Day: October 25, 2017

What is building intelligence and a smart building?

Buildings were once simply enclosed spaces where people safely lived and worked in a stable climate. Now, many major buildings have become smart. Smart buildings are dynamic entities that actively improve occupant’s comfort, lower energy costs, communicate their problems, and in some cases, self-repair themselves. They start with intelligent infrastructure; they are designed to be smart. Going beyond brick and mortar, the structure includes a robust open operating system enmeshed in a well-connected and integrated network of building systems and controls. Data analytics systems receive and interpret incoming data from building sensors, making sense of the data in terms of actions that the building itself can take. The smart building includes the necessary educated service team to supplement the automation and support the complex cable and cloud networks.

The Evolution of the IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things)

The first functional binary digital computers date back from the Z1 invented in 1936, and hardware and software has been changing ever since. In the evolution of software and how it was written, one can see the gradually increasing potential for the IIoT.

Computer languages are long lists of instructions. They include detailed instructions on how to create things and how to make pictures. Modern computer languages have interfaces, so they can interpret different visual input or input from other mechanical or electrical sources and create expressions that translate those inputs into instructions that will duplicate the inputs for a printer or a monitor or integrate all or part of a complex input into its ongoing processes.

At the beginning instructions were put into machines via the assembled hardware mechanism itself, then as punch tape or cards, then as magnetic tape or direct input via keyboard. The first languages were used only for specific applications. The limitations of the hardware restricted the language. Throughout the past century, things have certainly changed.

The Internet of Things significantly developed as the number of possible internet protocol (IP) addresses has been increasing to allow small computers (like the Raspberry Pi), connected with outputs to machine switches to control them. These could then be individually called from the internet. Many parts can be controlled by these different small computers, and they make up components of an entire, efficient building automation system.

Performance Solutions focuses on creating and delivering performance-based, comprehensive facility improvement projects. Contact us to learn more.