A consortium of organisations has launched the UK’s first fully-functional Internet of Things (IoT) network at the new £13-million An Lòchran building on Inverness Campus, which was recently opened by Deputy First Minister John Swinney.

The partners, which include CENSIS, the Scottish Innovation Centre for Sensor and Imaging Systems; Stream Technologies; and SPICA Technologies, have installed 10 LoRa devices at An Lòchran – Gaelic for The Lamp/Lantern – which is jointly owned by Highlands and Islands Enterprise, the University of the Highlands and Islands, and Scotland’s Rural College.

Monitoring a range of data – including temperature, humidity, CO2 emissions, noise, and light – the network will help its owners and occupants make better decisions about how they manage the building, through data visualisation and analytics.

The consortium aims to expand the network beyond the An Lòchran building, helping energy, life sciences, digital and agricultural businesses in the local area to embrace its potential. CENSIS said it will hold a series of workshops at the Inverness Campus during the project’s initial six months to help Highlands SMEs to understand how they can make use of the new LoRa setup.

Mark Begbie, Business Development Director at CENSIS, said:

“This project in Inverness is setting a benchmark in the development of the IoT in the UK. With fewer than 10% of the predicted 30 billion nodes by 2020 likely to be connected to the internet using cellular technology, networks like LoRa are going to become increasingly important. It has the potential to be as disruptive to businesses as the internet has been already to daily life – and the Highlands is leading the way.”

Nigel Chadwick, CEO Stream Technologies, added:

"Deployment of this LoRa network and facility places it at the cutting edge of smart economies and technical innovation. It positions Inverness at the forefront of digital and IoT Evolution. Stream Technologies and our IoT-X LoRa WAN Network Server and IoT Connectivity Management Platform being in the mix underscores the enabling and strategic value of our technology to this high growth sector."

“An Lòchran will house the country’s first digital demonstration centre, #hellodigital, to help people in business, education and research make the most of broadband and digital technology.

Earlier this year, CENSIS announced it had created an IoT network in Glasgow, with a consortium of organisations, including: Stream Technologies, Semtech Inc., Boston Networks, Glasgow University, Strathclyde University and Glasgow Caledonian University. It covers 12km² across the city, including the commercial centre, Merchant City and the West End.