The arrival of IoT in smart buildings is all about data and its sharing that will lead to increased functionality and efficiency, according to Tridium.
The arrival of IoT in smart buildings is all about data and its sharing that will lead to increased functionality and efficiency, according to Tridium.
Speaking at a webinar organized along with Memoori, Chris Irwin, Business Development Director at Tridium Europe, explained the transition from traditional buildings to smart ones and how IoT matters in the context.
“In the past, most devices in buildings were controlled locally, they were just operating standalone and indeed in many buildings that’s still the case,” Irwin said. “If there was any networking, it was very local, it was very proprietary, specific to manufacturers, and even building management now are quite just dealing with the HVAC system on the whole.”
So you end up with multiple islands intelligence. For instance, you’ve got a lighting control system, a building management system, a UPS – standby generator - and all sorts of other systems like access control system, security etc. And they are all separate, not connected. More importantly, the data from them is not used to cross-inform those systems.
And they are managed on site, or they are managed at the enterprise level but they are not managed at the cloud level. That’s where we were, or we have been.
“But in the future where are we going?” Irwin continued. “Well, with the IoT, we are going to be in a different world, where all the data coming from the building is integrated. A lot of the new IoT players are talking about, well it doesn’t matter what system it is which is putting in, there are smart devices and they will all talk to each other and it will be wonderful.”
But he added that some of the new players are a bit naïve about the challenges that lie ahead.
“We have to overcome the challenges of protocol compatibility and the like, but it is about sharing data and making the most of the data that’s there. That leads to improved functionality, improved efficiency and better buildings.”