FOCUS PEST CONTROL
30 JULY 2020
REFERENCE NOTES
(i) www.theguardian.com/world/2020/may/25/
us-city-lockdowns-rat-aggression-lack-food-waste
(ii) www.nationalgeographic.co.uk/
animals/2020/04/rats-come-out-of-hidinglockdowns
eliminate-urban-trash
(iii) https://www.rentokil.co.uk/pest-control/
pestconnect/
(iv) https://relayto.com/mckinsey/industrialinternet
of-things-2019-impact-and-adoptiona2xjyhgckyx1o/
kcEKNuIy10
(v) https://spotta.co/
highly e ective pest management strategy that
complies with all health and safety legislation,
minimises technician call outs, and reduces
a business’ environmental impact with the
amount of pesticide laid on site.
ROBERT FRYERS, CEO AND CO-FOUNDER
SPOTTA HAS AN EXPLANATION OF THE
TECHNOLOGY BEHIND THE LATEST PEST
CONTROL SYSTEMS
Pests of all shapes and sizes have inflicted
financial and operational pain on businesses for
generations, with the potential to contaminate
buildings, spread disease, damage stock, gnaw
through wires and ruin a business’ reputation.
Facility managers need to be alert and react
thoroughly and quickly to the threats that pests
pose.
A shi to smart buildings provides welldocumented
opportunities for enhanced
e iciencies and reduced costs, but it also
provides an opportunity for facility managers
to revolutionise pest control. Facility managers
who utilise technology can reduce operational
costs and move their pest management
programme towards a proactive, ‘always
on’ approach, reducing long-term costs and
diverting their time from reactively handling
infestations to proactively managing other
matters.
Pest control has o en been viewed by
business leaders as a reactive task: Wait for
the pests to appear, cause damage or breed to
infestation levels, and only then activate a pest
control programme. Placing traps a er a rat
has been seen, calling in sni er dogs to locate
pests or conducting a visual inspection for bed
bugs - which may only measure around 5mm
- has long been standard procedure for most
commercial pest management plans. Smart
technology o ers a more proactive way to
manage pests in commercial environments.
OPPORTUNITIES OF IOT SYSTEMS
The advancement and diversification of Internet
of Things (IoT) devices allows facility managers
to address age-old problems at their property.
Artificial Intelligence is advancing the role of
detectors to provide information and insight to
problems previously monitored by trained sta .
Using sensors and machine learning, detectors
are able to assess and identify problems,
providing the necessary insight for the facilities
management team to resolve challenges.
Many companies have reported 10 to 15 per
cent cost savings from IoT projects(iv), so it’s
important facility managers look at the value
devices can bring and the operational savings
they o er when considering smart systems for
their properties.
In recent years we’ve seen pest traps become
increasingly intelligent, capable of identifying
rats and mice, evolving to detect even some
of the smallest of pests like bed bugs(V). Using
image sensors and machine learning, IoT
devices analyse pests and send digital
alerts to inform key sta of the type and
location of pests so they can be dealt
with appropriately. Enabling facilities
management teams to be responsive to
pest problems, IoT systems also help reduce
the need for human monitoring, working
in tandem with long-life batteries and
high-performance wifi networks to provide
frequent updates and advise when and
where human intervention may be required.
IoT devices are a welcome tool to
businesses in addressing challenges
and to facility managers who struggle to
identify problems which are hidden from
view. New devices and applications are
capable of sharing information through
mobile apps, online portals or email to
provide a complete performance review
of the building and highlight any problem
areas. As building management becomes
more complicated, facility managers must
have access to the right data for decisionmaking
in order to be able to understand
the problem and respond by identifying the
appropriate solution.
COMPATIBLE NETWORK SYSTEMS
The challenge for facility managers is to
find a way to connect these systems and
ensure each device is capable of working in
buildings without interference. Coverage
is particularly essential for older buildings
to become smart: we’ve all experienced
wifi dropping o in large, old and complex
buildings - which is no good for IoT devices
that need an ‘always on’ approach to deliver
value.
Suitable IoT networks use technologies
such as LoRa (short for long-range) wireless
radio because it covers a long range at low
power and low cost, unlike troublesome
WiFi systems. With a robust LoRa network,
facility managers can onboard new smart
devices quickly in the race to modernise,
reduce costs and provide better living and
working environments.
FUTURE OF SMART SENSORS
Selecting
and installing
smart sensors
is no longer a
daunting task,
with systems
moving away
from ‘high tech’
explanations
to streamlined
instructions and benefits, designed to tackle
real-world problems in an easy-to-use way.
FMs have the opportunity to work with
their wider organisation to utilise detection
solutions that will help them identify
problems quicker, innovating how they
minimise risk and manage sta resources.
From tackling pests to monitoring utility
use and performance, smart systems can
help facility managers identify and react to
problems swi ly, using less time and money
on tackling problems in the long-term.
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