Global database of thermal comfort field experiments

ASHRAE Research Project 884 on adaptive thermal comfort required a large database of field observations. Approximately 21,000 sets of raw thermal comfort data were collected from research groups around the world for this purpose. They included thermal comfort questionnaire responses plus coincident indoor and outdoor climatic observations. Before assimilation into the database, raw data were subjected to various `cleaning' and standardization processes. Clo values were converted to their ASHRAE Standard 55 equivalents, and thermal comfort indices were recalculated using ASHRAE-sponsored software. The database has numerous potential applications extending well beyond the initial scope of adaptive thermal comfort modeling, including empirical thermal index development and field validation of laboratory-based comfort models and standards. The database has been put in the public domain and is readily available in a variety of formats via a site on the World Wide Web. This paper describes the background and content of the database and serves as a manual for its end-users.