Journal
Wael Alsafery, Omer Rana, and Charith Perera, *Sensing within Smart Buildings: Survey*, ACM Computing Surveys (CSUR), Volume 55, Issue 13 (Article 297), 2023, pp. 1–35.
Research Programme
Sensing Technology for Monitoring Spaces Utilization
(2021-2025)
OpenHAB
Java
IoT Sensors
Building Management
Space Utilization
Internet of Things (IoT)
Infrastructure / Systems (IS)
Human Computer Interaction (HCI)
Project Overview
University buildings are unique because they partly act as office buildings and partly as semi-public spaces. Modern university buildings are designed with many different types of spaces to meet student needs, yet follow-up studies measuring actual utilisation after commissioning are rare. This project is conducted within Abacws, the home for Computer Science and Mathematics students at Cardiff University. The research aims to develop, deploy, and understand which IoT sensing technologies best suit monitoring heterogeneous study spaces, and to use those insights to mediate communication between occupants and service design teams. By deploying a range of IoT sensors throughout the building, the project characterises study-space usage patterns and provides actionable data for collaborative service design decisions. The sensing infrastructure captures occupancy levels, environmental conditions, and space utilisation metrics across different types of study areas.
The collected data provides a comprehensive picture of how each space is actually used compared to its original design intent. This enables evidence-based conversations between building occupants and facilities teams about how services and spaces can be improved to better meet real-world needs.
The technology and methodology developed are designed to be transferable beyond Abacws. Even though the focus is on a single university building, the approach could apply to any building with similar requirements for understanding how spaces are used. The work contributes to the broader field of smart building management by demonstrating how IoT sensing can bridge the gap between building design intent and actual occupant behaviour.
Team
Wael Alsafery
Omer Rana
Charith Perera