These are the proceedings of a workshop held on March 2, 2016 in San Antonio, Texas to address “Big Data and Fire Protection Systems.” The goal of this workshop was to identify and prioritize the opportunities for big data to inform decision making for ITM (Inspection, Testing and Maintenance) used for built-in fire protection systems.
The on‐going reliability of built‐in fire protection systems is related to inspection, testing and maintenance (ITM) of these systems. This is addressed by multiple NFPA codes and standards, including NFPA 4, Standard for Integrated Fire Protection and Life Safety System Testing, NFPA 25, Standard for the Inspection, Testing, and Maintenance of Water‐Based Fire Protection Systems, NFPA 72, National Fire Alarm and Signaling Code, and NFPA 2001, Standard on Clean Agent Fire Extinguishing Systems. Requirements for ITM have evolved over time, but often do not have a solid scientific basis.
A new activity at NFPA that directly relates to this topic is the proposed development of a Data Analytics Sandbox. NFPA is uniquely positioned to coordinate the next generation of data and data analytics in support of the built environment and safety infrastructure. Going forward, the NFPA Data Analytics Sandbox is anticipated as serving as an important collective resource, and serving as a next generation test bed in support of our rapidly evolving world of cyber physical systems and the internet of everything. The collection and coordination of ITM data, which will ultimately support the technical activities addressed by NFPA 4, 25, 72, 2001, etc., is considered a prime candidate activity for the NFPA Data Analytics Sandbox.