 3o which then forwards this information to server temporal process 240. Server temporal process 240 verifies the validity of the user name and password and, if they are valid, presents the subscriber with screen 4100 as depicted by Figure 4B.

VFF-001.50 Screen 4100 represents the main navigational feature for one aspect of the invention according to one illustrative embodiment of the invention. By activating the icons presented at the center of screen 4100, the subscriber is directed to questionnaires for soliciting the relevant FMI for the subscriber's facility object(s). By activating the appropriate icons, the subscriber may also access tools for manipulating FMI, simulating the behavior and fiznctionality of facility objects}, and generating FCF reports, including FCF
reports for long-term plans and improvements. Such a long-term plan may include a capital budget projection for updating each public school in a particular state so that each classroom includes an Internet connection. Furthermore, such a long-term plan may be a mandatory to requirement that is imposed on the state's school systems, perhaps by a government. agency.
To this end, the invention provides an accurate method and system for acquiring current and accurate FMI so that such a long-term projection may be generated in a precise and effective manner, thereby satisfying the scrutiny of even the most demanding agencies and investors.
As depicted by Figure 4B, the five icons linked to questionnaires are:
Enrollment Projections 4101, School Models 4102, Funded Projects 4103, Facility Condition Assessment 4104, and District Inventory 4108. For this embodiment, Enrollment Projections icon 4101 is linked to a questionnaire that solicits enrollment projections. For this embodiment, School Models icon 4102 is linked to a tool for creating facility models, wherein the facility models represent target school configurations. For this embodiment, Funded Projects icon 4103 is linked to a questionnaire that solicits information about projects that are currently funded or in progress. For this embodiment, Facility Condition Assessment icon 4104 is linked to a questionnaire, similar to the condition questionnaire depicted by Figures 3F to 3J, for collecting condition information. For this embodiment, District Inventory icon 4108 is linked to a questionnaire designed to collect the current "functional capabilities" of a facility objects) and compare them to school facility models.
For the purpose of illustration, the subscriber proceeds to the District Inventory questionnaire by activating District Inventory icon 4108. The subscriber is then presented with screen 4200, as depicted by Figure 4C. For this embodiment, screen 4200 presents hierarchical information to the subscriber representative of a plurality of "regions,"
wherein: -each region includes one or more counties; each county includes one or more districts; each district includes one or more school systems; and each school system VFF-001.50 includes one or more building facility objects. This hierarchy is represented by tabs 4201 along the top of screen 4200. The subscriber follows the same "stepped navigation" through the hierarchy as previously discussed with regards to Figures 3A to 3E. It must be noted that this hierarchy is not fixed and may take on different forms based on the practices of a particular CMA, or the requirements of a particular agency.
In this embodiment, the building facility objects are further divided into room facility objects, and it is at this level that FMI pertaining to "functional adequacy" and/or "project lists" is entered by the subscriber. Once the subscriber navigates through the hierarchy and reaches the room Level, she is presented with screen 4300, as depicted by io Figure 4D. Screen 4300 contains entry fields for soliciting "functional FMI" from the subscriber. The entry fields included in this embodiment are: Room Name 4301;
Space Type 4302; Max Students 4303; Status 4304; and Room Size, which is identified as Actual Square Feet per Room 4305 and Actual Roams 4306 (i.e., number of rooms). As depicted by Figure 4D,the subscriber enters the Grades Housed 4307 data by selecting the check box beneath the appropriate grade for her room facility object(s).
The Analysis section 4308 compares the actual data entered into the fields noted above with facility models stored in CMA database 18 or with facility models developed elsewhere. The Students Housed section 4309 displays the number of actual students housed in each age group for reference. These numbers are drawn from an alternate data source (e.g., databases coupled to systems 18X-18Z of Figure 1) which in this case is an enrollment database. Once all the data has been entered for the room facility object(s), the subscriber activates the Save Room button 4310, thereby forwarding the data to server temporal process 240 of Figure 2.
In order to house the function for which it is used, a space must contain certain educational elements. The required elements change depending on the function for which the space is intended. As depicted by Figure 4E, screen 4400 is an input screen in which to identify the actual presence of these elements and compare the quantity of actual elements with facility models stored in CMA database 18, or with facility models developed elsewhere. The data entry fields of screen 4400 are: Educational Element Type 4401 and 3o Actual Number of Units 4402. The values entered into each of these fields are then compared_to the facility models in Analysis section 4403. Once all the data has been VFF-00I .50 entered for an educational element, the subscriber activates Save Element button 4404, thereby forwarding the data to temporal server process 240.
Once the data has been entered correctly into each of the functional areas depicted by Figure 4B, the subscriber, or the CMA, may generate FCF reports as previously discussed with regards to Figures 3A to 3K. It is to be noted that the subscriber may employ this embodiment of the invention to manipulate the FMI so as to create customized, long-term plans for review by the CMA, the subscriber, or a third party, such as a government agency. The development tools associated with the long-term plans are not within the scope of this invention, and thus, they will not be described in detail.
1 o Therefore, the questionnaires of the invention may be configured to provide .one or more subscribers with a nearly "fool-proof' and intuitive interface which substantially reduces the errors that result from prior art methods of acquiring FMI. As illustrated by Figures 3A to 3J and 4A to 4E, the illustrative questionnaires may include text input fields, arrays of check boxes, pull-down menus, radio buttons, and the like, wherein each text input field, check box, pull-down menu, and radio button is associated with FMI. The text input fields, check boxes, pull-down menus, and radio buttons are configured so that a subscriber may select appropriate FMI using user-input devices so as to specify the FMI for her facility object(s). For example, when a subscriber checks a box, it is set to an activated state such that client process 210 of Figure 2 may transform the checked box into a message 2o that provides server temporal process 240 with the appropriate FMI. As will be familiar to those skilled in the art, additional embodiments may include interactive icons, hyperlinks, pop-up menus, and other input mechanisms that will improve upon the intuitive nature of the questionnaire and substantially reduce the possibility of data entry errors.
After a subscriber has entered all of the FMI for her facility objects) into the 2S appropriate questionnaire-e.g., by inputting data into the input fields, activating check boxes, activating selections on pull-down menus, activating selections on pop-up windows, etc.--she may forwaxd the FMI to server temporal process 240 running on server 14 of Figure I-e.g., by activating Save Element button 4404 of Figure 4E. Referring back to Figure 2, upon receiving the FMI, the HTTP listener process 220 identifies an available 3o HTTP web server process, such as server process 230. The available server process 230 will branch off server temporal process 240 and forward the FMI to server temporal process 240. Server temporal process 240 will then forward the FMI to simulation process 290, VFF-001.50 which analyzes the received FMI, and based on the FMI, selects one or more facility models (from CMA database 18 of Figure 1) having a criteria that substantially matches the data fields or combination of data fields the make up the FMI. For example, based on a subscriber's answer to subquestion 3512 (of Figure 3G), simulation process 290 selects the model that most closely resembles the combination of "roof covering" and "amount," as specified by the subscriber.
After selecting the appropriate facility rnodel(s), simulation process 290 submits the FMI to the facility model(s), or embeds the FMI into the facility model(s), so as to commence a simulation mimicking the functional behavior of the facility objects) in real 1o time; and/or comparing the conditions, physical characteristics, and/or functionality of the facility objects) with predetermined standards for like facility object(s). In one embodiment, the facility models) has the cost, lifetime, and percentage of system replaced (at the end of the lifetime) stored therein. Using this information and the information solicited via the questionnaire, simulation process 290 may then generate a project plan, which may include a project cost.
In one embodiment, the project cost is calculated as a function of the unit cost and the percentage of the system in need of repair. Further, the project cost is modified by the percentage entered into subquestion 3522 (of Figure 3I). In one embodiment, the end result is a proj ect list having the following information: the work to be performed;
the timing of the project (e.g., start and finish times); the cost of the project; and the effect on the lifetime of the system upon completion of the project. With this information entered for each system, the simulation process 290 may then generate an FCF report with year by year projections of projects and costs to be incurred for any subset of the facility object(s). The CMA may then use this information in the budget development and approval process.
Therefore, simulation process 290 generates an FCF report that an authorized CMA may employ for monitoring, evaluating, and managing facility object(s).
In one embodiment, simulation process 290 generates the FCF report in an electronic format that can be readily converted to various data formats. Thus, the FCF
report may be readily processed by various peripheral devices (e.g., a printer, a visual 3o display, etc.) and applications (e.g., a spreadsheet program, an e-mail application, etc.), thereby removing the possibility of data entry errors. Therefore, a CMA having access to the server 14 of Figure 1 may view the FCF report on a visual display, receive the FCF

VFF-001.50 report as an e-mail communication, or download the FCF report to a spreadsheet program for further processing.
The content of such an FCF report may include the following information for a facility object{s): a budget description-e.g., a capital budget description, etc.; a compliance description; a condition description; a cost description-e.g., a life-cycle cost description, a construction cost description, a re-construction cost description, etc.; a deficiency condition description; a facility condition index; a functionality description; a long-term plan description; a maintenance schedule; a percent renewed statistic; a percent used statistic; a project description; and/or a system condition index.
Further, the FCF
to report may present the information at multiple levels. Specific data about each facility object may be presented, or the information may be totaled and only the totals presented as a summary report.
As previously discussed, simulation process 290 of Figure 2 analyzes received FMI, and based on the FMI, selects one or more appropriate facility models) from CMA
database 18 of Figure 1. Specifically, in one embodiment, simulation process 290 evaluates multiple fields in sequence when determining the model, such as the facility use, construction type, gross area, and number of floors. Then, simulation process 290 selects the facility model most closely matching the combination of fields. For example, suppose that a subscriber at a k-12 educational facility forwards an elementary education facility 2o with a 2B Protected construction type classification of 35,325 square feet on two stories FMI for a facility objects) (associated with the educational facility) to simulation process 290. Upon receiving the FMI, simulation process 290 determines, by comparing the FMI
with the data stored with the facility model, that the FMI is appropriate for a k-5 Low Rise Brick/Steel School facility model(s). As such, simulation process 290 submits the FMI to the k-5 Low Rise Brick/Steel School facility model(s), prompting a simulation of the educational facility.
Returning back to Figure 2, in another embodiment, it is depicted that server temporal process 240 creates and maintains an authorization table 270 in which server temporal process 240 stores identification information corresponding to a particular 3o subscriber and/or organization. Such identification information may include a username, password,_privileges, name, location, order information, shipping information, billing information, and the like for a particular subscriber and/or organization. In one VFF-001.50 embodiment, a subscriber at a client system has to enter an authentic username and password in order to gain authorization to access server system 14 and the resources thereon. As is familiar to those skilled in the art, a so-called "cookie" file may be employed to streamline the authorization process.
In another embodiment, server temporal process 240 may also generate and maintain a log file to store the criteria, results, date, and other historical information for a particular subscriber accessing server system 14. Server temporal process 240 stores this information in log file 260 along with an entry that indicates the particular subscriber (as previously discussed). The next time the subscriber gains access to server 14, she will be able to access her historical information, thereby enabling her to view previous results, including the associated criteria, the associated date, and the like.
In yet another embodiment, software system 200 of Figure 2 includes daemon process 250 for actively soliciting the FMI from a remote subscriber database having FMI
for a facility object(s). Preferably, the subscriber database resides at a subscriber-facility and is configured to comply with the TCP/IP and/or HTTP protocols. Daemon process 250 periodically polls the subscriber database at predetermined intervals, such as once every week or month, to acquire current and accurate FMI for the facility object(s).
Then, daemon process 250 forwards the FMI to simulation process 290. Simulation process 290 then selects one or more facility models based on the FMI from CMA database 18, submits the 2o FMI to the one or more facility models, and invokes a simulation. The simulation generates an FCF report which enables a CMA to monitor, evaluate, and manage the FCF of the facility obj ect(s).
-In yet another embodiment, daemon process 250 actively solicits the FMI and related information directly from "smart facility objects" by periodically polling them at predetermined intervals; wherein each smart facility abject has intelligence (e.g., a microprocessor) and/or a memory embedded therein to monitor and record its physical condition and utilization so as to generate current and accurate FMI. Daemon process 250 then forwards the FMI to server process 290. Server process 290 then selects one or more facility models based on the FMI from CMA database 18, submits the FMI to the one or 3o more facility models, and invokes a simulation. The simulation generates an FCF report which enables a CMA to monitor, evaluate, and manage the FCF of the smart facility obj ects.

VFF-001.50 Alternatively, in another embodiment, daemon process 250 may be programmed to forward a so-called "tickler" to the e-mail of a subscriber to the systems of Figures 1 and 2, so as to remind the subscriber that it is time to submit updated FMI. For this embodiment, it is contemplated that either the subscriber, or a CMA, have the ability to program daemon process 250 so as to set the time interval between ticklers.
Figure 5 is a flowchart diagram that depicts one mode of operation of one process described herein for one embodiment of the invention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchart, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart, can be implemented with computer program instructions. These computer program instructions may be loaded onto a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions which execute on the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus create means for implementing the functions and processes specified in the flowchart block or blocks.
Accordingly, blocks of the flowchart diagram support combinations of means for i5 performing the specified functions and processes, combinations of steps for performing the specified functions and processes, and program instruction means for performing the specified functions and processes. It will also be understood that each block of the flowchart diagram, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart, may be implemented with special purpose hardware-based computer systems which perform the specified functions or 2o steps, or with combinations of special purpose hardware and computer instructions.
Now referring to Figure 5, one mode of operation of one process described herein is depicted for one embodiment. Specifically, Figure 5 depicts a process 500, comprising the steps 510 to 550, which enables a CMA, such as a State Board of Education, to monitor, evaluate, and manage the conditions, functionality, prospective projects, and regulatory 25 compliance of one or more facilities, such as k-12 educational facilities, over a communications network, such as the Internet. For example, process 500 begins at step 510 wherein a subscriber, such as a facilities manager residing at one of the k-12 educational facilities, employs client process 210 of Figure 2 to request a questionnaire (as previously discussed) from server process 230 of Figure 2. After step 510, process 500 proceeds to 3o step 520, wherein server process 230 responds to the request by downloading the questionnaire to client process 210, thereby displaying the questionnaire on the visual display attached to the client hosting client process 210. Server process 230 may be a VFF-041.50 computer program executing server system 14 of Figure 1, the design and development of which follow from principles well known in the art.
As shown by step 530, the subscriber enters FMI for her facility objects) into the questionnaire using a user-input device. Then, the subscriber employs the user-input device to activate a submit button on the questionnaire, thereby forwarding the FMI
to server process 230 of Figure 2. In step 540, server process 230 forwards the FMI to server temporal process 240, which passes the FMI on to simulation process 290.
After step 540, process 500 moves to step 550, wherein simulation process 290 selects a facility models) as a function of the FMI. Then, simulation process to commences a simulation of the facility objects) using the facility model(s). Accordingly, an FCF report is generated which is forwarded to an e-mail address owned by the CMA. As previously discussed, the FCF report has sufficient information to enable the CMA to monitor, evaluate, and manage the FCF of the facilities from a central office.
In one embodiment, the facility models referred to herein represent a breakdown of an integrated facility into its component parts or facility objects, and algorithms that simulate the behavior of a facility object over the course of its lifetime.
The data stored for each facility object includes the lifetime duration, the object cost, the percent of the object to be replaced at the end of its lifetime, and its current state. Using this information, a facility model can predict the costs to be incurred over a specific time period for repair or replacement. It is to be noted that the time period may be variable.
In the embodiments described herein, the software may be written as an object oriented computer program, such as a C++ program, that directs the objects to perform the necessary operations to distinguish themselves from other objects of different subclasses.
The development of such class structures is described in Booch, Object Oriented Design with Applications, the Benjamin/Cummings Publishing Co., Inc. (1991) and in Chin et. al., Distributed Object-Based Programming Systems, ACM Computing Surveys (1991 ).
The embodiments described herein employ the TCP/IP protocol and the HTTP
client-server protocol over the Internet to allow a CMA to monitor, evaluate, and manage multiple facilities fram a central office. However, it is further contemplated that the invention may be used with all client-server communications, and is not limited to specific protocols such as the HTTP protocol. Thus, alternative embodiments of the invention may VFF-001.50 include a client system having the ability to interact with and exchange data with an FTP
server, a gopher server, or another suitable network server.
As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, the invention may be implemented as a computer program product, which may include a computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program instructions stored thereon. The instructions may be used to program a computer(s), or other cornputational/electronic device(s), to perform according to the invention. Any suitable computer-readable storage medium may be utilized, including floppy diskettes, CD-ROMs, magnetic storage devices, optical storage disks, ROMs, RAMS, EPROMs, EEPROMs, magnetic or optical cards, or other types of 1o media suitable for storing computer-readable program instructions.
As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, the invention may be downloaded from a remote system (e.g., a server) to a requesting system (e.g., a personal computer, a wireless access device, etc.) via a computer data signals) embodied in a carrier wave(s), or other propagation medium. The computer data signals) may include program code for I5 implementing the methods and systems disclosed herein. The computer data signal may be transmitted along any suitable guiding medium (e.g., copper wire, fiber optics, etc.);
alternatively, the computer data signal may be transmitted without a guiding medium (e.g., wireless communications).
As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, the invention may take the form of an 2o entirely software embodiment, an entirely hardware embodiment, or an embodiment combining both software and hardware. Those skilled in the art will know or be able to ascertain using no more than routine experimentation, many equivalents to the embodiments and practices described herein. It will also be understood that the methods and systems described herein provide advantages over the prior art including Accordingly, 25 it will be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the embodiments disclosed herein, but is to be understood from the following claims, which are to be interpreted as broadly as allowed under the law.
What is claimed is:

Claims (31)

1. A method for monitoring and evaluating Facility Conditions and Functionality (FCF) over a communications network, comprising:
acquiring, from the communications network, Facility Management Information (FMI) having data representing a characteristic and/or a function associated with a facility object;
selecting, as a function of the FMI, a facility model from a Centralized Monitoring Agent (CMA) database;
submitting the FMI to the selected facility model so as to simulate a functional behavior associated with the facility object; and generating, for the facility object, an FCF report therefrom having a budget description, a compliance description, a condition description, a cost description, a deficiency condition description, a facility condition index, a functionality description, a long-term plan description, a maintenance schedule, a percent renewed statistic, a percent used statistic, a project description, and/or a system condition index.

2. The method recited in claim 1, wherein acquiring the FMI comprises:
acquiring the FMI having data representing an integrated facility, a constituent system associated with a facility, or a constituent structure associated with a facility.

3. The method recited in claim 1, wherein acquiring the FMI comprises:
acquiring physical characteristic data representing an area, a capacity indicator, a cede compliance indicator, a construction type, a development density, an efficiency indicator, a functional use, a height, a location, a material, a setback, and/or a shape.

4. The method recited in claim 1, wherein acquiring the FMI comprises:
acquiring condition data representing an age, a code compliance indicator, an efficiency indicator, and/or a preventative maintenance performed indicator.

5. The method recited in claim 1, wherein acquiring the FMI comprises:
acquiring a functional adequacy data and/or a project list for enabling the facility object to satisfy a predetermined function, a regulation, and/or a long-term plan.

6. The method recited in claim 1, wherein acquiring the FMI comprises:
acquiring the FMI as one or more data fields from a client process that is coupled to the communications network, wherein the FMI indicates that the facility object is a K-12 school space lacking a particular system object and/or structure object;
and providing a server process to: analyze the FMI and determine whether the particular system object and/or structure object is required for the K-12 school space, and if so, generate a project to install the particular system object and/or structure object in the kindergarten classroom.

7. The method recited in claim 1, further comprising providing the CMA
database, wherein the CMA database has a plurality of facility models.

8. The method recited in claim 1, further comprising providing a server process to: acquire the FMI, select the facility model, submit the FMI to the facility model, and/or generate the FCF report.

9. The method recited in claim 1, further comprising:
providing a server process to: acquire the FMI, select the facility model, submit the FMI to the facility model, and/or generate the FCF report; and providing a communications protocol to couple the server process to the communications network in a universal manner.

10. The method recited in claim 1, wherein acquiring the FMI comprises:
providing a server process to receive the FMI from: a client process, a facility database, and/or a smart facility object; and providing a communications protocol to couple the client process, the facility database, and/or the smart facility object to the communications network in a universal manner.

11. The method recited in claim 1, wherein acquiring the FMI comprises:

providing a server process to solicit the FMI from: a client process, a facility database, and/or a smart facility object; and providing a communications protocol to couple the client process, the facility database, and/or the smart facility object to the communications network in a universal manner.

12. The method recited in claim 1, further comprising transmitting the FCF
report to a client process, a facility database, the CMA database, an e-mail address, a voice-mail system, a wireless access system, and/or a facsimile system.

13. The method recited in claim 1, further comprising providing a CMA client process to allow a CMA to access the FCF report, the CMA database, a facility database, and/or the facility object.

14. The method recited in claim 1, wherein acquiring the FMI comprises serving a questionnaire to a client process, wherein the questionnaire poses a query to a subscriber employing the client process, and receives the FMI in response thereto.

15. The method recited in claim 1, wherein acquiring the FMI comprises serving an iterative questionnaire to a client process, wherein the iterative questionnaire:
poses a general query to a subscriber employing the client process, and receives the FMI in response thereto; and/or poses, as a function of a response to the general query, a specific query to the subscriber employing the client process, and receives the FMI in response thereto.

16. The method recited in claim 1, wherein selecting the facility model from the CMA database comprises:
providing a server process to:
acquire the FMI as one or more data fields from the communications network;
evaluate the one or more data fields; and select, as a function of the one or more data fields, the facility model from the CMA database, wherein the facility model has a criteria that substantially matches the one or more data fields.

17. A system for evaluating Facility Conditions and Functionality (FCF) over a communications network, comprising:
a server process configured to:
acquire, from the communications network, Facility Management Information (FMI) having data representing a characteristic and/or a function associated with a facility object;
select, as a function of the FMI, a facility model from a CMA
database;
submit the FMI to the selected facility model so as to simulate a function that is associated with the facility object; and generate, for the facility object, an FCF report therefrom having a budget description, a compliance description, a condition description, a cost description, a deficiency condition description, a facility condition index, a functionality description, a long-term plan description, a maintenance schedule, a percent renewed statistic, a percent used statistic, a project description, and/or a system condition index.

18. The system recited in claim 17, wherein the FMI comprises data representing an integrated facility, a constituent system associated with a facility, or a constituent structure associated with a facility.

19. The system recited in claim 17, wherein the FMI comprises physical characteristic data representing an area, a capacity indicator, a code compliance indicator, a construction type, a development density, an efficiency indicator, a functional use, a height, a location, a material, a setback, and/or a shape.

20. The system recited in claim 17, wherein the FMI comprises condition data representing an age, a code compliance indicator, an efficiency indicator, and/or a preventative maintenance performed indicator.

21. The system recited in claim 17, wherein the FMI comprises a functional adequacy data and/or a project list for enabling the facility object to satisfy a predetermined function, a regulation, and/or a long-term plan.

22. The system recited in claim 17, wherein:
the FMI comprises one or more data fields indicating that the facility object is a K-12 school space lacking a particular system object and/or structure object; and the server process is capable of:
analyzing the FMI, determining whether the particular system object and/or structure object is required for the K-12 school space, and if the particular system object and/or structure object is required for the K-12 school space, generating a project to install the particular system object and/or structure object in the K-12 school space.

23. The system recited in claim 17, wherein the server process is capable of coupling to the communications network in a universal manner.

24. The system recited in claim 17, wherein the server process is capable of receiving the FMI from a client process, a facility database, and/or a smart facility object, and wherein the client process, the facility database, and/or the smart facility object is capable of coupling to the communications network in a universal manner.

25. The system recited in claim 17, wherein the server process is capable of soliciting the FMI from a client process, a facility database, and/or a smart facility object, and wherein the client process, the facility database, and/or the smart facility object is capable of coupling to the communications network in a universal manner.

26. The system recited in claim 17, wherein the server process is capable of transmitting the FCF report to a client process, a facility database, the CMA
database, an e-mail address, a voice-mail system, a wireless access system, and/or a facsimile system.

27. The system recited in claim 17, further comprising a CMA client process for allowing a CMA to access the FCF report, the CMA database, a facility database, and/or the facility object.

28. The system recited in claim 17, wherein the server process is capable of generating a questionnaire and serving the questionnaire to a client process, wherein the questionnaire is capable of posing a query to a subscriber employing the client process and receiving the FMI in response thereto.

29. The system recited in claim 17, wherein the server process is capable of generating an iterative questionnaire and serving the iterative questionnaire to a client process, wherein the iterative questionnaire is capable of:
posing a general query to a subscriber employing the client process, and receiving the FMI in response thereto; and/or posing, as a function of a response to the general query, a specific query to the subscriber, and receiving the FMI in response thereto.

30. A computer program product for monitoring and evaluating Facility Conditions and Functionality (FCF) over a communications network, the computer program product comprising a computer readable medium having computer readable program code thereon including:
program code for acquiring, from the communications network, Facility Management Information (FMI) having data representing a characteristic and/or a function associated with a facility object;
program code for selecting, as a function of the FMI, a facility model from a Centralized Monitoring Agent (CMA) database;

program code for submitting the FMI to the selected facility model so as to simulate a functional behavior associated with the facility object; and program code for generating, for the facility object, an FCF report having a budget description, a compliance description, a condition description, a cost description, a deficiency condition description, a facility condition index, a functionality description, a long-term plan description, a maintenance schedule, a percent renewed statistic, a percent used statistic, a project description, and/or a system condition index.

31. A computer data signal embodied in a carrier wave for monitoring and evaluating Facility Conditions and Functionality (FCF) over a communications network, comprising:
program code for acquiring, from the communications network, Facility Management Information (FMI) having data representing a characteristic and/or a function associated with a facility object;
program code for selecting, as a function of the FMI, a facility model from a Centralized Monitoring Agent (CMA) database;
program code for submitting the FMI to the selected facility model so as to simulate a functional behavior associated with the facility object; and program code for generating, for the facility object, an FCF report having a budget description, a compliance description, a condition description, a cost description, a deficiency condition description, a facility condition index, a functionality description, a long-term plan description, a maintenance schedule, a percent renewed statistic, a percent used statistic, a project description, and/or a system condition index.