Keynote 2: Pervasive communication and interaction to make the built environment better and more sustainable

Abstract

Over the past 15 years we have created a robust base of embedded networking technology to enable the `macroscope' - the ability to observe complex interactions of physical systems over a substantial extent of space and time. Created to understand the ecophysiology of natural systems, this technology is finding many natural applications in the quest to improve the sustainability of the built environment. In this talk we explore the role of pervasive computing and communications in buildings - where, in the US, we spend 90% of our time, over 70% of our electrical energy, and nearly 50% of our GHG emissions. We examine how pervasive monitoring serves to identify waste and opportunities for energy efficiency; how diverse sources of physical information can be homogenized to enable an innovative application ecosystem; and how a building operating system and services can provide a foundation for advanced control techniques that operate in concert with external factors, such as energy availability and weather, and for personalized environmental conditioning. To be quaint, ”there's a building app for that".