GBS Analytical Results Testing

Summary of Test Cases:

The current iteration runs 665 energy analysis simulations, using 665 different GBS projects and 205 different conceptual models. The main purposes of the regression testing are:

1. Exercise different model configurations and building types in 16 ASHRAE climate zones for pass/fail
2. Compare energy usage results between previous release and current release candidate.

	Weather Data Source	Number of Building Types	Number of Locations	Number of Models	Number of Test Cases
GBS Test Suite A	Autodesk Climate Server	29	16	4	464
GBS Test Suite B	TMY2	1	1	201	201

Details of Test Cases:

• Test Suite A
  The current iteration runs 464 energy analysis simulations, using 464 different projects and 4 different xml files. The main purposes of this test are:

  1. Exercise building types in 16 ASHRAE climate zones for pass/fail
  2. Tracks Energy results

• Test Suite B
  Currently runs 201 xml files under one GBS project. Models from user's (used with permission); some run, some are intentionally blocked, and some intentionally crash/fail. The main purposes of this test are:

  1. Previous blocked files should still be blocked. Failing files should trigger appropriate error message. Successful runs should still succeed.
  2. Tracks pre- and post-GBS processing surface count and surface area and opening area.
  3. Tracks Energy results.

• Typical Meteorological Year (TMY2) Weather Data

  TMY2 weather data sets are a collation of selected weather data for a specific location, generated from the 1961-1990 National Solar Radiation Data Base. The data is selected so that it presents the range of weather conditions for the location, which are consistent with the long-term averages for the location.

• Autodesk Climate Server Weather Data

  GBS has 1.3 million weather station locations worldwide at a spatial resolution of approximately 20 km. For some locations ASHRAE climate zone assignments using GBS weather may differ from ASHRAE Climate Zone assignments usingTMY2 weather because the weather data used by GBS represents observed and/or derived data from one calendar year while TMY2 weather data, used by most energy analyses, is a compiled dataset of weather spanning thirty years.

• Locations
  The locations chosen for the regression test suite covers sixteen representative locations of ASHRAE Climate Zones in the U.S. Representative ASHRAE Climate Zones Locations in the U.S are:

  1. 1A Miami, FL United States
  2. 2A Mobile, AL United States
  3. 2B Phoenix, AZ United States
  4. 3A Oklahoma City, OK United States
  5. 3B Las Vegas, NV United States
  6. 3B Los Angeles, CA United States
  7. 3C Santa Rosa, CA United States
  8. 4A Philadelphia, PA United States
  9. 4B Briscoe, TX United States
  10. 4C Seattle, WA United States
  11. 5A Columbus, OH United States
  12. 5B Burns, OR United States
  13. 6A South Burlington, VT United States
  14. 6B Dillon, MT United States
  15. 7 Fargo, ND United States
  16. 8 Fairbanks, AK United States

• GBS Building Types
  Twenty nine GBS Building Types, which are based upon ASHRAE building type categories, are used in the regression tests.

  1. Automotive Facility
  2. Convention Center
  3. Courthouse
  4. Dining: Bar Lounge/Leisure
  5. Dining: Cafeteria/ Fast Food
  6. Dining: Family
  7. Dormitory
  8. Exercise Center
  9. Fire Station
  10. Gymnasium
  11. Health Care Clinic
  12. Hospital
  13. Hotel
  14. Library
  15. Motel
  16. Motion Picture Theatre
  17. Office
  18. Penitentiary
  19. Performing Arts Theater
  20. Police Station
  21. Post Office
  22. Religious Building
  23. Retail
  24. School/University
  25. Single Family
  26. Sports Arena
  27. Town Hall
  28. Transportation
  29. Warehouse

• Models

  Models used for the energy simulations include: 4 simplified schematic models to fully exercise all GBS energy setting defaults and 201 previously failed models and intentionally blocked models (obtained with users' permission). GBS automatically applies intelligent energy setting defaults to models where the parameters necessary for energy analysis have not been specified. These default values vary by building type, building size, and location. The GBS Help topic, Assumptions and Default Values in GBS provides more information on these defaults.

• Regression Test Criteria

  Regression test criteria determine whether or not energy usage results of the new release are within an acceptable tolerance range with the results of the previous release. Tests are passed where differences are expected due to bug fixes and improvements.