This article was originally published on LinkedIn
Last week on Thurs and Fri, RTP held the 2018 #IoTSlam (https://iotslam.com/). Thanks to David Hill, I had the chance to become familiar about the community and attend this exciting event and the sessions. The annual event by the #IoT Community was well orchestrated from start to finish.
My first exposure to sensor technology goes back to 1984 when I was working with Dr. Sunderrajan, Head of Research at DCM Data Products, India. I was supporting DCM Data Loggers and PLCs, and learning about Process Control Systems. Our core product was MICON from Powell Systems, USA. Connectivity was achieved via daisy chaining RS232C ports and MUX cards. We were controlling processes by measuring humidity, temperature and other parameters that drive paper and nylon industries .
The primary goal of the IOT Community is to educate developers, thought leaders and C-levels, and drive the adoption of IoT within the enterprise through various means such as their expert working groups, CoE initiatives, advisory groups and events. I spoke with some of the Sponsors such as IBM, SAS, DNA Group, SIMTelligent and RIOT and got to understand the work that this community has been doing.
The key note addresses by Chris O’Conner (IBM GM of IOT) provided great insights into the science. He illustrated the volume of data being generated and how analytics is helping address problems and identify new revenue streams. The CTO of SAS Software Mr. Oliver Scambenberger talked about the progresses leading to IoT and AI, and the SAS Strategy around IOT and tools to process data in real time using statistical tools and machine learning. Some key enablers for IoT and AI are advances in #5G, sensor technology and availability of AI and cognitive platforms like #IBM #Watson. They have enabled key developments such as machine/computer vision, connectivity, automation, augmentation, image recognition and intelligence.
Some cool messages include – “Data without Analytics is unrealized value, and Analytics without Monetization is unrealized revenue”.
The evolution of sensor technology has greatly helped in the adoption of IoT based applications especially in #HealthCare, #Logistics and #Supplychain. Advancement in 5G is enabling the driver-less revolution such as see-thru sensing, autopilot driving, platooning, advanced entertainment, augmented and virtual reality. Sensor technology is being applied to railroads to address the Positive Train Control mandate. They also help with managing rail safety via sensors attached to axles, wheels and ball-bearings.
With so many devices communicating on the network, the need for security becomes a key concern to prevent a variety of threats ranging from DoS , ransom attacks, spamming to infiltration. Someone talked about a great example from Vegas where millions were stolen from a casino just by attacking a harmless IoT based fish tank thermometer. Nancy Shemwell, CEO of Entegra and Dipto Chakravarty of Echostar emphasized the importance of security.
I really enjoyed @Rahul Vijay, Global Head of Telecom at Uber, talk about the various Uber Businesses and how IoT is a key driver behind all their future business strategies.
I explored the relevance of #blockchain with many of the minds out there for both identity and access management (#IAM) of IoT devices, maintain accurate records of important IoT readings as inn #coldchain #supplychain applications or even better, drive IoT behavior or workflows through #smartcontracts .
