Internet of Things and Data Science

When organizations enter into the world of IoT, they need to understand the connection between big data and IoT. The significant rise in connected devices that is going to happen as a result of IoT is going to lead to an exponential rise in data. But merely collecting data is not sufficient. The data needs to be analyzed properly to gain useful insights for it is these actionable insights which will drive the business forward. In fact, the failure or success of IoT depends a lot on big data as IoT deployments cannot really make an impact unless and until they provide some kind of useful service. And that is possible only with a proper data gathering thing in place which will allow the organization to sort through all kind of information flowing in from embedded sensors. Given below are a few case studies where IoT and big data work together to provide both analysis and insight which in turn benefits the organization.    

Barcelona, Spain

The city of Barcelona which is a pro at technological innovation offers its citizens smart parking meters that work on city-wide wi-fi providing its residents with real-time updates as to where to park their vehicles and giving them the option to pay with their phone. Smart bus stops give passengers real-time updates while a large city wide sensor network informs the citizens about the air quality, temperature, traffic scene and noise levels. To handle all this, Barcelona has built a big data system on Microsoft Azure to analyze the numerous data points it receives. With the information generated by the system, the city can offer improved services to its citizens, understand the impact of tourist footfalls and plan better for events like the La Merce festival.

UPS

UPS, one of the biggest shipping companies of the world is using big data analytics and IoT to improve efficiency, reduce costs and lower its environmental impact. UPS has fitted sensors on its delivery vehicles that monitor speed, mileage, number of stops, miles per gallon and overall engine health. The company says that the sensors capture more than 200 data points for each vehicle in a big fleet of more than 80,000 per day. The availability of this huge amount of data enables the company to reduce harmful emissions, decrease idling time and save on fuel. UPS is also working on a project titled ORION (On-Road Integrated Optimization and Navigation) which they plan to roll out on American routes by 2017. This tool uses hundreds of millions of data points in addition to data collected on the deliveries to optimize delivery route for efficiency.

John Deere

IoT and Big data are making their presence felt in agriculture and one of the pioneers in this field is equipment manufacture, John Deere. The John Deere Field Connect System keeps track of the moisture levels and sends the data over a wi-fi network for farmers to see. Their environmental sensors also measure the air and soil quality, humidity levels, soil conditions, wind speed, leaf wetness and solar radiations. The data will help farmers know when his crops are reaching optimum moisture levels. Being supplied with this information the farmers can make timely irrigation decisions.

Virgin Atlantic

Virgin Atlantic has gone the IoT way by coming up with a range of connected Boeing 787 aircraft and connected cargo devices. Each of the Boeing planes has been equipped with numerous internet connected parts that generate huge amounts of data. According to Virgin Atlantic’s IT director, each plane generates about half a terabyte of data. Notwithstanding the fact that the data program is still in a fledging state, the data can still be used to improve fuel and flight efficiency and even predict maintenance requirements.

Temputech

Temputech is another big data and IoT system that is showing enormous potential in the agricultural sector. The company offers a set of connected systems that keep a tab on grain storage and monitor the potential hazards in systems such as grain elevators. Faulty bearings and broken belts that can pose a potential hazard are monitored carefully. The grain management systems show the temperature and moisture levels in grain bins and also allow for the manual operation of fan settings and aeration levels. This data is then sent to farm operators who can then use it to predict the temperature and moisture changes based on a weather change allowing them to take steps that help them to better manage their farms.

Disney World MagicBand

Disney world’s proprietary MagicBand is a great example of IoT and big data working alongside each other. The MagicBand is a wearable sensor fitted wristband that holidaymakers can use to perform their activities such as to check into their hotel rooms, go through the turnstiles at the amusement park or reserve a seat for special activities. The wearers ‘check in’ at certain spots by tapping the band against a receiver. The band then keeps track of their movements via RFID and in this manner Disney collects information about visitor’s movement throughout the park. Using this data, Disney can lodge more guests, properly staff attractions and better manage the inventory at highly used shops and restaurants.

Clermont-Ferrand University Hospital

The Clermont-Ferrand University Hospital in France has instituted an IoT and big data initiative by partnering with Microsoft and Capsule Technologie. The hospital has built a system that collects data which is secure in nature and uses connected medical devices to transmit data to the system. Once the nurses have validated on a mobile app, they can send the patient’s data directly from the medical tools and devices. This adds to the already rich data set that the hospital owns and enables the medical professionals to collect greater data in less time, making their jobs much easier.

Alex and Ani

Jewelers Alex and Ani have installed Bluetooth sensors in their stores that keeps a track on the number of footfalls in their stores and depending on the visitors’ interests pushes for customized offers to customers. The company has joined hands with beacon technology company Swirl to complete the measure. The technology will help the company to keep track of customer movement in the store enabling the company to better display its products which in turn will drive sales.

BC Hydro

BC Hydro with its headquarters in British Columbia, Canada is an electric utility company that provides power to about 2 million Canadian residents. In the year 2011, the company began revamping its electricity meters to smart meters. As a result of this, users are able to keep track of energy usage by the hour and note the trends in their data usage. Due to this, not only has electricity theft been greatly reduced but automatic outage detection alerts the company when power is out in a certain place. Thus, by making use of the data BC Hydro is able to provide better services at a much lower cost to its customers.

King’s Hawaiian

Big Data and IoT are also making their presence felt in food and manufacturing production. For instance, Food Company King’s Hawaiian in partnership with Rockwell Automation has put into use connected devices in their bread production factories that allow their employees to monitor their factory performance. With the data collected, the company is able to reduce potential downtime of the machines and also lower maintenance costs in the process.