Emergency Response

We need a BIM Lite

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Every week I encounter another project which would be simpler if we had a light-weight three dimensional BIM standard. BIM (Building Information Model) is a family of data standard models that fit together to describe every aspect of the design and construction of buildings. The sexiest member of this family is the Building Model, the 3D representation of the space itself. Today, BIM does little for the operation of a building or for providing tenant services. For this we are going to need a BIM Light.

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Demand and Emergency Responses

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New models for DR anticipate that buildings become full intelligent partners in energy negotiations. DR rewards for each event offer too few dollars to engage the building full time attention of the occupants. DR events today (prior to significant renewable energy generation) occur too rarely to require full attention. Future DR will shun control interactions and therefore require intelligent buildings that are able to respond on behalf of their occupants.

Six cities have already rolled out Next Generation 911 (NG911) as early adopters prior to the 2010 larger scale roll-out. NG911 was designed so that security companies and even buildings can submit calls without waiting for an operator to verify information. Of course, this means that the intelligent building must...

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The Sound of Breaking Glass

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I love the sound of breaking glass
Deep into the night
I Iove the work on it can do
Oh a change of mind
Oh change of mind, sound of breaking glass
All around, sound of breaking glass

Nothing new, sound of breaking glass

Nick Lowe

Security in the built world is most critical at precisely those times when the demands for performance and interaction are greatest. Buildings may lose their communications with the outside world when partially destroyed. The power grid may require ad hoc reconfiguration when its communication lines are down.

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SCADA Security, Building Systems, and First Response

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The security of the "internet of Things" and the security of the wider internet are about to collide. The Systems that have been hidden or off line will be on-line. Embedded systems, building systems, power supply and distribution must all change their security model. Eggshell security, the hard shell on the outside and no internal security, will be torn apart not only by the Smart Grid, and all its participants and influencers, but by new models for energy interaction as microgrids, pocket generation, and on-site storage increase the number of participants.
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