Carbon Emissions from the Internet

Greetings from the Australian National University in Canberra, where Professor Rod Tucker from University of Melbourne, is speaking on "Managing the growing energy cost of the Internet". Rod estimates that by 2020 the Internet will use 10% of global electricity production, unless efficiency measures are taken.

Much of the increased energy use will come from data centers, fixed and mobile networks. The consumption for desktop equipment will reduce with the shift to mobile devices, but not be sufficient to offset the increase in mobile network energy consumption.

Rod had two measures for energy use: per bit and per useful bit (the latter excluding overheads). Historically there has been a 15% improvement in energy efficiency for telecommunications per year.

Rod pointed out that about half the energy consumed in a data centre is in cooling the equipment. Also 75% of the data traveling in the data center is internal, 8% to other data centres and only 17% to end users.

In my course "ICT Sustainability", run at ANU and on-line around the world, the students learn how to estimate and reduce the energy use of data centers and other equipment.


Professor Tucker pointed out that energy consumption of high density hard drives is expected to decrease markedly by 2020, less so for solid state devices. Rod pointed out that at some time in the future cloud service providers will need to transfer data to off-line storage, such as disk drives which are switched off or optical tape. Users will need to then wait a few tens of seconds, or minutes for their data. This was something I learned about as a IT professional in the 1980s and is something today's professionals will need to learn.
Professor Tucker  pointed out that wireless communications use much more energy than wire or fibre. Increasing the bandwidth of wireless greatly increases power consumption. One way to reduce the power use while increasing the bandwidth is to use more lower power base stations closer to the use. At the extreme there may be one base station in each home. This unshared equipment can also be switched to low power mode at night (whereas it is harder with shared equipment).

Today's fibre networks require one microjoule per bit. With higher use the energy per bit will decrease, as the fibre cable doesn't use much extra energy. However, Professor Tucker  estimates that today's real networks use about thousand times as much energy as they theoretically could. This shows scope for reductions.

I suggest it would also be interesting to look at efficiency at the application level. Recently I was evaluating an educational App for teaching English. I copied a small portion of text from the App and pased it to my web editor. I found a small amount of visible text came with a large amount of formatting, creating about a 400% overhead. Web pages compress well, but even so this is an overhead which could be reduced.The CSS standard allows for formatting to be defined once and then applied, but this tends not to happen in many applications.

Professor Tucker showed the diurnal Internet traffic load. Nort America shows a peak in the middle of the day. In Italy there are two peaks, one in the morning and a smaller one in the afternoon (and a dip for lunch). However, the network equipment can't power down to this extent (I suggest perhaps we need "off peak" computing charges).

Professor Tucker pointed out that Facebook stores multiple copies of new photos at data centers around the world to reduce response times. Rod estimated each photo uses 10 Watt Hours. Less used photos are stored at just one data centre, which would reduce energy use (at the cost of slower access). However, I suggest a better way to reduce consumption would be to reduce the resolution of the photos.  The original photo could be stored at high resolution at one center and the copies at a lower resolution suitable for the typical smart phone. The smaller photos will use one tenth to one hundredth the storage.

Rod pointed out that very large amounts of data will take more energy to send via the Internet, than if copied to a removable device and physically transported.

Rod also pointed out that there is the potential to use the Internet to reduce other energy use through measures such as telecommuting instead of air travel. However, this was made less credible as he traveled from Melbourne to Canberra to tell us to use teleconferencing. ;-)

Rod claimed that using a cloud application, specifically Google Docs, uses more energy than a local application.

I asked if the cost of energy was sufficiently large to influence user's behavior to reduce energy use.  He suggested having an energy star rating scheme for cloud services, as applies to white-goods (and computers) would have an effect. But he commented that this would be far more difficult than for a simple appliance. It seems to me that this could still be a useful area for research.

References

Vishwanath, A., Jalali, F., Hinton, K., Alpcan, T., Ayre, R. W., & Tucker, R. S. (2015). Energy Consumption Comparison of Interactive Cloud-Based and Local Applications. Selected Areas in Communications, IEEE Journal on, 33(4), 616-626. DOI: 10.1109/ICCW.2015.7247606

Business School Design

At the moment I am in the Mill Theatre 2 of the Melbourne Business School (MBS), where I am taking part in a "Climate Services Think Tank". This is my second visit to the MBS, as about a decade ago I attended a IT management live in short course. The MBS resembles a modern interpenetration of a monastery, crossed with an airport executive lounge. It has a courtyard, somewhat like a cloister, sparsely furnished bedrooms on the upper floors for live-in students, various classrooms and places to eat. The building is more upmarket in its feel than the average university building and more self-contained.

Mill Theatre 2, where I am sitting, holds about 40 people, sitting at six rectangular tables. The tables are each made up of two narrow tables (with folding legs) each about 600 x 1800 mm. There are wheeled gas lift high backed chairs with arms and wheels (the chairs and desks squeak, which is a problem). There is ceiling mounted unit projecting on to the white wall. There are freestanding white boards and flip charts. The room can be divided into two with a folding wall. The door is partly frosted glass. There is WiFi, but only for registered users (no EduRoam).

The room is very comfortable and usable. Some improvements would be to:

1. Remove the furniture squeaks: Adjust or replace the chairs and tables, to stop them squeaking. This might just require adding some rubber strips and tightening some screws.
   
2. Apply whiteboard paint to the walls and add a hanging rail: This will remove the need for the freestanding white boards and flip charts. This would remove some clutter and tripping hazard.
3. EduRoam WiFi: Provide EduRoam for academic visitors.
4. Rounded desks: Cut the corners from the desks to make them rounded. This will make the room seem much larger.
   

Planning Climate Change Adaptation

Greetings from the Melbourne Business School, where I am taking part in a "Climate Services Think Tank", hosted by the Bureau of Meteorology and the University of Melbourne. Apart from the sponsoring organizations there are people from Victorian coastal councils, which face flooding and inland councils with an increased bushfire risk. The moderator put me on the spot by asking me to speak first on why I was there. So I explained I was in Melbourne to speak at ICCSE2012, on education for climate change mitigation and was interested in the overlap with adaptation. I commented that climate science was easy and the hard part was getting people to actually do something (which got a round of applause).

The first speaker was David Walland from BoM, on the Global Framework for Climate Services. Meteorologists have been collaborating internationally for hundreds of years, through the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and is predecessors. The area being focused on with climate change mitigation is how to put the existing climate information in a form which can be used to make decisions. There are other UN bodies involved, such as United Nation's office for disaster risk reduction, UNISDR.

The major issue here seemed to be that meteorology bureaus were used to providing short term predictions, over hours to months, whereas climate change is about decades. If a flood is predicted in a few hours, then it is relatively easy to get decision makers to listen, but harder if the risk is decades away. Also people do not welcome bad news and so it needs to be from a credible source (the Bureau of Meteorology is credible, whereas some UN body may not be).

One issue to come out of the discussion was that the debate over human induced climate change may adversely effect adaption. If people don't believe that climate change is caused by human activities, they may then not listen to adaption advice. In terms of adaption, it might be better to avoid mentioning causes.

Better Communication of Climate Change Information Online

One theme of the event was better commutation. What struck me was that the web based examples show of what was considered good, did not appear to me to be well designed web pages. The web pages were too complex, with too much information. An example, is the Department of Primary Industries, Victoria's "Climate Risk" website. This contains a considerable amount of information, but not organized in a way which is easy to find or understand.

Some of the impacts of climate change can be subtle. AN example is that Victoria's wine industry is at risk of bushfire. The grapes absorb smoke from bushfire which taints the wine made. This can only be discovered after the wine is made. Grapes burnt from excessive UV light are unsuitable for making sparkling wine.

Andrew Watkins from BoM Climate Change Adaption, talked on dealing with real time climate variability. This seemed a curious term, as in this case "real time" is over months, not minutes. BoM put out ENSO Wrap UP, Seasonal Outlooks and Rainfall Ranges. What stuck me was these documents all have a lot of text and a few graphs. They would be very difficult to interpret for a non-expert. Some newer report formats use more maps with "hazard warnings" marked on them. Also BoM are exploring interactive maps and podcast videos.

Along the way there was discussion of "Climate Dogs", which turned out to be a series of animations from DPI, using cattle dogs:

• 

  Indy delivers moisture from the Indian Ocean
  
  
  

• 

  Sam influences the strength and frequency of cold fronts over Victoria

• 

  Ridgy and high pressure systems can block rainfall in Victoria

Fire Risk

Fred Cumming from Department of Sustainability and Environment talked about fire risk. He discussed the risk and consequences with climate change. As an example, dry lightening causes fires, but only "dry lightening", not accompanied by heavy rain. Fred pointed out that planning for fire has a long lead time. Firefighters need to be trained and equipment obtained. The Elvis the firefighting helicopter needs to be booked a year in advance.

Professor Jim McLennan, La Trobe University, discussed research interviewing survivors of the Black Saturday Bushfires. There were extensive media warnings of an extreme fire danger. Of those interviewed, 50% could recall the warnings, 20% were oblivious. About 80% of those who were aware of the warnings prepared for the fires. Farmers and rural townspeople had a high level of awareness of the fire threat, but bushland dwellers did not. Very few people chose to leave before the threat and these were elderly, had children, or had what were occasional residences. A few people left under imminent threat, after a warning from a friend or relative, or sight of the flames or embers approaching.

Of those who stayed and defenced their homes, 80% were successful. Professor McLennan reported similar results from later WA fires. Reports on response to bushfire warnings are avialable from the Bushfire CRC.

This research suggests that issuing warnings is not easy, as people want certain, local and short term warnings. Unfortunately this is not technically possible and may require rethinking as to warning and response strategies. It may be necessary to have a stay and defend policy, because it is not possible to issue sufficiently precise evacuation advice.

Climate data for emergency management of floods has similar issues to bush-fires. However, flooding and inundation can happen at any time of year, it is not seasonal. Victoria had a policy of planning og a sea level rise of at least 0.8m by 2100, but this was too long term for real politics. The new policy is for 1% plus 0.2m by 2040. The Victorian Government provides a Victorian Coastal Inundation Dataset, but the details can be hard to interpret for the general community.

One issue to come up with flood data was who the predictions are for: experts or the general public?

Climate Change Adaptation for Victoria

While in Melbourne to speak at ICCSE2012, I will also be attending the "Climate Services Think Tank", hosted by the Bureau of Meteorology and the University of Melbourne, in Melbourne, 13 July 2o12:

... Climate Services encompass a range of activities: the management of meteorological and related data collected by the Bureau; the derivation of products from the data that describe Australia’s climate; the development of techniques for applying the data in a wide range of social, economic and environmental contexts; and the provision of information and advice to the general public and specialist users about the nature of climate in general and Australia’s climate in particular.

In adapting to climate change, ‘climate services’ involves the provision of climate information that is relevant for long-term planning and for early warning of climate risks.

The aims of this event are to:

1. assess the current situation on climate information and adaptation,

2. build a greater common understanding of the expectations of climate information users and the capacity of information providers in providing information for adaption to climate change, and

3. provide recommendations for policy and guidance for research on improved climate services in a changing climate

The think tank will begin with an introduction ... on international developments in climate services and developments in the Bureau in automating and presenting weather and climate information. The think tank will consider examples of information requirements and potential outputs for case studies in agricultural land management, bushfire management and flood risk. ...

Modular Portable Classroom Design

The University of Melbourne's Design School is running a federal government sponsored competition for a relocatable classroom design, called "Future Proofing Schools". I started preparing a submission, but realized that while I had a concept, I could not prepare the architectural renderings required. So I decided to release what I had done, the "Future Proof Classroom" (FPC). There is the statement and two for the competition, along with two renderings:

Future Proofing Schools Submission: Statement

Future Proof Classroom (FPC)

Tom Worthington, 28 October 2011

Schools are not just buildings

Schools are a resource for the whole community. Design needs to start with community consultation and to consider use of the school by the whole community. School buildings are valuable and need to be able to be reconfigured for different uses at different times of the day, night and weekends, by students, adult learners and the whole community. Schools are at the centre of the community in bad times as well as good. So schools need to be designed to not only survive a natural disaster, but be ready to function an an emergency relief centre for the community, with their own water and power supplies.

Building the community in the School

1. Online consultation system: Consultation needs to happen from the start, so the first component of the FPC is a web site for consulting the community. The system provides for all phases of school development, from pre-planning, design, building, operation, maintenance, modification and relocation. The system allows the community to be consulted directly online and the text and video minutes of face to face town hall style meetings to be kept. The system will also hold all planning documents, in a legally certified e-records, to allow for audit of the process.

2. Planner: Planner is an online application which allows anyone to design a school, using pre-prepared modules and test how it will look and work.

3. Educator: Educator is an online extension of the school building, which provides an interface from computer screens in the building. But even before the building has been designed, educator takes care of the pedagogy (teaching to children), androgyny (teaching to adults), and heutagogy (self directed learning). The system provides a web site for e new facility and links this to other facilities on the campus, surrounding schools, community facilities and resources nationally and globally.

4. Tech Modules: The physical school is built from one or more tech modules. These are 20 foot ISO shipping container sized units holding the pre-installed mechanical, electrical, water, waste and ICT systems. The tech modules also provide the basic structure the building is assembled around. The modules are filled with equipment, such as computers, solar panels, and water treatment systems, which is progressively unpacked as the building unfolds around the modules. Before lock-up stage, the models provide secure storage for the equipment and can be linked to a wireless security system.

5. Flex Panels: The tech modules are only large enough to hold the mechanical systems for the school, there is no room in them for classrooms (and no one likes sitting in a shipping container anyway). The floor, wall and roof panels of the building are delivered folded in 40 foot ISO container sized cradles. The floor panels are unfolded onto the foundations and then the wall, ceiling and roof panels added. The cradles the panels were delivered on also form part of the structure of the building. The "twist-lock" connectors built into the standard shipping containers are used to secure the to the structure of the building to meet the highest Australian cyclone and earthquake codes. All windows are fitted with steel mesh for security and bushfire protection.

The school provides flexibility by using compact movable furniture (delivered packed in the in the containers). Areas of the building can also be changed subtly by adjusting the colour and intensity of the low energy LED lighting and by the use of sound reinforcement. This allows the open space to be reconfigured for small groups, classes, learning commons, community library or public meeting. The building can be relocated by folding the panels back into the shipping cradles they arrived in. The components can be reassembled into two smaller buildings or several kits used to make one larger building.

Design Process

The brief called for up to 60 students to be accommodated, with per student 3.5 m² for teaching (total 210 m2) and 9.75 m2 per student overall (585 m² total). An initial design is for a building with a footprint the size of 40 ISO shipping containers, arranged in a grid of 4 x 10, to make a 24.232m by 24.3m building.

The building is delivered as eight ISO containers: two 20 foot containers (ICT/Power Module and the Toilet/kitchen/water module) and three 40 foot panel cradles. The building can be transported as four trailer truck loads or four loads of the RAAF's C-17 cargo aircraft.

The building has no internal walls, apart from those of the tech modules and so the layout can be arranged as required. There is a screened veranda around all sides, to provide covered outdoor space. The roof can be changed from a low pitch for a contemporary look in inner city areas, to a suburban pitch, as required. The cladding is painted steel for durability and low cost and can have a full colour digital image applied with an industrial ink jet printer at the factory, to simulate any building material, architectural style or decorative effect required.

Portable Classroom Design Competition

The University of Melbourne's Design School is running a federal government sponsored competition for a relocatable classroom design, called "Future Proofing Schools". The competition is open to anyone, but primarily aimed at professionals and tertiary students including Architects, Landscape Architects, Urban Designers, Planners and Industrial Designers. There is also a special web site for Year 10 to 12 school students.

Available are:

1. Brief and Guidelines
2. Frequently Asked Questions
   
3. 21st Century Learning
4. Sustainable School Environments
5. Landscape Integration and Connections
6. Prefabrication
   

Three-step challenge

The competition has three steps:

1. Propose design ideas for next-generation
   relocatable classroom space [s] that:
   
   • suit a core cluster of up to 50 - 60 students*
     * based on teaching space of 3,5sqm per student + amenity spaces such as teacher preparation areas, wet areas and lockers + core spaces such as toilets
     Note: Australia’s Federal Guidelines suggest 9.75sqm per student for an entire school.
     
   • can be scaled to suit larger or smaller student populations
   • can adapt sustainably and economically to a range of physical and cultural contexts [climates, topographies, amounts of land available]
   • provide delightful spaces within, between and adjacent in which to teach, learn and play can be installed rapidly
2. Show us how your design idea from step 1 works
   by applying it to a school site, either real
   or hypothetical:
   How will your design idea:
   
   • address variations in climate, topography and amounts of land available at different schools?
   • address connections to the outside, and existing buildings?
   • allow for clustering to create connected learning communities?
   • convey a sense of permanence, even though it is relocatable?
   You are free to tailor your design ideas to physical contexts of your own choice. ...
   
   
3. Show us how your tailored design idea from
   step 2 can be re-located and re-adapted to
   a new school site with different physical
   parameters, either real or hypothetical:
   
   • How will your design idea adapt to this new set of parameters?
   • What building elements might change?
   • What building elements might stay the same?
   Consider that your tailored design idea may be relocated after one year, three years or even more at its first school site.
   

An ABC Radio "By Design" Podcast about the design of demountable school buildings with James Timberlake (Kieran Timberlak) and Arie van der Neut (HVDN) is available: "Reimagining 'relocatables' as 21st century learning spaces".

The competition is funded as Australian Research Council Linkage Grant project "Future Proofing Schools: using smart green integrated design approaches to prefabricated learning environments" (LP0991146, by CL Newton; T Kvan; D Hes; K Fisher; MJ Grose; S Wilks).

Schools in the Community Context

While the competition guidelines do a good job of setting the learning and environmental context, they do not appear to take into account the school in its social environment. Treating a school is a resource for the community and should be planned to be available for use by the community. A school building can be used by students of other schools in the area and as a community facility when not needed by students. At the same time the cost of the school building and its facilities can be reduced by drawing on community resources.

As discussed in my submission to the parliamentary inquiry into the NBN, governments are paying for unnecessary duplication across education sectors in both online learning and physical infrastructure. Substantial savings could be obtained through the creation of an ‘Australian Learning Commons’ consisting of multi-use school buildings and free sharing of teaching materials throughout Australia.

Rather than have a single purpose relocatable school building which, has to be dismantled and moved on a truck every few years to re-purpose it, this can be done by changing the use of the classrooms from daytime school student use to nighttime adult education class, to weekend community class. Instead of having to move walls to reconfigure the classroom, which could take minutes or hours, the software running on the computers in the classroom could be changed in seconds.