- Tell us about IMR. What is your core business and role within the project?
IMR is a State funded, not for profit research providing organisation working to deliver knowledge access about new technologies to Irish industry. Our key contributions to the project will be in four areas, firstly, we will provide expertise in developing the system architecture on which the virtual BMS will ultimately be deployed. Secondly, IMR will lead the task to develop the predictive maintenance, fault detection and diagnostic (FDD) algorithmic routines. Thirdly IMR will [jointly?] lead the communication, dissemination and exploitation planning aspects of the project. And finally, IMR will also manage a demonstration of the project output at the Country Crest manufacturing facility north of Dublin.
- Why did your organisation get involved in the iBECOME project? How does this activity fit with the normal business of your organisation?
IMR participated in iBECOME to apply its competency is industrial Internet of things (IIOT 4.0) and the application of data analytics and machine learning in real life contexts. Even though a lot of advances have been made in optimising the management of buildings and processes there remains substantial scope for improvement on the application of these technologies. This very much falls within the remit of IMR capabilities and interests.
- How will the outputs of the iBECOME project help drive the sustainability agenda?
The primary output of the iBECOME project is to develop and implement innovative energy services based on advanced data analytics and machine learning techniques. These energy services will be integrated to a cloud based Building Management Platform and will provide a very practical means for building owners and users to strike a balance between maintaining a high degree of comfort while maximising energy efficiency within the buildings. Over time, as the system expands its knowledge of how the building operates, it will be become much more intelligent, and sustainable, in how it manages the building.
- What are the technical challenges your work in iBECOME is trying to overcome ?
Working on the delivery of an appropriate system architecture and algorithmic controls that requires minimal hardware variation and high levels of adaptability across a wide range of buildings via the cloud is a big challenge. Some buildings will have sophisticated control systems already while others will have relatively sparse ones. The technical solution should be adaptable across a wide range of contexts.
- What positive impacts will the projects have when complete?
Building owners and users will be able to experience higher levels of comfort in their buildings through better responses to their preferences and also have access through the platform to a wide range of third party services such as ecar management, space occupancy optimisation and other services available from local providers.
