So you think you know what the IOT is?

What is the Internet of Things (IOT)? That seemed to be the question on everyone’s lips at the IOT event at High Tech Campus, on 6 June 2012.
Is it going to be lots of vertical proprietary networks run by utility companies, healthcare providers and the like? Or are we about to see an amazing new phase in crowdsourcing, where individuals use data from billions of connected objects to transform the world?
The latter was illustrated by a wonderfully down to earth example of a New Yorker using Arduino technology and citizen power to reduce smelly sewage in local waterways.
Overall, it seems if you’re uncertain about exactly where the IOT is heading, you’re in good company. Mobile operators like Orange and Vodafone already supply millions of SIM cards and connectivity for machine to machine communication in applications like fleet management and remote billing (e.g. office equipment usage). But even their speakers at the event admitted, it’s not clear where future IOT business opportunities and revenue streams lie.
On the other hand, there were a few areas that came up in almost every presentation and in chats over coffee and lunch. Energy management and healthcare seem like the prime opportunities for IOT type applications. Think of things like smart metering and monitoring the elderly at home. Why? Because the economic and social benefits are so evident.
Of course, the thorny issues of privacy, ownership of data and what we do with it came up frequently. If you want to see the best and worst of what might happen, check out the scenarios presented by Ernst & Young.
My key take-away? No-one knows yet where the IOT will lead, but if you want to do anything in this domain, you’ll need partners. It’s too interconnected to go it alone. And that means events like this are a great place to make contacts that could lead to something big.
Finally, on an entirely personal note, I’d like to say well done to the hackathon team who invented an induction hob with lights and sounds that tell you what’s happening. It’s what I’ve been wanting for years. And Wi-Fi control that lets me stop the potatoes boiling dry, while I finish a vital email on my laptop upstairs would be just brilliant!