Internet of Things technology is a massive area of development. Devices are increasingly complex yet getting ever cheaper; telecommunication networks are offering faster and faster wifi networks; the capacity of storage systems is growing exponentially and using ever more powerful servers; big data and analytics are now impossible to ignore.
In all sectors, the potential uses of this technology are immense:
- For transport: security, carpooling, autonomous vehicles, intelligent systems, etc.
- For industry: optimisation / reduction of maintenance costs, improvement of operational and economic performance, energy efficiency, etc.
- For health: support at home, improved prescription process, etc.
- For agriculture: flock monitoring, reduction of the use of chemicals in crops, etc.
- For the general habitat: security, heating regulations, managing energy consumption, etc.
- For commerce: wealth management, interactive windows, push marketing, etc.
- For cities: smart parking systems, urban lighting optimisation, neighbourhood decongestion, etc.
In this context, three issues appear:
- People’s technology choices cannot be ignored, particularly when it comes to the standardisation of network protocols
- Economic models must become stable for stakeholders at all points of the value chain
- Data usage and analysis must be regulated
