HENDERSON HEADLINES DATA SUPPLY CHAINS & THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT Authored by: Sean Turner | November 19, 2021 If you’re reading this, you are likely aware of the current supply chain challenges in the U.S. My guess is you’ve also been impacted by the drag it’s creating on economic activity. There are multiple reasons why the U.S. supply chain is in its current condition, but what’s important is understanding that the U.S. supply chain, or any supply chain for that matter, is essentially a network of systems. And when any part of that system fails or becomes overwhelmed, it impacts the entire supply chain. When this concept of interconnectedness is scaled down to buildings, similar things can happen with building controls systems and building controls data. Without a solid data supply chain, building controls systems can become a drag on building operations and occupants. Before we dive into how building controls data supply chains can impact a building, let’s both define a supply chain and data supply chain. WHAT IS A SUPPLY CHAIN? At its most basic definition, a supply chain is a series of steps and processes to get a product, service, or resource from its origin to its end user. In the case of the U.S. supply chain, it is more precisely a network of systems, and each of those systems can have their own supply chains that support the larger supply chain. Imagine wanting to sell bamboo furniture. You’re probably thinking about the style of furniture you’d create and sell. But what if you had to grow your own bamboo, harvest it, refine/process it, and store it, all before you could shape and create your furniture? That might make the process of creating the furniture much more daunting, if not impossible. Within a supply chain, this process would be broken into small pieces that are performed by a network of independent, interconnected entities in an efficient and cost-effective manner.
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WHAT IS A DATA SUPPLY CHAIN? A data supply chain is the process of transferring data from its source to its end user. The end user may be a data scientist, a building’s facilities manager, or another process that consumes the data as a part of a larger data supply chain. Think of temperature sensor data being transmitted to an air handling unit controller, and that air handling unit controller data being transferred to the building automation system controller. A data supply chain is important for many of the same reasons as a common supply chain: it builds efficiency and cost-effectiveness into our data streams. It’s also possible that it’s more important than we presume. As the world becomes more reliant on data, we inherently need to trust it more. Therefore, a reliable, high-quality data supply chain is crucial.