If something goes wrong with one of the many systems that support exhibits at the National Aquarium in Baltimore, it could turn into a life-or-death situation for its 16,500 animals, which include amphibians, birds, fish, invertebrates, mammals and reptiles.
And it was for that reason that the downtown attraction has inked a deal with FM: Systems, a Raleigh, N.C., provider of integrated workplace management systems, to manage the preventative maintenance of the thousands of pieces of exhibit support equipment.
“This all goes back to the health of our animals,” aquarium Chief Technology Officer Hans Keller said. “By being able to correlate all of this information together, it gives our vets and curators a kind of holistic viewof everything that is going on within a particular exhibit so they can provide for the best health possible for the animals.”
FM Vice President of Marketing Marty Chobot said the deal with the aquarium is somewhat different than the type of services the software normally provides.
“Typically, people use our software for things like heating and air-conditioning systems and or maybe maintenance on sprinkler systems,” Chobot said. “What?s different about this compared with a building maintenance system is if the air conditioning isn?t working fully and the room gets a little warm people, will complain. But in this context, four degrees is life or death for these animals.”
To monitor the exhibit support equipment, the aquarium is in the process of installing FM?s flagship Product, FM: Interact, a real-time, Web-based software program designed to allow organizations to access facilities, real estate and maintenance information. For the aquarium, the software will provide preventative maintenance schedules for every piece of equipment. The system will also alert technicians as to where in the system each individual part is located, while keeping a record of any completed work. Additionally, the software includes a service request function for any maintenance needed throughout the facility.
Keller said the new software will work in conjunction with two other systems. One system tracks each animal?s health and history, and the other monitors the operating status of all equipment and exhibits.
Keller said he could not provide the exact cost of the new software, but said it was in the tens of thousands of dollars. He said the attraction?s goal is to have the new system integrated with the other two monitoring systems by year?s end.
