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BARCELONA — SAP AG today announced two new co-innovation projects as part of its commitment to making the “Internet of Things” a real, repeatable and scalable business opportunity for enterprise customers. The company is collaborating with the University of Guelph on a research project designed to demonstrate how use of sensors for data collection increases energy efficiency benefits of green roofs while reducing maintenance and costs for building owners. SAP is also working with SK Solutions, the global leader in anti-collision software, to create an innovative system to help engineering and construction companies improve the management of collision avoidance and make critical information available in real time. The announcement was made at the Internet of Things World Forum, being held from October 29–31 in Barcelona, Spain.
For many businesses, the next wave of competitive advantage will come from the ability to derive intelligence from sensor-generated data, and to deliver resulting insights to the right hands at the right time with the right context. SAP believes companies require end-to-end “Systems of Things” comprised of machine-to-machine (M2M) connectivity, cloud enablement, device management, Big Data management, complex event processing, predictive analytics and apps.
“The emerging ubiquity of intelligent devices in both consumer and industrial settings is changing the landscape of what is possible,” said Steve Lucas, president, Platform Solutions, SAP AG. “Not only does it open up instant visibility to what is happening at the edges of operations, organizations can combine Big Data with predictive analytics to create real-time insight when and where it is needed. Business leaders who can harness the power of the ‘Internet of Things’ to transform organizational operations and create new avenues for growth and profits will lead in the marketplace. SAP is the only company that has all the enterprise class building blocks for ‘Systems of Things.’”
Co-Innovation for Sustainability
SAP has joined forces with researchers at the University of Guelph in Canada to develop a sensor-driven system that will help optimize the performance of green roofs in order to maximize gains in energy efficiency and rainwater management and minimize the time and expense of maintenance. The joint team has built two green roofs as part of an ongoing collaboration that aims to install several hundred-thousand square feet of sensor-based green roofing on a variety of building types.
Data such as moisture content, run-off composition, fire detection, temperature and light levels is expected to be collected to provide real-time monitoring, which will enable building managers to check the status of roof performance without climbing up to the roof. Building managers and home owners will be able to access the information through the Web or mobile applications and will even be able to monitor and control their roofs remotely.
“Skyline Group is proud to be the site of the first connected green roof as part of this pilot project with SAP and the University of Guelph,” said Jason Ashdown, co-founder and COO, Skyline Group. “Skyline seeks to actively build and support vibrant communities and is passionate about protecting the environment. Participating in the project gives us the chance to live our values while enjoying the benefits of lower energy bills.
Co-Innovation to Improve Worker Safety and Make Construction Smart
SK Solutions is the leading software provider for anti-collision systems for any type of mobile vehicle. The company is working with SAP on a joint project at a construction site in Dubai to help enhance worker safety, improve productivity and reduce costs through the use of sensor-based data to prevent cranes and construction vehicles from colliding. The collaboration aims to create an innovative system to help engineering and construction companies to gather actionable data from mobile field workers, equipment and operational processes. Optimizing cost, time and task management of cranes and other equipment can result in significant increases in productivity, which helps improve time-to-delivery of construction projects. Modern cranes are immense, able to lift loads of more than 19 tons to heights more than 80 meters. Crane operations risk large sway of hanging objects and catastrophic collisions, creating dangerous situations. Construction companies are turning to M2M technologies to help increase productivity and reduce collateral safety risks.
SK Solutions deploys sensors on cranes and construction vehicles to pull data such as 3-D motion control via inertial motion unit, location via GPS and load weight, equipment usage and wind speed and direction. This data is loaded first into the Navigator real-time operating system and its on-board set of applications, including collision avoidance. The data is then fed through the SK Navigator Anywhere Agent, which uses SAP technology. Site and project managers monitor the equipment via a dashboard built with SK Asteroid, which uses the SAP HANA platform, SAP 3-D Visual Enterprise applications and SAP Lumira software. SK Asteroid 360 Middleware is a cloud-based platform that provides connectivity to SAP Business Suite software.
“As the global leader in anti-collision systems, we understand the value of real-time information for saving lives,” said Dr. Séverin Kezeu, CEO, SK Solutions. “Our collaboration illustrates how information technology and operational technology are converging. Working with SAP, we will define the critical KPIs for this type of system and refine the dashboard to optimize the data display. A unique portfolio of SAP solutions is expected to help us provide accurate, timely and secure information to construction equipment operators, fleet managers and senior construction managers. This information is excepted to help keep personnel safe and enhance utilization of construction equipment, which helps improve productivity and ensure projects meet key milestones.”
SAP is also collaborating with the International Barcode of Life consortium to create Big Data-enabled applications to protect global biodiversity. To learn more, read the announcement made at Strata Conference + Hadoop World, being held October 28-30 in New York: “SAP Delivers Big Data-Enabled Applications to Engage With Customers.”
For more information, visit the SAP Newsroom.
About the Internet of Things World Forum
The Internet of Things World Forum will take place October 29-31, 2013 in Barcelona, Spain. The event will bring together global leaders, professionals and innovators representing markets such as manufacturing, transportation, oil and gas, utilities, healthcare, sports and entertainment, government, education and retail. More information on the Internet of Things World Forum is available at www.iotwf.com.
About SK Solutions
SK Solutions is the global leader in anti-collision software solutions, software and solutions for IT and Operational Technology (OT) convergence on site involving vehicles, machineries, assets and people. For more information, visit www.sk-navigator.com.
For more information, press only:
Kate McNeel, +1 (484) 624-2256, k.mcneel@sap.com, CDT
SAP Press Office, +49 (6227) 7-46315, CET; +1 (610) 661-3200, EDT; press@sap.com