Published on the 27/02/2014 | Written by Newsdesk
When Google bought Nest Labs for $US3.2 billion in cash last month it sent a clear signal that the ‘internet of things’ was probably more important than a candidate for buzzword bingo…
Estimates of the number of devices that will connect over the internet range as high as 50 billion by 2020. Gartner expects that the economic impact of a more connected world will be $1.9 trillion.
One of the first devices that Google’s new plaything, Nest, created was a ‘learning thermostat’ that can connect to heaters over the internet and adjust temperatures in a house according to user preference and who’s in residence.
That learning thermostat is just one of the billions of devices that are expected to connect to the internet over the next six years. But it’s not just smart homes that will benefit – big business is looking at ways to reap rewards also.
And this time it’s not just the banks and retailers, traditionally intensive users of information technology, getting in on the act; broad swathes of industry are linking together devices that can collect data and big data analytics to deliver improved outcomes.
Mining company Thiess for example is clearly attracted by the economic potential of the benefit of big data, and this week announced it was working with IBM to use predictive analytics and modelling in order to improve productivity by identifying potential machine breakdowns in advance, allowing preventative maintenance to be scheduled rather than waiting for a machine to fail, leading to production delays.
Other organisations are already moving in this direction. NSW’s Transport Management Centre for example has a network of 20,000-plus connected traffic lights, variable signage and traffic flow systems. Working with Pegasystems the TMC has developed an application that can identify potential problems in the network, allowing maintenance to be scheduled and implement diversions if required.
Pegasystems’ APAC vice president Luke McCormack acknowledged that for an organisation such as the TMC, this had required a mindset shift so that the organisation recognised it was not just tracking assets using its information systems, but using that data to enhance customer service.
While the TMC and Thiess will likely continue to operate over private communications networks, Simon Watt, the R&D director of communications company iiNet, speaking at the recent Techleaders event said the advent of inexpensive Zigbee or Z-wave chips that allow devices to connect over the internet will drive much future demand. He said that iiNet is currently working on a prototype platform that would allow users to integrate a range of devices into what amounts to a form of data fabric.
Watt added that a healthcare trial being conducted in association with CSIRO was exploring how patient sensor information could be integrated with healthcare information to allow doctors to remotely monitor and manage their patients’ care.
