Tens of thousands of rabid soccer fans will visit the new Pusan Asiad Main Stadium in Pusan, Korea for the 2002 World Cup, oblivious to the new interoperable building automation system powering and controlling the stadium. Echelon’s LonWorks power and lighting system has been installed to control the stadium’s network for power and lighting management.

The power and lighting system consists of one or more input/output modules, which monitor current flow and control the voltage inputs; a scheduler, which works like a timer; a data logger that provides a history of on/off cycles and power usage; a serial adapter for dialup connectivity; and Internet-based management functions.

Samsung Heavy Industries, which won the contract for construction of the stadium, chose the system after first trying a gateway-based system blueprint for the controls of the building. The decision to go with Echelon’s platform will allow the stadium’s 665 nodes to be controlled and monitored via the Internet. In addition, the interoperability of the system will allow users to make future upgrades with products and services from any vendor.