Digital built environment trends pt. 2: Safety in the city
Rahul Shah
Built Environment Sector Development Director, EMEA
Article published March 31, 2023
In the second part of our digital trends for the built environment blog series, we look at how digital trust, laser scanning and smart cities are changing the face of our built environment.
5. Digital trust and resilient cyber security processes
"Given today’s cyber threat landscape and the emergence of new technologies, it is imperative that organizations have the correct protocols, policies, and procedures in place to keep their information safe, data secure, infrastructure robust and ultimately, make them resilient."
- Mark Brown, Global Managing Director, Digital Trust, Consulting Services at BSI
The success of smart cities relies on technology and data. The hard part is securing the data for everyone and creating digital trust at a societal level.
With the increasing implementation of new technologies, digital and data security is something that all organizations need to be on top of. Connected devices through smart cities and IoT, can pose bigger information security risks to the built environment as the transfer of digital information exposes vulnerabilities in management systems.
For organizations in the built environment sector to be trusted by their stakeholders, now and in the future, they need to be diligent in identifying and responding to data or cyber threats. This means ensuring that cyber security practices are resilient and can stand up to the challenges of 2023 and beyond.
Supporting this new era of hyperconnectivity requires a security-minded approach.
This can be done by:
securely managing customer and stakeholder information
establishing continuous identity authentication
implementing robust frameworks for best practice
vulnerability assessments
penetration testing
adhering to information and cyber security standards.
The ISO 19650-5 and ISO27000 series of international standards on information management sets out the principles and requirements to help reduce the loss, theft or misuse of sensitive information.
By taking these essential steps, businesses in the sector can protect people and communities whilst maintaining brand reputation.
This rapid, ongoing urbanization requires new solutions to cope with the strain on resources.
What are smart cities?
A smart city makes use of digital technologies to connect different public services and enhance life for its inhabitants. Technologies such as sensors, IoT systems and automation help leaders monitor behaviour and make better decisions about public services and systems.
Smart city technologies provide city leadership with new tools and opportunities for effective, large-scale change that can help them meet challenges such as managing energy, healthcare or logistics.
Smart cities are made up of connected, sensor-based assets. These assets can sense when the performance of a system or service is about to be impacted, and send an early warning to the relevant people. For example, embedding sensors in roads can help to predict potential traffic build-ups ahead of time, and this data can be used to automatically redirect traffic via digital signs.
These technologies can even give us greater insights into human behaviour, revealing how people use city infrastructure in order to make improvements.
Global smart cities
The technology to develop smart cities already exists, and smart cities are emerging all over the world, from Barcelona in Spain to Hangzhou in China.
In Barcelona, the city’s parks use technology to remotely sense and control park irrigation and the water in public fountains. This program alone increased the city’s water conservation by 25%, saving around £430,000 a year. (The rise of the smart sustainable city, BSI blog)
The challenge for more widespread adoption is getting the interfaces between different systems to work and for a much wider group of stakeholders to be able to collaborate cohesively. (Knowledge powers the smart city, Dan Rossiter, Sector Lead at BSI)
This is where standards can help, by defining terminology and setting out a common language for everyone to work by.
The Internet of things (IoT) will accelerate intuitive smart city innovation
Smart cities are powered by IoT technologies and connected assets.
There is already one Internet of things (IoT) device for every person on the planet, and they are set to unlock $11.1 trillion of economic value by 2025. Although it’s not a new concept, IoT has the potential to transform the way we live and work by creating new products and solutions for the built environment.
What is IoT?
The IoT is a network of connected smart devices, people, and systems, enabling data to be exchanged, combined, and analysed to drive efficiency and innovation. These technologies are improving the way buildings are designed, constructed, and maintained by helping humans and machines communicate.
For example, sensors placed in lifts can determine the occupancy of a building at any given time, allowing the building to control ventilation and air quality, which is of particular importance for offices and public buildings during a pandemic.
Prioritizing people and well-being through SMART building design
Everything from humidity to sound quality can be tracked and automatically adjusted using IoT systems. The potential for these types of technologies is almost limitless and is predicted to lead to a more intuitive approach to building design that uses internet connectivity to make the buildings we live and work in more people and planet friendly.
Since the start of the global pandemic, prioritizing well-being in the places we live, and work has become a growing concern. As people return to offices and workplaces, digitally connected buildings that can enhance well-being through automation and intelligently designed spaces will be in high demand.
Maintenance and renewal
As the focus on sustainability continues, buildings will be designed with maintenance in mind from the outset. The design will take into consideration efficient maintenance and repairs, dismantling, upgrades, adaptations, renovations, and high-value recycling. By leveraging IoT devices, asset managers will be able to assess the performance of properties and direct maintenance continuously and automatically where it’s most needed.
7. Laser scanning technology will de-risk projects
There are several different types of laser scanning technologies, from LiDAR-based reality capture to photogrammetry. The primary aim is the same - to collect visual data on a structure or site via mobile devices, drones, or UAVs, to convert it into a 3D model or visualization. These models can be transported into BIM software (Scan to BIM) and provide valuable, accurate information for retrofits and renovations.
The infrastructure engineering software company, Bentley, has a big laser scanning focus, helping planners and engineers to capture the world through 3D imaging and scanning technologies.
For example, in the planning stage of a project, designers and construction teams will need a clear picture of the size of the build area to design a structure that is fit for purpose. They will need to plan for machinery access to the site and design the asset in a way that best fits into the surroundings
By having an accurate, 3D model in place, all parties involved will have a clear understanding of the space they are working with. It will also allow them to test ideas virtually and tackle any issues before construction begins.
By removing the dependence on outdated or unreliable drawings, this technology increases efficiency, minimises risk and provides more opportunities for automation and analysis.
