Design and Implementation of PropertySafety

Each year millions of dollars are spent for the prevention of flooding, fire, and burglaries in vacant properties. Keeping a vacant property secure is the most important aspect in preventing damage and one of the most crucial tasks for property owners and facility managers. Building Information Modeling (BIM) is an emerging technology platform that has the potential to be explored in safety-planning solutions for vacant properties. In an attempt to reduce vacant property hazards, this chapter reports upon an integrated system architecture that utilizes BIM and wireless sensor technology to produce a proactive safety and emergency management system entitled PropertySafety. The proposed solution collects real-time temperature, activity, and water detection data remotely; notifies property owners and facility managers through effective visualizations of a building using the BIM platform; and ultimately attempts to contribute in reducing property hazards during the facility management phase of a building lifecycle.