The facts on the usage and growth of social media continues to amaze me. The latest I heard was that almost 900 million people have registered accounts on Facebook (launched in 2004) and that more than 30 billion pieces of content are shared on the social network site each month. Twitter (2006) sees its membership grow by more than 1 million every day, and there are already half a billion people using the site generating nearly 200 million tweets daily, producing more than 8 Terabyte data every day (and consider that each tweet is only up to 140 characters). One hour of video is uploaded to Youtube (2005) each second. And when I write this, I am sure these facts already are obsolete. That’s Big Data, right there.

These are just a few great examples of how the consumer is driving tremendous transformation of the Internet and the networked world we live in (the consumerization of the Internet). Add in the third Internet evolution: it’s industrialization and the birth of “the Internet of Things”. It’s not just people anymore that instigate the tremendous traffic and transactions on the Internet. The IP enablement of systems and devices have extended the nodes in our networked world. More “Things” use the infrastructure to communicate—in addition to phones, tablets and computers, we see sensors, meters, power stations, street lights, busses and cars, home automation, media, gaming, signage, health systems, and many more devices in manufacturing, retail, security (and so forth) all become part of the fabric that makes the foundation of our smart and connected world.

In the next years, more than 15 billion devices will communicate over networks and the Internet—and some ICT executives predict the number will exceed 50 billion by 2020. The subsequent data volume, according to McKinsey Global Institute, is expected to grow 40% annually and will increase 44 times between now and 2020; surpassing 1 Zettabyte in U.S. Internet traffic annually by 2015 (50 times that of 2007, and roughly equivalent to 50 million Libraries of Congress).

Like cars on roads and water through pipes, all this data has to flow uninterruptedly and securely through a resilient infrastructure. The need for IP networks (and broadband) is exponentially growing and our latest generations expect full (and affordable) access to it. The enabled communication between people and people, people and machines, and between machines and machines already is providing unprecedented ways for increased productivity and value creation. Now, let’s take it further: add to all this data and constant flow of transactions the notion of intelligence and analytics. Let’s leverage the power of smarts to even further drive value back into the community, to its users, and every device and process that is reliant on it. Big Data will become rapidly Bigger as intelligence is added to it through advanced analytics and computing.

Companies in the telecom industry work frantically around the world to keep up with the rapidly growing demand. Faster hardware needs to replace the still young yet already outdated infrastructure in our existing communities. It’ll be a refresh cycle that may never finish nor slow down. Here is where new communities can substantially benefit.

New communities (like Rampart Avenir Communities) have the opportunity to lay the foundation for 1 Gb or even 10 Gb to the edge of the Internet fabric (in our homes, to our modes of transportation, and simply to every connected device). Sure, today this seems excessive, but the capital cost to do it right upfront will dwarf to the cost to upgrade later (as in a few years from now). With everything connected from inception; speaking native IP languages; where oversight and management is provided by integrated operation centers; where compute power is everywhere (cloud and fog computing); and where open access is available to everyone that wants to and can benefit from it—we truly can set the new standard as to how we can further enhance and transform environmental, economic, and social sustainability in an increasingly competitive and flatter world.

The opportunities are endless. Interesting stuff. Let’s talk more about this at the “Analytics, Big Data, and the Cloud” conference in Edmonton this week. It’s not too late to register.

Contributed by Ron Gordon, Business Development Manager, Cisco Canada
rongordo@cisco.com

Effective January 1^st, 2012, the Ontario Building Code (OBC) incorporates the ASHRAE 90.1 – 2010 Standards which include a stated goal of achieving a 30% energy savings when compared to the ASHRAE 90.1-2004 Standard.  By all accounts, this is an aggressive target.

While I am the furthest thing from an ASHRAE expert, I cannot help but notice the increased reliance on Controls and Sensors in order to optimize HVAC and Lighting energy usage to help achieve the 30% savings.  The utilization of Occupancy Sensors, Static Pressure Sensors, CO2 Sensors, Temperature Sensors and Daylight Harvesting Sensors provides key control data to ensure the Building Automation Systems (BAS) [for the purpose of this blog we refer to lighting, metering, and HVAC] operate at their peak efficiencies and consume less energy. This also translates into the need for the BAS systems to be more integrated than ever before.

What if all the information and data acquired from a plethora of sensors and systems was served up for all the BAS systems to share, access and utilize.  Do away with duplication and traditionally closed disparate networks and implement a single, secure, converged network for all to use.  The ideal situation would be to incorporate all sensors onto the same network and provide open access to the information they provide.  To do this, the BAS systems would have to move away from their proprietary closed architectures to something more open and share common data and controls between them.

Take this to the next logical step and provide a common dashboard which gives real-time performance metrics and the ability to control the various BAS systems in unison.  Turn down lighting and HVAC systems in unoccupied areas and provide environmental conditioning on an as required basis similar to the way new inventory systems utilize “just in time” delivery controls.  This is a Smart + Connected Real Estate.

These steps will not only help meet the ASHRAE 90.1 – 2010 Standards, but also lay a solid foundation to meet new ASHRAE standards as they are designed and implemented.  After all, standards are constantly being updated with new targets and goals and any architecture which future proofs a building, enabling it to adopt new technologies to optimize performance is positive.

In summary and simple terms: future-enable your buildings, and be ready for ASHRAE 90.1 and new building codes with convergence of building systems on one IP network.

Today , the first employees of PWC will take possession of the first two floors of their new showcase property in downtown Toronto: PWC Tower @ 18 York. When they will walk into their offices, they will not find a light switch on the wall. Instead, they will now be able to turn on, dim and turn off their lights using the Cisco IP phone in the offices, meeting rooms, and quiet rooms. For any technology person this may not seem a big deal, yet it certainly will be a first for the occupants of 18 York.

__watch video on YouTube http://youtu.be/izs2gQlTtQk

Today we received three powerful presentations of cloud-based application providers in the Smart + Connected space. One is an up-and-coming star in automated fault detection and energy management. Another is leading in dashboards and process optimization through data visualization. The last one showed some impressive analytics for carbon measurement and reporting. All three are nothing but impressive and I look forward doing business with all of them – but they’re also not the first nor alone. I truthfully don’t remember how many cloud-based application providers we have met and whose solutions we have reviewed. One is better than the other, and we may have to see eventually how this market will shake itself down.

Naturally, there is nothing wrong with all this. It’s the new way. This is where the future lies for all businesses; and so also for the construction and real estate industry (who by and large - with few exceptions - does not quite understand the impact this will have on business as we know it).

Flashback. 18 years ago. In my first conversation with my Harvard professor, I was introduced to the concept of “Islands of Automation”. Interesting concept: there is all this wealth of facility and operational data sitting in many disparate systems and software that seem not able to communicate with one another in an effort to optimize building performance and the eventual experience in the environment. The result is: multiple screens, multiple interfaces, multiple control…lots of cost and inefficiency. There must and shall be ways with which we can better utilize all this silo-ed information and create higher performance buildings.

Now, back to today. Yes. We did it. Indeed, a standardized foundational infrastructure is deployed to tap into all these disparate systems and free up the wealth of building data that finds itself locked in proprietary silos: introducing the Network as the Platform for Building Transformation (shameless plug). IP has become the standard to moving bits and bites around to power up these valuable and up and coming cloud-based applications.

However….if we (simplistically) break their services down in three layers; we recognize that this new industry is fighting over at least two layers that they all have in common. (1) access to the data and the ownership of the data warehouse. All deploy many (sometimes proprietary or customized) ways to extract the data from the building. (2) the visualization of data through sexy and easy-to-use dashboards. One is prettier than the other. As a customer, do I now still have many different websites to go to in order to access my data (energy, carbon, maintenance, fault detection, etc…..mind you; there is probably not ONE perfect app out there; we’re going for “best of breed”).

(3) the actual meat and potatoes—the analytics. It is this 3^rd (architecturally considered the middle layer) that really sets the vendors apart. Where the real value is added.

If a building owner can’t “standardize” on data collection, aggregation, and warehousing (call it the back-end);  as well as the front end access (dashboards) of the information; and naturally one Network that connects the two together….aren’t we still building Islands of Automation, yet now they’re in the cloud? Different tentacles reach in the building to grab what they need, yet ignoring the possible value of the aggregate? Various data warehouses on different databases around the world capturing bits and pieces of building performance data that is required for the specific service or function? We still may need bridges between the islands of automation. They now have become virtual. Who is going to capitalize on the new bridge construction…and tolls?

If you don’t have time to read this blog: at least check this out – www.smart18york.com

Ricardo is right: partnerships play a strategic role in making buildings and cities smarter (welcome to the blogging team, Ricardo). When we talk about convergence, integration, and IP-enabled buildings, we may take “the process” by which to put these together a little for granted. Although for most of us this is all not rocket-science anymore; we are, however, dealing with an industry (one that plans and builds cities and buildings) that hasn’t seen much innovation in the last few decades. New and innovate partnerships, and out-of-the-box collaboration is necessary to create 21^st century cities and buildings.

For one of Toronto’s latest high-rise commercial buildings, we’re doing just that. The industry has come together to JOINTLY collaborate on creating a true converged and integrated work environment for PWC’s new Canadian headquarter. This state-of-the art building (www.18york.com) has a fourth utility (IP backbone) that serves as the central nervous system of the property. The integration of lighting, telephony, metering and the supervisory control of the its Centralized Management System will provide PWC immediately with the ability to monitor and control (through web access but also through the Cisco IP Phone) their energy consumption and (initially) also there lighting.

This is just the beginning. Because of the future-ready network, PWC and the building owner will now continue to expand on their services to further optimize the performance of the building and reduce energy consumption and cost for operating it.

The project team has agreed to share the progress and this exciting collaboration with the world. Talk about transparency. Using social media, we will inform the client, the industry, and everyone who is interested how we are doing what we are doing. Kudos to EllisDon, Flexity, Guild Electric, Mulvey+Banani, Lutron, FifthLight, Canem, A.R.E.A Solutions and Cisco. Follow the progress on www.smart18york.com and visit back often.

Last week I spoke to the Alumni of George Brown College’s “Centre for Construction and Engineering Technologies”. On my way there I realized that it was more than 17 years ago that I myself graduated from a like-minded institution in the Netherlands. 17 years ago ! And oh my; has the world changed since then. When I left college, it was the year that they handed out email addresses to the students (I missed out). It was all pretty basic stuff, and the Internet hadn’t really developed yet into something useful. Nobody in my year had a cell-phone, and laptops were a novelty. My PC had a 3.5” floppy disk (a what?). My first laptop came two years later and was called a “mobile desktop”. There was no Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. Receiving my emails on a phone was unthinkable. “Cloud” meant only one thing. The cool thing (for living in a dorm back then) was to have our own fax machine.

Now, 17 years later…where to start. I don’t listen to my CD’s anymore; music now comes from my phone. We watch 50” LCD TV and 3D is on sale. The fax is gone, and my car parks itself.

The internet has exploded. Since my graduation, network speeds have increased 18 million times. Internet traffic to one of the hottest video sites (either Netflix or YouTube) in one year today completely dwarfs all internet traffic combined that was traveling the networks when I graduated. In today’s heavily enabled and booming information age, humans have created more data in 2009 than all previous years combined. Video has taken over as the dominant medium on the internet: Netflix consumes nearly half of US internet traffic today, and high-definition video conferencing is available in the home. Every 60 seconds, there is 48 hours worth of video loaded onto YouTube; and 2 billion videos are watched each day on this popular video site. LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites have taken the world by storm. Not only their valuation is astonishing ($100B, really?); their member base is equally impressive (Facebook leading the charge with more than ½ billion active users). Tablet devices didn’t even exist 2 years ago (let alone 17 years ago); and already there are more tablets sold than PCs this year. And on and on and on. And when I write all this; the facts are already obsolete. It is expected that in 2015 there will be nearly one mobile-connected device for every person on earth; and less than 5 years after that we anticipate 1,000,000,000,000 (yes; Trillion) connection into the Internet.

Where does it end? It doesn’t !

This begs the question: are we building the right infrastructure, buildings, communities, countries or even environments (in the most abstract sense of the word) for the generations that grow up in this new world? Are we making enough progress in the evolution of our physical infrastructure also, to accommodate the rapidly changing expectations in this rapidly changing world? My opinion: NO. We simply can’t keep on building buildings like our fathers and their fathers did. Times have changed—and it’s time for the real estate and development community to get on board. And there is nothing wrong with that…many other industries before us have embraced the technologies to create new opportunities, new businesses, and new wealth. Let’s use the innovation and transformation around us to rethink the environments that support and enable us; and to rethink how we jointly get to create those environments. In times of constant and accelerated change, we either lead; follow; or get out of the way. This train ain’t stopping; and we’re driving it (and your children to). All aboard.