Internet of Things for Facility Management. Strategies of service optimization and innovation

The IoT - as defined by the International Telecommunication Union - is a dynamic global network infrastructure, based on standard and interoperable communication protocols, that enables advanced services by integrating and interconnecting physical and virtual things, giving them unique identities and possibilities of interact through intelligent interfaces. The application of such a general purpose technology to the specificity of the FM domain may give rise to new opportunities of innovation of traditional prac-tices. Indeed, IoT technology allows nowadays to easily and economically collect data concerning various aspects of the built environment, bringing out new possibilities for a widespread and continuous monitoring. This new availability and accessibility to real-time data and the possibility of integration with different data coming not only from the building itself but also from the urban environment that surrounds it, opens the door to the development of innovative strategies of services optimization before inconceivable. In particular, these new possibilities offered by these innovative paradigms can trigger innovation in FM, allowing to collect real-time data and information on actual conditions, current operational status and performance of the building and its components through sensors and devices, achieving a greater awareness and a greater understanding of the behavior of the building itself, as well as of the performance of FM services delivered by/to it. This additional information base may represent a strategic asset and a significant driver for the improvement of cognitive and decision-making processes within the FM practice. However, what the technology potentially offers, if not supported by a vision of possible models of application to the building management, risks to generate a redundancy of data, that could become of little use. Indeed, within this very dynamic and complex scenario, the IoT-based FM is rapidly evolving but the basic fundamentals and references are not yet completely consolidated and shared among all the engaged stakeholders and in the meanwhile Clients are increasing their expectations. Moreover, nowadays FM stakeholders are increasingly expressing the need of new methodological tools to support them in understanding the nature and the features of this new technological offer in order to become promoters of FM innovation, by exploiting IoT potential when applied to their specific sector. Indeed, FM operators need to outline innovative approaches to handle, in a conscious and aware way, the technological innovations and seize the opportunity to take advantage of their applications. Therefore, the present book aims to propose strategic support lines for FM services optimization and innovation, based on innovative models of IoT application and Big Data management within FM processes, able to support FM operators and companies in: - orienting, organizing and managing Big Data flows and their sources; - changing FM services Demand/Offer and related requirements and, consequently, in developing new approaches to FM Agreements; - drawing new supply chains based on network approaches; - outlining new profiles of competences for FM stakeholders. Hence, the book provides to FM stakeholders an Analytical-Procedural Framework useful for defining, implementing and requesting IoT-based FM services, made up by: - an analytical framework for implementing IoT & Big Data technolo-gies within building FM processes; - a definition of tools and procedures for innovative modalities of FM service provision; - support lines for the writing of FM Agreements for IoT-based FM service provision including required competences.