A combined sensor data management system for structural health monitoring and building safety and security

Structural health monitoring systems on the one side and solutions for building management and automation, including safety and security, on the other side are currently treated as separate systems. Both systems rely on input from sensor data while measuring completely different physical parameters. In this paper, a novel approach for sensor data management in building applications that combines structural health monitoring with safety and security applications is presented. This approach is called a unified data management system and enables the exchange of sensor data between all participating subsystems. For example, a system for dynamic escape route planning, besides using smoke detection data could benefit significantly from complementary sensor data from a structural health monitoring system. The key element of a unified data management solution is a common data interchange format. In this approach, existing standards and common internet technology are used where possible. This allows easy development and the use of COTS hardware. Finally, the implementation of this system in hardware and software is described.