European facilities provider ISS A/S has signed an agreement with IBM to use the Watson IoT cognitive computing platform to change the way it manages more than 25,000 buildings worldwide.

The $75 billion firm will use Watson to manage its buildings more efficiently and improve the experience of people working in them. It plans to deploy millions of devices and sensors into things like doors, windows, chairs, meeting rooms, dispensers and air conditioning systems. Data will be uploaded to IBM’s Watson IoT cloud platform and analyzed to help the company better understand how people use buildings and adjust services accordingly. Devices have already been deployed throughout the company’s Copenhagen headquarters.

For example, sensors in doors and entrance areas can tell a real estate manager how many people are in a building at any one time and where they are, enabling facilities managers to use energy more efficiently. Sensors in the cafeteria detect how many plates diners have used and tell the chef if he’s likely to need to prepare more food based upon historical dining patterns. Motion sensors in meeting rooms, chairs and tables help building managers better manage room occupancy, cancel unwanted room bookings automatically and tell service staff when a room needs refreshments or cleaning.

“Putting real time data into the hands of service staff will help to foster more attentive and service-minded employees,” said Jeff Gravenhorst, CEO of ISS, in a prepared statement. In addition, “Putting a ‘human touch’ in buildings helps to increase employee productivity, decrease absenteeism and makes a better impression on visitors.”

The Copenhagen headquarters already has hundreds of sensors connected to IBM’s Watson IoT platform and IBM’s Tririga facilities management software to help improve room bookings and catering services for the 250 employees based in the building. ISS is one of the world’s largest employers with more than 510,000 people worldwide.

IBM did not disclose the value of the contract.

The video below shows examples of how the Watson IoT platform is already being used at ISS’s headquarters.