An “Internet of Things”(IoT) network, which enables devices to communicate with each other and their users is being used to ensure a new Inverness public building is managed as efficiently as possible.
The first fully functional system of its kind to be launched in the Highlands, the low power, wide area (LoRa) network has been installed at An Locharn on Inverness Campus.
Opened last week by Deputy First Minister John Swinney, the £13m building is jointly owned by Highlands and Islands Enterprise, the University of the Highlands and Islands, and Scotland’s Rural College.
With 10 indoor environment monitoring devices, the network monitors a range of of data, including temperature, humidity, CO2 emissions, noise and lights. The consortium behind its installation say it will help the building’s owners and occupants “make better decisions about how they manage the building, through data visualisation and analytics.”
It is also intended to allow businesses in the Highlands to access emerging IoT technologies and support companies in developing new products and services.
Partners in the project include CENSIS, the Scottish Innovation Centre for Sensor and Imaging Systems, Stream Technologies and SPICA Technologies.
They aim to expand the network beyond the An Lòchran building, to help energy, life sciences, digital and agricultural businesses in the area. CENSIS is planning a series of workshops at the Inverness Campus during the project’s initial six months to help Highlands businesses understand how they can make use of the new technology.
Mark Begbie, business development director at CENSIS, said: “This project in Inverness is bringing the cutting edge of the IoT revolution right to the heart of our Highland community, putting it in the vanguard of IoT development in the UK.
“Building on foundations laid by other initiatives, we are delivering the infrastructure to enable our communities and businesses to work with leading experts to connect devices, share data and bring about better decision-making.
“As we look to roll out the network through urban and rural areas, we will create exciting opportunities for businesses in the Highlands and Islands. Long range, affordable and low power IoT connectivity will open up enormous possibilities across all sectors: from agricultural and environmental monitoring, to safer social care and more efficient transport and infrastructure.”
Tim Streather, sales and marketing director at SPICA Technologies said the IoT presents a “huge opportunity” to deliver cost savings in building management.
He added: “It is also a fantastic example of how quickly and easily IoT technology can be implemented, not just in the largest capital cities, but anywhere across the whole of the UK – in this case, empowering digital innovation and change within the Scottish Highlands and Islands.”
The Inverness Campus has been designed to encourage collaboration between business, research and academia, within the campus and with neighbouring organisations such as LifeScan Scotland, Raigmore Hospital and the Centre for Health Science.
An Lòchran houses the country’s first digital demonstration centre, #hellodigital, to help people in business, education and research make the most of broadband and digital technology.
Other occupants of An Lòchran include renewables organisation and HIE subsidiary, Wave Energy Scotland, the Scottish Manufacturing Advisory Service (SMAS) and Interface, the service that builds links between business and universities.
Earlier this year, CENSIS announced it had created an IoT network in Glasgow, with a consortium of organisations, covering 12 square kilometres of the city, including the commercial centre, Merchant City and the West End.
