2 IT Pro November/December 2011 P u b l i s h e d b y t h e I E E E C o m p u t e r S o c i e t y 1520-9202/11/$26.00 © 2011 IEEE

InformatIon SyStemS

Ciro D’Urso, Senate of the Italian Republic

The administration of a parliamentary institution implemented a Computer-Aided Facility Management system to better manage the institution’s real estate. The state-of-the-art CAFM system integrates graphical and alphanumerical data for more efficient property management.

Facility management helps organizations more efficiently manage their real estate, and it’s extremely important when you’re managing historic buildings that house

the offices of the Parliament of Italy. The Infor-mation Systems Development Department and the Real Estate Department of the Italian Senate manage a considerable amount of information about seven buildings containing approximately 3,000 rooms (including halls, prestige offices, and technical areas) and covering a total area of 60,000 square meters. The facility management involves maintaining accurate data about the floor plans, space utilization, asset location, and technical plants.

An efficient facilities-management informa-tion system can better support the primary or-ganization itself, increase the building’s life expectancy and value, optimize appliance main-tenance, help schedule routine maintenance ac-tivities, and improve the quality of the working environment.1 Unfortunately, current systems are usually vendor-specific or proprietary, and

standardization attempts—such as the Industry Foundation Classes (ISO 16739), developed by the International Alliance for Interoperability (www.iai-tech.org); the Facilities Management Classes2; and the Integrated Facilities Manage-ment Information System based on STEP (the Standard for Product Model Data)3—have yet to overcome all the complexities involved.

So, my colleagues and I at the Information Systems Development Department and Real Estate Department developed our own Computer-Aided Facility Management (CAFM) system that combines traditional CAD software with a set of software modules. In particular, the sys-tem uses two types of data: graphical (managed by traditional CAD software) and alphanumer-ical (managed by modules integrated with CAD software). The graphical data, implemented through producer-defined formats and open-source model definitions (www.opendwg.org), visually represents the buildings and infra-structure. The alphanumerical data concerns information related to the buildings and their

Information Integration for Facility Management

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contents; the technical plants; and general attributes that the comput-er environment can store, analyze, or present. The CAFM system’s ability to link graphical elements with attributes in the form of alphanumeric data lets it extend basic GIS software to a company’s management system so that the system doesn’t present just spatial information.4

System RequirementsThe first system requirement we de-veloped outlined the project’s funda-mental objective:

R1. Floor plans registry. The system must implement the real estate regis-try of the electronic planimetries (in an appropriate CAD format), always having the last version available and managing the versioning and the concurrent updates.

The planimetries contain the geometrical repre-sentation of the building’s floors.

Next, we focused on building operations, which are characterized by three main facilities-management functions: maintenance and op-eration management, property management, and services (see www.ifma.org). We needed not only electronic versions of the floor plans but also al-phanumerical information related to each plan. We stated this requirement as

R2. Alphanumerical data registry. The system must be able to store and update building in-formation, including the coding, typology, and occupation of the rooms; any logical models of the technical plants in the buildings; as-set management and classification for tech-nical plants; and the location of people and departments.

Our final requirement focused on safety:

R3. Compliance to safety regulation. In the context of evaluating fire risks and employee safety at the work place, the system must au-tomate the drafting of technical documents in accordance with national regulation.

Italian regulations require employers to iden-tify any risk factors in the company and evalu-ate their potential effects. Employers also must identify and implement preventative measures, monitoring their effectiveness and making im-provements as needed. They usually identify such measures in a document of risk assessment prescribed by law called a DVR, which includes various detailed attachments. In fact, the regu-lations require employers to specify in the DVR each room’s measurements, flooring, wall type and material, ceiling type and material, door type and location, and furniture type and location. The document also must state each room’s maxi-mum occupancy, identify emergency exit paths, and calculate the risk of fire.

System ArchitectureFigure 1 shows the CAFM system architecture. The core is the relational database management system (RDBMS), which stores all objects. Pro-cedures, functions, and SQL views developed in the RDBMS implement part of the business logic layer to support interoperability with other com-puter applications.

The overall system is accessible via the enter-prise network though the intranet or extranet using a secure access protocol and a one-time password (OTP) device. The main software mod-ule (the CAD software) manages the electronic

Figure 1. The Computer Aided Facility Management (CAFM) system architecture. The core is the relational database management system (RDBMS), which stores all objects.

Intranet /extranet

RDBMS

CAFM data

CAFM packages

CAFMapplication server

-CAD engine-Flash engine-XML, XSL, XSLT

CAFM client(Web-based model)

-Browser window-Java plugins

CAFM client(client-server model)

-User interface window-CAD and other software modules-RDBMS middleware

Other computerized systems(Human Resources

department, stationaryrequests, file system/

document management)

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InformatIon SyStemS

version of the floor plans stored in the RDBMS, while another software component (part of which was acquired as a commercial off-the-shelf application and then customized) provides con-nections between each file representing a floor plan and the related attributes, also stored in the RDBMS (such as space inventory, room codes, occupation status, and asset data).

Two models exist for making the informa-tion available to users: the traditional client-server model and a Web-based model. Both have strengths and weaknesses, depending on the sce-nario and user. After a deep analysis, we decided to implement both models. The two environ-ments share the same data and spatial objects, but the client software has much more function-ality than the Web-based model, because CAD software can more fully exploit client resources.

After implementing the infrastructure and in-stalling the software modules on the proper hard-ware, we started to feed data into the system. We focused on two main issues: integration with our central information system and security. We used the requirements as our roadmap in realizing the overall system, first developing the electronic ar-chive for the floor plans (R1) and then structur-ing the system to manage the information about all plants and building assets (R2). Finally, we ex-ploited the features offered by some technologi-cal packages (the Flash engine and XML/XSL/XSLT transformations) to introduce automatic report generation, starting from SQL queries

executed on the gathered data (R3). We converted floor plans from paper or old computer versions to the new format (the dwg format), storing all files in the RDBMS. We also defined a set of metadata associated to each dwg file to satisfy research needs.

After the digitalization of the pla-nimetries, we started collecting in-formation about assets to create a sufficiently detailed taxonomy (see Figure 2).

System IntegrationTo address the integration issue, we implemented a module that links the management system for legal and personnel information with the pla-nimetries to help locate employees.

This reduced data duplication and kept respon-sibility for managing personnel information with the Human Resources (HR) department (not the Information Systems Department).

In addition, CAFM can graphically represent employee attributes—such as their title and orga-nizational unit. Considering the entities schema and the relationships between the HR manage-ment system and the CAFM database, the in-tegration was very straightforward. We simply linked the two database schemas—for example, we’d link a particular SQL view, defined in the HR system and readable by the CAFM system, using the employee identification number stored in both (see Figure 3).

One end the CAFM system is a consumer of information managed by the enterprise infor-mation system (EIS), while the other end of the system is the information provider itself for ap-plications that need the real estate data. For ex-ample, consider the application that manages stationery requests (shown in the lower right corner of Figure 1): the system must know where to deliver the items—which building, floor, and room number—so to fulfil the request, the ap-plication reads the appropriate database views of the CAFM system.

The system also improves information quality by revealing data inconsistencies. For example, consider the room number—there could be a mismatch between the actual room number and the number listed in the computer system.

Figure 2. An extract from the CAFM system’s information taxonomy. The taxonomy provides the proper level of specification.

Rooms Assets Plants

Area

No. of people

Roofs

Walls

Windows

Doors

Stairs

…

Furniture

Chairs

Desks

Bookcases

Lights*

Bulbs

Halogen

…

Electrical

Panels

Lights*

Room

Network

RJ-45 plugs

Switches ML

Patch panels

*Technical plants can be viewed under two aspects: their general attributes and the assets that compose them.

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System SecurityFor security purposes, we implemented a role-based access-control model to clearly identify the competence and responsibilities of the ac-tors involved. The roles are classified as build-ing engineers, plant engineers, safety managers, general operators, and so on, and an access matrix relates each role with information speci-fying the allowed operations and building access.

We also exploited our taxonomy to catego-rize the data the CAFM system manages, such as geometrical layout; rooms-floors, rooms- people, rooms-[...]; plant-electr ical, plant- hydraulic, plant-[...]; and assets-furniture, assets-[...]. So, for example, a building engineer might have read-write access to the geometrical layout of planimetries associated to buildings M and G but just read permission for buildings C and K.

Application and ResultsDuring the first year of system implementa-tion, we focused on the digitalization task, spending a tremendous amount of time devel-oping a reliable repository of the floor plans. Furthermore, we elicited requests for addi-tional functions and reports, formulated by system users (the managers and technical staff in the Real Estate Department), and we organ-ized classroom and hands-on training ses-sions. Then we were able to turn our attention to controlling fire risks and managing space utilization.

Evaluating Fire RisksTo reduce the risk of fire in any of the buildings, we first identified elements considered to be a fire hazard (certain types of flooring, ceiling, walls, and furniture). We also retrieved technical re-ports of each plant (about the electrical wiring,

Figure 3. Integration between the CAFM and Human Resource systems based on SQL-views. The HR database provides the main data about an employee, and a plain SQL instruction can join the information from two different repositories.

Human Resources systemCAFM system

Employee

Organizationalunit Assignment

Role

Link entityEconomicposition

TaskTypologyof task Link entityBuilding

Floor

Plant

Room

Person

Macrocategory

Category

SELECTBuilding.edificio,Building.id_edificio,Floor.piano,Floor.id_piano,Room.vano, Person."ID_N", Person."ID_VANO”,

Person."POSIZIONATO", Person."COGNOME", Person."NOME", Person."QUALIFICA", Person."IMMAGINE_ACCESS",

Person."ROTAZIONE", Person."X", Person."Y", Person."Z", Person."IMMAGINE", Person."X1", Person."X2", Person."Y1",

Person."Y2“,“VIEW_HR"."TIPO“,“VIEW_HR "."CODICETIPO“, “VIEW_HR "."PERSONARIFERIMENTO“,

“VIEW_HR "."DESCGRUPPO“, “VIEW_HR”."DESCSERVIZIO", “VIEW_HR "."SERVIZIO“,“VIEW_HR "."INCARICO“,

“VIEW_HR"."CARRIERA,…

FROM Building, Floor, Room, Person, “VIEW_HR“

WHERE Building.id_edificio= Floor.id_edificioAND Floor.id_piano= Room.id_pianoAND Person_.id_vano= Room.id_vanoAND

Person."ID_N" = “VIEW_HR "."ID_N"(+)

H

R

V

i

e

w

s

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InformatIon SyStemS

air conditioning, heating, and so on) through SQL queries (see Figure 4).

The CAFM system can extensively report on the information it gathers—for example, noting when a room is about to exceed its capacity—to generate technical documents in accordance with national regulations. The system can also generate emer-gency exit plans as part of the DVR document.

Prior to implementing the CAFM system, an employee had to spend an entire month gather-ing the necessary fire-risk information to meet regulatory requirements. Now, that same em-ployee can generate and verify the required data in just one day.

Reassigning Rooms after ElectionsWhenever Italy has political elections, we need to provide suitable spaces for the members of Parliament and their staff. We assign the spaces according to the actual composition of each

parliamentary group, taking into ac-count room size and quality and the distance between rooms. We can generate reports through SQL que-ries that specify room size, attributes, and location and help us propose the new room assignments. We can then present the plan using the system’s Web-based component, allowing for interaction and graphics in a Flash environment (see Figure 5).

The approval process is complex, because the politicians review the plan and request changes, leading to various iterations before assignments are final (one of the last elections involved eight iterations). The sys-tem lets us simulate space allocation in real time to quickly present new drafts for politicians to review. Prior to implementing the system, a room-allocation change took approximately one working day to represent and re-ceive feedback. In the last election, using the new system, the same pro-cess took only one hour.

E fficient facilities management offers considerable cost sav-ings. Building, plant, and in-

frastructure planning and construction account for only 20 percent of all costs; the maintenance phase (approximately 40 years) accounts for the other 80 percent.5–8 The CAFM system pro-vides considerable economic value to Italy’s various government institutions. Recognizing this benefit, many Italian organizations have acquired facility-management services and re-lated CAFM systems from specialized vendors for building and infrastructure maintenance. In fact, for the second half of 2009, regional agen-cies had contracts worth more than 10 billion euro (Source: International Facility Manage-ment Association, http://www.ifma.org/, http://www.ifma.it/).

A further effort is needed to address all infor-mation that daily a facility manager must consider. For example, we plan to integrate a pervasive monitoring system into the CAFM to analyze real- time energy consumption throughout the day

Figure 4. Using the CAFM system to evaluate fire risks. The real-time query console (a) shows information associated with each room and (b) attributes related to the maintenance needs of a particular asset, such as the fire extinguishers.

Location of the asset

Here the user can select which room examine and

the system provides a preview of the floor plan with the room outlined

List of buildings, floors, rooms

Main data about each

Main data about each room of each floor of one building (here are

visualized data related to risk of fire)

Attributes of thefire estinguisher

Location of the assetin terms of building,

floor, and room

Here the user can select whichroom to examine, and the system

provides a preview of the floorplan with the room outlined

List of buildings, floors,and rooms

Main data about each building(area, number of rooms,

number of people,…)

Main data about each room of eachfloor in one building (and

visualized data related to fire risks)

Here the user can define and submit somequeries in a guided manner (selecting the

attribute of interest from a list)

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for each building and plant. This will help us develop short- and medium-term cost-cutting strategies through the revision of physical elements and contractual clauses with commercial providers.

AcknowledgmentsThe views expressed here are those of the author; they don’t necessarily reflect those of the Italian Senate or any other organization. Thanks to Giuseppe Briotti, software analyst at the Italian Senate, and to Marco Desideri, founder of Infocad.FM, for their technical contributions to the project.

References 1. J.N.W. Bos, “Software Analysis of a

Flexible Object-Oriented Facility Man-agement Information System,” Product and Process Modelling in the Building In-dustry, Balkema, 1995, pp. 379–385.

2. K. Yu, T. Froese, and F. Grobler, “A Development Framework for Data Models for Computer Integrated Facilities Management, Automation in Construction, vol. 9, nos. 5/6, 2000, pp. 145–167.

3. F.F. Cheng, P. Patel, and S. Bancroft, “Development of an Integrated Facilities Management Information System Based on STEP—A Generic Product Data Model,” Int’l J. Construction Information Technology, vol. 4, no. 2, 1996, pp. 1–13.

4. T. Schurle, A. Boy, and D. Fritsch, “Geographic In-formation Systems and Facility Management,” Inter-national Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences, vol. 32, no. 4, 1998, pp. 562–568.

5. Y.M. Dessouky and A. Bayer, “A Simulation and De-sign of Experiments Modelling Approach to Main-tenance Costs,” Computers & Industrial Eng., vol. 43, no. 3, 2002, pp. 423–436.

6. D.J. Ferry, P.S. Brandon, and J.D. Ferry, Cost Planning of Buildings, seventh ed., Blackwell Science, 1999.

7. F. Sieglinde, “Life-Cycle Cost Analysis,” Whole Building Design Guide, 29 June 2010; www.wbdg.org/resources/lcca.php.

8. D. Cotts, K. Roper, and R. Payant, The Facility Man-agement Handbook, third ed., Amacom Books, 2009.

Ciro D’Urso is head of the Information Systems Devel-opment Office at the Senate of the Italian Republic. His research interests include project management, software engineering, facility management, and business analytics. D’Urso received a five-years MS in engineering and a two-years specialization degree in statistics, operations research, and decision sciences from La Sapienza, Rome. He’s a senior member of IEEE. Contact him at cirodurso@ieee.org.

Figure 5. The Flash view of space assignments for parliamentary groups after a political election. Each room is marked with a different color, depending on group allocation.

Parliamentarygroups withrooms in the

selected floor

Selected CS articles and columns are available for free at http://ComputingNow.computer.org.

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