FEATURE ARTICLES
JUST DO IoT By Rogier Roelvink, customer strategy director, Oracle Construction and Engineering
Internet of Things (IoT) is everywhere these days, with people referring how they are planning for, talking about or developing for it. With the prevalence of IoT, what does it mean for construction and property management in the healthcare space/facilities? Will it actually provide real benefits and efficiencies or is its value yet to become apparent?
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ith the fourth industrial revolution (Industry 4.0) in full swing, technology advances mean that new, smarter, safer and better ways have come to market to plan build and operate health assets. The Internet of Things (IoT) is one of those technology advances that have been around for about two decades. Since then its definition has been subject to some change, however fundamentally it refers to the connectivity to the internet of objects that generate data for the purpose of making the data available and connectable.
stakeholders and contractors by way of notification and work order requests with the aim of minimising disruption and optimising operational expenditure.
Although threats of cybersecurity and protection of privacy make IoT a potentially scary proposition, society is already filled with IoT objects: mobile phones, smart watches, remote security systems, lighting in our homes, and even baby monitors all connected to the internet, demonstrating how IoT is here to stay. What does IoT mean for construction, facilities and asset management in the healthcare space?
Data overload
THE PROMISE OF IOT There is an inherent conundrum associated with IoT devices in the construction and property industry. On the one hand, manufacturers forge ahead with providing connected devices and in some cases there is no longer an unconnected alternative available. Connected devices are touted to have great benefits for businesses in and associated with construction and property, but can stated benefits like ‘early warning’, ‘remote monitoring’ and ‘continuous data collection’ be quantified within a health organisation to the extent that they warrant change or investment? Smart buildings and assets A facility with devices connected can make buildings and assets ‘smart’. Critical systems and assets could be connected to the internet and if they are underperforming or even off-line, notifications could be sent to the relevant
In most cases it is difficult to attribute direct and immediate cost savings to internet connectivity functionality. Areas to consider for a business justification to invest in IoT devices could for example be to focus on risk avoidance and reduction, reduced down time and disruption, all of which could potentially be quantified.
Another reason why IoT devices are still sceptically regarded in construction and property is that the industry is currently experiencing a constant and ever-increasing influx of data, information and records. The influx of data and devices that can collect more and more data is leading to a data overload in the construction industry that is spending less than one percent of its value on technology. The construction and property industry may simply not know what to do with the data and how it can support productivity and efficiency gains and reduce safety incidents and risks. There is however great potential with the advent and introduction of more IoT devices in construction and property especially when combined with advances in artificial intelligence, machine learning and analytics.
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND MACHINE LEARNING Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning provide valuable insights in performance when combined with IoT devices and analytics. Machine learning and AI in simple terms is probably best explained as automating data analysis and formulating corrective courses of action. By way of example: sensors, access systems data, room temperature, energy use are all combined to determine
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