Sharing building sensor data to optimise building processes

Sharing building sensor data to optimise building processes

This content was created by the Data Sharing Coalition, one of the founding partners of the CoE-DSC.

The worldwide number of IoT-connected devices is projected to increase to 43 billion by 2023. All these devices generate large amounts of data that can unlock new opportunities once shared. Also sharing data from sensors in buildings is in uptake and offers new opportunities for multiple domains and organisations and their service providers. Together with FacilityApps and AMdEX, the Data Sharing Coalition lays a foundation for sharing building sensor data by developing a use case in which building sensor data is shared with cleaning parties for ‘demand-based’ cleaning services.

Sharing building sensor data lead to cross-domain opportunities

In a smart building, information from devices and sensors in the building is shared with service providers such as energy and security providers, building maintenance organisations and facility organisations to optimise the processes in a building. According to a report by Fortune Business Insights, the smart building market is expected to grow by 12% annually in the coming years. Sensors in buildings can provide information (e.g. energy usage, temperature, occupancy) that is used for the development of new smart products and services for parties that own, rent and/or reside within the building. Think of maintenance production tools for machine providers, facility dashboards and services for facility service providers and automatic energy saving applications for building owners or tenants. Organisations and their service providers are better informed by sharing building data, leading to multiple benefits such as improved building operations and lower CO2 footprints. Also, building sensor data can be used to measure and control how people move and behave in buildings in order to fight COVID-19 infections in buildings.

Laying the foundation for other data sources, actors and applications

The Data Sharing Coalition works on a smart building use case together with FacilityApps and AMdEX. In this use case, the focus is on building sensor data that is shared with cleaning companies that can use these insights to develop ‘demand-based’ cleaning services. Data from different types of sensors (dispenser sensors and people counter sensors) can be consumed by cleaning companies, upon which they can act. For example, a cleaning company can determine whether they need to fill dispensers based on data from sensors in these dispensers. This leads to increased efficiencies in cleaning services, which is especially valuable in large buildings or areas such as airports. As the design of this use case can be re-used and expanded towards comparable cases, this case lays the foundation for a broader scope in which other data sources can be added, data is shared with a broader range of parties and new applications can be developed.

Are you interested in the use case? Learn more.

We always welcome ideas to define and realise new cross-sectoral use cases of data sharing. Do you have an interesting idea? Please send us an email: info@coe-dsc.nl

Share:

Read more

Data Sharing Architects Community 2.0

The latest edition of CoE-DSC’s Data Sharing Architects Community brought together professionals from across the public and private sectors to exchange knowledge, share practical experiences and strengthen interoperability. With expert presentations, interactive workshops and valuable networking opportunities, the event highlighted the growing momentum behind collaborative data-sharing initiatives in the Netherlands.

Federated solutions the only way to digital independence

Strong contributions and a substantive panel discussion characterised the CoE-DSC Strategy Meeting ‘Steering for cloud sovereignty’ on 18 June in The Hague, all grounded in concrete, action-oriented perspectives. Only by connecting public and private parties, and aligning supply and demand, we can achieve federated solutions that give organisations greater control and reduce digital dependence.

Looking Back at a succesfull Gaia-X Tech-X & Hackathon 2026 in Athens

At the Gaia-X Tech-X & Hackathon #9 in Athens, CoE-DSC and TNO played a prominent role in advancing trusted data sharing and interoperability within the European digital ecosystem. A major highlight was the CoE-DSC/TNO team winning the first prize at the hackathon, achieved with an AI-powered solution that enhances trusted collaboration between digital services. The event also showcased important progress in trust and compliance frameworks that support the future development of interoperable European data spaces.