Assignment 2: Sensor Tech on HVAC - Final Draft (Summary & Reader Response)

In the article “The Expanding Role of Sensors in "Smart" HVAC System,” Manz (2018) has claimed that the integration of sensors in building systems is the key to create smart buildings and achieve energy efficiency. According to the writer, energy efficiency has been taken seriously since the rise of oil prices in 1973 and 2000. Manz (2018) has mentioned that the tremendous improvement in technology increases the possibility of achieving energy efficiency. The replacement of analog predecessors to sensors in the HVAC system enables wireless-communication which also helps to reduce the wiring costs. With the utilization of sensors, all building systems can communicate in real-time by transmitting data and analyzing information to allow maintenance interventions. It helps to cut down energy costs as the building systems are maintained at all times to perform efficiently. The writer also stated that sensors reduce manual operations and “eliminate the need for recalibration”. Based on the points elaborated in the article, I agree that smart sensing is essential and beneficial to optimizing building functions. However, there are three challenges of adopting sensors in buildings that should not be overlooked: cybersecurity, interoperability and sensor data storage scalability.  

Cybersecurity is always a critical concern in the smart building. The ability of sensors in communicating with various devices through the Internet could allow hackers to hijack any building automation systems easily. With that, smart buildings become “constant targets of online probing, espionage, ransom, theft, and even destruction” (Kimani, Oduol & Langat, 2019). In 2018, a casino in Las Vegas was hacked by a hacker to steal information from its high-roller database (Williams-Grut, 2018). Based on William-Grut's (2018) interview with Eagan, CEO of cybersecurity company Darktrace, the hacker started this attack by hacking into a smart thermometer installed in the casino’s lobby which is used to monitor water temperature in the aquarium. When the use of sensors brings the convenience of sharing information to other devices seamlessly, meanwhile, it also provides a backdoor for hackers to steal all the data. 

Another concern is interoperability, which is crucial for sensors to connect devices seamlessly and to create systems. It allows “heterogeneous devices” with different specifications and configurations to communicate wirelessly and also for sensors to convert collected data and information into the same format (Konduru & Bharamagoudra, 2017). Every sensor and device communicate and transmit data using its Application Programming Interface (API). However, different manufacturers design their sensors and devices with different APIs. Therefore, there are challenges in creating a system that connects all building functions seamlessly without the standardization of APIs (Bandara, Yashiro, Koshizuka, & Sakamura, 2016).

Besides that, sensor data storage scalability is also an issue that needs to be taken into consideration. Due to technological advancement, there are more sensors are being installed into the building systems. With that, it is more challenging for sensors in storing and retrieving the larger size of collected data within itself, which then leads to the problem of “analyzing the big data volumes and extracting useful information” in time to detect system abnormalities and execute preventive maintenance (Aydin, Hallac & Karakus, 2015). As a result, sensor data storage has to be planned and designed properly for a smart building so that it can contain a large volume of data and execute building functions effectively.

In conclusion, there are a lot of aspects that have to be planned before utilizing sensors in the building system such as approaches to protect the building system from cyberattacks, programming design to allow sensors to communicate seamlessly and sensor data storage design for handling the big data volume. All of these are to ensure the building systems will function efficiently with the integration of sensors and prevent extra problems.

 

References

Aydin, G, Hallac, I.R & Karakus, B. (2015). Architecture and Implementation of a Scalable Analysis System Using Cloud Computing and Big Data Technologies. Journal of Sensors. https://www.hindawi.com/journals/js/2015/834217/

Bandara, S., Yashiro, T., Koshizuka, N., & Sakamura, K. (2016). Towards a standard API design for open services in smart buildings. 2016 TRON Symposium (TRONSHOW) (pp. 1-7). Tokyo: IEEE. https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/7842883

Kimani, K, Oduol, V & Langat, K. (2019). Cyber security challenges for IoT-based smart grid networks. International Journal of Critical Infrastructure Protection, 36-49. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1874548217301622#bib0017

Konduru, V.R., & Bharamagoudra, M.R. (2017). Challenges and solutions of interoperability on IoT: How far have we come in resolving the IoT interoperability issues. 2017 International Conference On Smart Technologies For Smart Nation (SmartTechCon) (pp. 572-576). Bangalore: IEEE. https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/8358436

Manz, B. (2018, July 30). The Expanding Role of Sensors in “Smart” HVAC Systems. https://www.electronicdesign.com/industrial-automation/article/21806809/the-expanding-role-of-sensors-in-smart-hvac-systems

Williams-Grut, O. (2018, April 15). Hackers once stole a casino's high-roller database through a thermometer in the lobby fish tank.                                          https://www.businessinsider.com/hackers-stole-a-casinos-database-through-a-thermometer-in-the-lobby-fish-tank-2018-4?r=DE&IR=T

Revised on November 25, 2020.