Last time we looked at how the connected world can make our personal lives so much easier, with our phones and wearable devices monitoring everything from our health and activities, to controlling all sorts of things in the modern home.
However, that’s just a small part of the Internet of Things (IoT) – it’s way, way larger than that. Yes, it’s time to “think big” as Steve Jobs said. It’s about a completely connected world – bringing us a smart environment, infrastructure and even intelligent cities so we can all live a better, more efficient and sustainable lifestyle.
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When everything is connected, we can monitor the world around us, manage resources far better and act quickly when needed, reducing cost and waste. Power grids can be adjusted for demand, water leaks discovered almost immediately, public transport can be adjusted to meet demand, green spaces alert when they need attention, even smart buildings can relay information when they need attention. Yes, that’s right, even buildings will be smart in the future.
We already use our devices to help us find our way around, find something to eat or somewhere to stay, but the real connected world allows so much more when we can interact with the city in real-time. Rather than spending time searching, the information comes to you, when and how you need it.
When your smart – and potentially driverless – car talks to a smart city, then traffic flow can be adjusted in real-time through connected traffic lights, vehicles can be directed to quicker routes and even then on to available parking. Now that’s definitely something we would all appreciate!
When farmers can observe their crops and fields remotely, knowing as soon as problems are about to occur, or see where their smart tagged livestock is, they can run their farms far better.
When the natural environment has connected sensors, disaster management teams can receive information in advance to react to potential flooding, drought or pollution events much more effectively.
If you think some of these ideas are futuristic, think again – many of these systems are now being trialled and used around the world. There are currently around 6 billion connected devices and it’s estimated there’ll be 50 billion by just 2020. Just consider the difference that’s going to make…
If you want to find out more, just have a search on the web for “Internet of Things” and you’ll find plenty of great videos and presentations.
Why not check out:
www.youtube.com
www.ted.com
www.slideshare.net
