The Internet of Things

The Internet of Things

The Internet of Things[84] is changing much about the world we live in. From the way we drive, to how we make purchases, and even how we get energy for our home. Sophisticated sensors or chips are embedded in the physical things that surround us, each transmitting valuable data, which let’s us understand how these things work, and work together. Whether it is about improving the production of a factory, giving city residence an update on where to park, or monitoring our personal health. It’s the common Internet of Things platform, that brings us diverse information together, and provide the common language for the devices and apps to communicate with each other. The process starts with the devices themselves, which securely communicate with an Internet of Things platform. This platform integrates the data from many devices, and applies analytics to share the most valuable data with Applications that address industry specific needs.

Before, connection to internet was associated to PCs. By 2020, there will be 50 billion objects connected to Internet. This means a world connected by billions of sensors. These sensors are taking information from real physical objects that are in the world and uploading it to the Internet. It is a world where your environment transforms as you walk through it, because technology that you may not even be aware of, it’s monitoring your every move. It’s a world that’s constantly changing all around us due to these sensors and the Internet and we call it the Internet of Things. Let us walk into a room “from the future”. When you enter this room it identifies you and taps into a cloud based profile of preferences like climate control, music, lighting and décor. The room notices if you have had a long day at work, and based on the calendar app on your phone and biosensors that detect the stress via blood pressure and heart rate. Hard music is turned off and switches to a more soothing classical music. Environmental sensors outside and even worn within your clothing itself, it notices that there was snow, so the climate control begins to crank up the heat in anticipation as you walk through the door. Algorithms in Software are able to predict what you want before you know you even wanted it. When you walk to the refrigerator, it tells you not only what’s in there but also what you can make with the stuff you have. It tells you what is inside and what the perfect meal is based upon your mood, your activity level, etc. the latest version of Internet protocol, IPV6, creates more potential address than there are atoms on the surface of the Earth. We will live in a world completely filled with sensors with data reacting to us, changing every moment depended on our needs. 

Let us start with an example: a car. After taking a long road trip, the driver notices that the “Check Engine” light has come on. A sensor monitors the pressure in the break line, this sensor is one of the many processes throughout the car which are constantly communicating with each other. A component in the car gathers the data from all these sensors, then passes it from all the gateway in the car. The gateway then integrates and sorts the data from the sensors. This way, only the most relevant diagnostic information will be transmitted to the manufacturers platform. Before sending this data, the car’s gateway and platform must first register with each other and secure the communication. The platform is constantly gathering bits of information from the driver’s car, and hundreds of thousands of cars like hers, building an historical record in a secure database. The manufacturers added rules and logic to the platform, so when the driver sends a signal and the break-fluid is below a recommended level, the platform triggers an alert in their car. The manufacturer uses the platform to create and manage applications that solve specific issues. In this case, the manufacturer can deploy an application on the platform. Through an application all the cars on the road can be controlled, as well as all the warehouses. It uses data from the car to offer an appointment time for services, directions to the nearest certified dealer, and a coupon for the services. An application also tracks hundreds of thousands of cars looking for ways to improve the design and manufacture processes in the car itself. It is easy then to track a flaw to all the cars that were produced in the same batch. Streamlined inventory management for the dealer, a better safe car for the manufacture, allowing the driver to get back on the road faster and safer.    By 2020, the Internet of Things will generate 9 USD trillion in sales. Over the NeXT 20 years, IoE could add USD 15 trillion to the Global GDP. Some of the drivers of the IoT are: Mobile-based end devices, Cloud-based applications, Social media. The main impact will be in 4 areas:

-         People: they will be connected in more relevant and valuable ways. For ex, sensors placed on skin or in clothing will provide information about a person’s vital signs.

-         Things: physical items such as sensors, consumer devices, and enterprise assets connected to the Internet and to each other will sense more data and become context aware. IT represents a fraction of the cyber-physical world. The amount of connected devices has increased exponentially. From 1.000 in 1984, to 50 billion in 2020!

-         Data: rather than reporting raw data, connected things send higher level information back to machines, computers, and people for further evaluation and decision-making. The volume of data is growing exponentially; more data being created in the last 4 years than in the previous 5.000 years!

-         Process: with the correct process information is delivered to the right person at the right time in the appropriate way. Social and other information media will continue to drastically accelerate. To reach an audience of 50 million people took TV 13 years, the Internet 4 years, the iPod 3 years and Facebook 2 years.

All businesses, including healthcare, agricultural, industrial and manufacturing are now digital businesses. The current market disruptions are internet based: Cloud, Mobility and Applications. New urban technologies will help people save energy, reduce urban traffic, public waste and railway system accidents. The IoT offers immense potential for empowering citizens, making government transparent, and broadening information access. However, privacy threats are enormous, as is the potential for social control and political manipulation. Information is abundant today, the challenge is to compile it. Whereas before anonymity was common, today it is a privilege. What will a future with lack of privacy be like? We will find out soon. The IoT poses many benefits, but it also represents the beginning of government surveillance[85].