OEFamily
OEFamily – Open Energy Family.
What does OEFamily help with?
OEFamily helps store, share, and make energy and climate data accessible, transparent, and standardized so that it can be reused. The research data is processed according to the FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable).
The goal is to promote scientific collaboration by providing standardized workflows, databases, and interfaces.
Who is this tool intended for?
OEFamily includes several relevant tools for energy and climate modelers, for research projects that wish to implement Open Science principles, and for institutions that want to store data in a sustainable and standardized manner.
How does OEFamily work?
OEFamily is an open, modular system of tools, databases, and interfaces that supports the entire research process in energy system analysis. At its core is the OpenEnergyPlatform (OEP), which serves as the central platform for storing, providing, and sharing energy data. Technically, it is based on a relational PostgreSQL database that is accessible via a web interface and RESTful APIs. This allows users to interact with the data either manually via a browser or automatically via scripts and applications.
OEFamily uses standardized metadata and relies on open data standards to ensure interoperability. A dedicated data management system is used for data versioning, which documents changes to data records in a traceable manner. In addition to data storage, OEFamily also offers a range of validation and quality control tools: Using defined schemas and validation routines, data can be automatically checked for completeness, consistency, and plausibility before being imported into the platform. Furthermore, interfaces to modeling frameworks such as oemof or PyPSA are planned. Linked Open Data and the use of ontologies make it possible to link data from OEFamily with other research databases, thereby addressing new research questions.
The technical infrastructure is primarily developed in Python, with web applications implemented using modern frameworks such as Django. Automated testing, continuous integration, and comprehensive documentation are integral parts of the development process. Thanks to this modular structure, OEFamily can be used by both individual researchers and large research consortia. It enables traceable, transparent, and reproducible energy system modeling that encompasses data collection, modeling, and the publication of scenarios and results.
What are some examples of its use?
How can OEFamily be used?
The main module, the Open Energy Platform (OEP), provides access to the database, allows for data uploads, and enables API usage.
OEFamily is also available on GitHub so you can host or further develop tools yourself.
The OECompendium provides comprehensive framework documentation on the tools and community activities.
