“Campus Brain” Officially Launched!

The “Campus Brain” of HKUST (GZ) was officially launched on the morning of July 18. This marks the entry of the command center into the campus of HKUST (GZ) as the construction of the campus approaches its completion. The “Campus Brain” is the first facility to be put into use on campus, thus representing a milestone in the history of HKUST (GZ).

Working from the “Campus Brain”, the University and all units concerned will stay ready to solve all sorts of problems in the fastest and most efficient manner and prepare the new campus for its opening. From next month, more campus facilities and buildings will be put into use in an orderly manner. After the opening, the “Campus Brain” will serve as an emergency command center and play a pivotal role in security, energy saving, and facility management.

More than 40 staff members from the President’s Office, General Logistics Office and Information Technology Services Center will be the first to work at the “Campus Brain”

As an essential part of a smart campus, the “Campus Brain” is built around the principles of “top-level design, unified standards, resource integration, system integration, sharing and decentralized maintenance”. The aim is to enhance its capabilities for communication coordination, monitoring perception, regular management and command decision-making, as well as meet the core needs of campus information gathering and integration, information sharing and service, exchange and display, emergency drill and conference decision-making.

Data driven!

To achieve interconnectivity and resource sharing

Driven by the technological advancements in blockchain and new infrastructure in recent years, the transformation of digital buildings (smart campuses) has become a megatrend. Since its preparation for the establishment, HKUST (GZ) has fulfilled its commitment to a “smart campus” in the process of architectural design and campus construction.

Under the traditional mode of cross-department collaboration, the teachers, students and staff often face problems such as low data utilization rate and “isolated data island”. Efficient solutions to these problems above lie in strengthening data operation for major data usage scenarios. The construction of a “smart brain” for campuses has become an emerging endeavor toward the promotion of digital development.

The data collection process of the “Campus Brain”

The “Campus Brain”, as its name implies, is a campus-based “brain” with global control capabilities. Data amount and information exchange hold key to the construction and operation of a smart campus. Empowered by cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence + Internet of Things (AIoT), intelligent cloud and edge computing, the “Campus Brain” can address the lack of interactions between equipment, data, experience and service in traditional buildings, and realize a smart Internet of everything for intelligent devices. The underlying logic of the “Campus Brain” is to break through the barriers between product systems and realize data interconnection and resource sharing in a user-data-driven and intelligent fashion.

Utilitarian functions!

Safe and energy saving, guarding the campus in real-time

The “Campus Brain” boasts multiple functions. Its presence is not found everywhere, but can be felt everywhere. The functioning of the “Campus Brain” can offer great comfort and convenience to the faculty and students on campus. It can also help the campus deliver the best environment and services with the lowest energy consumption.

Specifically, the “Campus Brain” mainly has the following three functions:

• Unified coordination and command

  As an integrated command and scheduling center, the “Campus Brain” can monitor and react to emergencies on campus in real-time and protect the safety of teachers and students. 

• Convenience

  The “Campus Brain” coordinates all terminal devices and builds connections between intelligent terminals on campus. Users can enjoy efficient services on the unified platform, or rather a “one-stop service hall”.

• Energy saving and carbon reduction.

  Each system, which is interconnected through logical calculation and programs, conducts dynamic detection of the energy consumption data regarding the campus, adopts energy-saving strategies, and fulfills the University’s commitment to building “a sustainable and green campus”.

It is learned that the functions of the “Campus Brain” cover security, energy saving and equipment management. Its main applications include campus accident report, resource command and coordination, comprehensive analysis and judgment, emergency command and management, academic research achievements display, structured plan and information release. The “Campus Brain” can meet various needs before, during and after campus emergency responses, such as video surveillance, video consultation, converged communication, large screen display, audio amplification and comprehensive control.

Colleagues at the “Campus Brain” are monitoring the data

The “Campus Brain” can even outperform human perception in terms of intelligence and sensitivity. Besides monitoring an individual’s health status in real-time, it can even read “crowd atmosphere”, such as distinguishing a festival gathering from a potential riot.

Traditionally, managing scientific research equipment and experimental equipment is a human responsibility. In this aspect, the “Campus Brain” does a better job in terms of sensitivity, accuracy and efficiency. It can predict a flame as a potential cause of fire or normal use for experimental purposes. Besides, the “Campus Brain” can also rapidly identify harmful objects among many items left unattended.

In the future, the “Campus Brain” will spare teachers and students the trouble of turning on or off the light when they enter or leave the classroom. Designed to be intelligent and energy efficient, the “Campus Brain” tailors its functioning to the usage habits of teachers and students, performs refined management and builds a “green campus”.

Stay tuned!

A smarter, lower-carbon campus will arrive soon

As the campus-based command center of HKUST (GZ), the “Campus Brain” welcomes its first group of users. For the new office area filled with high-tech elements, everyone expresses curiosity and expectation.

Dylan, a senior engineer of the General Logistics Office and among the first group of users, has been engaged in the whole process of campus construction. “I am very excited! It makes me feel like bringing my own baby to the world!” he said.

It is learned that the “Campus Brain” is in the primary stage of collecting data for all sections. The “Campus Brain” is expected to collect data on scientific research and teaching, energy saving, intelligent security, logistics management, intelligent buildings, life services and campus supporting facilities from early August. As days go by, the “Campus Brain” will get smarter and smarter.