IoT — What is it good for?
The internet of things is a hot buzzword (buzzphrase?) right now. When we look at many of the products that are coming out, what are the actual benefits? I am not sure if I will actually need a thermostat that I can adjust from my phone. I am pretty happy with the thermostat I have now that I can set up with a timer. I also don’t need a tweet when my plants need watering, I just need to water them. Paying for these upgrades just isn’t practical for everyone.
Managing our resources
The important progress that will come from internet connected devices will be in the form of data that allows us to better manage our resources. In a world where energy, water, and space is limited, our ability to act proactively and efficiently is essential. Using real-time data collected from IoT devices will allow us to make these decisions.
In regards to energy, a huge amount of energy is wasted in our grid. If utility companies can use data sent from users on the grid, they know how much power to send to a specific location. There is a motto when it comes to sustainability which is; reduce, reuse, recycle. This a descending scale, so the most important thing we can do is reduce consumption. Our demand is growing which means we have to reduce the waste we have in our grid to act more sustainably. Harnessing Smart Grid solutions is key as demand increases while our resources dwindle.
Smarter infrastructure
As cities become more populated, a variety of issues either present themselves or are exacerbated by increased population density. Our cities need to be smarter in order to function with an increased load on transportation, sanitation, and consumption of utilities.
Transportation and traffic can be improved with the use of data collected from sensors. Vehicles could be the connected devices so transportation departments would be able to use location of every vehicle to determine the behavior of traffic lights. That may be too obtrusive of a sensor, so the sensors could also be external, just counting vehicle frequency in key areas. Public transportation vehicles connected to the internet let users know when they are behind schedule allowing people to make decisions based on real time information.
What we need from sensors
We don’t an email notification each time by doorbell rings. Some data is superfulous and doesn’t warrant collecting. What we do need is to live in cities that effectively manage resources, use data to improve our commutes, and harness sensor data to improve our lives via smarter infrastructure.
