SPIE : is using IoT and Facilities Management to improve air quality

Saint-Denis, 22 September 2021 - SPIE ICS and SPIE Facilities, subsidiaries of the SPIE group, the independent European leader in multi-technical services in the areas of energy and communications, are combining their skills to deploy an unprecedented secure digital turn-key solution to improve air quality in all commercial spaces.

A solution which links the concentration of CO2 in the air to the risk of becoming infected with Covid-19

Developed by SPIE ICS as part of their IoT portfolio, this unique solution is based on the correlation between the concentration of CO2 in the air and the risk of becoming infected with Covid-19. This will handle everything from collecting data through to managing physical on-site operations by SPIE teams.

The solution is based on the secure LoRaWAN wireless network infrastructure which allows data collected directly from within the building to be sent in by mobile and autonomous multifunction sensors.

The data sent in by these sensors is then retrieved, analysed and interpreted by SPIE Facilities teams as part of a series of concrete actions aimed at improving the safety of the client's working environment.

Various physical or remote actions are possible which can clean the air quickly and effectively

The teams at SPIE Facilities are able to control the equipment remotely and force the air to be renewed. In order to disinfect the renewed or recycled air before it enters the building, this year SPIE Facilities signed a partnership with BORA France, the specialist in air ventilation systems for 25 years, to deploy its Air News Blue system. This innovative solution can destroy 99.999% of harmful viruses, germs, bacteria, moulds and micro-organisms present in the treated air using a patented system of UVC lamps.

Able to be adapted to suit any technical constraints or requirements, this solution is designed to work in all business environments (schools, restaurants, hospitals, head offices, shops, etc.).

"Using our integrated alert systems, SPIE Facilities is permanently connected to a building's monitoring equipment deployed by SPIE ICS. We can therefore act to prevent or correct problems, depending on the situation, and can provide a range of physical or remote actions quickly and effectively", says Daniel Berger, Head of Innovation and Services at SPIE Facilities.

"The sheer diversity of the data being picked up by our sensors and collected by the monitoring centre means we can have a high degree of control over how the building operates, whatever it is being used for", adds Vahan Sarafian, IoT & Data Architect at SPIE ICS.

The aim of this project is to find a common way to address a recurring problem amongst both public and private clients of the SPIE Group in the context of the current pandemic: how do you ensure indoor air quality and make the workplace safe enough for the occupants of a building so they can return to their place of work?

Responding to this basic problem was why we brought together the technological skills from SPIE ICS and the technical experience and know-how from SPIE Facilities.