ne of the many changes prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic was the shift to medical care outside the doctor’s office. A movement that started with devices connected to a router is evolving toward a networked system that follows...
A century ago, the industry changed when farming became mechanized. Another transformation is happening now as farms become digitized to make them more productive, sustainable and resilient in a changing climate. To ensure...
Twentieth-century libraries were stereotypically silent, predictable caverns with bookcases, study desks and a librarian shushing patrons. That’s not the model for libraries today or tomorrow, whether they are community...
Technological sensors on roads and intersections gather more data and enable more intelligent responses to conditions than ever before. Increased numbers of motorists, aging infrastructure and the growing digitalization is...
Until recently, a marina visit might have meant fueling up your boat, buying a bag of ice and heating up a snack in a microwave. Finding a place to dock the boat was a matter of searching the slips for space and boaters just...
As fans crowd back into stadiums, facilities are upgrading to accommodate some new realities. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced many companies to adopt new digital technology. Stadiums and arenas are no different as their...
Retail food stores are undergoing critical shifts initiated by the COVID-19 pandemic that may affect the size and use of facilities, where they are built and how they are staffed long after the world returns to normal. Many...
Traditionally, warehouses have been sprawling, manually operated facilities with a handful of forklifts, a waiting room for truck drivers and stacks of paperwork to document transactions. However, shifts in retail...
Humans have been harnessing water power for more than 2,000 years. Hydropower, the oldest source of renewable electricity in the United States, dates back to the 19th century. Today, it provides about 7% of American energy...
As workers return to their jobs, travel resumes and schools and event venues begin to reopen, technology promises several tools to help ensure those who enter a facility or campus are healthy and maintain social distances. To...
Not long ago, shared workspaces provided collaborative environments for travelers, entrepreneurs and people who need a place to meet or work as they conduct business around the world. The coronavirus pandemic left such sites...
Today, municipalities and businesses are testing and deploying a variety of systems that aim to locate vehicles and assets. For detecting people, the methods range from crowd control to tracking emergency responders. Assets...
Airports and airlines are keeping an eye on people, baggage and equipment that flow through facilities in an effort to increase efficiency and reduce errors. That means understanding where passengers are, where equipment has...
Yesterday’s broadcast journalism students might not recognize the mobile and high-data streaming world of today’s college (and high school) TV studios. While a decade ago, schools needed a full set for taping newscasts...
C ustomers want low-voltage systems that run the gamut from building controls and occupancy sensors to internet of things (IoT) wireless technology and mobile apps that manage whole buildings or homes. For some electrical...
Every jail, prison and correctional facility depends on technology to keep personnel, visitors and prisoners safe. The contractors and integrators that install or maintain those systems operate in a highly specialized niche...
A new generation of building automation technology, as well as new open standards, are prompting contractors to upgrade the wiring and hardware for each facilities’ intelligence. The changes in standards and trend toward IP...
The digital transaction system known as Blockchain is a nascent technology that may be getting an outsized share of hype. Right now, it is confined to usage with cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin. However, analysts, energy...
Construction modeling using 3-d laser scanners is becoming common on large construction sites, such as data centers, and electrical contractors can expect to see more of these devices—and more requests for them—on projects of...
Neon lighting—a technology nearly as old as electricity—has had its surges and slumps over the past century, but it’s now enjoying a new and potentially lasting boost. The gas was discovered first in 1898, and, for some time...
