| | October 20148CIOReviewThe Internet of Things has entered the building. There has been an explosion of digital devices that provide signals about their operations and well-being. Elevators, HVAC systems, lighting, alarms, dampers and meters constantly report data across varied networks. The problem is, enterprises don't see or use the data as well as they could. Building management is mostly done on a localized machine-by-machine basis. The data from varied sources typically goes to more than one computer screen in the building operator's office. Dashboards may let the operators remotely adjust equipment settings or see that a motor has failed. But usually there isn't a holistic analysis of overall performance or long term patterns. Analyzing the data across time and from the many spaces and systems of a building can provide insights for much better building management and value. Integrating all that data across a university campus or an airport or a hospital provides even greater opportunities for improvement. Aggregation of this unstructured data can improve building performance and identify significant savings opportunities.Making buildings work better can lift enterprises' bottom lines. Facilities operation and management is typically the second biggest cost center for most companies, after payroll. It's also important for the planet's environmental health. The U.S. National Science and Technology Council estimate that commercial and residential buildings consume a third of the world's energy. In North America, this translates to 72 percent of the electricity generation, 12 percent of the water use, and 60 percent of non-industrial waste. By some estimates, up to 50 percent of the electricity used in buildings is wasted. Furthermore, by 2025 buildings will be the largest emitters of greenhouse gases on our planet. For the CIO, this presents an opportunity. Like most C-level executives, CIOs have responsibility for designing systems that extend across the enterprise. CIOs help companies track and monitor all internal processes and transactions. Using the newly available data from facilities, they can leverage their skills at helping organizations operate smarter and more efficiently in an area that has historically seen little By Joe Phillips, IBM Smarter Buildings LeaderAnalytics and the Internet of Things Drives a New Era of Intelligent Building and Energy ManagementJoe Phillipsopinionin my
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