Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1347119
April/May/June 2021 I 5 From the President, Todd W. Taylor, RCDD, OSP, NTS The Idea of a smart environment has been around for quite some time. With the evolution of IP-based systems and personal devices like smartphones, tablets, and smart watches, the integration of these systems was inevitable. For those ICT professionals old enough to remember the Get Smart TV series (1965 to 1970), who could forget Maxwell Smart's shoe phone? That gadget was probably my first exposure to a smart device! My first real experience was in the late 1990s when I designed one of the first smart homes in Northern Utah. Although basic device controllers for single lights, a water sprinkler timer, and interface with I dare say a Blackberry were used, the homeowner was able to control things remotely and was very happy with his "Smart Home." Technology sure has come a long way since then. I have watched and worked during the analog to digital transformation, witnessing the ICT industry change and cause a ripple effect in how we design, integrate, and manage our buildings today. Making a path to an integrated platform in more modern times were the communication and controls of most building systems that used a centralized form of communication, whether IP-based applications for networks or BACnet protocols for building automation. I experienced this first hand while working on a museum project. The main goal was to design a more efficient way to integrate all systems, monitor, and maintain the building and its priceless artifacts. We began evaluating all the typical building network systems, including HVAC, security, lighting controls, power, overhead paging, and audiovisual. The owner summed it up best when he proclaimed, "I would like to be able to do everything I can do inside the building remotely from my smart- phone." The challenge was not the capability of the systems but the willingness of them to coexist on a similar platform. BICSI entered the intelligent building arena with ANSI/BICSI 007, Information Communication Technology Design and Implementation Practices for Intelligent Buildings and Premises, first published in 2017. This inter- national standard covered the latest smart/intelligent technologies and best practices for design and instal- lation, including challenging systems integration and commissioning. The standard was updated and released in 2020 with enhanced focus on ESS, network design, cloud computing, Li-Fi, building automation and management systems, energy management, asset management, vertical transport, and the latest The Evolution of the Smart/ Intelligent Environment advancements in PoE. The subject matter experts who worked on the standards were tasked to look not only at the systems within the building, but also the benefits that design can have on a person's day to day interactions. I use these concepts, ANSI/BICSI 007-2020, and ANSI/BICSI 004-2018, Information Communication Technology Systems Design and Implementation Best Practices for Healthcare Institutions and Facilities in my day job designing primarily intelligent heathcare facilities to enhance the patient's stay and to deliver better quality of care. The COVID pandemic last year left us with needed solutions for extending remote capabilities, services, and quality of care to rural locations. Other verticals, such as education and multi-campus corporations, need these solutions as well. Throughout my years of experience, I learned some valuable lessons. For example, why use Cat 5e for PoE lighting versus Cat 6A or Cat 8? The short answer is that sometimes it is not about bandwidth but rather system requirements, such as distance, power demands, and affordability. For integration and the design of smart/intelligent buildings, one must remember that there are a variety of cabling solutions fine-tuned for specific client needs. I think the further evolution of the intelligent/smart industry depends on the continued adoption of the Smart City concept because it leads to smart states, smart countries, and ultimately to the Connected World. Smart environments can exist in houses, vehicles, buildings, and campuses, and they include the use of telecom- munications networks, sensor devices, computer hard- ware, and software—an interconnected ecosystem requiring artificial intelligence, IoT, and a robust infra- structure of cellular, Wi-Fi, microwave and other wireless services to keep up with our busy lives. This issue of ICT Today contains great articles covering some of these topics, and I will leave it to the other ICT experts/authors to keep us on top of the technological learning curve. Be Safe, Be Strong, Be Strategic.