Reading 7- Internet

After reading this weeks assigned reading, I was able to better understand the idea of what the internet is and what makes it work. The article went in depth into what makes up the internet and how it has progressed in the past 30-40 years. Although I learned a lot from the article as far as what TCP/IP, what different internet connection speeds are, and what conventions behind domains are, I wasn't all that interested in what was being talked about. I was however interested to see how this was going to be incorporated into intelligent buildings, like the second article Steven read. I thought the idea that the internet could be used t monitor systems at all ti,es wasa interesting, so I wanted to look more into this. Therefore, the other two articles I read this week were about the internet and intelligent buildings.

The first article I read was titled "How Intelligent are these Buildings?" and it was ann article about how the internet is becoming an important factor in designing intelligent buildings. Within the article many topics were discussed, the first of whichwas how intelligent buildings are not being designed and created as much as they should be. It claims that with the increase in technology buildings should be made more intelligently, but they are not. According to the article though, people who design buildings believe that intelligent buildings can be most easily created through the internet and interoperability. The article says that the internet needs to be used to make systems interoperable and with the progression of how the internet works, this will be possible. The article talked about TCP/IP and how it has become an integral part in creating an intelligent building. This due to the fact that it has become a standard netwroking protocol, making information sharing much simpler and more efficient. Another idea discussed within the article is that as internet is being incorporated into buildings, there will be more and more need for IT specialized engineers. This might mean that an engineer with a mechanical concentration would need to be an IT mechanical engineer. An IT mechanical engineer would not necessarily design the HVAC but know how to run and sestup the system behind how it works. This will be done by using the internet and connecting the system to it.

The second article I read was about the internet and intelligent buildings also and was titled "Integrated Information: Technology Is The New IT." This article was really interesting and looked into how the internet is being incorporated into buidings to make them more intelligent. More specifically, the article goes in depth into how hotels are being brought into the intelligent building era. The first part of the article talks IIT, or integrated IT. According to the article IIT "is like a highway interchange allowing seamless flow of information between disparate systems. IIT is the logical extension of building automation." This was then looked at in more detail in association with hotels. The article first starts by saying that hotels are "a step behind technology," but by incorporating IIT, this can all change. In other words, by allowing the internet to be incorporated into hotel design, intelligent hotels can be created. It talks about the idea of interoperability between systems within a hotel using the internet. For example, it suggests using the internet to set and program an occupants room based on things that they like. This could mean something as simple as air temperature within their room or having the TV programmed to be on the channel they like before they even get through the door. Another way the article claims the internet could be used within hotels is in association with RFID. This was the most interesting thing which was discussed within the article. According to the article, as an example, a guest would be sent an RFID welcome "key" before their visit to the hotel which they would have to bring with them. Then when they arrived the RFID would be "sensed" by the hotels internet system, and the hotel attendant would be able to address the occupant by their first name, making the check in process a lot easier and faster. The RFID and internet could also be used to tell when a guest is in their room so that someone could come and clean the room when it wasn't occupied. I thought that this was a really cool and interesting idea. With the use of the internet, the article claims that intelligent buildings will be not only possible, but practical.