Internet of Things - article by @alfredosahagun

April 10, 2016 What is the Internet of Things (IoT)? Although the concept wasn’t properly coined until 1999, the Internet of Things (IoT) had been developing for years perhaps even decades. The first clear example of the application of IoT was back in 1982 at Carnegie Melon University there was a modified Coke machine which programmers connected over the Internet to determine its storage status. Much later in 1999 at a P&G lecture, MIT professor Kevin Ashton (founder of MIT´s Auto-ID Center) began widely using the “IoT” concept/term and explained IoT´s potential in the following words “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.” The IoT directly creates opportunities for more direct integration of the physical world into computer-based systems, and resulting in improved efficiency, accuracy and economic benefit. In short, “The Internet of Things” (IoT) comes down to a System of Interconnected Wireless Computer Devices with Sensors, and sometimes acting capacities. These computers can be placed, worn, of automated movement or simply an object which connects from where it stands, and has the ability to transfer data over a network without requiring human-to-human or human-to-computer interaction. Even some can have actuation capabilities such as locks or bulbs controlled over the Internet. Actuating heat, electricity and energy management appliances, cruise-assisted transportation (GM OnStar), enabling extended home security (ADP) and home-automation. The "internet of living things" or biological sensors linked to cloud-based analyses. For example, with IoT you can control the electrical devices installed in your house while you are at the office or on vacation you can fully monitor your office. Your water will be warm as soon as you get up in the morning for the shower. Your fridge can order home delivery of what´s missing automatically. Self-driven cars and automated transportation can distribute more efficiently and costly-oriented. IoT products can be classified broadly into five different: wearable-biological, home, city, environment, and enterprise smart categories. What are we referring to by “Things” in the Internet of Things? These can be all sorts of interconnected sensor technology, devices, computer and/or gadgets. from wearable technology to a wireless implant, from a smartphone, a smart watch, smart tech glasses, heart and health monitors, biochip transponders, any implant either in Humans or animals, or any computerized object as automobiles with built-in tech sensors to drive or alert the driver, smart devices (phones, watches, appliances) or any other natural or man-made object that can eventually be assigned an IP address and provided with the ability to transfer data over a wireless network connected to the internet. So this whole ever growing network of “things” everyday more interconnected is IoT. Somehow with IoT we are starting to digitalize, to map and record, all sorts of measurement which lead to a fantastic machine-generated data never achieved before and which it was unknown for us to be able to keep up with so much tracking, the insights derived from the data-information gathered by the different gadgets interconnected or simply uploading its info on the internet, is probably one of the most important assets of today´s humanity. IoT has grown incredibly in recent years as the Information Technology IT links more and more to the Operational Technology OT. Practical applications of IoT technology can be found in many industries today, including precision agriculture, building management, healthcare, energy and transportation. Milestones in the growth of the Internet and more recently of IoT include: 1) Integration with Internet entails that all devices will use a unique identifier IP address. Due to the limited address space provided by IPv4 (which allows for 4.3 billion unique addresses) the new IPv6 huge increase in address space is a breakthrough and a cornerstone for IoT IP addresses needs. In the words of Steve Leibson from the Computer History Museum ”the address space expansion means that we could “assign an IPv6 address to every atom on the surface of the earth, and still have enough addresses left to do another 100+ earths.” In other words, the increase in the number of smart nodes mean humans could assign an IP address virtually to every "thing" on Earth. Steve Leibson is concerned about the about data privacy, data sovereignty and security of the upstream data the nodes generate in the IoT. 2) By 2013 the convergence of wireless communication to the Internet from embedded systems to micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS), changed the traditional fields of embedded systems, wireless sensor networks, control systems, automation (including home and building automation), and others all are now starting to contribute enabling IoT. Where is IoT taking us? Still most of all computing devices today are fully dependent on Human Beings for information. Also most of today´s data on the internet, at least fifty whole petabytes, each petabyte accounting for 1,024 terabytes, of human introduced data available on the Internet was first captured and created by human beings either by programming, typing, recording, taking pictures, scanning or any other. With IoT it may not be so anymore in the near future. In Kevin Ashton words ““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”. There will be nearly 26 to 30 billion devices on IoT by 2020 according to Corp Gartner Inc. and ABI Tech Advisory Research. Including Internet, The Cloud of Things, embedded and wearable computing and the corresponding dynamic systems, are sure to have widespread and beneficial effects by 2025. The UK Government last year allocated £40 million to IoT research. Clearly IoT is the next stage of the information revolution. The massive amount of extremely “useful” information and how it may help and change individuals, businesses, and society on a daily basis. For individuals this new concept can come in many forms including health, safety, financially, and every day planning. For the Businesses IoT allows for the communication between devices, commonly referred to as Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communication. Also offers the new ability to track individual consumers and target these consumers based on the information supplied by the devices. In a way, it provides a more “personalized” supplying and marketing systems. It all comes down to less costly and more efficient System. But as with any new technology, there are always controversies around its growth. By @alfredosahagun. April 2016.