Mary-Louise Hoffman
Carnegie Mellon University is set to deploy an IBM cloud-based analytics platform under a facility management partnership aimed at helping the academic institution use data to manage its building systems.
IBM said Thursday that CMU aims to use IBM technology to monitor systems utilization on the university’s 36-building Pittsburgh campus and save up to $2 million in annual utility costs through the Smarter Buildings Initiative.
“Just as Smarter Cities are using data and analytics to improve diverse aspects of their operations, CMU will harness data and analytics delivered via cloud computing to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of building management across campus,” said Wayne Balta, IBM vice president of corporate environmental affairs and product safety.
IBM’s Building Management Center infrastructure is designed to operate on a Softlayer cloud environment and track data points from automation and control systems throughout a building.
“This technology offers us important gains in initiatives related to advanced infrastructure systems research, the Pittsburgh 2030 initiative and a more proactive building and infrastructure management model,” said Donald Coffelt, associate vice president for facilities management services at CMU.
IBM also intends for its cloud analytics system to help the university detect faults in heating, ventilation, air-conditioning, lighting and water supply equipment and develop measures to address the problems.
