A lot has been said and written about the Internet of Things (IoT) and Big Data (BD), but what is the practical application of these new concepts? So many gadgets and equipment we use daily now have sensors and trackers installed. From the smart television to radios, cars, beds, houses, tables, and heck, everything in between. Millions of cameras installed in so many streets and homes generate lots of data and these are increasingly becoming interlinked.
Businesses can apply IoT in many ways:
- Tracking behavior
- Decision making powered by sensors
- Enhanced visibility and situational analysis
- Optimized resources deployment
- And processes optimization, among others
A sensor in your home television will monitor your behavior. And can accurately predict your interests. If you love your room temperature at 22 degrees, as you watch your favorite television program, your tv sensor will always automatically adjust once it senses your presence. Every day, the sensor will collect lots of information about you.
When lots of data have been collected, the next step is to aid decision making through deep analysis and data visualization. Now is the time to invest in capabilities to facilitate data analysis and visualization to examine relationships easily. Many sensors installed in many things (internet of things) means lots of data produced. However, most of this data is unstructured. That called for advanced capabilities to structure the data and leverage it. A lot of power is unleased with the things in which sensors have been installed are connected to the Internet.
The more things are connected, the more visibility into many things.
We see so many things produced now coming with sensors – clothes, farm produce, fast-moving consumer goods, and many other things as the unit cost of installing sensors reduce. This will unleash the true power of the Internet of Things and the interconnected world. As a leader, now is the time to know as much as you can about machine learning, virtual reality, the internet of things, and big data. Start by funding small companies involved in such new technologies. You will thank me later.
Copyright Mustapha B Mugisa, 2020. All rights reserved.
