Sensors & IoT Data
CDT is designed to move beyond static models toward a true digital twin — a physical environment and a digital representation connected by a live data feedback loop. Sensor and IoT integration is how that loop is realized.
Goal
Understand how CDT links telemetry to Buildings and BIM elements and visualizes live data in the viewers and on dashboards.
Prerequisites
- A CDT account.
What you can connect
CDT is built to ingest telemetry from:
- Building Automation Systems (BAS) — HVAC, lighting controls, energy meters
- Environmental sensors — temperature, humidity, CO₂, air quality
- Occupancy sensors — presence detection, people counting
- Smart meters — electricity, gas, water consumption
- Weather stations — outdoor temperature, solar radiation, wind
Once connected, telemetry is linked to specific building elements (an IfcSpace for a room sensor, an IfcSystem for an HVAC network) using the element's GlobalId.
Visualize sensor data
In the BIM Viewer
When sensor data is linked to a model element, the properties panel shows the current reading next to the element's IFC attributes. You can colour elements by sensor value — for example, rooms by current temperature to identify hot or cold zones.
On the Map
Sensor stations with geographic coordinates appear as markers on the map viewer. Click a marker to open a popover with the current reading and a mini time-series chart.
Dashboards
The platform supports chart-based dashboards for portfolio-level analysis: energy consumption across all buildings in a Site, indoor air quality trends over a week, occupancy patterns by floor.
Architecture in brief
| Layer | Notes |
|---|---|
| Time-Series Database (TSDB) | High-frequency readings live separate from PostgreSQL — optimized for high write throughput, range queries, and retention policies. |
| Real-time updates | Frontend polls at a configurable interval and uses SWR (stale-while-revalidate) caching, so the UI always shows the latest value without hammering the database. |
| Linkage | Sensors carry a GlobalId reference into the linked IFC element, so the same data appears in BIM, map, and dashboard contexts. |
Example: campus energy & occupancy monitoring
The platform's sensor integration was first developed for a university digital-campus deployment that connected real-time data to a federated BIM model of 50+ buildings:
- Energy consumption monitoring — electricity kWh/ft² per building, updated live.
- Building occupancy — sensor estimates visualized on floor plans.
- Parking availability — real-time parking lot status across campus.
This work established the data model and visualization patterns now used in CDT's sensor integration layer.
Roadmap
- Full IoT device management UI (register, configure, and monitor devices from the platform).
- Alert rules and threshold notifications.
- Integration with national environmental datasets (CIFFC wildfire monitoring, Environment Canada weather).
- Export of time-series data to CSV or API for external analysis.
For tracked status, see the Changelog and GitHub roadmap.