Recently, I wrote about the general concept of Intelligent Buildings, noting that the focus of intelligent-building systems now encompasses advantages that go well beyond traditional considerations of energy efficiency and the basic building subsystems that control access, lighting, HVAC, communication, etc. Indeed, intelligent-building concepts are being rapidly refined in ways never imaginable until the proliferation of smartphones.
Advantech is taking the lead in development of automated building-management systems with its unique Advantech Intelligent Building Solution (AiBS), a comprehensive iBuilding approach that takes into consideration building use scenarios that busy enterprise engineers might otherwise easily miss. Take, for example, AiBS’s Intelligent Parking capabilities. AiBS incorporates a parking service system that helps guide users to optimum parking spaces and then later helps them search for their automobiles.
When a guest confirms a meeting that is scheduled in an AiBS-equipped office building, a notice is sent to the guest’s smartphone linking a GPS map and a photo of the building to assist the guest in more easily locating and identifying it.- Once there, the system guides guests via their smartphones to the appropriate parking lots and authorizes entry by confirmation of their vehicle identification numbers.
- A welcome message is then displayed along with a diagram routing the user to the designated parking space. This message and diagram can also be displayed on a large screen at the entrance to the parking lot.
Guests needn’t worry about remembering where their automobiles are parked, because AiBS does this for them as well. Guests’ smartphones will guide them back to their autos, and, for those who didn’t bring smartphones, touch panels are available from elevator to parking lot to guide them.
Advantech’s Intelligent Parking scenario is not a pie-in-the-sky ideal, but is instead a fully realized advancement that is being deployed in its own intelligent buildings at its Kunshan R&D Center in China and its Linkou Headquarters in Taiwan. Advantech’s AiBS technology combines the best aspects of proven automation techniques, the Internet of Things concept and cloud technologies in developing its unique people-centric approach to the merger of both green-building and intelligent-building ideals. This approach emphasizes first and foremost the security, health, comfort and convenience of its users in creating the friendliest possible environment and user experience, all while realizing efficiencies that are as good for the enterprise’s bottom line as they are for the environment.