Scalable IoT Architecture for Monitoring IEQ Conditions in Public and Private Buildings

Abstract

This paper presents a scalable IoT architecture based on the edge–fog–cloud paradigm for monitoring the Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) parameters in public buildings. Nowadays, IEQ monitoring systems are becoming important for several reasons: (1) to ensure that temperature and humidity conditions are adequate, improving the comfort and productivity of the occupants; (2) to introduce actions to reduce energy consumption, contributing to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG); and (3) to guarantee the quality of the air—a key concern due to the COVID-19 worldwide pandemic. Two kinds of nodes compose the proposed architecture; these are the so-called: (1) smart IEQ sensor nodes, responsible for acquiring indoor environmental measures locally, and (2) the IEQ concentrators, responsible for collecting the data from smart sensor nodes distributed along the facilities. The IEQ concentrators are also responsible for configuring the acquisition system locally, logging the acquired local data, analyzing the information, and connecting to cloud applications. The presented architecture has been designed using low-cost open-source hardware and software—specifically, single board computers and microcontrollers such as Raspberry Pis and Arduino boards. WiFi and TCP/IP communication technologies were selected, since they are typically available in corporative buildings, benefiting from already available communication infrastructures. The application layer was implemented with MQTT. A prototype was built and deployed at the Faculty of Engineering of Vitoria-Gasteiz, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), using the existing network infrastructure. This prototype allowed for collecting data within different academic scenarios. Finally, a smart sensor node was designed including low-cost sensors to measure temperature, humidity, eCO2, and VOC.

Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): Technological Advances, Impacts and Challenges in the Management of Healthy and Sustainable Environments

“…Cluster 1 is mainly made up of the keywords "indoor environmental quality" (119), "air quality" (47), "indoor air" (42), "energy utilization" (35), "environmental impact" (35) and "indoor air pollution" (30), while Cluster 2 includes terms such as "sustainability" (66), "environmental quality" (58), "building" (44), "office buildings" (31) and "architectural design" (30). Finally, Cluster 4 is the least relevant grouping, with "environmental technology" (27) being the most prominent term. These results show that the third cluster presents the most significant connection between the topics covered in the articles, indicating an association between the topics and highlighting their relevance within the study context.…”

“…This is established by associating energy efficiency, thermal comfort, visual quality and air purity in interior spaces. In addition, Calvo et al [27] highlight the importance of incorporating monitoring systems that identify uncomfortable conditions within these spaces. This way, a path is outlined for future interventions to optimize the systems, resulting in full compliance with the SDGs.…”

“…In general, companies increasingly need to develop strategies that improve efficiency, satisfaction and health, aiming for sustainable returns in the long term [147]. In this sense, the literature has identified future trends, including integrating the IoT, sensors and High Dynamic Range (HDR) imaging techniques to monitor IEQ parameters [27,102,148] to increase the measurement accuracy. In addition, there is the development of real-time ventilation control algorithms [140], personalized ventilation innovations, sensing and management [104], and the computational analysis of air distribution in the environment employing Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) [149] to optimize the ventilation rate and air quality [150,151] and thus reduce the incidence of allergic and infectious diseases and Sick Building Syndrome (SBS), among others [82].…”

“…Studies such as that by Sperry and Bender [26] address the connection between sustainability, the use of building materials and water and energy consumption. Calvo et al [27] explore the implementation of the Internet of Things (IoT) to monitor IEQ and reduce energy consumption. Attaianese et al [28] focus on sustainable design and ergonomics.…”

Building XAI-Based Agents for IoT Systems

“…It is a collection of various hardware and software agents. Although there are quite a lot of IoT architectures proposed recently in [25][26][27], they have no integrated means for explainability included. The following method complements existing IoT architecture models by integrating an explanation interface.…”