3^rd^ Conference of Documentation & Electronic Archiving

17 – 19 Sep. 2005, Dubai, Rashid Hall – Dubai World Trade Centre

Scientific Sessions Program

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17^th^ Sep. 2005: The New in Knowledge Management

Digital city background and the Coba connection

Risto Linturi, www.linturi.fi

Distinguished audience,

Ten years ago I conducted a survey to the National Archives of Finland. Conclusion was that archiving graphical data for long periods is problematic. You can archive all files but sophisticated presentation usually becomes meaningless in few years. I have here the first Finnish multimedia CDROM containing thousands of archive clips. I produced this in 1993. I still have one old machine that can read it. Some of the formats that were popular then, require software that only runs on Windows 3.1.

Ten years ago I also initiated one of the world known digital city projects.

You can see façade of the project in the background. I wanted to create a virtual replica of Helsinki to the internet. You can see this as a document but I did not want to create a document. What I wanted was a virtual place that was alive and connected to the real Helsinki. One of our first tests had trams moving real time, getting the live coordinates from GPS. Now we have the same system in all Helsinki taxicabs, just without the 3D graphics. You could also ring any doorbell and get a telephone call to that place. The correct metaphor in connected virtual reality is telepresence.

We should take a moment to consider the need for documentation. Writing was invented by Sumerians. They wanted exchange transactions to be delayed. Asymmetrical exchange required records. With computers, flexible exchange rates and internet, their system would have been perfect. Greeks would never have invented money. Money replaced documentation because the documentation used fixed rates and could not be reached far away from the temples.

I have an operations research background. Much of today’s documentation irritates me. It is very common to access documents only to transfer the same data into other documents. Sometimes we overcome this waste of labour. Ten years ago all cheques disappeared from Finland. All banks and shops accept other banks payments and transfer them electronically. Most people do not need to write tax declaration. Data is routed automatically to where it is needed.

Many documents have been subsumed by automated processes. Data is still there within the computer systems. There are technical standards such as XML and RDF to guarantee easy programming of this automation. But independent documents have disappeared and only programmers are interested in the insides of computer systems.

Digital City is basically about this development. All mobile devices, building automation and sensors can be connected to automation networks. Every device can be remotely monitored and serviced. People in bus stops know when buses arrive, meeting rooms automatically request cleaning and air conditioning requests maintenance when needed. Documents are not used, all devices supply required information directly to anyone who needs the information.

Automation has benefits. As each room knows if it is occupied or empty, all functions can be optimized based on actual user needs. We have calculated quite extensive energy savings both in cold and warm climates. Comfort, health and ease also result as ventilation, lights, curtains, alarms and security can be automated.

This kind of a digital city means in essence that our buildings are actually transferred into interactive computers. Sensors, heating, ventilation and other devices become input and output devices of these computers. Automating our own home 1997, I realized that buildings needed their own operating systems. Not replacing Windows or Linux but adding building functionality and service layer. This is why we in Lonix initiated the COBA project and succeeded beyond expectations.

COBA models building functionality. It actually standardizes real time access to all building related functional data. Local and remote applications access COBA to get or set room and building status. This solves many documentation problems both in planning phases, construction and maintenance.

Common practice is that buildings are planned in various stages. Each phase includes extensive documentation, which is only partially and manually transferred to the next stages. Each phase also sees changes. Documents from the previous phases become contradictory and information is lost. Often practical maintenance requires completely new information systems or information is gathered manually each time.

Productivity of banking in Finland increased 200% due to re-engineering of all documents and data. Investments to ICT in construction business have been higher but productivity gain is negative as the process has not been re-engineered. COBA seems to be the only project that has completely re-engineered the building process. Others have only tried to automate separate pieces but maintained the old structure.

COBA contains computer simulated data, planning data and data from the construction phase in a homogenous database and in corresponding XML format. This highly complex and multidimensional data generates user interfaces for each type of users and interfaces for service center applications.

We do use static libraries and documents but only through applications. Our libraries contain device descriptions and prefabricated model solutions. They are used to standardize and speed up planning phases.

Now I return to our national archives. During my study it was apparent that they did not really have a choice. They wanted to archive graphical data only in paper and microfilm formats. And my study showed that all graphical formats will pose problems because during few decades most current data formats will be forgotten. However the new residence of our president was under construction just then. The architectural design has so many 3D angles that it can’t sensibly be put on 2D paper.

Graphics on paper has limitations. We need to understand that all linear representations are limited. Automation requires multidimensional data which can only be accessed by applications. We need to distance ourselves with the structural limitations created by the early Sumerians. Writing will still be the greatest invention in all history but we should not let us be limited to it. Computers allow much more.

The ideal building system project starts with computer simulations. Outdoor climate, target indoor climate, building materials and architecture are inputs. System requirements are outputs. The next phase is customer review; user ensures that each space type behaves in the desired way when the house is occupied or empty, at night time or daytime. Through their application, contractors immediately see work lists, component lists, connection tables, maintenance databases, user interfaces and connections to service centers. Any change updates every other viewpoint.

You can think about this as automated multidimensional documentation and automated document library. You can also regard this as a process metaphor. Re-engineering is inevitable. With this method, many documents, work phases and contradictions disappear. Archives disappear also. All data is live and continuously used by the system. Statistical data is used for automated learning and optimization. Original simulation results are automatically compared with measured performance.

This is the long promised paperless office. It is not electronic access to documents. It is direct access to the real thing. Service center can give this virtual and physical access to the maintenance company you have contracted. They can also monitor the access and secure that there are no violations. Service center can also facilitate other functions. Energy usage can be optimized. Broad band access and media services can be secured. Billing of services can be centralized.

I have now lived seven years in our fully automated house. We saved 30% from the energy bill. Air is healthy and noiseless. There is no need to shut down the lights or turn up air conditioning as the house takes care of all these things. If we are not home I can answer my doorbell from my mobile phone and open the door if necessary.

I know this is getting remote from documentation and libraries but if we maintain old categorical thinking, we do not create anything radically new. I wanted to describe the usefulness of structured process oriented and networked data. That kind of data is not in libraries and it is not called documents. This is the new way. These kinds of systems make many current documents electronic or not - totally useless.

The main aim of this conference is to increase productivity. This process oriented approach to multidimensional data easily increases productivity by tens and even hundreds of percents. This has been confirmed in modern banking and logistics. We can also show it in building automation, facility management and many other fields.