FW-HTF-RL/Collaborative Research: Future of Digital Facility Management (Future of DFM)

This Future of Work at the Human-Technology Frontier - Research: Large (FW-HTF-RL) award supports research to address the critical shift towards digital transformation in the facility management industry, a sector grappling with technological and workforce changes. The industry is on the verge of adopting advanced Information and Communication Technology, Internet of Things, and Big Data paradigms, aiming to make traditional operations more data-driven to meet organizational and national energy reduction goals. These advances target multiple improvements, including occupant comfort and health, system resilience, energy performance, and operational cost reductions. The transition necessitates facility managers to adapt to increased data volumes and new forms of human-machine interaction, thereby necessitating upskilling and reskilling. The project also recognizes the skills shortage in the industry, highlighting the need for efforts from industry leaders, educators, and policymakers to prepare a workforce for the future of facility management. The technical goals of this project aim at addressing the digital transformation challenges within facility management. The first objective is to construct a digital twin ecosystem for a facility, enhancing the role of facility managers by providing them with physical and cognitive assistance. The second objective involves developing a multi-modal user interface to promote effective interaction within the digital ecosystem, allowing communication between occupants, FMs, and other stakeholders. Thirdly, the project will gauge facility managers' readiness to utilize the digital twin technology, intending to refine the technology continuously and identify any barriers to adoption. The final objective is to study the impacts of adopting this technology on facility managers, occupants, and facility owners, incorporating different perspectives to develop comprehensive solutions to the industry's challenges. Additionally, project work with industry leaders and facility managers will identify the necessary training and educational initiatives that can equip the current and future workforce with the skills required to keep pace with digital transformation. Such initiatives will involve curating curricula that are aligned with technological advancements, enhancing existing training programs, and designing new ones to fill the skills gap. Collaboration activities will also seek to inspire and attract diverse talents to the industry, thus fostering a work environment that is ready for the future of digital facility management. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.