What does IoT mean?
The Internet of Things (abbreviated as IoT) is a concept of connecting interrelated computing devices over the internet.
In other words, It is a platform that comprises hardware and software interacting seamlessly with each other to connect everyday things to the internet thus enabling us to collect and exchange information.
IoT embraces Connectivity/Networking, Sensor Technologies, Cloud, Big Data and Artificial Intelligence to deliver a complete system for a product or service.These advanced automation and analytic systems allow greater transparency, control, and performance when applied to any industry, product or service.
Simple example:
- A light bulb can be switched on/off from miles away using a mobile device is an example of an IoT device.
- A motion sensor inside an office combined with a thermostat and a display which provides temperature, ambient lighting and presence inside a conference room at regular intervals is another example of an IoT device.
Why IoT?
With the development of technologies like M2M (machine-to-machine communication) and widespread of Internet, communication over long distance became possible.
This useful exchange of information across the globe with minimal human intervention led to an innovative concept called Internet of Things (IoT) where objects represent themselves as a digitally forming large network of connected devices that can communicate over the internet.
Components comprising IoT:
- IoT Hardware – These include sensors, micro-controller devices for control, servers, an edge or gateway.
- IoT software – It includes mobile and web applications that are responsible for data collection, device integration, real-time analysis and application and process extension.
- Sensors and Actuators: Sensing devices (thermostat, microphone) which interact with the environment and an actuator (Electric motor) for turning energy into motion.
- Connectivity or Gateway: A communication channel through which devices can communicate and share information.
- Analytics: Data coming from devices and sensors is converted into a format that is easy to read and process.
- Cloud: IoT generates a lot of data and cloud platform allows us to store and process the IoT data received.
- Artificial Intelligence: Automation and artificial intelligence provide better control over the system and help us achieve the real potential of technology.
- User Interface: IoT provides a visible interface that can be easily accessed and controlled by the user.
Benefits Of IoT:
- Enhanced Data Collection: IoT allows a greater control and monitoring of the data that is collected from various devices.
- Preventive Maintenance: IoT supports preventative maintenance, which seeks to decrease the likelihood of a machine’s failure through performance of regular maintenance. Preventative maintenance is performed while the machine is working so that it does not break down unexpectedly.
- Effective Resource Utilization: IoT provides better control, thus resources can be upgraded or degraded for better performance and effective resource utilization.
- Real Time Analysis: IoT facilitates real-time data analysis thus has its applications in many systems that require information in real-time.
IoT Lifecycle:
An IoT system is comprised of connected devices that are frequently sending data about their status and environment around them.
- Collect: The life cycle of IoT starts with collecting data from different sources deployed in a particular region. These sources could be any sensors or device capable of transmitting data connected to a gateway. Data are efficiently collected and passed forward through a communication channel for analysis.
- Communicate: This phase involves secure and reliable transfer of data. Routers, switches and firewall technologies play a vital role in establishing communication between devices. The Data is sent to the cloud or other data centers using the internet which is our major means of communication in IoT.
- Analysis: This phase is an important part of the IoT lifecycle. In this phase data collected from different sensor devices are collected and analysed based on the use case to extract some useful output/information.
- Action: This is the final stage of IoT lifecycle. Information obtained by the analysis of sensor data is acted upon and proper actions and measures are taken based on the analysis result.
IoT- Common Applications:
- Environmental Application: Air and water quality monitoring, monitoring fire hazards are few applications of IoT.
- Energy Application: IoT can help in improving power utilization. A zero net energy building is an example of IoT device to conserve energy.
- Healthcare Application: In the healthcare sector simultaneous monitoring of patients with analysis and alerts is a common IoT application.
- Educational Application: E-learning, educational apps.
- Government Application: National defense providing military with support and services, smart city planning and control.
Conclusion:
It is a giant network of interconnected objects that has the potential to dramatically increase the availability of information. With the advancement of technologies such as artificial intelligence systems that are capable of communicating and sharing data, can be applied to any industry to achieve greater results and performance. IoT is likely to transform companies and organizations in almost every corner of the world as it has vast applications in our day to day activities.
IoT deployments are challenging. Multiple operational teams & business units, apart from IT teams, need to be involved for an effective IoT implementation. IOT being a relatively new concept, choosing a proper IoT solution provider can be a challenging job. Please visit the link to understand the development cycle of an IOT project: https://aapnainfotech.com/services/iot-solution-provider/
To make it easier for anybody to understand AAPNA has defined IOT in a much simpler way. Visit https://aapnainfotech.com/aapna-defines-iot/ or click the below picture to know more.
