A 5G campus for smart facilities management
NUS’ smart campus innovations will get a big boost – thanks to a recently announced partnership with StarHub that will enable the University to incorporate StarHub’s latest 5G and Internet of Things (IoT) solutions.
Through live trials over a two-year period, StarHub and NUS will exchange knowledge, identify gaps, and co-develop solutions in smart campus facilities management. The partnership has hit the ground running with the deployment of StarHub 5G standalone (SA) services and Singapore’s first 100 per cent solar-powered campus WiFi within NUS.
The two parties are now working on a variety of 5G and IoT applications that will improve the management of outdoor campus facilities operations. Use cases include predictive maintenance, building facade inspection, and housekeeping to security management.
“The high-speed connectivity and real-time communications that 5G provides will allow us to redesign our facilities management workflow enhancing productivity, efficiency and safety as well as provide targeted responses tailored to different situations,” said Mr Koh Yan Leng, Vice President (Campus Infrastructure) at NUS, adding that the partnership will bring NUS closer to its goal of being a Smart, Safe and Sustainable campus while supporting the industry transformation of the built environment sector.
“We are excited to partner StarHub on 5G, which is set to boost connectivity on campus and transform our University through technology,” said Ms Tan Shui-Min, Chief Information Technology Officer of NUS.
“We have piloted a first-in-class outdoor WiFi powered by 5G to complement our indoor campus wireless network, engendering a seamless and reliable connectivity experience for staff and students. Sharpening our competition in education, research and innovation, this collaboration has brought us closer to our vision of being a borderless university, where learning and working can take place anywhere, anytime and through any device.”
Power of 5G and IoT
With 5G, response transmission as well as network coverage can be taken to a higher level --for example, enhancing team operations in more effective detection and response to security threats on campus without heavy reliance on manpower.
Patrolling robots and drones will be trialled at U-Town to facilitate a safer campus environment. These robots would be mounted with mobile cameras which can transmit live feed to the Security Command Centre to detect any suspicious objects and activities.
Technology employing IoT include smart sanitary sensors -- currently being trialled in U-Town Stephan Riady Centre where they aid in facilities management by tracking and monitoring a host of variables in toilets, such as ammonia and occupancy levels, as well as water and soap consumption. Such data can then be accessed by the facilities managers through a mobile dashboard to assist in cleaning and maintenance work, allowing a quicker response time.
A pop-up showcase is in the offing for faculties, partners and students to visualise and experience the enhancements to campus life brought about by the joint work on 5G innovation.
By University Campus Infrastructure
