Introducing Theia: A Building’s Virtual ID
Theia, a software product of French company Stereograph Group, has taken property management one step forward.
Remember how only a few years ago we saw characters in sci-fi movies sliding holographic screens and controlling objects remotely, and thought that it would probably take half a century until that would be a reality? Well, some new technologies used in real estate are solid reminders that the future is now.
While building information modeling (BIM) is not exactly news, with some governments using the process for all of its new developments (Hello, UK!), Theia (which uses BIM) takes it up a notch. Theia, or Teia, is a collaborative full-web application for managing the infrastructure of a building remotely and in real time. Its creators, 3D designers and software engineers from French company Stereograph Group (now also based in San Francisco), explain that the 3D application is a useful tool for managing a real estate portfolio at the scale of a building—or a city. Yes, Theia is also being marketed as a smart city management app that allows governments, institutions or organizations to manage as many systems as they want with the help of an intuitive engine and through a customizable interface.
Theia’s greatest advantage is that it stocks and synchronizes various types of information on a project: technical data, energy information, live video streams, info gathered by sensors etc. This helps the manager have an overall, up-to-date, 3D view of a building, campus, neighborhood or an entire city and a coherent compilation of data, something that they can always go back to easily, tracking any changes or alterations along the way. It’s almost like a project’s medical record or a more complex ID. The app offers 3D visualization of all components, including fluid circuits, which means one can access and monitor sites without physically visiting the assets.
The team at Stereograph explains that property managers could zoom in on certain components of a project, with precision going down to the last screw. This simplifies the mission of supervisors, managers or builders and cuts costs. It can be used for any type of property, basically, from residential communities to commercial or industrial spaces.
But that is not all. Theia can also be a steering tool. The app can be used to remotely control systems in a particular building, neighborhood, etc. For example, a property manager could turn the lights off or on using Theia or change the HVAC settings. Theia was described as the “SimCity of real life” by the French media.
The software product supports all the fixed and mobile platforms on the market. It is currently available in France, but Stereograph is working on marketing Theia in the United States as well.
Image via www.teia-solution.com