Internet of Things in Our Daily Life
Internet has become a tool of great use in many aspects of our life. It is an easy and accessible way of communication between people, friends and acquaintances. We use it in our work, in sales, investigation, publicity, leisure, among other things. We can use this communication with our smartphones, laptops, personal computers, and others. The most common formats used in the Internet are text, sounds, images and videos. We can access to this communication services, through public or private networks and from a wide range of places; from our, home, school, malls, some transports, our company, libraries and recreation centers. All these with the objective of communication in a quick and easy way.
EVOLUTION DUE TO OUR NEEDS AND COMMUNICATION
Has internet always been accessible to all and for multiple uses? The easy and short answer is “no”. To understand the answer in a much broader way, we must learn the difference between Internet and Web.
Internet is the physical network built majorly by switches and routers. Its main objective is to move information from one place to another in a fast, safe and reliable way. Web, on the other hand is the form (interface) that deploys the information to users. If we did not have this interface, we would see on our screens, symbols and incoherent numbers, making difficult the comprehension and flow of information.
The Web has evolved through the following phases:
- Phase 1.- Of academic and investigation use. On this stage it was called ARPANET, Advanced Research Projects Agency (Evans, 2011).
- Phase 2.- Characterized by the need of companies to share information through Internet, for people to know products and services.
- Phase 3.- The need changed data from a static form to a dynamic one. On this stage, products or services could be sold or bought. On this stage, companies such as Amazon or eBay became well known amongst the generality of users.
- Phase 4.- The current stage, better known as the Social Web, where companies such as Facebook and Twitter have become immensely popular and profitable, allowing people to connect, communicate and share information, trough text, photos and video.
Compared to the Web, how has the physical network of Internet evolved through time? It has been a road of constant development, but with no substantial changes since its creation. Nowadays, the standardization of its communication is the Internet Protocol, better known in the IT world as IP. (Cisco, 2006).
INTERNET CONNECTED DEVICES
Due to the great boom and acceptance of mobile devices, many companies have created thin, light and small, sophisticated sensors, which are inside of physical, of daily use, devices (such as machines) that can connect to the internet and in turn, they can send valuable information, and can even work with other devices.
Communications Company CISCO, has estimated that by 2015, there will be three Internet connected devices for every person. By 2020, there will be 50.6 billion devices for the 7.6 billion population. This means that in average there will be six devices connected to the Internet for every person.
According to Cisco’s Internet Business Solutions Group (IBSG), the Internet of Things (IoT) is in simple terms, the place in time where “things or objects” are connected to the internet more than people.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
It works through a common language between devices and software applications that allows communication between one another. The process starts when devices communicate and safely send information to the platform of their own brand, through the internet. This platform gathers all the information sent by the devices. Finally, the platform performs an analysis of the data to share valuable information with applications made by the company that created the devices, solving specific company needs.
DAY-TO-DAY USES
There are many uses of IoT in our daily life. Some of them are:
- We can know when, what and how much, we need to improve a product by knowing its supply demand and use. The information is sent directly by the product.
- On parking lots we could know if there are empty parking spots with devices installed through the parking lot. The information is sent in real time, so users can know beforehand where to park. This allows cities to give a better use to public space, a characteristic of a SMART CITY.
- Observe remotely the vitals of a patient with chronic conditions.
- Track a medicine all the way form the supplier to the final user.
- Track the lifestyle and health as part of a wellness program.
- Control the heating or A/C of a home from or cellphone.
SYSTEM OF SYSTEMS
Every application or IoT system can be implemented as small component within a larger, more complex system due to their high autonomy and the fact that they use the same communication protocol.
First Case.- Create a more complete control system of a home, through the combination of different systems such as:
- Security; Remotely close and open windows and doors.
- Leisure; play music or tune in a tv channel.
- Transportation; turning on and off your automobile.
- Energy; check gas and light.
- Emergencies; control of fire hazards and flooding.
Being able to control these systems as a one system allows an efficient management of home. For example, if a person is at work, and the system detects smoke at home, the fire system could start controlling a possible fire and send an alert to the house owner. In turn, he or she could cut the gas and electricity supply, preventing a greater damage, and set a call to the firemen. This process could be done remotely.
Second Case.- Create a more complete and efficient transportation system, monitoring systems such as:
- Traffic
- Parking
- Traffic lights
- Traffic accidents
If a person has to travel on rush hours, the system could detect and inform alternative routes, traffic density, or even in the event of a traffic accident, know the location and inform the transport user to take precatory measures to avoid the route of the accident, saving time and transport resources.
WHAT IS THE REAL IOT CAPACITY?
The IoT is changing our life, starting by the way people drive, shop or manage the power resources of their homes, to the way cities manage public space and resources.
The technological developments have evolved due to the use the people and industries give to them, and the IoT won’t be the exception.
Finally, the important questions are, what do you think? What other application could this technology have in our day to day? How do you imagine you could use this tool? Send your comments to our social media, or on the contact form below. We are eager to hear from you.
REFERENCES
Barrett, J. (Octubre de 2012). The internet of Things: Dr. John Barrett at TEDxCIT. Obtenido de https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QaTIt1C5R-M
CISCO. (Agosto de 2006). NAT: Local and Global Definitions.Obtenido de http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/support/docs/ip/network-address-translation-nat/4606-8.html
Evans, D. (Abril de 2011). The internet of things – Cisco. Obtenido de https://www.cisco.com/c/dam/en_us/about/ac79/docs/innov/IoT_IBSG_0411FINAL.pdf
IBM. (Septiembre de 2015). Internet of Things, IBM Bluemix.Obtenido de http://www.ibm.com/cloud-computing/bluemix/internet-of-things/
Intel. (arzo de 2014). Interl IoT – What Does The Internet of Things Mean? Obtenido de http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/internet-of-things/overview.html
Sethia, V. (Mayo de 2013). The Internet of Things IBM. Obtenido de https://www.ibm.com/developerworks/community/files/form/anonymous/api/library/ac092234-1cdc-406a-9317-39ee651ffbf6/document/00abc487-7941-4c4f-903e-4ab43a9c36c7/media/IBM
Telit. (Febrero de 2016). Telit: Enabling End-to-End IoT Solutions. Obtenido de http://www.telit.com/
U-Blox. (Mayo de 2016). Internet of Things (IoT) | u-blox. Obtenido de https://www.u-blox.com/en/internet-of-things