Internet of Things is the next big thing

Internet of Things(IoT)revolves around increased machine-to-machine communication. It’s built on cloud computing and networks of data gathering sensors. It’s mobile, virtual, and instantaneous connection, helps everything in our lives from street lights to sea ports becoming “smart”

When things are connected with each other, send messages to each other, understand each other, amazing things happen. When all the physical objects around us cooperate with each other to facilitate our life, miracles are bound to occur Internet of Things(IoT)revolves around increased machine-to-machine communication.

It’s built on cloud computing and networks of data gathering sensors. It’s mobile, virtual, and instantaneous connection, helps everything in our lives from street lights to sea ports becoming “smart”. IoT will boost economy while improving citizens’ lives. IoT is not just machine to machine communication (M2M).

A machine is an instrument. It’s a tool that physically does something. IoT is about making machines ‘smart’, it’s not just about M2M interaction, it also includes sensors.A sensor is not a machine. It does nothing in the same sense that a machine does. It measures, it evaluates and in short, it catches data.

IoT was once a dream and today it’s a near reality. This is possible by connecting sensors to machines which helps in intersecting, gathering and leveraging data and thereby making human lives more comfortable and sophisticated. IoT is not a single technology, it’s an ecosystem in which most of the things are connected and enabled an example is street lights being networked and things like embedded sensors, image recognition functionality and near field communications are integrated into situational decision support,

asset management and new services. The synergy of the access and potential data exchange opens huge possibilities for IoT applications. Its internet for everything includes people to people, machine to machine and people to machine inter linkage. IoT is a scenario in which objects,

animals or people are provided with unique identifiers and the ability to transfer data. IoT has evolved from the convergence of wireless technologies, micro-electro mechanical systems (MEMS) and the internet. In the words of Kevin Ashton who coined the term IoT, “Today computers -- and, therefore, the Internet - are almost wholly dependent on human beings for information.

Nearly all of the roughly 50 petabytes (a petabyte is 1,024terabytes) of data available on the Internet were first captured and created by human beings by typing, pressing a record button, taking a digital picture or scanning a bar code. The problem is, people have limited time, attention and accuracy -- all of which means they are not very good at capturing data about things in the real world.

If we had computers that knew everything there was to know about things -- using data they gathered without any help from us -- we would be able to track and count everything and greatly reduce waste, loss and cost. We would know when things needed replacing, repairing or recalling and whether they were fresh or past their best.”

Applications/Service Domains of IoT

Smart Health: It includes usage of bio-sensors, personal health monitoring, immediate accessibility to hospitals in case of emergency etc... Smart Transport : Today world has become a ‘smart’ place to live in. Everything is interconnected. Distance is decreased. Hence smart key, telematics and automatic toll collection helps in reducing the wastage of time.

Smart Cities: the dream of smart cities can be realized only with adept application of IoT. IoT places a major role in providing good and smart governance. It helps the citizens to be digitally connected in all their daily chores. Smart Energy: Energy access is major issue in the top 10 humanity problems. we may not be able to increase the conventional energy sources but definitely can increase the power efficiency using ultra low power, smart metering based IoT.

Infotainment: Meaning information and entertainment is also an application domain of IoT. Security: In a world that’s completely connected to technology security plays a major role. Smart sensor tags, intelligent machines that allow us to know necessary precautions to be taken with the help of IoT.

Apart from these IoT has major and deeper role in facilitating our personal life. Especially when connected with fire alarm, bulbs, AC’, TV’s, kitchen equipment, etc... IoT make human lives ‘smart’. IoT is a revolution using internet technology. Truly greater than what we could imagine today.

It interconnects every small device and gives access to information. For eg, when cameras in our house are connected to the network of IoT , it gives us information about the security of our house at any time even in our absence.Though it is a great advancement, it has limitations. Primary concern is the breach of privacy and security. Of course there are security measures that are taken to protect information, but there is always the possibility of hackers breaking into the system and data theft can happen.

The privacy issues also leads to the question of who will monitor the IoT. There is no international standard for tagging and monitoring equipment. We are still in the dearth of IT related security laws, hence we can’t imagine fully connected world without proper governmental surveillance.

Usage of rare earth materials in the sophisticated technology also poses environmental threat. Even an intellectual question arises, “do we require ‘over smartness’ in our lives? Already smart gadgets made us lethargic, leading to life style diseases and loss of creative skills.” Under usage of ‘smart technology’, lack of individual technological prowess, E-illiteracy makes IoT less feasible in the developing world.

It is highly complex system, and there are chances of failure. Another major concern is over reliance on technology. Depending on the amount that an individual relies on the information supply, it could be detrimental if the system collapses. And there is a chance of decrease in employment, especially unskilled and in some cases even skilled. Even by considering all its limitations, IoT is really the next big thing.

It revolutionizes the entire sphere of human habitat. INDIA and Internet of Things We as an independent nation were born just 68 yrs ago with an agrarian economy. But today more than 50 per cent of our GDP comes from service sector. Technology is at a rapid pace, which is evident from the penetration of mobiles in the rural India.

Smart cities is one of the dream projects taken up by our government to transform 100 cities into better cities which would accommodate all technological advancements, provides best of e-services, e-governance, besides basic amenities. Internet of things has a major role in successfully implementing smart cities project.

Digital India programme is a major initiative which provides necessary road map for IoT. We should also focus more on development of IoT related products, hardware and software. Though usage of IoT in India is at a nascent stage, there is a great hope and enthusiasm revolving around it today. There are many challenges associated with development of IoT in India.

Hence, The Centre of Excellence for IoT- a combined initiative of Department of Electronics & IT, ERNET India and NASSCOM - is expected to promote an IoT ecosystem, which is vibrant & at the same time innovative, which will help our country attain a leadership role in this field. The basic objectives of it include:

• To create innovative applications and domain capability across verticals for country’s needs such as smart city, smart health, smart manufacturing, smart agriculture, etc.
• To build industry capable talent, start-up community and entrepreneurial ecosystem for IoT.
• To provide an ecosystem for innovation to thrive and embrace entrepreneurship
• To energise research mind-set and reduce costs in research and development by providing neutral and interoperable, multi-technology stack laboratory facilities
• To reduce import dependency on IoT components and promote indigenization
• To position India as a provider of end-to-end solution in engineering space
• To provide environment for product creation, testing and also for validation & incubation IoT makes use of synergies that are generated by the convergence of consumer, business industries and services.

The growing adoption to IoT is driving companies, large and small to bring about changes in the way they do business as changing customer demands, challenging skill requirements and even supplier landscape which demands a faster adoption. Big businesses are not only facing the challenge in terms of adopting their traditional models to fit a world increasingly moving towards IoT but are also facing competition from nimbler rivals such as Chinese companies.

Another challenge in India is finding the right talent for IoT related skills, which include data scientists, mobility , professionals and user interface experts. To achieve the promising results, it is vital to enhance users trust in the Internet of things. However IoT is still plodding, a number of factors mentioned below limit the full exploitation of IoT :

No clear approach for the utilisation of unique identifiers

No accelerated use and further development of IoT reference

Less rapid advance in interoperability

Difficulties in developing business which embraces the IoT Constraints of users, e-illiteracy etc…

In order to enable a fast uptake of IoT, key issues like identification, privacy, security and inter-operability have to be tackled. The inter play with cloud computing technologies, big data and future networks like 5G should also be taken into account. It is vital to enhance users trust in the IoT.

Open and integrated environments will boost the competitiveness and makes people’s life easier. For instance, it will be easier of patients to receive continuous care and for companies to efficiently help their customers etc. This will lead to optimal services, huge savings and a smarter use of resources and there by progressing towards a brighter future using IoT.

By:BALA LATHA MALLAVARAPU