DIGITALISATION JOURNEY - E&M 2.0

The Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD) formulated the 5-year Strategy Plan in 2018, charting a clear roadmap for the department to head towards E&M 2.0 with digitalisation and to continuously innovate in innovation and technology, provide digitised electrical and mechanical (E&M) engineering solutions for government departments, and create public value. Through the digitisation of E&M equipment, deployment of Government-Wide IoT Network (GWIN), development of Building Information Modelling – Asset Management (BIM-AM) platform, and setting up the Regional Digital Control Centres (RDCC) with the development of Semantic AI, it is hoped to gradually empower predictive maintenance and enhance operational efficiency and performance of E&M assets.

GOVERNMENT-WIDE INTERNET-OF-THINGS NETWORK (GWIN)

GWIN is a dedicated government network using LoRa (Long Range) technology. LoRa is a technology that supports data transmission in low power and long range. LoRa-based sensors are battery-operated and can transmit data through the GWIN gateway for up to 7 kilometres, reducing the installation cost and its complexity. Besides monitoring E&M systems and equipment, GWIN also supports smart applications from various government departments such as Smart Construction, Smart Drainage and Smart Toilet, etc.

BUILDING INFORMATION MODELLING – ASSET MANAGEMENT (BIM-AM)

Building Information Modelling (BIM) is typically adopted in the design and construction stage for design visualisation and coordination. EMSD extended it to BIM-AM to cater for asset management (AM) in the operations and maintenance (O&M) stages after the construction processes. EMSD was granted the patent of the BIM-AM in 2016 and further integrated it with augmented reality (AR) and 5G technology. With BIM-AM, maintenance staff can locate, monitor and diagnose equipment in real time through a mobile device. With the support of smart glasses, E&M equipment behind false ceilings can also be viewed to ensure the O&M works can be effectively conducted.

REGIONAL DIGITAL CONTROL CENTRE (RDCC)

The RDCC is responsible for remote real-time equipment monitoring and applies artificial intelligence (AI) and big data analytics to enhance the operational efficiency and environmental performance of E&M assets. The RDCC is also able to track the status of E&M emergency equipment and on-site condition via visual images. Besides, EMSD also developed the Semantic AI prediction model based on the building data to build the foundation of digitisation.