Internet of things unplugged- Unleashing the power of data in India

What if your alarm clock wakes up you at 6am and then notifies your coffee maker to start brewing coffee for you and starts the TV for your favourite morning wake- up program?

What if your refrigerator senses when you are running low on breakfast items such as bread or milk and automatically updates your grocery list and reminds you earlier so that you never miss your morning breakfast?

What if your alarm goes off early with alternate routes populated in your dashboard when there is an accident or road construction on your usual drive to work?

What if your thermostats and lighting create the optimal setting, by turning to your ideal temperature just before you arrive home and turn off automatically to reduce costs when no one is in the house?

Though these wishes appear to be part of a fun or science fiction and a distant dream today, the potential of Internet of things envisages to make them a reality.

What’s the buzz surrounding the Internet of Things?
Internet of things, popularly recognised as IoT, is the latest jargon trending amongst technology enthusiasts and consumers across the globe and is the talk of the town today .Although machine-to-machine communication has existed for quite a while, these applications were closed, highly specialised and expensive. IoT opens up inexpensive connectivity to various devices(cell phones, coffee makers, washing machines, headphones, lamps, wearable devices, jet engine of an airplane or the drill of an oil rig to name a few) by integrating the power of advanced technologies including cloud computing, big data, analytics, networks of data-gathering sensors, artificial intelligence, robotics, cloud storage, to make the world a smarter place to live. It has led to the conception of smart identities – smart cities, smart energy, smart homes, smart cars, smart wearables to reduce costs, optimise resources, provide highly personalised choices, timely solutions, create new products, and explore new business models. IoT is a giant network of connected “things” (which also includes people).

The prominent role of data is garnering a lot of interest with the emergence of IoT . The real value that IoT creates lies in leveraging the data gathered. Cloud-based applications are key to translating the leveraged data into useful intelligence and transmitting it to machines, thereby enabling mobile, real-time dynamic responses.

For instance, if there is an accident on the path that you are driving, the sensors on the road will detect and communicate the information via the wireless internet to machines in the car(machine). Once your car knows that there is a hazard ahead, it will instruct the driver to slow down, and if the driver does not, then the car will slow down for him.

Easy availability of broadband internet, lowered connection costs, reduced technology costs, massive increase in storage and computing power at declining cost and sky-rocketing penetration of smart phones are creating a perfect eco- system for IoT.

Leapfrogging India
IoT is gaining centre stage in India with the launch of Digital India and Smart Cities initiatives. As a step in this direction, Cisco and Electronics City Industries Association (ELCIA) have formed a partnership to develop Asia's first end-to-end 'Internet of Things (IoT) Innovation Hub' in Bengaluru. The Electronic System Design & Manufacturing (ESDM) start-ups and other electronic city companies use the 'Living Lab', to build solutions for City Infrastructure Management (CIM) including Smart Parking, Smart CCTV Surveillance, Smart Street Lighting, Smart Water Management/Leak Detection and Community Messaging, using Cisco’s network infrastructure and expertise for testing and production of electronic product prototypes for an IoT enabled smart city environment.

Cisco ‘s ‘Smart City’ project using IoT in Bengaluru serves as a blueprint for the future of smart and connected cities in India. This includes the different aspects of cities-
? Smart Parking where sensors in the parking lot monitor the number of vehicles parked and indicate empty space available for parking.
? Smart Buildings are built and operated, monitored and controlled for reduced energy and water consumption, reduced carbon footprint, lower costs and a better work environment.
? Smart Energy Management by monitoring energy spent by device, controlling energy consumption and managing entire energy management workflow by providing analytical insights on energy consumed, saved and spent.
? Remote Expert where local, regional and central government can offer high quality, efficient and cost effective citizen services through an immersive collaboration experience.
? Smart Connected Learning to enable cities, companies and educational institutions for improved access to education by using network-based collaboration technologies to improve student outcomes, increase efficiency, enhance security, and expand research capabilities.
? Smart Workspaces to help companies foster productivity and creativity in the workplace.

Enabling devices connected using the Indian infrastructure presents a number of constraints due to variable temperatures, high levels of humidity and dust, irregular power supply, inadequate telecom coverage to name a few. Security and privacy issues in IoT networks are also of prime concern.

The IoT wave is a great opportunity for India to create new companies and global brands as well growth opportunities for existing companies and brands. Product innovation and a sustainable ecosystem are vital for successful IoT implementation in India. The requirements of this massive and emerging market translates to exciting opportunities for innovation in technologies like embedded design, semiconductor industry , communication systems thereby creating a new paradigm of pervasive computing. This is a great opportunity for SMEs and startups in India.

Can the Indian technology industry be at the forefront of innovation, propelling the growth of IoT in India?

In order to ensure the effectively of IoT in India, we need a strong collaboration and coordination between government and the industry to provide IoT products, solutions and services without compromising privacy, security and safety of people.

Internet of things is the emerging phenomenon which promises a smarter and smaller world . The infinite power of data unexplored waiting to be unraveled could be a precursor to the development of new technologies. IoT is redefining the way we lead our lives and has limitless potential. Iot could vey well be the most innovative disruption in the communication space.

India is all set for an “electronics revolution” bringing in a new era of possibilities. Will 2016 prove to be the bullish  year for Internet of things ?