IOT Jetstream quick reference guide and introduction to GraphQL APIs for building data

For Buildings IOT customers, IOT Jetstream serves as the endpoint for all their building or portfolio data. It is functionally an independent data layer, which means the applications that use the data, including but not limited to Buildings IOT's front-end application onPoint, are built separately from the acquisition and normalization of data that is originated in disparate sources. 

A key distinction for Jetstream is that it is not just a "read-only" API that allows other systems to retrieve data. It can accept new data being "pushed" into it and also allows other systems, like onPoint, to "pull" data out of it.  

GraphQL API: 

For many users of the API, the first and most familiar feature is the GraphQL endpoint that they will utilize to run queries or mutations. This initiates the "pull" sequence, enabling users to grab data that has already been loaded from connected systems and send commands to connected equipment through Jetstream. The API has one endpoint (or URL) for all connected buildings and their downstream systems. The best part about this feature is all your data is available fully normalized, following our ontology. So a zone temperature setpoint in one building is a zone temperature setpoint in a thousand buildings. 

Many APIs are capable of exposing specific system data, but become hard to manage when you are connecting to multiple APIs that expose data in differing ways. The power of Jetstream is in reducing that complexity and surfacing your data in a consumable way, showing a point like "Zone Temperature" in the same format, regardless of the source system. This is incredibly important for advanced applications that have machine learning or other AI features that require clean data for other computers to easily understand.  

BMS Command & Control: 

Jetstream can also integrate with HVAC and Lighting controllers so it can provide the current values of connected equipment points and allow for overrides, alarms, scheduling, and optimization features like adaptive setpoint control (Automated Demand Management).  

This all happens using the GraphQL API mentioned above. The queries and the mutations are what onPoint leverages for its user interface, but the independent nature of Jetstream means it doesn't have to be onPoint, any UI can hook into the API and read values or command points. 

Adaptive Connectivity: 

In addition to the ability to pull data out of Jetstream using the GraphQL endpoint, the Jetstream API has the ability to accept data "pushed" into it directly from data-producing sources like MQTT sensors or equipment controllers. This allows cloud to edge connectivity in a fully secured, modern framework that scales easily and reduces the need for use-case specific integration methods.  

Jetstream can record near-real-time values into the historian database and in turn, makes it available for onPoint equipment views, like charts.  

Also part of the adaptive connectivity capabilities, Jetstream is compatible with Webhooks. One recent example of webhooks connectivity is with the sensor brand Disruptive Technologies. Instead of commissioning a custom integration to the Disruptive API, Jetstream users can have their Disruptive Tech sensors "push" data into Jetstream, where it can be made available next to their other BMS, HVAC, and Lighting data.  

This ability to push near-real-time values directly from sensors to a cloud for normalization and application availability is critical for organizations that are looking to create an adaptive building that responds to the shifting occupancy trends across its portfolio. Utilizing this connectivity method, IOT Jetstream can make the sensor data like CO2, Occupancy or Temperature available in a few hours, faster than any integration method currently available. This has significant impact on the affordability of IOT sensors for advanced building management and eliminates the need to rely on expensive, single-source sensor APIs for data access. 

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