How institutions can improve learning environments while cutting their carbon footprint.

The internet of things (IoT) is all around us. It’s already in our homes, whether it’s doorbells that connect to our phone so we can see who’s at the door, or heating that can be controlled remotely via a smart meter. Increasingly, technology is automating everyday tasks that were once only able to be done manually. The same is true in education. Enabled by technologies such as 5G, the industrial internet of things (IIoT) is opening up new ways to revolutionise campus life, improve the student experience and sustainably manage resources.  IIoT brings smart campus environments within reach. Together with 5G, it delivers seamless connectivity for technologies such as virtual reality (VR) or robotics while increasing energy efficiency, reducing operating costs and making buildings healthier for occupants.   What makes a campus smart? [#pullquote#]A smart campus provides institutions with new ways to improve the education experience for students and staff. [#endpullquote#]And it does this by using technologies like 5G and IIoT to connect disparate systems and a vast array of devices to the internet. A smart campus allows learners easy, secure access to blended learning through cloud-based portals for online resources or virtual – even immersive – classrooms. It enables the automation of tasks that currently take up staff time: lesson planning or attendance recording, for example. It also optimises space utilisation, makes buildings more attuned to the needs of users, and reduces energy consumption. Cutting costs and carbon footprintsWith sustainability top of mind for us all, it’s good to know that the combination of 5G and IIoT can deliver both energy and resource efficiencies. [#pullquote#]As part of a smart building management system, strategically placed IIoT-connected sensors can quickly detect any environmental problems or inefficiencies in buildings.  [#endpullquote#]The huge amounts of data generated by these devices produce real-time analytical insights that can be rapidly acted upon. By monitoring and controlling energy consumption across its estate, a smart campus can save costs as well as help to meet carbon-neutral targets. Foundations for a smarter campus  When it comes to building a smart campus, a secure network infrastructure that supports 5G is a must-have. Reliable connectivity — both wired and wireless — is critical to making high-speed internet and voice services available to everyone, everywhere.  As well as access to cloud-based services, the amount of data that needs to be processed at the fastest possible rate means there may also be a role for edge computing. We’ll be looking at that in more detail in an upcoming blog. This is not just an IT thing A smart campus is not just about IT, though. It also involves a broad range of departments — including estates, sustainability, student services, finance, planning and data analytics — all of which can benefit from these technological advancements.  For a large campus with many buildings, all with different management systems, this is a big task and it’s not going to happen overnight.  [#pullquote#]But there is now a real opportunity to improve the status quo and transform the way we manage our buildings and estates. [#endpullquote#]First steps to smartening up a campus To provide members with an easy first step towards a smarter, greener campus, Jisc is working with Honeywell, a global leader in connected environments, to create a foundational smart buildings service. We’re currently running a proof-of-concept pilot with five institutions with a view to establishing a common core platform that will provide baseline smart campus services for the sector. [#pullquote#]The aim is to create an environment that our members can just connect to. Instead of every institution expending time and effort designing, building and running their own smart campus environment, the service will be available on the powerful, reliable Janet Network. [#endpullquote#]It will deliver analytical dashboard insights for monitoring building health and comfort metrics such as electrical consumption, temperature, pollutants, asset availability and much more. See what a smart buildings service can do  We’re already using our own Honeywell Forge system to drive continuous improvements at Jisc’s Bristol office.  Comfort levels, temperature, indoor humidity, pollutants, CO2 levels, safe space utilisation, asset availability – all are constantly measured and adjusted. The system is constantly monitoring and evolving and telling us what it’s doing to make the building healthier for users. To see how Jisc can support the move towards smarter campuses and healthier buildings, book a demo of the Honeywell Forge platform with victoria.atherstone@jisc.ac.ukSimon Farr, Jisc’s head of innovation and IT, will lead a session on how IIOT technology is changing the way we manage our resources and improve the student experience at Networkshop 2023, June 14-15 at Nottingham Trent University.   Find out more about how next-generation networking technologies can drive digital transformation in further education, higher education and research: book your place at Networkshop 2023.