Author: DigiConsult ltd

The hospitality industry is well positioned to benefit from the Internet of  Things (IoT) with its potentials to improve the customer experience while also reducing costs. IoT solutions promise to make businesses in the hospitality industry smarter and more successful at what they do. In other words, with IoT, data compilation and analysis is crucial. Analytics not only allow you to know more about how customers use and interact with technology but also boost the creation of new business models. IoT comes into the picture in hotels because the guest wants to interact with its hotel world in the same way it interacts with the world at home.

Bringing IoT In Hospitality

The hospitality industry is one of the biggest spenders as far as IoT is concerned. Close to $128 million was spent in 2015 per company across the world which is much more than what other sectors like manufacturing, banking or utilities spend. IoT is changing the way products and services deliver value and in imminent future it will also redefine guest experience by rendering hyper-personalized recommendations and solving real-time queries of the guests.

The enormous underlying potential of IoT in hospitality

• Smart devices that turn ordinary mirrors into personal interactive information stations to enable guests to manage hotel room functions, ambience and entertainment. With a simple touch, guests can connect with hotel services and access information, including local news, weather and traffic.
• Autonomous indoor delivery robots that automate hotel room service. Employing sensors, artificial intelligence and machine learning, the robots are able to operate elevators and navigate crowds while handling tasks such as room deliveries quickly, safely and reliably.
• Through the use of connected thermostats, hotels can adjust guest room temperatures at check-in and checkout to eliminate the cost of cooling or heating vacant rooms. Linking thermostats with other sensors, air conditioning turns off automatically when a guest opens a window or balcony door; automated window coverings close during afternoon sunshine to reduce temperature swings.
• Preventative maintenance IoT systems identify appliance or equipment issues before they become costly problems. In guest rooms, sensors can monitor HVAC systems and automatically notify maintenance when units are beginning to fail.

IoT, data compilation and analysis is crucial. Analytics not only allow you to know more about how customers use and interact with technology, but also boost the creation of new business models.

Technology revolution brings innovation in public address speaker system. Delivering significant information at the right place with the right announcement or tone for an operational or emergency announcement is important. Doing it in the best efficient way without disturbing everyone and reaching your specific targets can be done smartly with smart speaker system. A perfect public address speaker system that matches your organisation requirements is important, creating less disturbance and communicating effectively. Opt for a  Smart Speaker to create a dynamic and powerful communication platform giving your organization unparalleled communications.

Smart speaker system using Wi-Fi system

Using a Wi-Fi system network to connect speakers enables communication from a smartphone or a desktop within the Wi-Fi network. The system ships with a server module that resides on your network and act as the brain. The server module, the speakers and the software make up the system, allowing for intercom capability and paging. It is built to provide an advance all in one.

Smart speaker system with an IP – PoE Speaker System

The Smart Power over Ethernet technology coupled with audio networking engineering has produced a perfect paging system that will utilize your Ethernet network as the backbone of a reliable communication system for your facility. With the option of standard or high-powered speakers in order to implement a paging and intercom system that provides for audio communications for day to day operational issues and for emergency communications. The responsibilities of organizations to make live broadcast to execute pre-recorded message is mandatory for a number of entities. This system meets that demand.

Wireless public speaker system makes  public address system easier

The Innovation Wireless Public Address speakers are perfect for hearing crisp, clear Voice Communication and Tone Signaling, in facility applications. Requiring only standard electric, these Wireless Speakers are the ideal solution for eliminating expensive/costly wiring, or as a replacement to existing failed hard wired speakers. Accurately controlled and wirelessly coordinated announcements are easily generated, providing enhanced audibility, and reliability.

Address larger gathering clearly – Establishing a public address system has never been easier than with wireless public address speakers. With availability in different Watt standard, the public address system is ideal for small to larger size room and gathering. Straightforward and simple installation makes installation within a snap embedded with secure fit.

Different tones facilities – With varieties of tone availability and possibility of pre-recorded messages communication to a gathering is made easy and you can install as many speakers to ensure complete and clear coverage of your organization or facility.

Creating Zones – Combination of different watt standard speakers to create a mix and match  to set the perfect tone and address the target area. Without creating disturbance you can address the target area without disturbing the whole area with optimal location of the speakers.

Broadcasting different information to different zones – Creating Zones is a powerful tool for any organization from a school to a manufacturing plant. The ability to broadcast to a separate wing of a manufacturing plant maintains operational efficiency throughout the plant. For example, the zoning of speakers can help to facilitate shift or break changes.

Flexible to infrastructure change – The other strong attribute about this system is its flexibility. As any organization goes through add, changes and renovations, wired public address system are inflexible however this public address system allows you to place a speaker anywhere within the broadcast area.

Scheduling messages or tones-The public address system software is simple to use and very intuitive. Therefore, playing pre-recorded messages, tones or music over the loudspeaker system at a schedule time is simple to program and can be modified quickly to adapt to the situations of the day.Additionally, you can load many different schedules and make them active on certain days. If you have a certain schedule of events that occurs on Monday, Wednesday and Fridays and a completely different schedule on Tuesday and Thursday you can accommodate both schedules during the week.

Smart cities are rapidly becoming a reality all around the globe. Like all revolutionising innovations, smart cities are developing their own unique challenges alongside of their perks. Among the benefits of Smart cities lies a slew of security nightmares that are unmatched by any other technological development. Such large, interconnected networks of gadgets and people are bound to generate issues ranging from social surveillance to pollution to even physical security threats. Let`s get prepared to countermeasures well before towards building the resilient cities of tomorrow.

The challenges that are clouding the smart cities excitement

Man-in-the-middle: An attacker breaches, interrupts or spoofs communications between two systems.

Data & identity theft: Personal information of inhabitants may lie in the hands of cyber attacks for fraudulent transactions and identity theft as large amount data are being generated in automated system such as parking garages, EV charging stations and surveillance

Device hijacking: Smart apparatus such smart meters can be hijacked by attackers without altering its functioning. Thus without any difficulty virus like ransomware can be launched to hamper Energy Management Systems (EMS) or stealthily siphon energy from a municipality.

Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS): This is typically achieved by flooding the target with superfluous requests to prevent legitimate requests from being fulfilled. In the case of a distributed denial-of-service attack (DDoS attack), incoming traffic flooding a target originates from multiple sources, making it difficult to stop the cyber offensive by simply blocking a single source. Within smart cities, a plethora of devices, such as parking meters, can be breached and forced to join a botnet programmed to overwhelm a system by requesting a service simultaneously.

Permanent Denial of Service (PDoS): Permanent denial- of-service attacks (PDoS), also known loosely as phlashing,is an attack that damages the device so badly that it requires replacement or reinstallation of hardware. In a smart city scenario, a hijacked parking meter could also fall victim to sabotage and would have to be replaced.

Countermeasures towards building resilient cities of the future

Connected smart city devices should be protected by a comprehensive IoT security solution that does not disrupt profitability or time to market.

Firmware integrity and secure boot- Secure boot utilizes cryptographic code signing techniques, ensuring that a device only executes code generated by the device OEM or another trusted party. Use of secure boot technology prevents hackers from replacing firmware with malicious versions, thereby preventing attacks. Unfortunately, not all IoT chipsets are equipped with secure boot capabilities. In such a scenario, it is important to ensure that the IoT device can only communicate with authorized services to avoid the risk of replacing firmware with malicious instruction sets.

Mutual authentication–Every time a smart city device connects to the network it should be authenticated prior to receiving or transmitting data. This ensures that the data originates from a legitimate device and not a fraudulent source. Secure, mutual authentication— where two entities (device and service) must prove their identity to each other—helps protect against malicious attacks.

Security monitoring and analysis–Captures data on the overall state of the system, including endpoint devices and connectivity traffic. This data is then analyzed to detect possible security violations or potential system threats. Once detected, a broad range of actions formulated in the context of an overall system security policy should be executed, such as quarantining devices based on anomalous behavior

Security lifecycle management–The lifecycle management feature allows service providers and OEMs to control the security aspects of IoT devices when in operation. Rapid over the air (OTA) device key(s) replacement during cyber disaster recovery ensures minimal service disruption. In addition, secure device decommissioning ensures that scrapped devices will not be repurposed and exploited to connect to a service without authorization.

Augmented Reality is the most promising new technologies to be used on construction sites offering unique and exciting way to communicate design intent and to visualise virtual objects and designs in the real world. AR is gaining speed in construction as it is one industry that will clearly benefit from it. Companies implemented augmented reality are already seeing the financial benefits.

About in AR in the construction space

Augmented reality is about the incorporation of a computer-generated image on a person’s view of the real world. It provides a view of both what the world and work actually look like and what it could look like. There growing number of wearables being developed. There are numerous benefits to adopting this technology. In addition to the increased efficiencies and reduced costs, it can allow builders to stand out from the crowd when marketing their property to consumers and gain an edge over their competitors.

Imagine you are part of a crew constructing a new office building: Midway through the process, you are on-site, inspecting the installation of HVAC systems. You put on a funny-looking wearable and step out of the service elevator. Through the visor on your wearable, you pull up the Building Information Model (BIM), which is instantly projected across your field of vision. There are heating ducts, water pipes, and electrical boxes, moving and shifting with your point of view as you walk along the corridors. Peel back layers of the model to see the building’s steel structure, insulation, and material finishes. It is like having comic book–style X-ray vision—and soon, it could be a reality on a construction site with AR wearables.

This magic eyewear is a wearable augmented-reality system being developed for use in the building and construction industry. Essentially, it allows builders, engineers, and designers to wear it and experience an immersive, full-scale 3D environment.

Intelligent application fields of AR in the construction space

• Showing Plans to Local Governments

Between building information modelling and augmented reality, architectural firms and construction companies will know how a building will fare over time. The impact of the building can be explained to officials with details. Adjustments in terms of remedial measures or preventive measures can be carried well before the impacts be it at the environmental or social level. The value of augmented reality in construction in the planning and permit stages is and will continue to be incredible.

• Showing Plans to Clients

Clients see computer-generated images or drafts, and they might have a slightly different image or vision for what they expected.  By using augmented reality in conjunction with BIM both the architects and construction firms can truly showcase functional models to their clients. Changes and all queries can be addressed well before the construction starts and thus meeting the perfect requirement of clients in efficient time limit without the need to do adjustments after the project completion. With better client engagement in the project, there is the elimination of cost attached to readjustment after construction. It makes augmented reality in construction a major investment in reducing costs for re-work.

• Measuring Accurately

It might sound odd, but augmented reality actually helps measure spaces more accurately. Augmented reality gear collect data on space’s height, width and depth. This means using augmented reality in construction projects incorporates all dimensions into usable models. When using augmented reality, many companies use drones to take near perfect measurements of the space. Then using a building model or computer model of the structure with an accurate measurement, project managers know what it will look like. They have accurate measurements of the equipment and other parts of the building and can see how it fits on the job site. Especially in construction, accurate measurements are crucial to work performance (labour, time and materials) and can be improved by augmented reality.

• On the Site

The best benefit to augmented reality is the ability to see how things fit on the site. It gives project managers the tools to see how everything fits on site before parts are ordered or assembled. While most companies are using VR helmets, glasses and other wearables on the sidelines for safety, it looks as though it will soon be available to walk through the site. It helps projects managers know how the plumbing, electrical and other utilities will fit into the structure so they can plan for it.

GPON is the highest speed, longest life, lowest cost network infrastructure available in the market. Offering a genuine future‐proof access network with flexibility and upgrade capability well into the future. This high bandwidth, power saving, green technology is transforming a wide range of businesses and government agencies. Including mining accommodation camps, hotels and multi-dwelling accommodation, campus-style building layouts, retirement villages, residential and commercial developments, corporate and high rise buildings.

About GPON network

A GPON network consists of OLT (Optical Line Terminals), ONU (Optical Network Unit), and a splitter. The splitter will divide the signal when needed. The OLT takes in all of the optical signals in the form of beams of light from ONUs and will convert it to an electrical signal. OLTs normally support up to 72 ports(There are cards of 16 pon ports in use. OLT can accommodate upto 15 cards – OLT MA5600T for example) . An ONU connects to end users and will send their signals back to the OLT. A GPON network can reach up to 20 km and provide service up to 64 end users. GPON utilizes both upstream and downstream data by means of Optical Wavelength Division Multiplexing (WDM).

It is a network containing both active and passive elements. Active elements are in Central Office, at customer, in repeaters, switches and etc. Passive Optical Network (PON) which had no active components between CO and customer. Passive equipment has no electrical power needs, it guides the traffic signals contained within specific optical wavelengths. Voice, video and data traffic flows (triple play) can be easily implemented using different wavelengths. And particular equipment used is GPON

By using passive splitters GPON enables one single fibre to do what multiple fibres used to give the end user the ability to consolidate multiple services onto a single fibre data network. GPON is also totally scalable without the need to recable the network. Systems can be configured up to many thousands of users with multiple OLT chassis. So as usage trends evolve and end users bandwidth requirement grows, GPON enables future upgrade migration without passive Infrastructure replacement. The end result is a future-proofed, customisable, high capacity fibre network for all forms of IP based services, including CCTV & Webcam, Security Systems, Interactive Signage “PIDS”, Video on Demand, High Speed Internet, PMS Integration, High or Ultra High Definition IPTV, Access Control & Door Entry, VoIP Telephony, Traditional Analogue Telephony, Automated Minibar Systems, POS Terminals, and Wi‐Fi Access Node.

The potential in GPON

• Fast and reliable technology

GPON’s passive optical network delivers a much higher bandwidth capacity than traditional networks, with speeds capable of exceeding the maximum NBN plan by ten times (conservatively)! The cabling has a longer life, longer reach, is less susceptible to interference, and has faster connector solutions.

• Cost saving technology

Switching to a GPON enables many short- and long-term cost savings. GPON is the lowest cost network infrastructure available in the market, using 80% less copper and 60% less power than traditional networks. With GPON there are also reduced training, maintenance, installation and operational costs. At the same time GPON extends the lifecycle of network infrastructure. GPON fibre is also substantially lighter, affording huge cost savings for larger projects and transport of cabling.

• Safe technology

GPON delivers greater network security with fewer interruptions to the service. Powerful security measures at the physical layer, data layer and the end user port greatly reduce or eliminate the potential for Denial of Service (DoSS), redirects or other malicious attacks.

• Green technology

GPON technology allows businesses and government agencies to boost their Green Star Rating.  GPON systems utilise fibre optic cabling, which is made from glass that can be recycled. As well as using up to 90% less copper and up to 60% less power than traditional networks, ongoing environment benefits include the up to 90% reduction in air-conditioning requirements.

• Space saving technology

GPON eliminates the need for multiple comms rooms full of duplicated infrastructure. And because GPON only uses one cable, instead of multiple cables, GPON technology also reduces spacial requirements for cable pathways by up to 80%.

• Future-proofed technology

Because GPON delivers fibre to the room there is no longer a need to replace the entire network as technology evolves. The system will support advances in end user technology requirements without the need to replace or upgrade the GPON infrastructure. And recent advances in GPON technology (NGPON2 and XGSPON) means GPON can continue to exceed the bandwidth requirements of end users for the next two or three generations of technology.

• All-round better technology

Delivering a better user experience: higher bandwidth capacity; substantial short- and long-term cost savings; safer, faster, greener, space saving and future proofed technology Gigabit Passive Optical Networks tick every box. It’s never been more important to invest in a future-proof network that supports innovation and growth…and with GPON the future of cable network infrastructure is already here.

Smart Parking solutions are on top of mind of public officials, city information technology (IT) and innovation executives when planning smart cities. In the age of “smart” and the Internet of Things (IoT), it is easy to see why smart parking solutions are considered innovative. IoT could provide a viable, cost-effective and lasting remedy to this problem. City planners now have the technology to build smart city parking solutions for their commuters, which will result in higher quality of life for urban dwellers. Major cities around the world can install advanced IoT technology on its busiest streets and parking garages.

About Smart Parking Solution Functionalities

Sensors embedded in the ground, or cameras mounted on light poles or building structures, determine whether the parking spaces are occupied or available. This data is routed wirelessly to a gateway and relayed to a central cloud-based smart parking platform. It is aggregated with data from other sensors to create a real time parking map. Drivers use this map on their mobile phone to find parking faster and easier instead of blindly driving around searching. For parking control officers, the map directs them to where the parking violations are and improves their citation enforcement effectiveness. While smart parking solutions provide improved visibility and effectiveness for both drivers and parking enforcement officers, that is not where the real innovation lies.

The stakeholders around Smart Parking

The real value lies in the data, and when combined with data from key stakeholders (businesses, other city agencies), processes and systems, will yield real innovations that matter most.

Drivers, parking enforcement officers and agencies are the main stakeholders to be happy with solutions of Smart Parking. Parking control agencies must balance between increasing enforcement effectiveness against the perception of overzealous prosecution of parking violators and increased complaints from local businesses.

Businesses are also of concerned as parking frustrations drive some customers and potential employees to go elsewhere. This results in businesses underperforming, shutting down, or relocating.

To residents in dense urban areas, parking is a real problem for those who use their cars on a daily basis. Difficult parking situations causes people to find questionable alternative parking arrangements, park far from where they live, or choose to live in another area with more parking.

The real IoT innovation for impactful change

In spotting the real innovation opportunities with smart parking, data is collected by the sensors, and can be used along one or more of the innovation paths.

•         Sponsored meter time extension

Smart parking solutions can be configured to notify driver that their parking meter is expiring soon, and allows them to extend the parking time through their phone and a merchant in the area is notified, pays for a 15-minute extension, and the driver is notified that the merchant paid for it.

•         High value, high priority enforcement

Smart parking solutions can efficiently identify violators that pose potential safety risks. Cars that are illegally parked in red zones, passenger loading and unloading zones, bus stops, and handicapped zones pose a bigger disruption to traffic than a car that is five minutes past the time limit. This type of targeted enforcement allows the parking control officers to find and clear those disruptions proactively before they become a real problem.

•         Parking incentives to drive business growth and economic development

Merchants could offset their customer’s parking costs as incentive to get them in. This is similar to parking validation programs for garage parking, but applied to metered street parking. This has the intended effect removing some of the barriers that might have prevented their customers from coming in.

•         Efficient citywide parking space utilization

Parking control agencies can maximise the number of spaces available for drivers on any given day, turning otherwise empty spaces into revenue generating occupied spaces. Using historical parking and traffic information, parking analysts can adjust meter enforcement times, rates, and maximum parking times to fill up normally unoccupied spaces.

 Managing any building efficiently is a complex task, involving number of equipment, systems and subsystems. Opt for Building Management System (BMS) that ensures that all building services can be monitored and controlled centrally. Apart from smooth operations, a centralise BMS platform ensures that the facility management team is gainfully deployed, thereby reducing dependence on costly manpower. Multiple facilities can be monitored and controlled from a central location. A centralise platform for your BMS is the gateway for a smart and sustainable building helping you to save time and money, provide constant access to your system, and ensure better security.

An integrated Building Management System

BMS systems are “Intelligent” microprocessor based controller networks installed to monitor and control a buildings technical systems and services such as air conditioning, ventilation, lighting and hydraulics. BMS is to connect all of the technology in a property which monitors utilities, electronic devices and mechanical equipment. Traditional building management systems typically have stand-alone applications with separate monitoring and control stations for HVAC Controls, energy metering and power management, central plant equipment and lighting. While each application is beneficial on its own, the real power lies in managing them as one, intelligent solution.

The real power of an integrated centralised platform

A centralized BMS will help you save time and money, provide constant access to your system, and ensure better security.

• Auto Scheduling – An integrated BMS provides the ability to auto-schedule any equipment or sub-system. This means that standard, day-to-day functions need not be remembered or done by human intervention. This saves manpower resources and also improves productivity and reduces human errors by automating mundane tasks. The system also maintains a log of maintenance history and scheduling events which can be used to retrospectively analyze system issues.
• Real Time Alarms – A single sharing BMS platform allows you to create functional, operational and maintenance related schedules and rules in the system. The system will detect any schedule or rule violations in real time and generate automated alarms, which are displayed as on-screen visual alerts or sent as an SMS or email, if required. The system displays alarm details along with current system conditions, time of occurrence and status of alarms.
• Ease of use –BMS makes the task of managing any site very simple and enjoyable. It removes the complexity from the routine tasks, and allows you to focus on the relevant, high-priority issues, while simultaneously ensuring that regular operations run efficiently.
• Central Monitoring And Control – Managing any building efficiently is a complex task, involving number of equipment, systems & sub-systems. The BMS ensures that all building services can be monitored and controlled centrally. Apart from smooth operations, this ensures that the facility management team is gainfully deployed, thereby reducing dependence on costly manpower. Multiple facilities can be monitored and controlled from a central location.
• Optimization – BMS provides integrated monitoring and control of all equipment and devices in central building services, such as HVAC, thereby ensuring synchronized working of different components of the sub-systems to deliver optimized performance. For example, to ensure that the floor temperature is maintained at 24°C, the iBMS will automatically monitor parameters, such as, Return Air Temperature, Supply Water Temperature, Return Water Temperature, etc.
• Interoperability – BMS is compliant with most industry standard protocols. Integration with legacy and third party systems is easy. Even those components that use proprietary protocols can be integrated through drivers customized for the purpose.
• Reports – A BMS platform help to analyze your equipment’s operational information as well as energy usage over any specified time period. Data is collated and analysed against historical and current trends. Discrepancies, anomalies and possible improvements are presented in usable and actionable forms.
• Comfort Control-A building management system allows for regular maintenance and fine-tuning of a property’s heat. This means that business owners and managers of residential homes can ensure maximum comfort for residents and staff members by maintaining a steady temperature. This will reduce the risk of overheating or overcooling while still keeping overall energy costs under control.
• Accurate Reporting Metrics-By having constant access to the energy usage statistics, business owners and building managers can quickly and easily create accurate financial reports and set budgets based on the information from previous quarters.

Internet of Things (IoT) and Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) promise increased insight, enhanced customer satisfaction, and greater efficiency. Along with powerful business impacts, IoT is expected to have staggering economic impact. To exploit fully the benefits of IoT, potential problems should be determined in advance in the cyber threat landscape. To ensure strong security for IoT and IIoT, organisations would be wise to implement several best practices. The first step towards securing IoT is to raise awareness of the threat and ensure it is considered at every point in the infrastructure. It is vital to secure the system to protect your business data.

Transition to a New IIoT Infrastructure
There is a lot of hype about the IIoT and many organisations want to leverage the benefits it promises. However, for many organisations, the path to technological adoption seems unclear, and some still question if IIoT will ever happen. Fortunately, with current and emerging offerings, organisations can actually take full advantage of IIoT today. Before making the leap, though, they should recognise that legacy devices are still in use. Planning and patience are required as you move forward with an IIoT solution for your organisation.

The best practices for sustainable and reliable IoT infrastructure
Securing an IoT infrastructure requires a rigorous security-in-depth strategy. This strategy requires you to secure data in the cloud, protect data integrity while in transit over the public internet, and securely provision devices. Device provisioning is the process of attaching a certificate to the device identity.Device identity (or in short – device ID) is similar to user identity but is used to uniquely identify a specific device.Each layer builds greater security assurance in the overall infrastructure.

Device security – As a best practice, hardening the end-point security likely means adopting an approach that requires attackers to circumvent multiple obstacles to protect the device and its data from unauthorized access and use. Some devices or pieces of equipment might operate continuously unattended, and therefore not subject to the security implied by frequent, direct observation of third parties. Making these devices tamper-proof or tamper-evident might be advantageous because this type of endpoint hardening can help block potential intruders from reaching data, the report says. It might also defend against a hacker or other cybercriminal buying and then weaponing devices.

A trained team – All users need to be train on best practices and updated on a regular basis. While people may not intentionally mean to cause problems, those who are not immersed in the information technology world may not understand how to deal with threats appropriately. Train them, too, on what to do if they think there may be a security issue. Keep Up To Date When software and infrastructure are not updated; your network infrastructure can fail.

Infrastructure– Developers and customers need secure and reliable. IoT infrastructure, internal network segmentation enable monitoring, inspection, and policy enforcement based on the activity at various points within the infrastructure. A fast and synchronized response to IoT threats is delivered by the Security firewalls integrated defenses and the correlation of IoT security incidents and continuous threat intelligence. Moreover  advanced anti-malware, SSL inspection, application control, URL filtering, sandboxing, and additional security controls in the firewall can be applied to protect IoT communications.

Standards-As the Internet of Things evolves, standards will play an increasing role in enabling companies to accelerate their time to market and maximise their market size. Standards make it easier to integrate products with existing web services (such as social networks and online retailers), exchange data with other devices, and play a part in innovative new services too.

The construction industry has no other alternative than catching up with digital trends disruption this segment. Big data, the innovative tech has a lot to offer the building environment. Big data is already affecting every area of business activity including real estate, construction and the built environment. Surveying in the construction landscape can benefit from big data with its various capabilities to disrupt this segment. Surveyors need to keep abreast of developments in big data field and they need to embrace new skill sets if the relevance of the profession is to be maintained and strengthened in the future.  

The surveying landscape in the construction industry

Building survey is the starting point for initial planning proposals, for the diagnosis and documentation of building damages, for the creation of objectives catalogues, for the detailed design of renovation and conversion measures and for ensuring fulfilment of building legislation, particularly by change of use and refitting. The importance of surveying determines the viability of the project. Construction and building, big data already exists in all the plans and records of anything that was ever built.. The variety of inputs in big data allows better levels of certainty about status reports and forecasts. The analytics can provide helpful indications of levels of risk before a threshold is exceeded and an alert generated. They also offer insights that traditional systems simply cannot.

The potential disruptive impact of big data and digital technologies on traditional surveying practice

Surveyors’ implication in intelligent building

Surveyors need to keep abreast of modern building management, which is changing intelligent buildings sector with potential of generating large quantities of digital data from sensors and other diverse sources. Today computer servers are the controlling elements in heating ventilation, air conditioning, lighting and metering systems.

Data driven decision-making leads to higher asset utilisation, reduced capital and operational cost structure for surveyors. As one of the globally recognised professions in constructing, managing and valuing real estate, understanding this new operating environment is vital to surveyors who are providing informed advice to commissioners, occupiers, investors and lenders. The rapid developments in building design, management and maintenance are drawn together through the BIM enabled procurement process, creates the opportunity for surveyors to provide enhanced client services.

Surveyors’ implications in new smart cities

Smart Cities prioritise different aspects of smart enabling systems and are largely emerge as real estate enterprises. The success of a smart city relies on the ability of meeting the objectives
set out at the initial start. Surveyors have an important role in rendering a smart city successful. Surveyors using big data innovations can provide added value knowledge in projects. The role of the surveyor in these new environments is to understand each city’s uniqueness and its market implications. In the city, data comes from many sources. Big data technologies, used successfully, allow the city government to capture, store, analyse and act on big data for the good of citizens and other stakeholders. The focus is not on the individual buildings that make up the city, but on people, infrastructure, and environment.

The adoption of smart technologies to deliver buildings and infrastructure will have a transforming effect on the construction sector, which will favour surveying professionals who have developed this expertise.

The hot topic of today, it is “Internet of Things” (IoT) and “Smart Homes”. KNX association has recently launched IoT solutions, bringing the latest innovations. IoT is the new development boost in connecting KNX Ecosystem to the Internet. KNX now has embedded IoT protocols. Interesting possibilities of KNX IoT revolves around the compatibility of the devices and the possibility to communicate with each other.

Internet of Things at KNX

KNX IoT comes with an additional proprietary, an automation solutions making it possible to exchange data between the installed components. Different manufacturing components can communicate with each other through the Internet, creating a more connected and integrated system. To ensure compatibility in the changing IoT world, leveraging standards ensures that the value of KNX products is increased and provide long-term support. KNX has the advantage of a large KNX install base, which allows drawing on a wealth of experience that will help successfully extending the KNX integration into the Internet of Things.

From KNX city to IoT city Interconnected properties

Expendability with existing framework:  The latest KNX IoT city is an extendable IPv6 compliant physical media extending its distributed reliable interoperability up to cloud. KNX solution will be extendable with multiple IPv6 compliant physical media, on the other hand how KNX plans to extend its distributed reliable interoperability up to the cloud.All of this taking into account the results of the joint work.

KNX Secure panels: From a concept to reality, KNX solution presents the first available KNX Secure devices, which is unrivalled in the world of smart homes and smart buildings. Both KNX IP Secure and KNX Data Secure set up a protecting RF/TP networks, also communication between KNXnet/IP devices, for a protection across the board.

The KNX RF panel: KNX RF combines all of these features and makes them available to you! The KNX RF Panel impressively demonstrates a selection of available KNX RF devices, which will turn your home into a smart home without the need for additional cabling.

KNX IoT; a Secure IoT Building Automation Platform

The KNX IoT city is the results of the jointly elaborated work towards a common unique and secure building automation IoT framework serving the needs of multiple building automation solutions.

The solution KNX IoT

• Realised via gateways between the KNX network and the world of internet, on one side operation panels, building management, smartphone and others communicate via web services with the gateway. Thus, the app of a web client is able to search data in the web service gateway with unified text telegrams and to transfer them.
• By KNX IoT, the smart home comes closer to the virtual world of the internet. It becomes simpler to use data thereof for automated functions, to present values and states of a KNX installation via the internet and to evaluate them. Sensor values and consumption data of energy usage can help to optimise the energy management.
• KNX IoT city can serve to extend classic KNX installations with a field bus IPv6 network, allowing constrained devices to exchange KNX standardised data on the Thread wireless mesh network, behind the Thread border router making the connection to the KNX classic world.
• Unified and suitable set of IEEE specifications to allow all future IP based building automation products to share a common secure IPv6 compliant infrastructure. In this way, building automation products integrated into IP networks by mechanisms familiar to the IT administrator.