And so it goes… ABC, 123, IoT… M-O-U-S-E. It’s been some time since the tech industry has created so much buzz about a concept and associated acronym with such oblique connotations. What is an IoT anyway? Can someone point to one? Can any company claim victory on producing one? Can anyone actually explain the Promised Land of IoT and how we get there from here?
I find it easier to digest if you organize the concept of IoT around unique layers that combine to form a platform and associated eco-system that will deliver ever-greater value as innovations continue to be added to this foundation structure. Somewhat akin to what Apple did long ago with the iPhone, iOS, and Apps Store eco-system. As related to IoT in the commercial building market, you can break it into 3 distinct layers that build on each other.
Layer 1 – The “Edge”
– an array of “nodes” or sensors deployed throughout the building specifically to extract data from the environment. Think; occupancy, temperature, movement, ambient light levels, CO, whatever you can extract using available sensor technology.
Drawing an analogy to the human body, these sensors act like nerve endings collecting valuable information for the brain, from which decision can be made. In its best incarnation, there are both automated decisions –heart beating, lungs breathing etc. and active decisions – I sense something happening (see, hear, smell, or feel) and then decide to take action to react appropriately to the information.
Layer 2 – The “Plumbing”
– the data that is being collected by the sensor network needs to be aggregated, organized and then transmitted up to the cloud so analytical software can be used to mine the data for valuable insight.
This plumbing needs to be bi-directional so once decisions are made based on the analytics, actions can then be communicated back out to the edge. Again, drawing the analogy to the human body, Layer 2 in combination with Layer 1 effectively creates a Central Nervous system whereby information flow from the nerve ending to the brain and back again.
Layer 3 – The “Cloud”
– leveraging the internet and common big data warehousing techniques, massive amounts of information extracted from the building can flow continuously to be captured and analyzed. The resulting software “applications” developed around this data will then be able to bring value to the commercial enterprise. In its most basic form, it will be a more efficiently run building but that is just the beginning.
Once deployed, one can only imagine all of the innovation that will be deployed onto the IoT eco-system to deliver real value to customers and generate a massive business opportunity in the process. Of course, sticking with our human body analogy, the layer 3 folds the brain into the equation to create an elegant and sophisticated system.
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