Feature
Gerd Altmann | Pixabay
BMS can incorporate several factors such as HVAC , lighting , security and surveillance , water , energy and even a facilities carbon footprint with the data available . new technology is referred as GUI , or graphical user interface and incorporates the latest trends in UX , or user experience .
Visual representation of what is happening with any plant or system is always easier and quicker to make sense of , and so the function of a BMS is to be able to bring in data from the field in whatever form it exists there , and translate that data in a format that is usable for the client or user .
The complexity comes in when you want to have a look at data from systems other than the HVAC for instance . This would include data from a fire detection system , the water system , an intrusion detection system , lighting systems , digital services and so on – all of which can feed into the building management system .
In order to get all these different pieces of data together , a protocol translator or converter was required , as the way data is generated and used varies greatly between industries . This is the ‘ different languages ’ alluded to earlier . Having to deal with multiple protocols led to the development of what is known today as JACE or EC BOS which allowed all these different protocols to come together . They further allowed mapping and tagging of data as well as metadata addition ( specific component detail for easy identification ). These devices essentially ‘ flatten ’ the data coming in from various systems to the BMS , and thus produce a ‘ common language ’ platform to apply any logic to .
The progression of BMS was accelerated dramatically by the introduction of this ability to ‘ flatten data ’ from multiple systems into the IP language that most people are familiar with and that is already widely used in many applications .
Such newer technology was known as ‘ black boxes ’ or the EC BOS already mentioned , enabling an arsenal of information ( and control where applicable ) around not only the major systems within a building , but they could also include integration of other systems - all from the convenience of an office desk or remote location .
The improvements in technology reached individual components and field controllers incorporating IP language directly . This meant that data was already flattened , and
BMS EVOLUTION When building management systems were first invented in the 1960s , the format started out with a simple computer running proprietary software , talking to a single fixed controller . Over the decades they developed and progressed to the point where integration became possible through the translator / converter devices .
www . hvacronline . co . za RACA Journal I November 2021 25