Dynamic ventilation certificate for smart universities using artificial intelligence techniques

The issue of room ventilation has recently gained momentum due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Ventilation is in fact of particular relevance in educational environments. Smart University platforms, today widespread, are a good starting point to offer control services of different relevant indicators in universities. This study advances a Ventilation Quality Certificate (VQC) for Smart Universities. The certificate informs the university community of the ventilation status of its buildings and premises. It also supports senior management's decision-making, because it allows assessing preventive measures and actions taken. The VQC algorithm models the adequacy of classroom ventilation according to the number of persons present. The input used is the organisation's existing data relating to CO₂ concentration and number of room occupants. AI techniques, specifically Artificial Neural Networks (ANN), were employed to determine the relationship between the different data sources included. A prototype of value-added services was developed for the Smart University platform of the University of Alicante, which allowed to implement the resulting models, together with the VQC. The prototype is currently being replicated in other universities. The case study allowed us to validate the VQC, demonstrating both its usefulness and the advantage of using pre-existing university services and resources.