IoT Mantra - Think Big, Start Small and Scale Fast.

My colleague published a great article encouraging Georgia leadership to consider data as a critical component of their infrastructure plan (https://bit.ly/2SOeeDp). She gave an example of using data to address Atlanta’s gridlock issues. As the Head of IoT for Cities at Siemens – I thought I’d take a few minutes to unpack that idea and explain how it could work.

Process and Asset data is the key to understanding business operations and initiating the transformation and improvements. Using the capabilities of IoT, Cloud and AI -- processes can be made smarter, efficient, safer and more sustainable. Some topics I am currently working include:

§ Installing simple flood monitoring sensors to provide early warning of areas that will be under water, hence working real data for emergency services for routing

§ Investigating voltage leakage and methane buildup under manholes

§ Providing early indication of deteriorating electrical or sewage infrastructure

§ Connecting all the machines in a discrete manufacturing plant, allowing the plant operators to schedule and optimize production, inventory and quality events over the whole plant.

There are plenty of use cases and success stories to inform our journey. The trick to delivering the transformation is to understand the core components of the technology, the processes by which the technology runs and the people operating the infrastructure. Cities and private companies must build the backbone -- now be powered by the latest technologies -- which are cheaper, more powerful, secure and easier to operate.

So, if technology allows for faster analysis of data and therefore faster implementation of process improvements – why does it seem that adoption of such technologies and processes is moving so slowly?

It is common discourse among the IoT / AI practitioners, that many of the in-practice techniques has been focused on continuous gradual improvements to the status quo. Nothing wrong with that. But I point to the new capabilities that can help us to leapfrog into the digital frontier. The new digital frontier brings forward the opportunity of using the power of IoT, Cloud and AI to quickly, conveniently and securely collect, understand and gain actionable insights from the raw data. These technologies allow faster implementation over the traditional gradual improvement processes.

Let me dig a little bit deeper. The core of the technology has existed for many years and morphed into the new buzzwords of now, which can be confusing. So just to cover the basics, fundamentally there are 4 or 5 layers to it, depends who you talk to:

§ The Base Layer -- Commonly referred to the physical world: the layer creating and communicating the actual data. Data can come from humans (walking statistics), machines (cycle counts, production volumes), digital entities (Tweets) and be can communicated over cell, Wi-Fi and more

§ The Data Layer -- Commonly called as database or data lakes, pods, oceans, you get my drift. Typically, there is a structure and mapping of the data, called data models, which help us understand what a data element means in the digital and real world.

§ The Operation Layers -- The processes supporting the core service, such as production planning for cars in an automotive plant; Scheduling law enforcement assets for day in a city, etc.

§ And lastly – The Top Layer – The visualization or business intelligence layer: allowing the users to monitor progress, KPIs and intelligence reports.

The above-mentioned core elements exist by various names and in various states. They are made operational and safe by work process, human operators and cyber / physical security techniques.

Our leaders in the government and organization will have to make a concerted effort to build and share the technology backbone. As I mentioned, core elements of these have existed for many years in all organization at difficult level of maturity. But I will caution, that the leaders will need to pay attention to that not all technologies and solutions are equal and need systematic effort to adopt the correct technology stack, deployment and change management practices.

In order to bring make lasting changes to our cities and infrastructure, we will need to empower or citizens and employees to effectively use the power of the emerging capabilities. Accessing, processing and sharing the insights from process and asset-driven data is the key to leap frogging in the digital world. For me, I practice and pontificate the idea of Think Big, Start Small and Scale Fast.