INDUSTRY
Agriculture
In general, it is rare for people to think about the internet in connection with agriculture. But IoT technology allows farmers to connect devices to the internet to improve management and operations to reduce waste, better control pests and disease, efficiently use farm inputs and streamline livestock management, thus, raising productivity. Smart farming is a concept quickly catching on in the agricultural business. Offering high-precision crop control, useful data collection, and automated farming techniques, there are clearly many advantages a networked farm has to offer. Of the many advantages IoT brings to the table, its ability to innovate the landscape of current farming methods and this is absolutely groundbreaking. IoT sensors capable of providing farmers with information about crop yields, rainfall, pest infestation, and soil nutrition are invaluable to production and offer precise data which can be used to improve farming techniques over time. “Things” include agricultural equipment, cows or sheep in the field implanted with chips, home appliances and almost anything one can think of, including people. The core of this wave of innovation is data and the interconnectedness of devices and equipment. The IoT is a giant network of connected “things”. Agriculture Internet of Things ensures accurate and timely communication of real time data or information related to dynamic agricultural processes like plantation, harvesting etc. and weather forecasts, soil quality, availability and cost of labor required to the farmers before-hand. Farmer’s with availability of such important real time information in advance are able to plan their course of activities pre-hand and take corrective/preventive measures for future contingency.
Transportation and Logistics
Digital information has become the life blood of the transportation industry with networks of computer chips and sensors integral to nearly every aspect, including public transport, fleet management, surveillance, ticketing, passenger information, etc. Today, most systems operate in relative silos, but this is changing as municipalities see the compelling benefits from improved information sharing. This is what the Internet of Things (IoT) is designed to do: provide the connectivity, security, interoperability, analytics, and monetization capabilities that enable intelligent transportation.
IoT in the transport and logistics sector is not confined to simply tracking vehicles; it includes big rich data analytics and extends across logistics and into the wider supply chain. This is about far more than simply tracking the locations of vans and trucks.
The increasing number of connected devices, embedded sensors, and analytics technologies will only increase the data and accelerate. This will lead to more efficient use of transport infrastructure, better engagement with customers, and more informed decision making.
Smart Cities
One of the next big targets of the digital age is the city. New Internet of Things (IoT) applications that leverage ubiquitous connectivity, big data and analytics are enabling Smart City initiatives all over the world. These new applications introduce tremendous new capabilities such as the ability to remotely monitor, manage and control devices, and to create new insights and actionable information from massive streams of real-time data.
As a result, IoT offerings are transforming cities by improving infrastructure, creating more efficient and cost effective municipal services, enhancing public transportation, reducing traffic congestion, and keeping citizens safe and more engaged in the community.
The concept is the result of the ever-expanding Internet of Things (IoT), with transportation, utilities, and law enforcement among the many areas being impacted. This is the ideal time for such technology, since more than 60% of the world's population will live in cities by 2050. Companies such as Cisco, IBM, Intel, Silver Spring Networks, Build.io, GE Lighting and Siemens are among those providing smart city solutions worldwide.
A smart city is a city that uses digital technologies or information and communication technologies—connected via an intelligent network—to address challenges within city communities and across vertical industries. These challenges may include parking, traffic, transportation, street lighting, water and waste management, safety and security, even the delivery of education and healthcare. A smart city relies on technological solutions that enhance its existing process to better support and optimize the delivery of urban services, to reduce resource consumption and contain costs, and to provide the means and the opportunities to engage actively and effectively with its citizens, with its visitors and with its businesses. Of course, the majority of cities around the world are not smart cities. Updating existing technologies to more advanced and more efficient ones will take time.
Medicine
There is no doubt that the Internet of Things is transforming the medicine industry completely by redefining how apps, devices and people interact and connect with each other in delivering healthcare solutions. That is, IoT is constantly offering new tools as well as efficiencies that make up an integrated healthcare system with the view of ensuring patients are cared for better, health care costs are reduced significantly and treatment outcomes are improved.
IOT in medicine is a varied computing, wirelessly communicating system of apps and devices that connects patients and health providers to diagnose, monitor, track and store vital statistics and medical information.
In the future IoT will have many applications in the medicine sector, with the possibility of using the cell phone capabilities as a platform for monitoring of medical parameters and drug delivery. The advantage gained is in prevention and easy monitoring of diseases, ad hoc diagnosis and providing prompt medical attention in cases of accidents. Implantable and addressable wireless devices can be used to store health records that can save a patient’s life in emergency situations, especially for people with diabetes, cancer, coronary.
IoT-driven monitoring systems are used for hospitalized patients whose physiological status requires constant close attention. These monitoring systems employ sensors to collect physiological information that is analyzed and stored using gateways and the cloud. This information is then sent wirelessly to caregivers for further analysis and review. It provides a continuous automated flow of information. Thus, the quality of care is improved through constant attention that in turn lowers the cost of care.
Due to the lack of immediate access to effective health monitoring systems, many lives suffer risks. Small, powerful, wireless solutions connected through the IoT are making it possible for remote monitoring of those patients who require immediate attention. Patient’s health data are captured using various sensors and are analyzed and sent to the medical professional for proper medical assistance remotely.
Traffic
With the Internet of Things (IoT) now readily available to organizations of all sizes across vertical sectors and all industries, companies need better guidance to help them get started. Many imagine the barriers to entry are substantial and feel that IoT is not yet ready to become part of their business because of fears surrounding upfront investment, worries that solutions will not scale, concerns about security or uncertainty surrounding IoT business models.
The reality is that IoT has already reached the business mainstream and providers are serving organizations across the entire global economy, with services, applications, connections and technology that are available with minimal initial investment, are mature, secure and scale up rapidly as each service proposition takes off and gains users.
One of the most helpful aspects of a smart city is using technology to ease traffic and parking woes. Sensors in the street can be used to determine if a parking spot is empty, and anyone who accesses an app on a smartphone can find out in real time the location of the closest parking spot. Helping drivers find a parking spot more quickly can have a significant impact on traffic patterns.
