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Responsive BMS

Built for use in control rooms where the desktop PC reigns, building management system (BMS) applications have been slow to adapt to use on tablet PCs and smartphones. At best, they deliver a clunky experience. To meet the rapidly growing requirement for anytime, anywhere access to the BMS via multiple device types, Johnson Controls’ has made a responsive interface the focus of the latest upgrade to its Metasys BMS. It’s a move other BMS vendors are likely to rapidly emulate.

Neil Cameron, Johnson Controls.

Neil Cameron, GM, Johnson Controls Building Efficiency for Africa says, “Users have become more mobile and use of smart devices has grown. At the same time, building systems have become more sophisticated and automated. To realise the potential this represents, Johnson Controls has focused its attention on ensuring Metasys users are able to quickly and effectively access BMS information on any smart device.”

In enabling the front-end user interface of the BMS for different devices, Johnson Controls has ensured the user experience is as intuitive as possible, with relevant or critical information prioritised and displayed in a format that is accessible via the device. For example, a small format smartphone may more readily display system performance values graphically, while a tablet PC may facilitate viewing a dashboard display.

Cameron adds, “This will put critical information at the fingertips of users, empowering them to remotely control building systems, pre-empting and/or rapidly responding to situations from wherever they may be. In addition, as system interfaces are easily configurable, users with different profiles (e.g., an electro-mechanical engineer versus the building manager) can easily adapt the interface to display whatever information they find most useful.”

To remain relevant and maximise the functionality of their BMS applications, users need to relook the capability of their solutions. This will become increasingly important as building management job functions continue to specialise, the systems become more automated, and decisions need to be made and acted on faster.

“BMS systems have advanced significantly in the last decade and they will continue to do so. To make those advances effective, ease of access to data and reports is essential, as is being able to action those decisions in a timely manner. Better user interfaces make that possible. It is a good time for users to revisit this functionality in their BMS’ and make the necessary upgrades,” concludes Cameron.

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