## 3 Building Asset Facility Management
### A General Introduction to Building Asset Management  
Facility management is becoming increasingly important in the building restoration and maintenance industry due to its ability to streamline processes and significantly reduce management costs. A field survey of assets for large real estate properties serves to update and enrich the asset information that, in technical terms, accompanies the database already available within the management information system of the company responsible for managing the buildings. Numerous experiences have shown that the asset survey must enable:  
* Increasing the amount of data available, while correcting any errors and inaccuracies in the information system;
* Providing the property manager with valuable support in overseeing the financial aspects and resources designated for facility operations, as well as evaluating and managing expenses associated with building maintenance, repairs, renovations, and utilities to ensure the efficient allocation of resources;
* Overseing and authorizing contracts and service providers for various services, including sanitation, cleaning, and security;
* Conducting routine inspections, modifications, and maintenance to guarantee the facility's daily operations;
* Improving the management of flat relocations;
* Overseing the proper maintenance of essential services, including heating and water
* Ensuring facilities comply with government regulations, health and safety standards, and energy efficiency requirements;
* Supervising teams of employees or third-party contractors responsible for security, maintenance, and cleaning;
* Supervising the implementation of improvements and upgrades;
* Facilitating the design of exceptional maintenance work and optimizing the scope of contracts for the procurement of works, goods, and services;
* Possessing the necessary indicators to conduct comprehensive analyses of asset management performance and potential development scenarios. At present, the collection of primary site geometry and the cataloging and inventory of a large amount of data are primarily conducted using various software applications. These applications typically rely on digital devices, such as cameras or notepads, to gather field data. Surveyors use a tablet with a floor plan, usually in PDF format, as a backdrop, walking through the building while geolocating information using dedicated software [82]. Consequently, several applications have been developed to facilitate and regulate such activities. For example, Acca(r)s applications (Bagnoli Irvino, Italy) [83] are widely used in Italy, where this case study is conducted. However, numerous other software applications,often originating from the construction sector and categorized under the term \"building asset management software\", include tools such as Asset Panda(risco, YX, USA) [84], Faciliteasy(tmail.Natu, India) [85], Asolvi(tmondheim, Norway) [86], and UpKeep(tm.Los Angeles, CA, USA) [87], to name a few of the most popular. These platforms offer capabilities, such as inventory management, inspection, maintenance management, and the scheduling and planning of maintenance activities. Nearly all of these programs also feature field apps for data acquisition in situ. An operator, visiting the building according to the PDF floor plans of the various levels, may match each location (e.g., room, lobby, hallway, etc.) with the collection of assets and items located within that specific area. Consequently, it is possible to execute the cataloging and inventorying of sensors and assets inside the building (such as temperature sensors, fire sensors, intrusion sensors, etc. ), rather than cataloging the location and attributes of lighting, doors, locks, switches, plugs, and speakers. Such programs frequently incorporate advanced functionalities for site document management, cost analysis, and maintenance and asset management operations. These programs can automatically run if the building plans and/or the corresponding BIM model are available.