Big Data and Analytics Archives - FutureIoT https://futureiot.tech/category/technology/big-data-and-analytics/ Delivering Connected Intelligence Tue, 19 Mar 2024 03:25:06 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://futureiot.tech/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/cropped-site-icon-600px-1-32x32.png Big Data and Analytics Archives - FutureIoT https://futureiot.tech/category/technology/big-data-and-analytics/ 32 32 AI to fuel deployment of AI applications https://futureiot.tech/ai-to-fuel-deployment-of-ai-applications/ Fri, 15 Mar 2024 01:00:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=13649 Worldwide spending on edge computing is expected to be US$232 billion in 2024, an increase of 15.4% over 2023. According to a new forecast from the IDC Worldwide Edge Spending Guide, combined enterprise and service provider spending across hardware, software, professional services, and provisioned services for edge solutions will sustain strong growth through 2027 when […]

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Worldwide spending on edge computing is expected to be US$232 billion in 2024, an increase of 15.4% over 2023. According to a new forecast from the IDC Worldwide Edge Spending Guide, combined enterprise and service provider spending across hardware, software, professional services, and provisioned services for edge solutions will sustain strong growth through 2027 when spending will reach nearly US$350 billion.

IDC defines edge as the information and communications technology (ICT) related actions that are performed outside of the centralized data centre, where edge is the intermediary between the connected endpoints and the core IT environment.

Characteristically, edge is distributed, software-defined, and flexible. Edge is the movement of computing resources to the physical location where data is created, transacted or stored, thereby increasing the enablement of business processes, decisions, and intelligence outside of the core IT environment.

Dave McCarthy

"Edge computing will play a pivotal role in the deployment of AI applications," said Dave McCarthy, research vice president, Cloud and Edge Services at IDC. He added that to meet scalability and performance requirements, organisations will need to adopt the distributed approach to architecture that edge computing provides. OEMs, ISVs, and service providers are taking advantage of this market opportunity by extending feature sets to enable AI in edge locations.

Across 19 enterprise industries, IDC segments edge ICT spending for more than 500 named enterprise use cases in six domains. In the service provider industry, investments for edge services delivery are built on infrastructure spending for multi-access edge computing (MEC), content delivery networks, and virtual network functions. Combined, these three use cases will account for nearly 22% of all edge spending this year.

For enterprise adopters, including the public sector, examples of edge-named use cases with large investments and rapid growth through 2027 include augmented maintenance (augmented reality), production asset management, AI-augmented supply and logistics, augmented diagnosis and treatment systems, supply chain resilience, in-home remote patient monitoring, and in-store contextualized marketing.

Examples of emerging edge use cases that are forecast to have the fastest spending growth over the 2022-2027 period include autonomous mining operations, site design and management (construction), pipeline inspection (utilities), augmented training (multiple industries), and expert shopping advisors & product recommendations (retail).

"Enterprise investments have continued to shift the past 24 months toward infrastructure expansion and greenfield deployments. Companies are acting on plans to build more robust local computing infrastructure capabilities. And through it all, customer-facing new services and products and enabling new business processes are top enterprise drivers," said Marcus Torchia, research vice president, Data & Analytics at IDC.

Marcus Torchia

"Over the next two years, the share of planned investments moderately favours MEC offerings. Yet on balance, enterprises are looking to rationalize total service provider outlays. This sets up a dynamic market of capex and opex-based edge offerings competing for investment dollars through 2027."

Marcus Torchia

Across enterprise end-user industries, the sheer size of discrete and process manufacturing will account for the largest portion of investments in edge solutions this year, followed by the retail and professional services industries.

IDC expects all 19 enterprise industries profiled in the spending guide will see five-year compound annual growth rates (CAGRs) in the low-to-mid teens over the forecast period. The service provider segment will see the greatest CAGR of 19.1%.

The largest investment share will continue to be led by hardware, at close to 40% of total spending, to build out edge capabilities especially driven by service provider infrastructure. Hardware spending will be driven by investments in edge gateways, servers, and network equipment.

Over the forecast period, adoption of provisioned services by enterprises will surge, surpassing hardware share by 2026 for the first time. Within provisioned services, connectivity and IaaS will represent the greatest share and fastest growth categories, respectively. On-premise software will be a critical component of edge infrastructure but remain the smallest category in terms of overall spending.

IDC predicts that China will experience the fastest spending growth over the five-year forecast with CAGRs of 16.2% and 15.3%, respectively.

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Gartner lists top priorities for customer service and support leaders in 2024 https://futureiot.tech/gartner-lists-top-priorities-for-customer-service-and-support-leaders-in-2024/ Thu, 29 Feb 2024 00:30:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=13596 A Gartner survey of 246 customer service and support leaders conducted September through October 2023 revealed service and support leaders’ priorities for the coming year amid their increasing responsibility for technology strategy in their organisation. “Advances in GenAI and shifting customer preferences are pushing service and support leaders to reimagine what’s possible for their organisation […]

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A Gartner survey of 246 customer service and support leaders conducted September through October 2023 revealed service and support leaders’ priorities for the coming year amid their increasing responsibility for technology strategy in their organisation.

Kim Hedlin

“Advances in GenAI and shifting customer preferences are pushing service and support leaders to reimagine what’s possible for their organisation in 2024,” said Kim Hedlin, a senior principal of research, in the Gartner Customer Service & Support practice. “Leaders are focused on how they can leverage technology to accomplish their top priorities, including improving customer experience and optimizing their operations.”

Pilot employee-facing GenAI underway

About 79% of service and support leaders surveyed were knowledgeable about their enterprise’s plans for GenAI adoption. Of these leaders, 83% said their enterprises either have plans to invest in GenAI or have done so already.

While much of the hype around GenAI in customer service has focused on customer-facing chatbots, many service and support leaders plan to invest in employee-facing GenAI assistants who will support reps in the next 12-18 months. Of leaders whose organisation is planning to make GenAI investments, 94% report they are at least “exploring” employee-facing virtual assistants.

“Many leaders see employee-facing GenAI as an experimental step on the way to deploying customer-facing virtual assistants,” said J.J. Moncus, principal of research, in the Gartner Customer Service & Support practice. “Respondents indicated it’s an important way to learn the risks of GenAI while still having a human in the loop, before moving on to riskier customer-facing deployments.”

The future of self-service

To meet younger generations of customers’ growing preference for self-service, many service and support leaders will experiment with new self-service capabilities in 2024.

However, these service and support leaders face implementation challenges. Among the service and support leaders who cited self-service adoption as a priority in the survey, 51% also named it a significant challenge for 2024.

Interviews with service and support leaders revealed multiple reasons why self-service implementation is challenging, ranging from organisational resistance to data disorganisation. However, early experiments with GenAI have helped leaders to envision new possibilities within self-service.

“The GenAI hype is providing momentum for leaders’ self-service investments,” said Hedlin. “Leaders have seen glimmers of a future in which conversational interfaces powered by GenAI could handle more complex interactions than a traditional chatbot. That vision is helping shape leaders’ self-service strategy in 2024.”

Understand customer journeys holistically

The study revealed that 56% of service and support leaders surveyed say they plan to invest in the customer journey analytics (CJA) market in the next 12-18 months. CJA enables leaders to analyse customers’ interactions with their organisation over time and across channels.

Of those who say they’ll be investing in CJA, 45% indicate that they’ll be investing in this market for the first time.

Moncus says customer service and support leaders are using CJA to gain a more holistic understanding of what customers need.

J J Moncus

“Customers’ and executive leaders’ expectations for service interactions will only continue to rise. Service and support leaders need to identify and understand significant customer touchpoints to deliver a better experience.”

J J Moncus

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Bain: Pharma accelerate GenAI spend in 2024 https://futureiot.tech/bain-pharma-accelerate-genai-spend-in-2024/ Wed, 28 Feb 2024 01:00:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=13589 The generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) transformation is well underway in pharma, and pharma companies have high confidence in its value. According to a Bain & Company survey, 40% of executives say they are baking expected savings into their 2024 budget, and 60% have set targets for cost savings or productivity boosts. Nearly 60% of executives […]

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The generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) transformation is well underway in pharma, and pharma companies have high confidence in its value. According to a Bain & Company survey, 40% of executives say they are baking expected savings into their 2024 budget, and 60% have set targets for cost savings or productivity boosts.

Nearly 60% of executives say that they have moved beyond ideation and brainstorming to building out use cases, with 55% reporting they expect to have multiple proof-of-concept or minimum-viable product builds by the end of 2023.

“Over the next six to twelve months, leading companies will move from cultivating isolated pilots to scaling for results,” said Eric Berger, a partner in Bain & Company’s Healthcare & Life Sciences practice.

He added that as leadership teams move beyond experimentation into pilots and launches, they are thinking carefully about when and how to communicate their AI journeys to investors.

Eric Berger

“Those that can signal a structured, scalable enterprise-wide program, rather than a smattering of standalone initiatives, will reap the rewards in the next phase of AI.”

Eric Berger

Data science and machine learning are not new to pharma executives who have been investing in productivity enhancements for years, primarily in the drug discovery space. Bain research shows that 54% of pharma companies have automated biomedical literature review solutions, and 46% are using AI as part of their process to find potential disease targets.

Old purpose; New drive

GenAI is broadening the aperture of use cases with new opportunities across the value chain. Biomedical literature review and preclinical research remain among the most popular use case areas, although we’re also seeing high investment in IT and competitive intelligence.

Within these top areas, more than 60% of executives say they have at least a proof of concept in development, and around 10% have already rolled out tools. These early adopters have moved swiftly, often reaching a working pilot within about eight weeks. Already, many are seeing tangible value.

Strategies beyond top of mind

GenAI is top of mind for most pharma companies, with 75% citing it as a C-suite and board priority. And investors are watching closely to differentiate the pioneers from the followers. If pharma companies want to generate value from GenAI as fast as the technology allows, they need to ensure the organisation is ready.

Approach to scaling GenAI

Bain suggests taking a three-tiered approach to prime their operating model for GenAI at scale.

Determine your strategic posture. Leading organisations will establish decision-making and funding models that prioritize high-return use cases, ensuring that those use cases fit within their investment themes around bold bets for the future of the business.

Lead through change. GenAI at scale requires strong internal leadership and cross-functional alignment. The best companies will establish an organisational centre of gravity with several executives who act as generative AI champions.

Build the foundations. In addition to the right technology, data, and models, generative AI at scale requires reorienting the organisation to support big visions. This includes recruiting aggressively for data scientists to work on AI initiatives, building strategic partnerships with external vendors for support, and thoughtfully engaging on ethics and regulation by going a step further with a companywide risk management approach.

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Seagate: No AI without data https://futureiot.tech/seagate-no-ai-without-data/ Wed, 10 Jan 2024 01:00:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=13310 Seagate opines that the current AI era has created an unprecedented demand for data storage. IDC estimates that 291ZB of data will be generated in 2027. The speed at which data is growing is calling for continued or even accelerated innovation to cope with the exploding demand for storage. Below are Seagate’s predictions for data […]

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Seagate opines that the current AI era has created an unprecedented demand for data storage. IDC estimates that 291ZB of data will be generated in 2027. The speed at which data is growing is calling for continued or even accelerated innovation to cope with the exploding demand for storage.

Below are Seagate’s predictions for data storage in the AI era

As generative AI becomes more democratized, data storage will drive AI success.

Businesses will be saving more operational data to teach AI, machine learning, and deep learning models moving forward; more companies will train models on both external and internal data so they can benefit from their proprietary information.

Hyperscale tech giants are expected to accelerate investment into cloud capacity to support AI program maturation. AI will also drive increased IT spending and data storage demand in the enterprise, as businesses seek a competitive edge through improvements to productivity and efficiency.

Data centre refreshes will benefit from leaps forward in hard drive areal density.

With nearly 90% of data in cloud data centres residing on hard drives, there is an opportunity to replace fleets of lower-capacity hard drives with higher-capacity drives, as and when refresh cycles come.

This includes the use of heat-resisted magnetic recording (HAMR) in high-density drives, which will mean significant power and space savings and massive TCO efficiencies—including CPU, RAM, and floor space. Not to mention help reduce carbon footprint with more durable and energy-efficient storage.

Flash and hard drive technology will continue to coexist in the data centre in 2024.

The exponential data growth will drive demand for mass-capacity hard drives, whose synergy with flash storage will continue to support modern workloads. Hard drives will remain the most cost-effective option for most capacity-centric storage tasks.

Seagate claims hard drive storage will offer mass data storage at less than one-fifth the cost of comparable all-flash solutions on a per bit basis, and that the value gap will not come close to closing next year—or over the next decade.

Data storage will shape three major applications of the future.

Edge computing and Internet of Things (IoT): The integration of edge computing with IoT technologies is pushing the boundaries of data storage, demanding unprecedented scalability, latency, and operational flexibility to correlate real-time data with vast historical datasets for immediate analysis and forecasting.

Quantum computing and data processing: The rise of quantum computing demands new data storage architectures to prevent data loss due to the volatile nature of qubits. This will require quantum-safe cryptographic solutions.

Genomic data and precision medicine: A single human genome requires up to 200GB of storage space. As this data accumulates across millions of individuals, healthcare systems face logistical hurdles and ethical and privacy concerns.

Advanced analytics tools using machine learning algorithms are also being fine-tuned to analyse this vast amount of data swiftly and accurately. This evolving data infrastructure aims to pave the way for a future in healthcare where genomic profiles guide everything from preventive measures to targeted therapies, thereby enhancing patient outcomes and healthcare efficiency.

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PodChats for FutureIoT: Smarter ways for modernising urban development https://futureiot.tech/podchats-for-futureiot-smarter-ways-for-modernising-urban-development/ Thu, 09 Nov 2023 01:00:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=13036 The Future of Asian & Pacific Cities Report 2023 entitled, Crisis Resilient Urban Futures, describes countries and cities across Asia and the Pacific as struggling to recover from the health and socioeconomic crisis resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, even as the effects of climate change continue to ravage the region. The report offers guidance for […]

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The Future of Asian & Pacific Cities Report 2023 entitled, Crisis Resilient Urban Futures, describes countries and cities across Asia and the Pacific as struggling to recover from the health and socioeconomic crisis resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, even as the effects of climate change continue to ravage the region.

The report offers guidance for policymakers to address severe disruptions and long-standing development challenges in cities for a sustainable urban recovery in Asia and the Pacific.

The problems and challenges of governments and city developers are nothing new. But with new technologies and lessons learned from other countries, Asia may yet to reap the benefits of not being the first mover.

Jacques Beltran, VP for Cities and Public Services at Dassault Systèmes says what is happening in Asia is not local to the region. It is a global trend. “Asian cities face two major challenges – demographic growth and climate change,” he called.

“Today, half of the world's population lives in cities, and it’s expected to reach 80% of the population by 2050. This creates huge demographic pressure on existing and new cities being built. Cities are also facing enormous challenges related to climate change and all the natural disasters that come with it.”

Jacques Beltran

Previous top priorities of urban planners

Beltran says due to urban demographic growth, urban planners have much work to do to ensure that citizens living in cities have a good life, and that has to do with meeting fundamental needs like housing and mobility.

“Mobility is probably the top issue globally and in Asia. Cities need to ensure that people can go from one point to another in a reasonable time and a sustainable manner. There are also issues with car traffic and air pollution. Mobility, housing, and access to energy and clean water are issues at the heart of urban planning worldwide,” he continued.

Climate change and its impact on city living

Asked how significant the impact of climate change on cities in Asia, Beltran was quick to pronounce: Major! He explains that the number of natural hazards hitting cities has multiplied by five since the 1980s. Flooding is probably the top natural hazard that's hitting cities, particularly in Asia. There are also extreme temperatures or wildfires.

“Such natural hazards have become a key focus for urban planners and agencies. We are doing everything we can to find ways to help cities adapt to those risks and climate change challenges. Cities need to become more sustainable and resilient,” he elaborated.

Sustainability aspirations and its influence on urban development

According to Beltran, people living in the cities are increasingly conscious of sustainability challenges, and they are increasingly thinking about their impact on climate change. He acknowledged that this is a major challenge not only for urban planners but for city governments themselves.

“What’s obvious now is that transformation will not work without a strong political will to change how cities are managed. We firmly believe that technology, supported by a strong political will, can help those cities become more sustainable and resilient,” he added.

The influence of evolving technology

Reflecting on the past 20 years, Beltran acknowledged a huge acceleration in technology that can help cities transform how they operate and plan for the future.

“For mobility, intelligent transportation systems have been developed for public transportation. Mobile apps help people find their way around traffic jams. Smart grid technology is helping cities cope with the ever-increasing energy demand. IoT sensors capture data on how a city is functioning, and that data, together with data analytics, helps city authorities plan for the future."

Jacques Beltran

“To help your city adapt to future challenges, you must first understand the reality now. Today’s technology helps us do that tremendously well,” he continued.

Challenges for urban planners

Photo by Zukiman Mohamad: https://www.pexels.com/photo/yellow-tower-crane-190417/

Beltran cites two main technological building blocks that urban planners can use today:

Data analytics and AI. Once city data has been captured widely, these technologies can be used to interpret, understand and transform that data into actionable information.

3D modelling and 3D simulation. One of the biggest challenges that cities face is breaking the silos. Everybody sees the city from a certain perspective. 3D simulation technology, or digital twinning, helps different stakeholders see the city through a common view by aggregating all available data into one single 3D referential. This lets all stakeholders move ahead as one.

Ownership and stakeholders of 3D models

3D mockups and 3D representations of the city are easy to do. What’s more complex and adds much value is identifying the types of data to inject into the 3D model.

“We can connect different dimensions, such as safety, environmental, and economic development in a 3D model. From there, entire city ecosystems can be improved, covering aspects such as diverse administration, businesses, and citizen comfort,” said Beltran.

He commented that all stakeholders involved in city planning and development should have access to such a 3D modelling and simulation system.

Challenges ahead for urban planners

Beltran says one of the major challenges for urban planners is building what-if scenarios. He opines that 3D modelling and simulation can help cities design future products like infrastructure.

“The beauty of such technology is that you can do virtual testing of different policy options – by setting up each scenario, assessing the merits of each scenario, and seeing what will happen when each option is selected,” he elaborated. “Aircraft manufacturers use the same technology to circumvent crashing their planes. Such what-if scenario enablement and testing are invaluable to city planners.”

Click on the PodChat player to listen to Beltran elaborate further on smarter ways for modernising urban development.

  1. Give us a state of city growth in Asia.
  2. Before sustainability became the buzzword, what were the top priorities of urban planners?
  3. How significant is the impact of climate change on cities in Asia?
  4. What mindset is needed to make cities sustainable for the long haul?
  5. Beyond mindset, do we have the technologies and skilled/experienced people available/ready to make the change towards more sustainable urban development?
  6. Can we go into a little bit of detail in terms of what technologies are available today for urban planners?
  7. Describe the challenges urban planners face in Asia in the coming years. What can we learn from global cities when it comes to sustainable development?

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DHL Supply Chain accelerates global warehouse automation https://futureiot.tech/dhl-supply-chain-accelerates-global-warehouse-automation/ Wed, 08 Nov 2023 01:00:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=13049 DHL Supply Chain, part of DHL Group, is expanding its partnership with robotics technology firm AutoStore to automate warehouse operations on a global scale further. There are nine operational AutoStore warehouse projects with four more in the planning stage. This will position DHL Supply Chain as one of AutoStore’s largest 3PL clients, reinforcing their commitment […]

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DHL Supply Chain, part of DHL Group, is expanding its partnership with robotics technology firm AutoStore to automate warehouse operations on a global scale further.

There are nine operational AutoStore warehouse projects with four more in the planning stage. This will position DHL Supply Chain as one of AutoStore’s largest 3PL clients, reinforcing their commitment to digitalisation and automation.

The nine existing Systems effectively operate 800,000 bins, with the forthcoming four Systems elevating the total number of bins to a remarkable 1.2 million. In the future, DHL intends to construct five further facilities in addition to those already in operation or planning.

This innovative automated storage and retrieval system (AS/RS) technology has been developed to efficiently manage and optimise inventory using vastly reduced warehouse space. Its highly modular and scalable design makes it a preferred solution for e-commerce and businesses handling smaller products such as fashion and tech items.

The partnership aims to accelerate the implementation of this technology that enhances abilities to meet diverse client needs.

A fleet of more than 1,000 robots will enhance operational efficiency and throughput

Source: Image supplied by AutoStore

Markus Voss, COO and CIO at DHL Supply Chain, emphasises the importance of this collaboration: "We are pleased to expand our existing relationship with AutoStore as we continue to implement our digitalisation and automation strategy in a growing number of warehouses, allowing us to better and faster serve our customers.”

He commented that AutoStore’s standardised and modular technology perfectly aligns with DHL’s aim to make operations more efficient, enabling swift scalability and adaptability across various use cases and end markets – a crucial factor for DHL as a third-party logistics provider.

“Through a standardised approach and dedicated stock availability we will be able to significantly drive down implementation times,” he added.

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Enterprise engineering trends in 2024 https://futureiot.tech/enterprise-engineering-trends-in-2024/ Tue, 07 Nov 2023 01:00:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=13032 Market Business Insights (MBI) estimates the global Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry at US$8.9 billion in 2022. Over the next decade, it forecasts robust growth for the industry reaching US$16.5 billion by 2030 with a CAGR of 10.2%. MBI segments AEC services into building design (35%), infrastructure design (25%), and product design (20%). The […]

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Market Business Insights (MBI) estimates the global Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry at US$8.9 billion in 2022. Over the next decade, it forecasts robust growth for the industry reaching US$16.5 billion by 2030 with a CAGR of 10.2%.

MBI segments AEC services into building design (35%), infrastructure design (25%), and product design (20%). The firm says the remaining share is accounted for by other services such as 3D modelling, data analytics, and construction management.

MBI says demand for smart cities, infrastructure and development initiatives and technological advancements are fuelling demand for AEC services with Asia Pacific growing fastest in part due to the rapid growth of urbanisation and infrastructure development in the region.

At the 2023 Year in Infrastructure and Going Digital Awards, FutureIoT spoke to Lori Hufford, vice president for engineering collaboration at Bentley Systems for her take on engineering trends in Asia, and how efforts to modernise are developing.

According to Hufford, the rapid population growth in Asia has fuelled the increased need for infrastructure in the areas of water, transportation, and energy. Even as governments invest in infrastructure projects, the size of these developments coupled with the scarcity of skilled resources present a conundrum to authorities tasked with city development.

She opines that the use of technologies to drive forward these developments is influenced by the maturity of the market to adapt or integrate these innovations into existing practices.

“At Bentley, what we are working to do is to close the adoption gap,” said Hufford. “That’s the gap between available technology to provide innovative results and the design firm’s ability to consume that technology.”

“One of the ways that we're doing that is we're delivering innovative iTwin data-centric workflows into existing Bentley applications. We believe that by augmenting users’ existing workflows with new data-centric workflows with incremental advancements, through solutions like Projectwise powered by iTwin, the new iTwin advancements and MicroStation, into their existing workflows, these will be able to help close that adoption gap.”

Click on the video to see Hufford’s responses to the following:

  1. What is your observation of engineering projects in Asia?
    a. Where do you see projects showcasing the creative use of technology?
    b. Where are the areas that remain isolated or not taking advantage of innovations in technology and process?
  2. What remains the top holdouts for organisations in Asia leveraging technologies like AI, digital twins, IoT, etc?
  3. Can organisations continue investing/pursuing modernisation projects, including advanced construction projects, while supporting commitments towards sustainable development and ESG?
  4. Coming into 2024, what is your outlook on engineering projects in Asia?

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Impact of tech on mining industry’s financial performance https://futureiot.tech/impact-of-tech-on-mining-industrys-financial-performance/ Fri, 03 Nov 2023 01:00:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=13050 ABI Research forecasts that spending by mining firms on data analytics will reach US$1.4 billion in 2030, up from US$780 million this year. ABI Research examined the extent to which six of the largest mining companies (Anglo American, ArcelorMittal, BHP Billiton, Glencore, Rio Tinto, and Vale) are deploying digital technologies in their operations and contrasted […]

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ABI Research forecasts that spending by mining firms on data analytics will reach US$1.4 billion in 2030, up from US$780 million this year. ABI Research examined the extent to which six of the largest mining companies (Anglo American, ArcelorMittal, BHP Billiton, Glencore, Rio Tinto, and Vale) are deploying digital technologies in their operations and contrasted these findings with the firm’s financial results.

Michael Larner

“The results revealed that investments made by ArcelorMittal, Glencore, and Vale have not yet significantly grown the bottom line. While correlation doesn’t necessarily mean causation, BHP Billiton is deploying digital technologies across its operations and achieving some impressive financial metrics,” says Michael Larner, industrial and manufacturing research director at ABI Research.

He added that the exercise highlights that some mining firms are more digitally mature than others, and in the case of BHP Billiton, data analytics is being utilized to support operations in real-time and underpinning efforts to improve safety and the mine’s overall capacity.

Further use cases that data analytics underpins include Rio Tinto automating large parts of their operations, while Anglo American has developed digital twins of their equipment and control systems.

“As much as we’d like to believe that digital transformation is the sole component delivering to the bottom line, numerous other factors contribute to the firm’s financial performance,” continued Larner. “But suppliers such as Hexagon, with a broad portfolio of applications that support individual workflows (such as sequencing blasts and creating 3D models of a mine), and the likes of ABB, GE Digital, Honeywell, and Rockwell Automation can support the miners’ asset performance and operational goals.”

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Gartner reveals its top 10 strategic technology trends for 2024 https://futureiot.tech/gartner-reveals-its-top-10-strategic-technology-trends-for-2024/ Tue, 31 Oct 2023 01:00:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=12977 “Technology disruptions and socioeconomic uncertainties require a willingness to act boldly and strategically enhance resilience over ad hoc responses,” said Bart Willemsen, VP analyst at Gartner. He opined that IT leaders are in a unique position to strategically lay down a roadmap where technology investments help their business's sustenance of success amidst these uncertainties and […]

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“Technology disruptions and socioeconomic uncertainties require a willingness to act boldly and strategically enhance resilience over ad hoc responses,” said Bart Willemsen, VP analyst at Gartner. He opined that IT leaders are in a unique position to strategically lay down a roadmap where technology investments help their business's sustenance of success amidst these uncertainties and pressures.

Adding to the observation, Gartner distinguished VP analyst and chief of research Chris Howard says CIOs and other executives must evaluate the impacts and benefits of strategic technology trends, but this is no small task given the increasing rate of technological innovation.

“For example, generative and other types of AI offer new opportunities and drive several trends. But deriving business value from the durable use of AI requires a disciplined approach to widespread adoption along with attention to the risks.” Chris Howard

The top strategic technology trends for 2024 are:

Democratised Generative AI

Generative AI (GenAI) is becoming democratised by the confluence of massively pretrained models, cloud computing and open source, making these models accessible to workers worldwide. By 2026, Gartner predicts that over 80% of enterprises will have used GenAI APIs and models and/or deployed GenAI-enabled applications in production environments, up from less than 5% in early 2023.

GenAI applications can make vast sources of information — internal and external — accessible and available to business users. This means the rapid adoption of GenAI will significantly democratise knowledge and skills in the enterprise. Large language models enable enterprises to connect their workers with knowledge in a conversational style with rich semantic understanding.

AI Trust, Risk and Security Management

The democratisation of access to AI has made the need for AI Trust, Risk and Security Management (TRiSM) even more urgent and clear. Without guardrails, AI models can rapidly generate compounding negative effects that spin out of control, overshadowing any positive performance and societal gains that AI enables. AI TRiSM provides tooling for ModelOps, proactive data protection, AI-specific security, model monitoring (including monitoring for data drift, model drift, and/or unintended outcomes) and risk controls for inputs and outputs to third-party models and applications.

Gartner predicts that by 2026, enterprises that apply AI TRiSM controls will increase the accuracy of their decision-making by eliminating up to 80% of faulty and illegitimate information.

AI-augmented development

AI-augmented development is the use of AI technologies, such as GenAI and machine learning, to aid software engineers in designing, coding and testing applications. AI-assisted software engineering improves developer productivity and enables development teams to address the increasing demand for software to run the business.

These AI-infused development tools allow software engineers to spend less time writing code, so they can spend more time on more strategic activities such as the design and composition of compelling business applications.

Intelligent applications

Intelligent applications include intelligence — which Gartner defines as learned adaptation to respond appropriately and autonomously — as a capability. This intelligence can be utilised in many use cases to better augment or automate work.

As a foundational capability, intelligence in applications comprises various AI-based services, such as machine learning, vector stores and connected data. Consequently, intelligent applications deliver experiences that dynamically adapt to the user.

A clear need and demand for intelligent applications exist. In the 2023 Gartner CEO and Senior Business Executive Survey, 26% cited the talent shortage as the most damaging risk for their organisation. Attracting and retaining talent is CEOs’ top workforce priority, while AI was named the technology that will most significantly impact their industries over the next three years.

Augmented-connected workforce

The augmented-connected workforce (ACWF) is a strategy for optimising the value derived from human workers. The need to accelerate and scale talent is driving the ACWF trend. The ACWF uses intelligent applications and workforce analytics to provide everyday context and guidance to support the workforce’s experience, well-being, and ability to develop its skills. At the same time, the ACWF drives business results and positive impact on key stakeholders.

Through 2027, 25% of CIOs will use augmented-connected workforce initiatives to reduce time to competency by 50% for key roles.

Continuous threat exposure management

Continuous threat exposure management (CTEM) is a pragmatic and systemic approach that allows organisations to evaluate the accessibility, exposure and exploitability of an enterprise’s digital and physical assets continually and consistently.

Aligning CTEM assessment and remediation scopes with threat vectors or business projects, rather than an infrastructure component, surfaces not only the vulnerabilities but also unpatchable threats.

By 2026, Gartner predicts that organisations prioritising their security investments based on a CTEM program will realise a two-thirds reduction in breaches.

Machine customers

Machine customers (also called 'custobots') are nonhuman economic actors that can autonomously negotiate and purchase goods and services in exchange for payment. By 2028, 15 billion connected products will exist with the potential to behave as customers, with billions more to follow in the coming years.

This growth trend will be the source of trillions of dollars in revenues by 2030 and eventually become more significant than the arrival of digital commerce. Strategic considerations should include opportunities to either facilitate these algorithms and devices or even create new custobots.

Sustainable Technology

Sustainable technology is a framework of digital solutions used to enable environmental, social and governance (ESG) outcomes that support long-term ecological balance and human rights. The use of technologies such as AI, cryptocurrency, the Internet of Things (IoT) and cloud computing is driving concern about the related energy consumption and environmental impacts.

This makes it more critical to ensure that the use of IT becomes more efficient, circular and sustainable. Gartner predicts that by 2027, 25% of CIOs will see their compensation linked to their sustainable technology impact.

Platform Engineering

Platform engineering is the discipline of building and operating self-service internal development platforms. Each platform is a layer, created and maintained by a dedicated product team, designed to support the needs of its users by interfacing with tools and processes. The goal of platform engineering is to optimise productivity, and the user experience and accelerate delivery of business value.

Industry Cloud Platforms

By 2027, Gartner predicts more than 70% of enterprises will use industry cloud platforms (ICPs) to accelerate their business initiatives, up from less than 15% in 2023.

ICPs address industry-relevant business outcomes by combining underlying SaaS, PaaS and IaaS services into a whole product offering with composable capabilities.

These typically include an industry data fabric, a library of packaged business capabilities, composition tools and other platform innovations. ICPs are tailored to cloud proposals specific to an industry and can further be tailored to an organisation’s needs.

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Zebra Technologies demonstrates GenAI on devices https://futureiot.tech/zebra-technologies-demonstrates-genai-on-devices/ Mon, 30 Oct 2023 03:00:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=12991 Zebra Technologies demonstrated a Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) large language model (LLM) running on Zebra handheld mobile computers and tablets without needing connectivity to the cloud. This breakthrough empowers Zebra partners and customers to unlock exciting productivity gains that will shape the future of work across industries from retail to warehouse and logistics to hospitality […]

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Zebra Technologies demonstrated a Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) large language model (LLM) running on Zebra handheld mobile computers and tablets without needing connectivity to the cloud.

This breakthrough empowers Zebra partners and customers to unlock exciting productivity gains that will shape the future of work across industries from retail to warehouse and logistics to hospitality and healthcare. On-device execution of GenAI LLMs has the potential to empower front-line workers with new capabilities so they can deliver new outcomes for their end customers.

On-device AI can offer additional personalization as well as enhanced privacy and security as data remains on the device. It also drives faster performance and lower costs as GenAI searches on the cloud can be expensive.

A whitepaper published by Qualcomm Technologies suggests that GenAI-based search cost per query is estimated to increase by ten times compared to traditional search methods. By removing the need to utilise the cloud, costs can be reduced.  

"Zebra’s devices are powerful platforms boasting cutting-edge software and AI models," said Christanto Suryadarma, Southeast Asia (SEA) sales vice president, Zebra Technologies Asia Pacific.

He added that through collaborative efforts with our partner ecosystem, we're propelling novel technologies like GenAI forward and applying its capabilities to diverse domains such as voice AI, computer vision, and deep learning-powered machine vision software to effectively tackle customer challenges and elevate our overall value proposition.

Potential use cases for LLMs include improving associate effectiveness by enhancing their product and customer service knowledge, acting as an efficient internal communications tool by answering employee queries on things like store policies, collecting and analysing feedback from associates to identify areas of improvement, enhancing productivity and increasing job satisfaction levels.

LLMs also have the potential to elevate the customer experience by powering personalized shopping assistants that could provide product recommendations, integrating shopping experiences across in-store, online, and mobile platforms as well as potentially enabling fully voice-activated shopping.

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AI to fuel one billion metaverse users by 2030 https://futureiot.tech/ai-to-fuel-one-billion-metaverse-users-by-2030/ Fri, 20 Oct 2023 01:00:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=12985 The metaverse may have fallen off its peak hype cycle, but progress advances outside the spotlight. The future metaverse, however, was already in progress as a confluence of trends and changes within digital markets, key enabling technologies, and devices/interfaces. While these pillars are developing asymmetrically from a metaverse perspective, changes to regulations, standardisation, technological advancements, […]

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The metaverse may have fallen off its peak hype cycle, but progress advances outside the spotlight. The future metaverse, however, was already in progress as a confluence of trends and changes within digital markets, key enabling technologies, and devices/interfaces.

While these pillars are developing asymmetrically from a metaverse perspective, changes to regulations, standardisation, technological advancements, and new business models will synergistically impact all these areas to keep the metaverse buildup moving forward. This progress is expected to push core (high metaverse engagement) metaverse user growth to 1 billion users by 2030.

ABI Research expects key inflexion points within the next three to four years as developments within the three pillars accelerate the pace of metaverse adoption. This is primarily within the consumer segment that developmentally lags the industrial market. In the consumer space, this growth is expected to push metaverse revenue close to US$50 billion by 2030.

Michael Inouye, principal analyst, metaverse markets and technologies at ABI Research, explains, “While we refer to the metaverse, we shouldn’t place too much value on this term – it is not a market in of itself, and it certainly didn’t start when Facebook changed its name.”

He suggests that the metaverse should be viewed as a useful way to codify ongoing market transitions and industry trends rather than positioning it as a new phenomenon – this is why we remain confident progress toward this future metaverse is still ongoing.

“Artificial Intelligence (AI) has taken the spotlight, but it’s not replacing metaverse it is a critical enabling technology and a catalyst toward this future,” he continued.

New XR devices like Apple’s Vision Pro highlight the potential for spatial computing, which creates a stronger bridge between pre-existing workflows and applications in more immersive environments. Updates to technologies like Wi-Fi (e.g., Wi-Fi 7) will improve wireless tethering between mobile devices and XR viewers – making these devices more accessible to a broader audience.

New business models tied to digital asset ownership will come out of gaming and social media markets (beyond what is happening in Web3), spurring content development akin to what was seen with streaming video.

All these key developments will impact the demands and needs of networks and computational resources, creating new opportunities across value chain players, from operators to hyperscalers, retailers/brands, and industrial companies.

Inouye concludes, “Look at the trends around privacy, shifting power and control to the consumer, industry 4.0, network convergence, live service gaming, etc., and you start to see the clear parallels and pathway toward a future metaverse – even if the future isn’t referred to the metaverse, a similar future is still very much in the cards.”

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Keysight ups the ante in oscilloscope performance https://futureiot.tech/keysight-ups-the-ante-in-oscilloscope-performance/ Mon, 25 Sep 2023 03:00:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=12850 Engineers risk launching products susceptible to bugs and failures when they use an oscilloscope that cannot display the details of a signal. An oscilloscope with excellent signal integrity minimally affects the signal and displays the truest, granular details so engineers can test and debug products more confidently. Superior scope signal integrity combined with built-in, automated […]

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Engineers risk launching products susceptible to bugs and failures when they use an oscilloscope that cannot display the details of a signal. An oscilloscope with excellent signal integrity minimally affects the signal and displays the truest, granular details so engineers can test and debug products more confidently. Superior scope signal integrity combined with built-in, automated analysis tools enable engineers to reduce test and debug times and get to market faster.

Keysight Technologies says its hardware-accelerated Infiniium MXR B-Series offers automated analysis tools that enable engineers to find anomalies quickly and shorten the time to market.

The MXR B-Series meets these needs by giving engineers built-in, automated debug tools such as zone triggering, fault detection, real-time spectrum analysis (RTSA), and a 50 MHz waveform generator.

The MXR B-Series also features eight instruments in a single comprehensive, benchtop solution that conserves both bench space and budget. All features of the MXR B are upgradeable, allowing engineers to add capabilities as requirements change.

Benefits

Reduces test time with hardware-accelerated, automated analysis – Saves troubleshooting time by automating fault detection, design compliance testing, power integrity analysis, protocol decoding of more than 50 serial protocols, mask testing on all channels simultaneously, and more.

Displays the truest signal representation – Provides the maximum resolution possible with an industry-low noise floor, industry-high effective number of bits (ENOB), and exceptionally low system jitter that ensures accurate visualisations and confident measurements.

Empowers robust design development with uncompromised performance – Captures important events in the signal with an uncompromised update rate of greater than 200,000 waveforms per second (wfms/s), a fast sample rate of 16 Giga samples per second (GSa/s), and bandwidth up to 6 GHz that does not decrease with channel usage. Competitive scopes in normal mode can only reach update rates of greater than 200 wfms/s while maximum bandwidth and sample rates are limited to a subset number of channels.

Robert Saponas

Robert Saponas, vice president for Keysight Digital Photonics Centre of Excellence, said: "The MXR B-Series leverages the same hardware acceleration ASIC as Keysight's 110 GHz Infiniium UXR B-Series oscilloscopes to accelerate analysis, eye diagrams, and triggering with the excellent signal integrity you've come to expect from Keysight. Engineers designing complex systems can now get from symptom to root cause in a matter of minutes instead of hours."

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GenAI to provide insights on vehicle performance, efficiency, and sustainability https://futureiot.tech/genai-to-provide-insights-on-vehicle-performance-efficiency-and-sustainability/ Mon, 25 Sep 2023 01:00:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=12845 Geotab launches beta of Project G aimed at setting a new standard for the industry, empowering participating customers in Australia to effortlessly access on-demand insights on vehicle performance, efficiency, and sustainability. From idling times to fuel economy comparisons, vehicle usage, cost savings, and beyond, Project G aims to deliver comprehensive, digestible information with ease. By […]

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Geotab launches beta of Project G aimed at setting a new standard for the industry, empowering participating customers in Australia to effortlessly access on-demand insights on vehicle performance, efficiency, and sustainability.

From idling times to fuel economy comparisons, vehicle usage, cost savings, and beyond, Project G aims to deliver comprehensive, digestible information with ease.

By harnessing the power of natural language models, Project G reduces the time to insight for customers and transforms the process of analysing fleet data into a simple and intuitive experience. Project G is built on privacy-by-design principles and keeps all customer telematics data within Geotab’s environment, never shared with any Large Language Model (LLM).

In explaining the application of generative AI in the connected transportation landscape, Mike Branch, vice president of data & analytics at Geotab says the company's experience presents it with a unique opportunity to analyse vast amounts of fleet data, identify patterns, and generate invaluable recommendations to optimise operational efficiency and performance.

David Brown

For his part, David Brown, assistant VP for APAC at Geotab says Project G opens doors to actionable insights, leveraging Generative AI to enhance vehicle performance, operational efficiency, and sustainability, ultimately shaping the future of connected transportation in SEA.

Over the past year, Generative AI has become a significant area of focus and organisations worldwide are exploring its potential to drive customer and performance business efficiencies. According to Statista, the value of Generative AI is expected to show an annual growth rate (CAGR 2023-2030) of 27.33%, resulting in a market volume of US$8bn by 2030 in SEA.

The region has also seen an extraordinary boost in AI adoption in 2023 with 76% of businesses now using AI in 2023 in a study done by IDC.

Mike Branch

“The beta project is an exciting collaboration with select customers. We are able to align real-world requirements and challenges with data science expertise to learn, adapt and evolve capabilities. The possibilities are limitless, and we're committed to delivering cutting-edge solutions that make data easily accessible for our customers."

Mike Branch

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Analytics to cut energy use by 15% https://futureiot.tech/analytics-to-cut-energy-use-by-15/ Thu, 21 Sep 2023 03:00:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=12842 “There is a growing sense of urgency for industrial organisations to improve the efficiency of their operations and reduce energy waste. Electricity costs—which are by far the largest outlay when operating rotating equipment—continue to increase amid ongoing pressures within energy markets. Organisations are also working to realise ambitious sustainability targets as part of a global […]

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“There is a growing sense of urgency for industrial organisations to improve the efficiency of their operations and reduce energy waste. Electricity costs—which are by far the largest outlay when operating rotating equipment—continue to increase amid ongoing pressures within energy markets. Organisations are also working to realise ambitious sustainability targets as part of a global push toward net zero,” said Jasper Hoogeweegen, CEO at Samotics.

Samotics launched Energy Analytics – a platform it claims enables industrial organisations to unlock the full value of existing data to realise energy savings of up to 15% and reduce associated CO2 emissions.

Hoogeweegen says Energy Analytics enables organisations to act immediately with no hardware investment, transforming fragmented, granular datasets into concrete recommendations to reduce energy costs and emissions.

Energy Analytics leverages Samotics’ years of experience monitoring electrical signals to provide insight into the efficiency of rotating equipment, benchmark performance against industry best practices, and deliver actionable, prioritised savings recommendations.

With Energy Analytics, organisations simply enable access to historic telemetry data from their existing measurement infrastructure (e.g., SCADA systems), which is then mapped, cleaned, and pre-processed to enable structured analysis within the industry-leading analytics platform. Support from Samotics’ expert team then enables organisations to quickly realise and report significant energy savings of up to 15% through continuous optimization, without the CAPEX investment and complexity associated with the installation of hardware.

Energy Analytics directly complements Samotics’ widely deployed and proven SAM4 technology ecosystem which uses electrical signature analysis (ESA) to enable continuous monitoring of the assets' health, performance and energy efficiency.

Where an organisation’s existing monitoring data is incomplete in terms of volume or quality, for example, SAM4 Energy sensors can be quickly and easily installed. This is particularly beneficial for equipment in harsh or submerged environments, as the sensors are installed in the motor control cabinet rather than on the asset itself.

Jasper Hoogeweegen

“Adding a software-only solution to our product suite equips industrial organisations with another powerful, flexible tool to unlock performance and sustainability benefits through a smart, proactive condition-based maintenance approach while providing an opportunity to significantly scale our ability to support organisations around the world."

Jasper Hoogeweegen

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IDC InfoBrief: Hybrid Cloud & Data for Innovation in Asia Pacific and Hong Kong https://futureiot.tech/idc-infobrief-hybrid-cloud-data-for-innovation-in-asia-pacific-and-hong-kong/ Wed, 23 Aug 2023 05:17:08 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=12701 IDC surveys show that over 77% of organizations are currently utilizing either a multi-cloud or hybrid cloud setup, and this number is projected to increase to 84% within the next two years. Hybrid cloud system implementation will act as the fundamental structure for organizations' workload strategies, allowing for a "best fit" approach where workloads are […]

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IDC surveys show that over 77% of organizations are currently utilizing either a multi-cloud or hybrid cloud setup, and this number is projected to increase to 84% within the next two years. Hybrid cloud system implementation will act as the fundamental structure for organizations' workload strategies, allowing for a "best fit" approach where workloads are deployed in the most logical manner, whether in a cloud environment or on-premises.

This IDC Infobrief explores the rapid shift towards hybrid cloud adoption in Asia Pacific, with specific insights on Hong Kong, where organisations are working to improve their innovation, agility, efficiency, and overall cloud deployment strategies.

Click on the link to download your copy of the IDC Infobrief.

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Partnership to tackle industrial DX and energy transition efforts https://futureiot.tech/partnership-to-tackle-industrial-dx-and-energy-transition-efforts/ Tue, 04 Jul 2023 01:00:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=12472 Samotics, a provider of real-time actionable insights to eliminate industrial energy waste and unplanned downtime, has partnered with Partners in Performance, a global player in driving operational excellence for complex organizations, to deliver enhanced condition monitoring and energy efficiency services to key global industries, enabling digital transformation and improved performance. The focus of this partnership […]

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Samotics, a provider of real-time actionable insights to eliminate industrial energy waste and unplanned downtime, has partnered with Partners in Performance, a global player in driving operational excellence for complex organizations, to deliver enhanced condition monitoring and energy efficiency services to key global industries, enabling digital transformation and improved performance.

The focus of this partnership will be delivering asset health and energy efficiency insights to a broader audience of industrial players. Its initial target industries are oil and gas and water and wastewater sectors in key global markets, including the US and Australia.

Samotics’ SAM4 technology supports global industrial players to monitor the performance and efficiency of critical assets. SAM4 is a proven, scalable solution, already helping over 100 customers on five continents to make data-driven decisions and improve performance.

It solves a significant challenge for industrial organizations, including those in water, steel and chemicals, by enabling the remote capture of high-quality performance and efficiency data for assets in hard-to-reach, submerged and hazardous locations.

Peter Mann

According to Peter Mann, a director at Partners in Performance, the partnership will allow it to help its global clients improve asset performance while accelerating their energy transitions since they have a safe and effective way of identifying energy-inefficient equipment.

"With their (Samotics) machine learning algorithms in our arsenal, we can help increase operational efficiency, reduce maintenance costs, all the while creating safer working environments for people by identifying potential issues before they can become a hazard,” he continued. 

This makes it an attractive offering for Partners in Performance industrial client base, who are looking for an end-to-end solution to support their digital transformation and energy transition efforts.

Jasper Hoogeweegen

Jasper Hoogeweegen, CEO at Samotics said: “Our SAM4 technology is already delivering significant value to industries, helping to identify developing faults and meet carbon reduction goals. With our joint commitment to solving reliability and energy efficiency challenges, Partners in Performance is a great partner to help scale global adoption of our proven technology and bring these benefits to more organizations around the world.”

Two unique solutions from SAM4

SAM4 Health analyses current and voltage signals of electric-driven equipment such as motors and pumps to detect electrical and mechanical faults.

Using electrical signature analysis (ESA) and machine learning, SAM4 Health offers superior fault detection accuracy, detecting over 90% of failures up to five months in advance.

Used to continuously monitor industrial equipment efficiency, SAM4 Energy provides detailed performance and efficiency insights to identify where energy consumption, cost and efficiency losses are largest and implement data-driven recommendations.

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IDC outlines growth drivers in industrial IoT in coming years https://futureiot.tech/idc-outlines-growth-drivers-in-industrial-iot-in-coming-years/ Wed, 21 Jun 2023 01:00:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=12438 IDC forecasts global spending on the Internet of Things (IoT) to stand at US$805.7 billion in 2023, up 10.6% over 2022. Investments in the IoT ecosystem are expected to surpass US$1 trillion in 2026 with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.4% over the 2023-2027 forecast period. "The last few years have shown that […]

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IDC forecasts global spending on the Internet of Things (IoT) to stand at US$805.7 billion in 2023, up 10.6% over 2022. Investments in the IoT ecosystem are expected to surpass US$1 trillion in 2026 with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.4% over the 2023-2027 forecast period.

Carlos M. González

"The last few years have shown that connecting with a digital infrastructure is no longer a luxury, but a necessity," said Carlos M. González, research manager for the Internet of Things at IDC. "For organisations to excel in data-driven operations, investing in IoT projects is essential."

"Connecting devices to data networks to gather insight, expand operations, and increase performance are the hallmarks of executing an IoT ecosystem."

Carlos M. González

Industry perspective

Discrete and process manufacturing are the industries that will see the largest investment in IoT solutions in 2023 and throughout the forecast period, accounting for more than one-third of all IoT spending worldwide.

Professional services, utilities, and retail are the next largest industries in terms of overall IoT spending with roughly 25% of the worldwide total. State/local government and telecommunications will deliver the fastest spending growth over the five-year forecast with CAGRs of 12.0% and 11.7% respectively.

IoT investment is a key building block to supporting an increasingly digital and distributed organisational footprint. Most of these investments are seeking solutions that can help organisations achieve a specific business goal or customer challenges, such as cost savings or supply chain efficiency. As such, use cases are the focus of most IoT investment plans.

Use cases

The two IoT use cases that will receive the most investment in 2023 are both closely tied to the manufacturing industries: manufacturing operations (US$73.0 billion) and production asset management (US$68.2 billion). The next largest use cases – inventory intelligence (US$37.6 billion), smart grid (electricity) (US$36.9 billion), and supply chain resilience (US$31.6 billion) – will benefit from strong investments from the Retail and Utilities industries.

The use cases that will experience the fastest spending growth represent the diverse application of IoT technologies – electric vehicle charging (30.9% CAGR), next-generation loss prevention (14.5% CAGR), agriculture field monitoring (13.9% CAGR), and connected vending and lockers (13.8% CAGR).

The influence of digital transformation is evident

IDC says updates to the IoT use case taxonomy in this release of the IoT Spending Guide reflect the evolving digital transformation investment objectives of enterprises.

Thematically, greater investment in goods production and supply chains resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic and global reactions that caused massive business and societal disruptions are evident in the new use cases.

Marcus Torchia

"These production and supply chain-related use cases can be seen in the discrete manufacturing, process manufacturing, retail, and transportation industries," said Marcus Torchia, research vice president with IDC's data & analytics group. "Meanwhile, digital business investments are ramping up in other industries such as the resource industries. For example, IoT is helping to improve upstream supply chain processes in agriculture, such as growing, harvesting, and delivering higher quality products to market."

Technology view

From a technology perspective, IoT services will be the largest area of spending in 2023 and through the end of the forecast, accounting for nearly 40% of all IoT spending worldwide.

Hardware spending is the second largest technology category, dominated by module/sensor purchases. Software will be the fastest-growing technology category with a five-year CAGR of 11.0% and a focus on application and analytics software purchases.

Regional view

Western Europe, the United States, and China will account for more than half of all IoT spending throughout the forecast.

Although Western Europe and the United States currently have similar levels of spending, Western Europe will expand its lead with an 11.0% CAGR over the 2023-2027 forecast, compared to an 8.0% CAGR for the United States.

China's IoT spending is forecast to surpass the United States by the end of the forecast due to its 13.2% CAGR.

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CIARA 4.0 to simplify OT risk management https://futureiot.tech/ciara-4-0-to-simplify-ot-risk-management/ Wed, 07 Jun 2023 01:00:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=12388 CISOs and security teams are responsible for the cybersecurity of OT facilities. However, they lack the ability to evaluate the cybersecurity risks to their operations. They cannot easily assess risk exposure or the effectiveness of specific security activities. Radiflow claims to solve this problem with the release of CIARA 4.0 – a data-driven platform that […]

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CISOs and security teams are responsible for the cybersecurity of OT facilities. However, they lack the ability to evaluate the cybersecurity risks to their operations. They cannot easily assess risk exposure or the effectiveness of specific security activities.

Radiflow claims to solve this problem with the release of CIARA 4.0 – a data-driven platform that continuously monitors changes in the site topology as well as vulnerabilities and threats. It constantly re-evaluates the risk posture of facilities and their digital components. This continuous monitoring enables the CISO to review the strategic and tactical OT security plans and adapt them if needed.

To further assist the CISO with the evaluation of their risk posture, Radiflow is introducing a new free-to-use cloud benchmark tool. Utilising collected industry-specific benchmark information based on Radiflow’s experience and enriched with CS2AI surveys, the new benchmark tool provides the user with a quick risk posture assessment compared to the industry status and best practices.

Ilan Barda

“CISOs are under enormous pressure to do more with less, making it challenging to understand their current standing across the OT Cybersecurity landscape,” said Ilan Barda, Radiflow CEO, and Co-founder. “Data-driven CIARA 4.0 automates the delivery of the necessary insights concerning the changes in the risk posture that actually direct users toward optimal security actions.”

At the same time that threat actors are getting more sophisticated, and vulnerabilities are becoming more diverse, national and industrial regulatory bodies are tightening cybersecurity regulations. But these are often highly complicated and challenging.

For example, while the widely accepted IEC62443 international series of standards provides a detailed map of security controls, it is often too complex for companies to understand and implement.

For these situations, CIARA 4.0 delivers a view of Best Practices of Security Controls which are simpler to understand and map better to the planning of security projects in an individual factory or across a sprawling, geographically diverse complex of interlinked facilities.

“A centralised, highly intelligent solution that enables OT cybersecurity teams to identify vulnerabilities and stay up to date with industry standards and/or best practices, while prioritising and evaluating mitigation efforts, slashes the investment in time and effort required to conduct secure operations,” explained Michael Langer, Radiflow’s chief product officer.

He added that with the accelerating pace of so many new devices being interconnected via expanding OT networks alongside decades of legacy versions, CIARA 4.0’s ability to automate accurate risk analyses and furnish actionable insights becomes vital for ensuring zero downtime.

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AI to optimise industrial insect farming https://futureiot.tech/ai-to-optimise-industrial-insect-farming/ Fri, 05 May 2023 01:00:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=12272 Singapore-based Entoverse, a startup delivering cutting-edge AI-driven digital farm management solutions for the fast-growing insect farming sector, announced today its trials to integrate Chat Generative Pre-Trained Transformer (GPT) intelligence into its Entograte ERP system. Common challenges in insect farming include mortality and disease arising from environmental conditions or insect feed, which typically cause 25-50% losses, […]

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Singapore-based Entoverse, a startup delivering cutting-edge AI-driven digital farm management solutions for the fast-growing insect farming sector, announced today its trials to integrate Chat Generative Pre-Trained Transformer (GPT) intelligence into its Entograte ERP system.

Common challenges in insect farming include mortality and disease arising from environmental conditions or insect feed, which typically cause 25-50% losses, as well as human error when managing populations of millions of insects. With an ERP and access to 2 supercomputers, the Entograte system provides powerful AI-driven solutions to address key production challenges in insect farms, increasing efficiency in insect egg production and larvae rearing.

CEO of Entoverse, Rudolf Davidov, said: “Our species-specific ERP system will make day-to-day operations of insect farms more efficient and automated, while our AI-driven solutions will help resolve the challenge of early mortality and optimising product quality.”

Following the introduction of GPT intelligence towards the end of 2022, Entoverse’s latest innovation seeks to apply the technology to overcome the challenge of human management of increasingly large and complex insect farms. Fast communication and reaction to changes in farming conditions are key, and FarmGPT is being integrated into Entograte’s chatbot function to achieve this.

It will deliver data-driven actionable insights that address insect cultivation challenges in real-time. FarmGPT will be trained by a combination of proprietary and white-label open-source training datasets, environmental data from IoT sensors and internet data, and insect behavioural data from live video camera farm footage.

Entoverse CTO and Co-Founder Dr Dmitry Mikhailov says "ChatGPT and now GPT-4 have proven the potential of AI in changing the way we approach the problems of today.

He explains that one of the problems Entoverse is solving is improving the efficiency of insect egg production and larvae rearing for maximum protein mass output. This cannot be done with manual farm management alone.

"This is why we have built Entoverse, which automates the farming process and improves yields. FarmGPT will now take this automatization one step further, and we are excited to witness how it will transform current approaches to insect farming for better output.” Dmitry Mikhailov

FarmGPT is being prepared to be tested at CricketOne, a cricket farming company based in Vietnam. The trials will study the efficacy of GPT-driven insect farming processes and how it will benefit farmers. Future applications of FarmGPT potentially include the breeding of other species in closed, controlled environments, such as bees, mealworms, shrimp and fish.

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Network monitoring to bring OT and IT closer together https://futureiot.tech/network-monitoring-to-bring-ot-and-it-closer-together/ Fri, 21 Apr 2023 01:00:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=12241 For the longest time, there exists a chasm dividing information technology (IT) and operational technology (OT). However, in recent years, critical infrastructure system (ICS) breaches in the form of cyberattacks and their overflow into what is the traditional IT domain, cybersecurity, are leading to closing the divide – either directly or indirectly. The Ponemon Institute […]

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For the longest time, there exists a chasm dividing information technology (IT) and operational technology (OT). However, in recent years, critical infrastructure system (ICS) breaches in the form of cyberattacks and their overflow into what is the traditional IT domain, cybersecurity, are leading to closing the divide – either directly or indirectly.

The Ponemon Institute report, the 2021 State of Industrial Cybersecurity, reveals that cultural and technical differences, topped by patch management (50%) and the unique requirements of ICS vendors (44%), cause conflicts between the two functions.

Paessler claims it is bringing IT and OT closer together with the launch of a product extension for PRTG, an agentless network monitoring software developed by the company.

What is it?

Paessler PRTG is an IT monitoring software that helps businesses monitor their entire IT infrastructure – no matter if it is an on-premises, cloud, or hybrid environment.

Paessler PRTG OPC UA Server is designed for customers in the industrial sector – specifically teams in operational technology (OT) – who wish to receive information from both IT and OT monitoring displayed in their supervisory and control systems (such as SCADA, MES, DCS, and others).

IT/OT convergence will build the bridge to more efficient processes in industrial environments and solutions like OPC UA Server will provide real, tangible value to OT professionals.

Helmut Binder

Paessler CEO, Helmut Binder, says: "As we continue to evolve our product portfolio, we recognize the importance of expanding our solutions to meet the unique needs of industrial customers, especially in Asia Pacific, where the adoption of Industry 4.0 technologies is gaining momentum. This product extension demonstrates our commitment to providing cutting-edge solutions that meet the demands in the world of OT.”

Together with Paessler PRTG, OPC UA Server allows OT admins and plant operators to monitor their infrastructures through their supervisory and control system architecture. OPC UA Server expands Paessler PRTG's field of application by bringing a comprehensive overview of various IT and OT elements into OPC UA-capable systems.

Further benefits are central alerting via existing alert chains, enrichment of quality control data with data from IT/OT components, as well as interactive alarm handling between IT and OT personnel.

Initially, this product extension will operate exclusively with Paessler PRTG Network Monitor with active maintenance, and its coverage will be extended to Paessler PRTG Hosted Monitor and Paessler PRTG Enterprise Monitor soon.

Johannes Liegert

"We believe that OPC UA Server will help industrial customers to get a comprehensive overview of their industrial networks and environments. This also includes the reduction of downtime and therefore improvement of their plant infrastructures," said Johannes Liegert, product manager of IoT & Industry at Paessler. "Using Paessler PRTG with this product extension, operators and engineers have more data at their fingertips and can thereby make better decisions.”

As the requirements in the OT world are diverse, OPC UA Server comes in 3 feature-based pricing tiers in the form of subscription-based models. The new product extension is now available, and quotes can be requested by contacting Paessler’s customer service. Customers of Paessler PRTG with an OPC UA Server subscription will receive comprehensive support from the Paessler team, including access to training materials.

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Logs are not enough to secure the network infrastructure https://futureiot.tech/logs-are-not-enough-to-secure-the-network-infrastructure/ Mon, 17 Apr 2023 01:00:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=12203 Gartner defines the Application Performance Monitoring and Observability Market as software that enables the observation and analysis of application health & user experience. The targeted roles are IT operations, site reliability engineers, cloud and platform ops, application developers and product owners. A 650 Group report posits that the Observability market grew by 60% in 2022 […]

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Gartner defines the Application Performance Monitoring and Observability Market as software that enables the observation and analysis of application health & user experience. The targeted roles are IT operations, site reliability engineers, cloud and platform ops, application developers and product owners.

A 650 Group report posits that the Observability market grew by 60% in 2022 and that cloud and subscription-based offerings are predicted to be most of the revenue during the forecast period as enterprises move to hybrid and multi-cloud infrastructure.

The Deep Observability Market is a critical growth component for Observability Infrastructure vendors, as enterprises need to extract a significant amount of data from networks beyond logs to secure and automate their infrastructure.

Alan Weckel

“Operation teams, such as SecOps, NetOps, and CloudOps, are key beneficiaries of Deep Observability. These teams stress the importance of being proactive and less reactive to application performance, vulnerability detection, and issues in their production networks,” said Alan Weckel, founder and technology analyst at 650 Group.

“Deep Observability continues to add additional value-add features like decryption, application filtering, application metadata, and deduplication. Over the forecast years, this will help drive networking automation and AI-based networks.”

Alan Weckel

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NXpower Monitor gets AI-driven ESA from Samotics https://futureiot.tech/nxpower-monitor-gets-ai-driven-esa-from-samotics/ Fri, 14 Apr 2023 01:00:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=12196 Siemens Smart Infrastructure has integrated electrical signature analysis (ESA) from Samotics into NXpower Monitor. Using ESA and machine learning, Samotics provides real-time actionable insights to help global industrial companies eliminate industrial energy waste and unplanned downtime. This new capability leverages the ecosystem of Siemens Xcelerator, an open digital business platform that enables customers to accelerate […]

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Siemens Smart Infrastructure has integrated electrical signature analysis (ESA) from Samotics into NXpower Monitor. Using ESA and machine learning, Samotics provides real-time actionable insights to help global industrial companies eliminate industrial energy waste and unplanned downtime.

This new capability leverages the ecosystem of Siemens Xcelerator, an open digital business platform that enables customers to accelerate their digital transformation easier, faster, and at scale.

NXpower Monitor enables the visualisation and monitoring of electrical assets within electrical networks, providing health status, KPI calculation, energy monitoring, and monitoring of operational data from assets.

This asset monitoring system enhances efficiency and risk management across the entire energy distribution network through continuous health monitoring, while simultaneously minimising CO2 emissions and OPEX.

By integrating AI-powered ESA technology, Siemens broadens its application to include the monitoring of AC motors and rotating equipment, all accessible through a single pane of glass.

“The digitalisation of energy distribution, automation systems, and networks brings many advantages," says Stephan May, CEO of electrification and automation at Siemens Smart Infrastructure.

He added that not only does it lead to substantial savings in terms of time and money, it also significantly boosts efficiency and reliability.

"By adding Samotics to Siemens Xcelerator, our open ecosystem of certified partners, customers can benefit from an expanded offering. This reflects our continued innovation efforts, including the integration of advanced low voltage analysis into our digital caretaker NXpower Monitor,” said May.

The integration of ESA technology enables NXpower Monitor to conduct real-time analysis of high-quality current and voltage data, enabling the detection of electrical and mechanical faults up to five months before downtime happens. The system is also able to deliver comprehensive performance and efficiency insights, pinpointing areas with the highest electricity consumption, cost, and efficiency losses.

By implementing data-driven recommendations, organisations can optimise operational processes, significantly reducing energy waste and cutting CO2 emissions by up to 15%.

Samotics CEO Jasper Hoogeweegen says: "Unplanned downtime and energy waste are among the most expensive problems in the industry. Traditional monitoring technologies do not adequately address these issues.

He explains that through partnerships with forward-thinking organisations such as Siemens, customers are benefiting from ESA technology that delivers real-time, actionable information about the condition, performance, and energy efficiency of critical rotating equipment. "This helps our clients to effectively improve the performance and energy efficiency of their critical assets,” he continues. 

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Retailers deploying micro-fulfilment centres to meet customer demand https://futureiot.tech/retailers-deploying-micro-fulfilment-centres-to-meet-customer-demand/ Thu, 13 Apr 2023 01:00:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=12178 Micro-fulfilment is gaining traction to augment distribution networks and bring inventory closer to the consumer, presenting an opportunity for scaled-down automation As retailers deploy Micro-Fulfilment Centres (MFCs) to augment their distribution networks, automated picking solutions provide the speed and space maximization necessary for e-commerce efficiency and profitability. ABI Research says Automated Storage & Retrieval System […]

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Micro-fulfilment is gaining traction to augment distribution networks and bring inventory closer to the consumer, presenting an opportunity for scaled-down automation

As retailers deploy Micro-Fulfilment Centres (MFCs) to augment their distribution networks, automated picking solutions provide the speed and space maximization necessary for e-commerce efficiency and profitability.

ABI Research says Automated Storage & Retrieval System (AS/RS) revenue within MFCs is expected to reach US$1.2 billion by 2027, with uptake primarily seen in the grocery and fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) industries.

Ryan Wiggin

“The need for high-density storage and fast fulfilment capabilities allows technologies to scale down and enable a flexible, bespoke frontline distribution network,” said Ryan Wiggin, supply chain management & logistics industry analyst at ABI Research.

He added that in addition to automated high-density storage systems, retailers are also looking to enhance manual picking operations to deliver micro-fulfilment solutions using handheld devices and Goods-to-Person (G2P) mobile robots.

"With over 2/3 of MFCs currently deployed in or alongside existing stores, micro-fulfilment solutions are helping retailers re-imagine how they utilize their current infrastructure to support online delivery."

Ryan Wiggin

Delivery times are getting faster, down to a matter of hours for certain products. As demand for alternative shopping experiences like click-and-collect increases, customer attraction and retention rests heavily on effective inventory management and localized delivery capabilities.

A few critical solutions vendors have emerged offering dedicated micro-fulfilment packages, including Alert Innovation, Dematic, Swisslog, and Takeoff Technologies, while companies like Ocado Group are offering MFCs as an additional arm to their existing warehouse automation solutions. Most solutions are underpinned by cube or shuttle-based AS/RS, orchestrated by management systems increasingly incorporating artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities.

Store and warehouse workers are being equipped with more sophisticated handheld devices from companies like Zebra as retailers look to deploy manually operated MFCs within existing stores or facilities and help optimize online order picking. And Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs) inVia Robotics, 6 River Systems, and Locus Robotics are seeing deployment in MFCs as an alternative to stationary G2P automation.

Wiggin commented that in industries where online delivery has notoriously been an unprofitable venture, localised, automated MFCs are greatly helping to reduce both cost and picking time.

U.S.-based industry giants like Nordstrom, H-E-B, and Walgreens are leading in MFC solutions adoption. In Asia-Pacific and Europe, MFC solutions vendors are gaining traction signalling wider implementation of automated micro-fulfilment.

"End users must assess current network requirements and understand where micro-fulfilment solutions could offer significant value. Technology vendors must ensure that solutions can be scaled and be adaptable to retailer’s requirements,” concluded Wiggin.

* Editor's note: Comments and stats provided by ABI Research.

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Data analytics critical to lowering power consumption https://futureiot.tech/data-analytics-critical-to-lowering-power-consumption/ Thu, 23 Mar 2023 01:00:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=12129 A new study from Juniper Research found that hardware, connectivity and service revenue from smart meter deployments, and in use, will exceed US$60 billion in 2027; up from US$41 billion in 2023. This 44% growth reflects how smart meters are becoming critical to increasing the efficiency of energy grids via analytics; central to lowering costs […]

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A new study from Juniper Research found that hardware, connectivity and service revenue from smart meter deployments, and in use, will exceed US$60 billion in 2027; up from US$41 billion in 2023.

This 44% growth reflects how smart meters are becoming critical to increasing the efficiency of energy grids via analytics; central to lowering costs to customers during the energy price crisis.

A smart meter records energy usage and leverages onboard connectivity to upload this data to energy suppliers.

Hong Kong is in the top 5 of most smart metre rolled outs

By 2027, the research forecasts Italy will have the highest household penetration rate of smart meters globally, at almost 100%. Italy has had mandatory smart meter installations since 2006, setting an example for the wider market. The top five countries were ranked as follows:

Italy (99.6%)

UK (98.7%)

Saudi Arabia (98.4%)

Hong Kong (98.4%)

UAE (97.4%)

The research recommends utility companies focus on educating consumers on the benefits of smart metering, as these benefits are often unclear to them. Utility companies should focus on the potential for saving energy, with evidence-based use cases to catalyse adoption.

Key opportunity for IoT

The smart grid network encompasses local area networks, home-area networks, access networks, clusters of connected LANs and HANs called NANs, and wide-area networks.

The research found that, with over 1.8 billion smart meter connections forecast to be in use by 2027 globally, smart meter connectivity represents an important opportunity for cellular networks and low-power IoT connectivity. The low data usage of smart meters lends itself naturally to low-power IoT, but as cellular networks are the only networks capable of providing ubiquitous access in some markets, they clearly still have a role.

Source: Juniper Networks

Report co-author Nick Maynard explained: “While smart meters have come a long way in deployment terms, they are only as good as the connectivity they leverage. Utility companies must aim to aggregate the best networks for their locations, or they will fail to obtain the benefits smart meters can readily provide.”

The Juniper Research paper, Combating the Energy Crisis with Smart Grids, concludes that investing in smart grid deployment yields significant benefits for the environment and society. These benefits are summarised below.

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Tapping new opportunities in life sciences https://futureiot.tech/tapping-new-opportunities-in-life-sciences/ Wed, 22 Mar 2023 01:00:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=12125 The development of next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology, a wide array of informatics, and robotics are some of the most recent technological advancements in life science instrumentation and research tools. Frost & Sullivan says investments in lab automation and analytics will hasten the growth of the lab instrumentation market. It forecasts the global market to grow […]

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The development of next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology, a wide array of informatics, and robotics are some of the most recent technological advancements in life science instrumentation and research tools.

Frost & Sullivan says investments in lab automation and analytics will hasten the growth of the lab instrumentation market. It forecasts the global market to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.4%, from US$66.37 billion in 2021 to US$90.41 billion in 2026.

Lucila Martom

“With the growing focus on decentralised diagnostics in both developed and developing economies, demand for portable instruments is expected to increase,” said Lucila Martin, healthcare research analyst at Frost & Sullivan.

“Higher demand for smaller instruments has increased pressure on original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to develop and supply parts to support the development of portable instruments,” she added

Martin added that the democratisation of NGS drove the growth of the global genomic sector, enabling genomics and proteomics to become promising business segments to propel the market.

"From a technological perspective, expanding analytical chemicals with laboratory automation and informatic instruments offers a lucrative growth prospect.”

Lucila Martin

Tips to capturing growth opportunities

  • Invest in developing countries to build their capacity and capability, focusing on sales and after-sales support systems.
  • Focus on artificial intelligence (AI) in lab optimization and predictive analytics for instrument lifecycle analytics as they present lucrative growth prospects for big data analytics companies.
  • Develop highly customised chips and parts to support the development of portable equipment

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20 million robots are coming https://futureiot.tech/20-million-robots-are-coming/ Fri, 17 Feb 2023 01:00:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=12035 For the past three years, business leaders and organisations have faced an unyielding procession of challenges. As we usher in 2023, many of those challenges persist, and new ones are emerging. Yet, as unwavering as the challenges have been, technology and innovation have proven to be just as resilient. “From among the many millions of […]

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For the past three years, business leaders and organisations have faced an unyielding procession of challenges. As we usher in 2023, many of those challenges persist, and new ones are emerging. Yet, as unwavering as the challenges have been, technology and innovation have proven to be just as resilient.

“From among the many millions of data points ABI Research creates each year, we have focused on the most enlightening stats that will shape the year ahead. The rapid rise of robot installs is just one of the many changes on the horizon that are indicative of a more connected, technology-driven world,” Stuart Carlaw, chief research officer at ABI Research explains.

The global economy is recovering robustly, as manifested in the strong order intake in robotics in 2021, which has carried over to 2022. There have certainly been plenty of catch-up effects, including government initiatives and incentives, such as the NextGenerationEU programme from the European Union (EU).

“Global robot installations grew tremendously throughout 2021 and have continued to do so in 2022, reaching record levels for industrial and collaborative robots. However, this boom after a crisis cycle is expected to fade out in 2023 somewhat, and the war in Ukraine, along with inflation­ary pressure, is expected to accelerate this process,” explains ABI Research Director Lian Jye Su.

“Nobody has a crystal ball, but we can say with relative certainty that the challenging climate will persist well into 2023. These statistics should provide insights and actionable data needed to chart a successful course in 2023 and beyond,” Carlaw concludes.

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Cisco ThousandEyes to support OpenTelemetry https://futureiot.tech/cisco-thousandeyes-to-support-opentelemetry/ Fri, 10 Feb 2023 01:00:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=12016 Organisations are extending their networks to new places. They need to connect core enterprise operations to industrial spaces, spanning utility grids, manufacturing facilities and transportation networks. They are also prioritising sustainability and resiliency in their operations, driving the need for greater visibility across their environments. The distributed nature of these operations makes networks complex to […]

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Organisations are extending their networks to new places. They need to connect core enterprise operations to industrial spaces, spanning utility grids, manufacturing facilities and transportation networks.

They are also prioritising sustainability and resiliency in their operations, driving the need for greater visibility across their environments. The distributed nature of these operations makes networks complex to manage, and as these industries digitise their assets, the cybersecurity attack surface grows.

"The most effective way to manage growing complexity and provide more insight into business operations is through reliable connectivity and complete visibility across an organisation's operations and assets," said Vikas Butaney, SVP/GM, SD-WAN, Cloud Connectivity, and Industrial IoT Networking, Cisco.

ThousandEyes to simplify IT data intelligence

Having the relevant data at the right time is necessary to optimise users' digital experiences, but data may not always be easy to collect and correlate. To help customers tackle this challenge, Cisco ThousandEyes now supports OpenTelemetry, the open-source framework and industry standard that partners, customers, and providers rely on to generate, collect, process and export cloud-native and distributed telemetry data.

As the first network visibility solution to support OpenTelemetry, ThousandEyes is making it possible for customers to interconnect cloud and internet intelligence across a wide range of solutions for unmatched data correlation and insight. With ThousandEyes for OpenTelemetry, Cisco is enabling true end-to-end correlated insights across disparate domains, from user to application, for optimal digital experiences.

New Cisco offering

Cisco is introducing new cloud services in its IoT Operations Dashboard to increase industrial asset visibility and securely manage assets from anywhere.

Cisco Cyber Vision is now integrated with Cisco IoT Operations Dashboard to grant IT and operations teams full visibility into IT and OT devices to manage threats across the organisation, providing a unified security posture across the entire network.

Secure Equipment Access Plus makes it easier for IT and OT teams to remotely deploy, manage and troubleshoot connected equipment. This service now provides access to any connected equipment with IP connectivity, so operations teams can run native applications on their workstations to access remote assets more easily.

These innovations, along with Cisco's extension of the portfolio of its Catalyst industrial wireless and switching portfolio, provide more common tooling and data so IT and OT teams can work more efficiently together to reduce downtime of critical infrastructure, drive greater business productivity and efficiencies, and enhance overall safety and security.

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PodChats for FutureIoT: Changing the future of global supply chains https://futureiot.tech/podchats-for-futureiot-changing-the-future-of-global-supply-chains/ Thu, 26 Jan 2023 01:00:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=11960 IoT Analytics says the digital supply chain market is accelerating. The firm identifies eight supply chain technology innovations that are helping to make global supply chains more robust, including AS/RS technology, intralogistics robots, IoT track and trace, AI-enabled software, and supply chain digital twins. IoT Analytics market research, Matthieu Kulezak, observes that within the (ICT) […]

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IoT Analytics says the digital supply chain market is accelerating. The firm identifies eight supply chain technology innovations that are helping to make global supply chains more robust, including AS/RS technology, intralogistics robots, IoT track and trace, AI-enabled software, and supply chain digital twins.

IoT Analytics market research, Matthieu Kulezak, observes that within the (ICT) supply chain there are three distinct submarkets: software, hardware, and connectivity. The software itself is further segmented into sourcing software, supply chain planning and design software, and supply chain execution software.

Source: IoT Analytics 2022

This software is then connected to hardware like packing and place machinery, and automatic sorting and retrieval machinery for logistics. Finally, there is the connectivity submarket such as IoT-based track and trace devices. Network operators fit into the connectivity submarket.

Changes introduced during the pandemic

Matthieu Kulezak

According to Kulezak, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, CEOs and CFOs assumed that supply chains just operated unencumbered by the day-to-day problems of running a business. The pandemic revealed just how complicated supply chain issues were – vulnerable not just to business cycles but to operational issues of suppliers and business parties.

“They realise that supply chains are important, and they need to work to have their business working so that that's clear. And they'll ask way more questions on supply chain visibility,” he added.

He concluded this is why supply chain managers are undertaking digitisation.

Digitalisation and transformation of the supply chain

Photo by RODNAE Productions: https://www.pexels.com/photo/deliveryman-scanning-the-barcode-7363196/

Kulezak noted the recent big push for digitisation in part to support remote work and to gain supply chain visibility.

“There's been a lot of issues on the structures of the supply chain, on the networks. For example, an automotive or pharmaceutical manufacturer realised that they could not produce, not because of their own production capabilities, but because of a supplier that couldn't produce,” he added.

He acknowledged that at times, it’s the very little things that can stop an entire production system. He noted that the adoption of digital twins is enabling manufacturers to create replicas of the entire supply chain network to identify and pinpoint where the issues are.

Trends influencing the digitisation of the supply chain

He reiterated the big push towards visibility across the supply chain. He observed that the different players in the supply chain will have their view, albeit narrow, as to what constitutes visibility within their supply chain.

This complicates the challenge for IT vendors who, according to Kulezak, face a “fight for semantic” where depending on the business of the party in the supply chain will have a different interpretation of what visibility within the supply chain is important.

By way of example, a transportation company may have a different track and trace requirement compared to a manufacturer or warehouse distribution hub or parts supplier.

The cybersecurity angle

Complicating the digitisation journey for organisations in the supply chain is cybersecurity. Kulezak concede to have a functioning supply chain requires that all parties are connected.

“For example, an automotive manufacturing company will need to have all of the inventory of production capability data from suppliers, as well as the suppliers of its suppliers, in order to have a good prediction of the future,” he elaborated.

The predicament here is that some organisations may not be so open to sharing their data with others in part because they are concerned about cybersecurity risks. He called out efforts in some industry sectors to create third-party platforms that allow for data to become available to participants in the supply chain in a secure fashion.

Conclusion

Kulezak sees healthy growth in the software and hardware sectors of information technology supporting the supply chain.

He sees a growing demand for the simplification of technologies that deliver supply chain visibility. This, in turn, is resulting in a consolidation of the technology solutions marketplace. He foresees pe challenge for ICT players – choosing the right product to go for.

Click on the PodChat player to listen to Kulezak’s observations and recommendations for supply chain leaders in 2023.

  1. Define Digital supply chain.
  2. Looking back from pre-pandemic to this period (mid-August 2022), how have things changed regarding digital supply chains?
  3. In accelerating digital transformation, which areas of the software have gained relevance in the industry verticals of the supply chain?
  4. Which trends are helping in terms of digitisation of the supply chain?
  5. How are companies approaching the topic of cybersecurity in the supply chain?
  6. In summarising everything we’ve discussed, what are IoT Analytics’ recommendations for business, operations and technology leaders?

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Juniper Research identifies key drivers of RPM https://futureiot.tech/juniper-research-identifies-key-drivers-of-rpm/ Wed, 18 Jan 2023 01:00:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=11936 Patients using RPM (remote patient monitoring) solutions will reach 115.5 million globally by 2027, equating to 1.4% of the total population. Juniper Research attributes this 67% increase from only 75 million in 2023 to greater pressure on healthcare systems, including clinical staff shortages and limited space within hospitals, driving the need for alternative healthcare solutions. […]

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Patients using RPM (remote patient monitoring) solutions will reach 115.5 million globally by 2027, equating to 1.4% of the total population. Juniper Research attributes this 67% increase from only 75 million in 2023 to greater pressure on healthcare systems, including clinical staff shortages and limited space within hospitals, driving the need for alternative healthcare solutions.

RPM enables care to be moved outside of overstressed healthcare facilities; boosting healthcare providers’ efficiency. These solutions encompass a variety of health monitoring devices which enable continuous communication between patients and healthcare providers, without the need for close contact.

How remote patient monitoring works

Juniper Research defines remote patient monitoring as using technology to gather patient data outside of the traditional healthcare setting, with the aim to move healthcare out of traditional settings into patients’ houses, in order to free up vital hospital space and enable patients to be at ease.’

Source: Juniper Research 2023

2023 predictions

The research predicted that by 2027, there will be 90 million cardiac patients using RPM solutions. Given the high global prevalence of cardiac conditions, the report recommended that healthcare providers use RPM solutions to monitor the heart rate and blood pressure of cardiac patients at home to lower the number of patients in the hospital.

RPM solutions will also indirectly decrease disease transmission rates and alleviate pressure on healthcare systems by reducing the demand for hospital beds.

Cara Malone

Research author Cara Malone noted that there are a variety of connected devices that can be used for cardiac patient monitoring, for example, blood pressure and heart rate monitors, which can be challenging for less technologically literate patients.

“Vendors must prioritise device simplification through software improvements, whilst also incorporating patient education to improve healthcare outcomes,” she added.

AI analysis key to real-time data monitoring

The report urged healthcare service providers to fully leverage the data generated by the increase in adoption of RPM devices. To maximise the benefits, it recommended that RPM services fully incorporate AI within their solutions to enable healthcare professionals to improve the efficiency of medical triage processes through a predictive proactive healthcare provision model.

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Operators critical to unlocking the connected vehicle future https://futureiot.tech/operators-critical-to-unlocking-the-connected-vehicle-future/ Wed, 11 Jan 2023 01:00:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=11905 Juniper Research forecasts that the number of connected vehicles in service will reach 367 million globally in 2027, from 192 million in 2023. This growth of 91% will be driven by the advancement of both ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems) and increasing the capabilities of in-vehicle infotainment systems. The research identified 5G’s high speed and […]

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Juniper Research forecasts that the number of connected vehicles in service will reach 367 million globally in 2027, from 192 million in 2023.

This growth of 91% will be driven by the advancement of both ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems) and increasing the capabilities of in-vehicle infotainment systems. The research identified 5G’s high speed and low-latency capabilities as transformative to these goals, requiring effective collaborations between automotive OEMs and operators to realise.

Connected vehicles are equipped with communication technologies that allow the exchange of information between the various elements of the transport system and third-party services.

The research found that operators are critical to unlocking new use cases, such as autonomous driving and data-heavy infotainment via 5G; representing a US$3.6 billion opportunity for providing 5G connectivity enablement in 2027 globally.

Nick Maynard

Research co-author Nick Maynard explained that 5G can allow automotive OEMs to upgrade the in-vehicle experience. In a vehicle market transitioning to electric vehicles, improving the user experience is key.

“Operators hold the critical role in enabling this in a reliable way, making them the partners of choice as their 5G networks rapidly expand.”

Nick Maynard

Commercial use cases lagging behind

The research predicts that by 2027, commercial vehicles will only account for 20% of connected vehicles worldwide, representing a small increase from 16% by the end of 2023.

The research found that commercial vehicle design is not leveraging connectivity beyond simple emergency call features and basic connected infotainment systems, although this is changing, as businesses prioritise tracking and logistics capabilities.

The research recommended that automotive OEMs prioritise integrations with common fleet tracking systems out of the factory to maximise the benefits of connectivity, and to enable commercial fleet owners to maximise efficiency in their processes.

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Forget M2M, here comes M2H https://futureiot.tech/forget-m2m-here-comes-m2h/ Thu, 05 Jan 2023 01:00:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=11888 While machine-to-machine (M2M) technology has played an important part in companies’ discussions for several years, it appears that the focus is shifting towards machine-to-human (M2H) technology, finds GlobalData. According to the leading data and analytics company’s Company Filings Database, M2M discussions declined by 31% in 2022 compared to 2021. Connected cars, smart cities, smart streetlights, […]

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While machine-to-machine (M2M) technology has played an important part in companies’ discussions for several years, it appears that the focus is shifting towards machine-to-human (M2H) technology, finds GlobalData. According to the leading data and analytics company’s Company Filings Database, M2M discussions declined by 31% in 2022 compared to 2021.

Connected cars, smart cities, smart streetlights, virtual reality, logistics, smart homes, security applications, and industrial process automation are among the trending examples of M2M and M2H interactions.

GlobalData analyst Misa Singh says: “As discussions increase, it will be important for companies to consider the potential ethical implications of its use. As such, it will be interesting to see how this trend develops in the coming months and years.”

Apacer Technology mentioned replacing conventional factories with a timely, quantitative, and transparent management mode to help contribute to the manufacturing industry’s digital transformation.

Al Yah Satellite Communications indicated that M2M allows concurrent data collection from numerous sites including position data, data from external sensors, and data from peripheral devices.

Radius Global Infrastructure communicated that next-generation technologies and new applications for wireless communications will lead to new players or increased demand in the wireless industry, which may include firms engaged in the ongoing development and deployment of M2M applications.

Tata Communications discussed encouraging the growth of its digital business through interface connectivity of M2M and M2H with the company’s industrial Internet of Things (IoT) and smart cities. The company’s plan for the smart city includes smart streetlights and smart meters, which have increased the efficiency of utility operations.

According to Misa, M2M connections are the fastest-growing IoT category, expected to surpass 15 billion devices, according to Skyworks Solutions.

Misa Singh

“To expand automation, improve communication and self-monitoring, and smart machine productions that can evaluate and diagnose problems without human assistance, large-scale M2M communication and the IoT are integrated.”

Misa Singh

“Furthermore, it is anticipated that 5G will enable next-generation IoT and M2M applications. For instance, autonomous vehicles and virtual or augmented reality,” she concluded.

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IoT’s influence on Asia’s manufacturing sector in 2023 https://futureiot.tech/iots-influence-on-asias-manufacturing-sector-in-2023/ Tue, 03 Jan 2023 01:00:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=11874 “Despite supply headwinds, labour shortages, and an uncertain economic environment, the manufacturing industry continues to surpass the expectations of previous years. To maintain this growth, leaders should leverage digital technologies, adopt strategies for the future of work, and drive supply chain resiliency.” Deloitte The Deloitte report, 2023 manufacturing industry outlook, predicts that manufacturers will likely […]

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“Despite supply headwinds, labour shortages, and an uncertain economic environment, the manufacturing industry continues to surpass the expectations of previous years. To maintain this growth, leaders should leverage digital technologies, adopt strategies for the future of work, and drive supply chain resiliency.” Deloitte

The Deloitte report, 2023 manufacturing industry outlook, predicts that manufacturers will likely continue progressing toward smart factory transformations, as these initiatives drive future competitiveness.

Many manufacturers are making investments in laying the technology foundation for their smart factories. One in five manufacturers is already experimenting with underlying solutions or actively developing a metaverse platform for their products and services.

Trends influencing ASEAN’s manufacturers

According to Euromonitor International’s Voice of the Industry: Digital survey, around 62% of companies globally plan to increase their investment in cloud computing over the next five years, while around 50% of companies plan to invest in Artificial Intelligence, the Internet of Things and production automation tools.

Pavan Mahajan, VP of solutions delivery for APAC at Belden observes that the adoption of Industry 4.0 technologies gaining momentum among manufacturing companies in the region. He attributes this trend to manufacturers seeking to accelerate their journey towards full digital transformation.

Boston Consulting Group observes that harnessing Industry 4.0 will be key in helping the ASEAN manufacturing sector become more competitive and move up the value chain, with Singapore, Malaysia and Vietnam among countries that are already investing in smart manufacturing solutions such as smart factories, industrial IoT, advanced robotics, and cloud computing.

“Customers are beginning to embrace the desire for digital transformation and are looking to transform their manufacturing ecosystem with industrial automation and smart solutions,” added Mahajan.

Industry 4.0 investment priorities

Justinas Liuima

According to Justinas Liuima, insights manager, industrial with Euromonitor International, says to partly solve the problem and compensate for rapid wage growth, companies are forecast to accelerate their investment in production automation tools in 2023.

“Production automation in many cases could be the only viable option for companies to ensure productivity growth,” opined Liuima.

Mahajan says among Belden’s customers in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region, a key investment area is IT/OT convergence.

IDC predicts that by 2024, 50% of industrial organisations will be integrating data from edge OT systems with cloud-based reporting and analytics, moving from single-asset views to sitewide operational awareness. The IT/OT convergence market in APAC is estimated to develop at the highest CAGR of 7.1% from 2022 to 2027, from US$49,195 million in 2021 to US$73,523 million in 2027.

“As data becomes increasingly crucial for manufacturing companies to solve business challenges and achieve greater operational efficiency, performance, safety, and profitability, having access to an optimised, convergent network is key,” noted Mahajan.

With both IT and OT data available, he opined that companies could collect, move, integrate, and analyse data to automate processes and make better, more informed business decisions. “The additional capabilities in an IT/OT converged network, such as edge computing and analytics, will also usher in even greater opportunities for productivity and problem-solving,” he added.

Mahajan said that another key area of investment for manufacturers is in edge-to-cloud environments, especially edge technologies. We are seeing a higher level of acceptance and readiness among our manufacturing customers to invest in industrial edge solutions, with an increasing adoption rate over the past two years.

This is happening worldwide as well as in APAC, with GlobalData predicting that the global edge computing market will reach US$17.8 billion by 2025, with APAC sales accounting for 26.4%.

“As Industrial IoT (IIoT) and Industry 4.0 continue to gain momentum, investing in industrial edge capabilities will be key in enabling fully connected operational systems, reducing latency and cost of data processing while maintaining security and communication with the cloud,” concluded Mahajan.

Core competencies needed to benefit from Industry 4.0 innovations

Katarzyna Grzybowska and Anna Łupicka, authors of the report, Key competencies for Industry 4.0, noted that the demand for special skills will drive the shift of job creation within Industry 4.0 requiring more qualified managers.

For his part, Mahajan believes that to benefit from industry 4.0 manufacturers will need to have skills in network security, and data management and governance.

“The expanded, highly connected networks with more data transmission points, which are characteristic of Industry 4.0, create a greater need for security. This only grows with the integration of cloud computing, edge computing and the presence of older devices on an industrial network that can be more vulnerable,” he explained.

Pavan Mahajan

“Manufacturers need to have proper security measures in place to ensure network security, including the implementation of advanced network access control systems, industrial cybersecurity firewalls, and other hardware components to secure network infrastructures.”

Pavan Mahajan

He added that manufacturers also need to place more emphasis on industrial data management and governance. “With the adoption of smart technologies and IIoT, more and more devices are getting networked and connected. Organisations need to have a strong data governance policy that outlines how data needs to be stored, managed, accessed, and analysed and by whom to ensure data isn’t lost, stolen, or misused,” concluded Mahajan.

Top recommendations for ASEAN manufacturers

According to Mahajan, the pandemic has shown that digitisation which leads to digitalisation and usage of advanced technologies is key to staying resilient and agile in the face of major disruptions.

“As we move into a 2023 full of uncertainties, manufacturers in ASEAN need to further accelerate their digital transformation journey, prioritising the adoption of technologies such as warehouse automation and connected manufacturing,” he opined.

Mahajan posited that moving towards full automation for warehouses will help boost productivity and operational efficiency for manufacturers at the material handling level.

“Beyond being able to streamline workflows, eliminate waste and maximise output, smart automated warehouses will also be flexible and robust enough to support future technologies and processes, effectively futureproofing network infrastructures against changes and disruptions,” he continued.

“Depending on their focus and goals, manufacturers could also consider making the leap towards connected manufacturing, which harnesses the power of data to transform operations as well as customer and employee experience. With many uncertainties and challenges facing manufacturers now, it can be difficult for them to focus on the future,” he cautioned.

“Transitioning to connected manufacturing will ultimately enable manufacturers to stay ahead of the curve with significant long-term benefits such as boosting efficiency, reducing costs, and enhancing communication across all stages of manufacturing.”

Pavan Mahajan

“As the threat landscape is becoming more sophisticated than ever, manufacturers should look to reinforce their network security. Security should be taken into account at the initial stage of network design for a more holistic and effective approach to securing modern industrial networks.

“At the same time, security best practices such as implementing firewalls and continuous monitoring of potential threats should be applied in day-to-day operations to minimise security risks,” he concluded.

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PodChats for FutureIoT: Why monitoring is essential in IoT adoption https://futureiot.tech/podchats-for-futureiot-why-monitoring-is-essential-in-iot-adoption/ Tue, 27 Dec 2022 01:00:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=11851 IDC predicts that by 2025, IoT spending in the Asia-Pacific region is predicted to reach US$437 billion. IDC Asia-Pacific adjunct research director, Bill Rojas, cites IoT adoption in industries like transportation, retail, manufacturing, resources, and utilities is driven in part by increased capacity and reliability of fibre and cellular network infrastructure. "In many phase one […]

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IDC predicts that by 2025, IoT spending in the Asia-Pacific region is predicted to reach US$437 billion. IDC Asia-Pacific adjunct research director, Bill Rojas, cites IoT adoption in industries like transportation, retail, manufacturing, resources, and utilities is driven in part by increased capacity and reliability of fibre and cellular network infrastructure.

Source: Paessler
Bill Rojas

"In many phase one projects enterprises focused on a single use case and on acquiring the data streams from single sources but as the organisations gain a deeper data-driven understanding of their operations, they can start to use other data sources (such as geolocation, machine maintenance data, weather, transactions activity, vehicular telemetric traffic data, and so on) to improve their analytics and expand beyond the original use case," he continued.

That’s the good news. The bad news is that any device that is connected to the internet is susceptible to some form of cyberattack. The Mirai Botnet and Stuxnet are two infamous attacks against targets that caused massive disruptions.  

Any device that is connected to the internet is susceptible to some form of cyberattack. Apart from the fact that IoT devices inherently have very little built-in security, and that patch management can be difficult because of their physical nature, the interconnectedness of these devices and the subsequent complex environments they are implemented pose grave security threats across entire networks.

Monitoring is a vital part of every security strategy, ensuring that all classic security tools like firewalls, unusual detection systems or privileged access management (PAM)-tools work flawlessly.  

Suitable monitoring solutions can ensure physical security by integrating door-locking systems, security cameras, smoke detectors or temperature sensors into central monitoring. And businesses in APAC should be prioritising this in 2023 to reduce their risk of cyber-attacks and data breaches.

In describing the state of IoT security or lack of it, David Montoya, the global head of IoT at Paessler, noted that it is not just the lack of security features in the IoT devices themselves that is the challenge, but where these devices are located.

“When you think about cybersecurity from the IT perspective, everything is central. You might have the perimeter and then you have all the endpoints in the middle. But here (with IoT) we might be talking about having a device, which is sending out information about the flow of water, or temperature or humidity of the soil, for example, in the farming context,” he explained.

Source: Paessler

“It is important to look at different security problems or challenges because we are not only talking about the security of the information. We are, in several cases, even talking about the security of the device itself.”

David Montoya

“People are creating vulnerabilities out of IoT, and they are willing to get a device, open it up and figure out how to reverse engineer it.  They will then try to figure out how it works and then install it again with some malware, which can then make the network vulnerable,” he continued.

Why IoT continues to be vulnerable

Montoya comments that despite more regulations and security practice context within the vendors, it is very costly or inconvenient for them to put extra resources, like computing resources into these tiny little IoT devices in use to be able to deal with patches and updates.

“For companies creating IoT devices, there is not a lot of value in needing to put more resources there,” he surmised.

He argued that device manufacturers are incentivised to create small devices that cost as little as possible. The other issue is the variety of devices and vendors. “Even though there are more regulations, there are still no standard practices put in place as to how the information should be stored,” he commented.

Twin standards to consider

Montoya clarifies that there are two standards they consider when it comes to IoT – security and communication. One is related to a standard for protocols and the way those devices connect to different cloud-based systems monitoring systems. These central consoles ensure all the devices are on and reporting data, etc. In such a heterogeneous environment the lack of standards is creating chaos in the IoT world.

“Every vendor with a specific device for a specific reason created specific ways of communication that led to multiple protocols nowadays,” he continued. “When you have different players, each looking at their market niche, what ends up happening is a lack of communication standards and protocols.”

David Montoya

“This (situation) opens the same vulnerabilities that have happened for operational technology (OT) before now happening for IoT as well. Stronger standards are one way things can get better in terms of how to secure all these kinds of devices.”

David Montoya

Monitoring tools can help improve the security of IoT

According to Montoya, monitoring tools help visualise the data, including receiving alerts about the data. And while IoT vendors may provide tools to monitor their solution, the variety of vendors and the specificity of their use cases, suggest that a user may have a collection of monitoring applications that track a specific kind of device.

And because these may not come from the same vendor, it is likely that these do not use the same standard and may not be able to communicate with each other.

In addition, Montoya believes that users will not likely stay with one vendor for the same use case throughout the entire life of the process. “It is very normal that you have a certain IoT device from a certain vendor today and maybe two, or three years later you need to go for another technology and another vendor,” he explained.

The result is complexity on the part of the user trying to make decisions on the entire system or process. “You will have multiple different visualisation tools with different databases where the data is stored. And whenever you are trying to retrieve the data from multiple sources, you will take more time to know what is going on, how to use the data, how to bring the data into a central location, how to use that central location to provide central visualisation,” elaborated Montoya.

Source: Paessler

Ideally, you will want a central location from which to manage all these different proprietary technologies, standards and protocols, something Montoya says is what Paessler does.

“We keep up with all these new technologies to provide a single pane of glass. So that multiple vendors for IoT devices can share the information with our visualisation tool and monitoring solution. So that the users can see everything in one place and can handle everything from a single location, we provide a central database, and they can also get centralised alerts,” he explained.

Where do we go from here?

IDC market analyst for Asia-Pacific, Sharad Kotagi, says enterprises no longer think IoT value is only limited to achieving operational efficacy and improved productivity.

Sharad Kotagi

“They see IoT as an enabler in the evolution of enterprises' requirements and challenges in an ever-changing business environment. Many organisations are willing to invest in digital technologies such as IoT, and AI to fully leverage the new expansive role of data in emerging digital business models.”

Sharad Kotagi

But in the race to Industry 4.0 and the promise of smarter IoT-enabled enterprises, businesses and operations should not forget that behind the facade of benefits such a transformation promises, lies a myriad of security threats and vulnerabilities that must be addressed not for the lifecycle of the IoT but the use cases it is trying to enable.

Click on the PodChat player and hear Montoya talk about the challenges organisations face as they integrate IoT into their operations, and why monitoring may be the best path forward to securing IoT as the converged future of IT, OT and IoT.
  1. Paint us a picture of the security landscape where it involves IoT.
  2. Technologies like IoT, security practices and regulations have evolved, why do IoT continue to be vulnerable?
  3. Is the lack of standards around IoT protocol a problem for securing IoT?
  4. Will this wide range of protocols also hinder the effective use of monitoring tools and services?
  5. As IoT start to connect – be part of the enterprise, how should the CIO, CISO and the COO or head of operations work together to better secure IoT as these connect to the enterprise?
  6. Your thoughts for 2023?

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IoT data integration to AWS now available https://futureiot.tech/iot-data-integration-to-aws-now-available/ Tue, 20 Dec 2022 01:00:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=11823 Enterprise MQTT solutions provider HiveMQ announced the availability of the HiveMQ Enterprise Extension for Amazon Kinesis, allowing users to quickly move their MQTT data from the broker into AWS using Amazon Kinesis Data Streams. HiveMQ customers can now integrate MQTT data reliably and securely to any of the three major cloud providers – AWS, Microsoft […]

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Enterprise MQTT solutions provider HiveMQ announced the availability of the HiveMQ Enterprise Extension for Amazon Kinesis, allowing users to quickly move their MQTT data from the broker into AWS using Amazon Kinesis Data Streams.

HiveMQ customers can now integrate MQTT data reliably and securely to any of the three major cloud providers – AWS, Microsoft Azure or Google Cloud – or simultaneously in a multi-cloud environment.

Christian Götz

“Our goal is to give customers a flexible and open foundation for MQTT data transport, no matter which cloud platform they choose, and this new extension completes that offering,” said Christian Götz, CEO and Co-founder of HiveMQ.

Götz opines that enterprises adopt multi-cloud strategies, they need platforms that will allow them to avoid vendor lock-in and integrate data to any of these services for advanced analytics, machine learning, storage, or other use cases.

HiveMQ’s platform-agnostic broker offers 100% MQTT compliance, efficient network utilization, enterprise-grade security, reliable data delivery and the ability to scale to millions of always-on concurrent connections to meet the requirements of any IoT application.

The extension framework gives customers the flexibility to integrate seamlessly with enterprise systems to support multi-cloud strategies and eliminate vendor lock-in.

HiveMQ Enterprise Extension for Amazon Kinesis features include:
  • Seamless integration of MQTT data into Amazon Kinesis Data Streams
  • Indirect support for Amazon Kinesis Data Firehose and Data Analytics as they read data from Kinesis Data Streams
  • Configuration of access credentials and authentication via AWS Identity and Access Management
  • Continuous support and feature updates from HiveMQ

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Top 10 predictions for the Future of Operations https://futureiot.tech/top-10-predictions-for-the-future-of-operations/ Fri, 16 Dec 2022 01:00:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=11816 IDC says as organisations find new and more effective ways to manage, analyse, and collaborate around their operational data, the impacts will extend beyond the data, affecting how decisions are made and who makes them. It will also impact which roles are needed, who fills those roles, and how organisations manage their operations. Operational excellence […]

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IDC says as organisations find new and more effective ways to manage, analyse, and collaborate around their operational data, the impacts will extend beyond the data, affecting how decisions are made and who makes them.

It will also impact which roles are needed, who fills those roles, and how organisations manage their operations. Operational excellence and resilience continue to present challenges across industries, as businesses struggle with supply chain disruptions, rising energy costs, talent constraints, and pressure to improve sustainability metrics.

Becoming a data-driven organisation is a journey that requires an honest assessment of the current state and a willingness to embrace the changes necessary to improve operational performance.

Recognising the need for new approaches and technologies, IDC has developed the Data-Driven Operations (DDO) framework and maturity model to help organisations benchmark themselves and develop plans to improve operational performance across multiple dimensions – efficiency, productivity, quality, safety, reliability, and sustainability.

"Data-driven operations is a journey but this should not be interpreted as a reason to be complacent,’ said Leif Eriksen, research vice president, Future of Operations at IDC.

“The pace of change in operations is beginning to accelerate and will result in significant realignments across a range of industries. Organisations that recognise the opportunity will thrive; those which fail to see it will not survive."

Leif Eriksen

The Future of Operations

Prediction 1: By 2025, 50% of G2000 industrial organisations will make real-time decisions balancing economic and sustainability metrics, simultaneously improving both sets of metrics by 5% across the enterprise.

Prediction 2: By 2026, 40% of product-centric organisations will use digital tools to measure life-cycle carbon footprint, creating demand for better integration between PLM and operational data.

Prediction 3: By 2023, talent shortages and pressure to improve operational performance will force organisations to re-evaluate their approach to digital transformation, resulting in greater use of outside services.

Prediction 4: By 2027, the use of extended reality technology, including AR/VR/MR tools, will increase by 40%, creating a new breed of digital workers and reducing operator/field worker errors by 30%.

Prediction 5: By 2026, the use of robots in non-traditional sectors, most notably remote inspection and maintenance, will increase by 35%, resulting in a 50% drop in inspection errors.

Prediction 6: By 2023, digital-first operations enabled by 5G connectivity will improve worker safety, resulting in a 20% reduction in lost time accidents.

Prediction 7: By 2027, 50% of remote operations will use satellite-enabled AI/ML technology to collect and analyse data at the edge, reducing costs and improving yields and energy usage in the natural resource sectors.

Prediction 8: By 2024, the cloud will surpass on-premises infrastructure as the primary location where operational data is stored, managed, and analysed for 50% of G2000 organisations.

Prediction 9: By 2024, 30% of industrial organisations will have become leaner and more agile than their competitors because of making real-time operational insights available anytime, anywhere, to anyone.

Prediction 10: By 2025, 50% of organisations will increase the use of IoT and OT cybersecurity solutions at the edge, cutting OT cybersecurity breaches in half.

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Urbanisation to drive MaaS adoption https://futureiot.tech/urbanisation-to-drive-maas-adoption/ Tue, 13 Dec 2022 01:00:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=11798 The Juniper Research study, Mobility-as-a-Service: Business Models, Vendor Strategies & Market Forecasts 2022-2027, forecasts that Mobility‑as‑a‑Service (MaaS) will generate revenue of $92 billion globally by 2027; up from $20 billion in 2022. MaaS defined MaaS is a service through which users are able to plan, book and pay for a variety of types of mobility […]

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The Juniper Research study, Mobility-as-a-Service: Business Models, Vendor Strategies & Market Forecasts 2022-2027, forecasts that Mobility‑as‑a‑Service (MaaS) will generate revenue of $92 billion globally by 2027; up from $20 billion in 2022.

MaaS defined

MaaS is a service through which users are able to plan, book and pay for a variety of types of mobility services, through a joint digital channel. It is a shift away from personally owned modes of transportation services towards mobility provided as a service.

It is achieved through the combination of public transport, e.g., trains and buses, as well as private transport, and micromobility, including bikes and scooters, to get users from one destination to another. Users can pay for the service provided either monthly or pay per trip.

MaaS platforms provide consumer urban transport solutions, such as bus, metro and ride hailing, all integrated into a single platform; enabling users to organise a multi-modal journey through one billing relationship.

Growing by 357% over the period, the main drivers will be the cost and convenience of MaaS solutions and the increased investment into MaaS infrastructure.

The Juniper Research whitepaper, How Incentivisation Can Increase Mobility-as-a-Service Adoption, says MaaS provides an opportunity to offer a multimodal subscription package, which would entail one monthly charge for unlimited use of transport services.

Among the benefits including:

Cost Efficiency: By using a MaaS subscription, users will be able to realise cost savings over their existing forms of travel. For the cost of an existing train season ticket, users will be able to access a multimodal system. This will be a significant driver in itself.

Incentives: As MaaS is intended to improve environmental sustainability, vendors can offer users incentives for changing their behaviours. This can include free miles or discounted subscriptions, which will further enhance the user experience.

Simplicity: By offering access to services via a single payment, the user experience is greatly simplified. Users will not have to check what services they are using, and the allowances involved. This will be a great benefit, particularly for travellers with substantial travel usage such as commuters and business travellers.

Adoption challenges ahead

Juniper Research cautions that for this to work the subscription model will need to establish its value quickly. Users will need to take full advantage of the transport modes included in their packages to justify the significant price tag, compared to the costs associated with traditional public transport. Education will be important.

Another challenge is how to reconcile public transport operation investment and whether they can offer bundled prices.

According to research author Cara Malone posits the idea of an ad hoc model whereby MaaS vendors can offer usage-based pricing models that can be sold on a pay-as-you-go basis. She opines that introducing an ad hoc model will allow users to get familiarised with the benefits of the platform and move to subscription models eventually.

Subscriptions to boost revenue growth

The report predicts that, by 2027, 65% of global MaaS revenue will be generated through subscriptions – for a flat monthly fee, users gain access to a variety of transport services, providing a more cost-effective and convenient transit proposition.

However, the report anticipates that the current use of an ad hoc charging model will continue to be crucial in fostering consumer trust; enabling potential users to trial MaaS journeys for a one-off fee. Ad hoc models enable users to pay for a single journey, rather than committing to an ongoing subscription.

Cara Malone

Malone added that the ability to pay for a single journey in an app, despite leveraging multiple modes of transport, will create substantial cost savings for users, in comparison to individual transit services.

“MaaS platforms must promote these savings to attract users away from established transport services and towards subscription plans for MaaS services.”

Cara Malone

The data challenge

All operators within the MaaS space must be willing to share the data they collect in order to support other actors within the MaaS ecosystem.

The access to travel in aggregated and anonymised form is essential to MaaS providers’ ability to offer up-to-date travel information and a variety of modes, tailored to each user.

Juniper Research stressed that it is key for vendors to take into consideration the fact that data is used in every phase of a user’s journey, from planning to getting real-time updates whilst travelling. Therefore, it is important that the data collected from them is anonymised and stored correctly in line with regulations, as well as to increase the public’s support.

Access to travel data is important to other actors in a MaaS ecosystem. MaaS providers and local authorities should also be willing to share their data with transport operators so that they can better understand travel demand and gaps in their services, as well as customer preferences, which in turn will enable them to improve their own services. Acts like GDPR (General Data Protection Regulations) in the UK ensure that individuals’ personal information is kept secure and never shared.

Driving MaaS beyond 2022

As urban populations increase over the next five years, transit planning authorities must consider the potential of a MaaS solution to ease congestion and reduce pollution from private vehicles.

The report urges transit planning authorities to take a holistic approach to urban mobility by integrating MaaS into the wider smart city ecosystem to leverage real-time data from smart city sensors and maximise reductions in congestion and pollution.

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Realising innovation with IoT adoption https://futureiot.tech/realising-innovation-with-iot-adoption/ Mon, 21 Nov 2022 01:00:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=11704 At the IoT Asia+ event in Singapore, Sathvik Rao, principal director of Accenture’s Industry-X declared that businesses have been transforming themselves and become more resilient, while customer behaviour has also changed significantly. He noted that the continued shortfall in the availability of skilled workers has spurred the adoption of robotics, automation, AI augmentation and connected […]

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At the IoT Asia+ event in Singapore, Sathvik Rao, principal director of Accenture’s Industry-X declared that businesses have been transforming themselves and become more resilient, while customer behaviour has also changed significantly.

He noted that the continued shortfall in the availability of skilled workers has spurred the adoption of robotics, automation, AI augmentation and connected operations.

Challenges of IIoT adoption

As with many emerging technologies, challenges await organisations looking to tap the potential of IoT to improve the company’s competitiveness and business value.

For Rao, the most immediate challenges relate to ensuring operational technology (OT) and information technology (IT) security.

“In addition, device security and operation, power constraint and battery management issues, as well as the growing problem of chip shortages, also need to be resolved,” he continued.

Ajithkumar Nandakumar, VP for strategic initiatives, IOT practice at Hitachi Vantara, says IoT pilot projects are focused on the innovation factor rather than the business outcome. He also noted that legacy systems with their proprietary protocols are still siloed. Efforts to link them to the rest of the enterprise often undermine the potential benefit.   

Part of the value proposition of IoT devices and sensors is the data they acquire. According to Andrew Ling, head of industries and customer advisory at SAP Hong Kong, there remains a lack of correlation between the IoT data collected and how it could be used to improve processes and create business value.

He also commented that data for many organisations are stored in silos. He posits that companies are collecting IoT but not holistically, as different business units within a company adopt IoT technologies for different reasons.

“They might collect IoT-generated data on the workforce, machinery, and process efficiency. But these multiple sources of data are, however, isolated, and not fed into an end-to-end platform,” he added.

Andrew Ling

“Without an end-to-end ERP or data management system that can integrate and harmonise the mass volume of data, it defeats the purpose of the investment. Having an end-to-end integrated system can facilitate data to run throughout the system and generate business insights.”

Andrew Ling

Strategies for accelerating IoT integration

While use cases abound for IoT in both commercial and industrial applications, the environment must remain conducive to encouraging adoption.

For Nandkumar, the path to IoT adoption begins with a business outcome in mind. He posits the need to plug the business-IT alignment gap.

Ajithkumar Nandakumar

“Most IoT programs will involve custom-built solutions combined with out-of-the-box software across multiple vendors spanning across business & IT. They must work with a partner that cannot just define a roadmap and deliver on an IoT-based innovation project but also has the experience to scale and cross the business & technology partner ecosystems.”

Ajithkumar Nandakumar

He cautioned that planning is very important in an IoT project. Typical innovation projects are kicked off with minimal planning since they are considered test beds.

He warns that scaling an innovation project (with little planning) will meet with failure since due diligence and proper planning are often skipped in urgency to test out new technology.

“The third critical factor is to look at IoT projects holistically over the longer term. This means considering combining them with other emerging technologies and looking at a longer horizon for profit and returns.

“IoT projects do take time to deliver outcomes and work best as part of a larger transformation initiative. Measuring outcomes from IoT projects in isolation does not deliver the expected outcomes, leading to early scrapping of IoT pilots,” continued Nandakumar.

Kickstarting the adoption of IoT in Asia

One strategy often cited by consultants and industry practitioners is starting small to get those quick wins.

SAP’s Ling explains that for quick wins, companies should map out how IoT technology can improve and optimize specific work processes and measure the time or resources saved.

“These use cases could illustrate what IoT technology can achieve and contribute to creating business value. Successful use cases can be baby steps for companies to develop a more holistic IoT roadmap and elicit funding and executive support,” he concluded.

For this part, Nandakumar suggests that Asian enterprises establish clear ownership for their IoT programs and form teams that cut across organisational functions and stay focused on the business value outcomes.

“Firms should also select the right pilot use cases that directly impact core business outcomes. This is where they can learn from some of the successful programs in other markets and start with such successful use cases but adapt it to their specific business context,” he added.

He commented that IoT architecture, even a pilot, should be designed with scalability in mind than just for meeting the immediate use case scope and needs. Another factor to consider upfront is on building the technical talent and skills needed in the program. This is quite crucial for execution and success.

“In addition, while designing architecture and making technical choices, it is important to focus on the interoperability of systems. It is key to solve this upfront to successfully scale and improve adoption beyond the pilot.

“Finally, there can be never enough emphasis on change management in an IoT program. Many pilots have failed because they were treated as mere technical projects. Asian firms need to approach such pilots with a change management mindset and thereby have the right talent, governance and business alignment upfront to accelerate the adoption of the IoT project beyond the pilot project,” concluded Nandakumar.

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PodChats for FutureIoT: Understanding the fundamentals of secure IoT https://futureiot.tech/podchats-for-futureiot-understanding-the-fundamentals-of-secure-iot/ Fri, 18 Nov 2022 01:00:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=11693 Gartner observed that in the past three years, nearly 20% of organisations have already observed cyberattacks on IoT devices in their network. IoT Analytics forecasts that globally the number of connected IoT devices will grow at 9% annually, reaching 27 billion IoT connections by 2025. Riding on this growth of connected devices is an increased […]

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Gartner observed that in the past three years, nearly 20% of organisations have already observed cyberattacks on IoT devices in their network.

IoT Analytics forecasts that globally the number of connected IoT devices will grow at 9% annually, reaching 27 billion IoT connections by 2025. Riding on this growth of connected devices is an increased need for security.

ResearchandMarkets forecasts the global IoT security market to grow from US$3.86 billion in 2021 to US$5.09 billion in 2022. The firm attributes this growth due to the companies stabilizing their output after catering to the demand that grew exponentially during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021.

While 64% of respondents to the Kaspersky study, Pushing the limits: How to address specific cybersecurity demands and protect IoT, use IoT solutions, as much as 43% do not protect them completely.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) paper, Recommended Criteria for Cybersecurity Labelling for Consumer Internet of Things (IoT) Products, posits that to reduce IoT product vulnerabilities, it is important to understand already exploited vulnerabilities in IoT products and ensure that consumer IoT product labelling programmes consider these incidents in its criteria to help improve the cybersecurity of the IoT ecosystem.

Dr Dorit Dor, chief product officer with Check Point Software Technologies, explains that there are many levels to IoT leaving to misunderstanding and potential risks of exposure to threats from within and outside the organisation.

“Even the lowest cost IoT device could be a starting point for an attack. You have to understand the connectivity of the IoT device to the internal and outside world. The fact that it bridges the two things without having the right IoT controlling them is the biggest evidence of this,” she explained.

“People use IoT to do massive attacks (DDoS massive attacks) by taking over IoTs in many locations and doing denial of service or other destruction for the world. These are less focused attacks and more widespread attacks.”

Dorit Dor

More common than you think

Dr Dor cautions that attacks that stem from unprotected IoT are not always targeted at specific industries. She calls back understanding that cybercriminals are often looking for the least protected targets.

That is not to say that there are attacks that are specifically directed at certain industries or organisations.

“It is less of a sectorial issue. It's more of a general issue of IoT devices being spread around and kind of hindering the security architecture of the organisation. By creating all these hidden links, the IoT itself could be served as a jump point for the intended target,” she cautioned.

Common misconceptions and challenges

Dr Dor noted that one of the biggest misconceptions when it comes to IoT security is the perception among enterprises that they do not have any IoT devices in the workplace. And if they did, the other misconception is that these devices are not connected to the internal network (without their knowledge).

Another misconception, she added, is enterprises think they are protected when they are not.

“People don’t always have the right personnel to perform the security sections required,” she posited.

Advanced technologies to the rescue?

Asked whether any advanced technologies help solve some of the challenges she presented, Dr Dor is confident that tools are available to help in the process of understanding the challenges.

She cited the use of artificial intelligence (AI) as helping map the devices that are seen on the network of IoT devices and mapping their behaviour.

“But to do this, you need to have a lot of data on similar IoT devices that exist,” she cautioned.

“So as an organisation, you may not have enough data to secure your IoT devices. However, you probably have enough data on different uses and usages of this IoT device that could help you sanction or create sectioning policies for the IoT device.”

Dorit Dor

Bringing about greater security of IoT devices in the enterprise

Dr Dor suggests reducing the access atmosphere of the IoT device to the least limited or a zoning-based approach. The other step is to understand what the IoT does and see that it behaves like a legitimate IoT device.

She recommended organisations buy IoT devices that have some security and stability built in.

Click on the PodChat player and hear in greater detail Dr Dor’s observations and recommendations for securing IoT for the enterprise.
  1. What are the IoT cyber security threats faced by enterprises?
  2. How common are these threats?
  3. What are common misconceptions and challenges encountered today when enterprises try to secure IoT devices?
  4. Can advanced technology such as AI, machine learning and deep learning solve these problems?
  5. What are the roles of AI, machine learning and deep learning in IoT security?
  6. What are your recommendations to bring about greater security of IT devices in the enterprise?

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Unify Analytics offers real-time visibility of warehouses https://futureiot.tech/unify-analytics-offers-real-time-visibility-of-warehouses/ Fri, 11 Nov 2022 03:00:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=11664 In this rapidly evolving and competitive market where even minute delays along a supply chain workflow, compounded by warehouse management errors, can snowball into serious financial losses. Further, the blossoming e-commerce market in the Asia Pacific region, which is accelerated by the ongoing global pandemic, is driving growth in Warehouse Management Systems (WMS) and cloud […]

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In this rapidly evolving and competitive market where even minute delays along a supply chain workflow, compounded by warehouse management errors, can snowball into serious financial losses. Further, the blossoming e-commerce market in the Asia Pacific region, which is accelerated by the ongoing global pandemic, is driving growth in Warehouse Management Systems (WMS) and cloud adoption.

Gartner defines a warehouse management system (WMS) as "a software application that helps manage the operations of a warehouse or distribution centre."

According to Data Bridge Market Research, the WMS market in Asia Pacific is expected to reach US$2434.16 million by 2029, with a CAGR of 18% during the forecast period of 2022 to 2029. Unlike traditional warehousing operations where data is typically loaded, extracting real-time statistics is no longer just preferred, but a necessity to gain prior insights into potential challenges within warehouse operations.

Unify Analytics from AutoStore is a cloud-based service and data platform for intelligent warehousing. It enables businesses using AutoStore, an automated storage and retrieval system, to leverage data-led insights from their system and easily identify the cause of operational challenges.

Clement Yew

“Over the last two years, we have seen how businesses are startled by the sudden explosive demand and orders. Our aim is to assist businesses in ensuring their operations run smoothly without disruptions due to poor inventory management, or the inaccuracy of data storage,” says Clement Yew, director of business development for Southeast Asia at AutoStore.

“Through Unify Analytics with AutoStore, customers can now have real-time visibility and statistics for their warehouse operations to make informed and verifiable decisions. Despite the fluctuations in demand, the insights can prepare customers in adapting to the changing market trends and uncertainties.”

Clement Yew

Two versions

Unify Analytics is available in two versions, a web application where businesses can view real-time statistics and analytics, and an API that enables seamless integration with any external third-party applications.

Andreas Munch

“Businesses can reap multiple benefits by combining automated storage and retrieval, and data-led insights. This data analysis tool will allow businesses to be more proactive and respond rapidly to real-time challenges,” says Andreas Munch, product manager at AutoStore.

Monitoring with data visualisation tools

Unify Analytics consists of several performance analysis dashboards that provide graphical presentations of operational information. Examples of available data are uptime and number of stops within the system; waiting time per bin; average distance per robot; and the number of tasks a customer has prepared in the system (each hour). It also shows if the software and firmware have been updated.

“Data is only effective if we measure the right metrics. We currently include a selected list of key metrics and will develop and add new features to the software gradually, in close dialogue with our users," says Munch.

In the next stages of the technology, AutoStore developers plan to include an alert functionality. End-users will get a notification via email or SMS when set conditions are triggered, allowing businesses to respond quickly to operational challenges.

A single data platform

The AutoStore System generates vast amounts of information on a continuous basis, making it valuable to have a technology that organises all data onto a single platform, is highly protected, and meets security requirements.

“The new analytics tool secures access to real-time and logged data and is only accessible to designated end-users and distribution partners. We automatically deploy software updates when they are available, without any system downtime,” says Munch.

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APAC retailers moving to self-service egged by consumers https://futureiot.tech/apac-retailers-moving-to-self-service-egged-by-consumers/ Mon, 07 Nov 2022 01:00:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=11647 The 15th Annual Global Shopper Study from Zebra Technologies confirms that shoppers are returning to shop in stores in similar numbers seen prior to the pandemic. They have also embraced self-serve habits as they increasingly use “do-it-yourself” (DIY) technology in stores, allowing retail associates more time on the floor to help shoppers. The annual report […]

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The 15th Annual Global Shopper Study from Zebra Technologies confirms that shoppers are returning to shop in stores in similar numbers seen prior to the pandemic. They have also embraced self-serve habits as they increasingly use “do-it-yourself” (DIY) technology in stores, allowing retail associates more time on the floor to help shoppers.

The annual report highlights changes in consumers, retail associates (front-line retail staff) and decision-makers among retailers over the 15 years the survey has been conducted.

Key events that shaped the retail world
Source: Zebra Technologies 2022

Gearing toward a mobile-first retail experience

Among surveyed shoppers in Asia-Pacific (APAC), 68% say inflation has caused them to delay purchases (compared to 75% globally). However, they are still returning to stores. However, most shoppers (76% globally, 68% APAC) want to get in and out as quickly as possible. They are also willing to help make that happen with their growing affinity for self-serve technology.

Preference for a traditional check-out register staffed by a store associate has similarly declined (51% in APAC).

This trend for using self-checkouts is now being echoed among retailers in APAC with 79% viewing staffed checkouts as less necessary, while 53% have converted store space to self-serve areas and 52% are offering contactless options.

Device shopping

Overall, shoppers are ready for technological advancements, with about eight-in-10 expect retailers to have the latest technology.

Among shoppers in APAC, 46% of those surveyed opted for cashless payment methods. Half of APAC respondents prefer paying with a mobile device or smartphone.

Consumers also continue to rely on their smartphones during shopping trips; this year’s usage indicates price sensitivity as over half of those surveyed are checking for sales, specials, or coupons (48% in APAC), aligning with a good majority of shoppers (67% in APAC) concerned about having to reduce spending to make ends meet.

Everything experience

Consumers expect a seamless experience when they shop. Seven in 10 prefer shopping both in-store and online as well as favour online retailers that also offer brick-and-mortar locations. Convenience is king for fulfilment: most shoppers (73% in APAC) prefer the option to have items delivered and opt for retailers who offer in-store or curbside pick-up (64% in APAC).

The same is true for reverse logistics: about 77% in APAC prioritise their spending with retailers that offer easy returns. About 49% of surveyed retailers in APAC are converting space in their stores for order pick-up, supporting consumer fulfilment preferences.

Mobile ordering continues to increase, with around eight-in-10 shoppers and nine-in-10 millennials using it, and around seven-in-10 shoppers wanting more retailers to offer such services.

George Pepes

"With the convergence of retail channels today, retailers need to step up to meet renewed shopper expectations and ensure a seamless experience across their offline and online platforms,” said George Pepes, the APAC vertical solutions lead for retail and healthcare at Zebra Technologies.

“Furthermore, as the retail sector heads into the future of fulfilment, it is more important than ever for retailers to empower associates with the right technology to better perform their tasks.”

George Pepes

While 79% of global shoppers (76% in APAC) are concerned about inflationary price increases on everyday essentials, they are not necessarily leaving stores without the items they wanted due to price. Retail associates expressed out-of-stock complaints as their number one frustration (43% globally, 38% in APAC).

In APAC, the share of shoppers that do not complete their intended purchase order is lower overall (64%), with reasons including out-of-stock products (44%) or having found better deals elsewhere (27%).

Retailers are painfully aware of such reasons; 80% acknowledge the maintenance of real-time visibility for out-of-stocks as a significant challenge, needing better inventory management tools for accuracy and availability (84% in APAC).

Retail decision-makers estimate how important emerging technologies will be to their organisation over the next five years
Source: Zebra Technologies 2022

Leveraging labour

Generally, shoppers, retail associates and retail decision-makers agree shoppers have a better experience when retail associates use the latest technology to assist them.

In the face of labour shortages: 74% of surveyed retail associates in APAC and 82% of retail decision-makers agree that stores leveraging retail technology and mobile devices attract and retain more retail associates as well. 

To further improve the shopping experience, more than eight-in-10 retailers surveyed aim to enable more retail associates or seasonal staff to help customers pick and fulfil online orders for the 2022 holiday season.

This also addresses another challenge cited by 73% of surveyed retailers in APAC: improving online fulfilment efficiency and expense (71%).

Christanto Suryadarma

“To keep up with the ever-evolving retail landscape, retailers need to embrace intelligent automation and transform the way they integrate technology into their operations. Retailers also need to recognize that associates are a significant touchpoint to achieving long-term customer loyalty,” said Christanto Suryadarma, Southeast Asia (SEA) sales vice president for Zebra Technologies Asia Pacific.

“By equipping retail associates with the right technologies and processes, retailers will be well-prepared to respond to shoppers’ needs and deliver on-demand effectively.”

Christanto Suryadarma

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PodChats for IoT: Working with IoT data analytics https://futureiot.tech/podchats-for-iot-working-with-iot-data-analytics/ Tue, 18 Oct 2022 03:00:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=11573 By 2025, it is expected that IoT devices will generate roughly 73.1 Zettabytes of data. Around that time, 30% of all data will be real-time, with IoT accounting for nearly 95% of it, 20% of all data will be critical and 10% of all data will be hypercritical. The real-time nature of IoT data presents […]

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By 2025, it is expected that IoT devices will generate roughly 73.1 Zettabytes of data. Around that time, 30% of all data will be real-time, with IoT accounting for nearly 95% of it, 20% of all data will be critical and 10% of all data will be hypercritical.

The real-time nature of IoT data presents opportunities, challenges and threats to organisations. Analytics will have to happen in real time for companies to benefit from these types of data.

According to Niraj Naidu, APJ head of field engineering for DataStax, the internet of things (IoT) refers to the billions of internet-connected devices around the world that use different types of sensors to collect real-time data remotely.

He adds that the IoT use cases span many different industries in a wide range of applications, depending on the application, the data that is collected from these devices can be used to perform analytics.

These devices need support from a modern technology stack that can ingest and handle a continuous flow of real-time and often time series data. Some IoT devices may have multiple sensors collecting different types of data.

Niraj Naidu

“All that data flows in and is integrated into a platform where analytics are applied, patterns emerge from the analytics and insights are uncovered. These insights are then effectively converted into useful information that is delivered to end users via the IoT application user interfaces.”

Niraj Naidu

“And so, we see the type of valuable information will vary by each application’s purpose, but it could be a recommendation it could be an alert, a status update, or any other variety of use cases being tackled by specific IoT initiatives that you know, these organizations have,” he added.

The six challenges of a growing IoT ecosystem

Naidu forecasts that by 2024, the global IoT market is predicted to surpass a trillion dollars annually.

He posited that due to this growth, companies are now speedily accumulating hundreds of terabytes or even 1000s of terabytes of data, depending on the industries that they're based in.

“These companies are therefore having to deal with many different challenges when it comes to managing data produced by these IoT devices or even gadgets.”

There are six main things that we tend to see:

Scalability: Companies need a modern architecture that can quickly and seamlessly scale alongside the number of users’ devices or even the associated data volumes if they suddenly skyrocket to this.

Security: Data flowing in from IoT devices can be located anywhere globally, and there is a high probability that some if not all of it, is sensitive information. A company trying to completely handle the security of this data internally places itself at risk of a breach occurring.

Control: Data should be a company's most asset, and IoT collection and analysis can yield some amazing insights that will lead to them creating a competitive advantage for them in their markets. Organizations should therefore have complete control over that data and their data. And be able to migrate whenever and wherever they want and make it a first-class citizen.

Performance: The value that can be gained from IoT data depends on its timelessness. And the effectiveness of IoT devices largely relies on the responsiveness of the system. The platform that can truly handle millions of devices, and elastically scale with any unexpected spikes, can do all of this without slowing things down

Flexibility: Companies need that flexibility to speedily adjust, when necessary, to handle that rarity of data and devices. The database should have the ability to deal with many different types of data models and cloud environments that these IoT devices are generating.

Availability: That's one of the other key challenges that organizations are having and the success of an IoT system requires continuous flow and exchange of data, and as such going offline, it could be disastrous.

“When it comes to smart products, smart devices customers expect to access and information to be just to be available right at the click of a finger. The systems must therefore always be online, with no single points of failure,” he concluded.

Data infrastructure for IoT

Naidu suggests that the data infrastructure for an IoT system today needs to be open. It is built on a modern data management layer that once again can ingest large volumes of high-velocity data that these IoT devices and gadgets are created.

There are three parts to the system there is device connectivity, IoT Hub and the business layer.

Device connectivity is metadata information for each deployed device that needs to be managed. Each of those management layers is looking at specific things like the device registry device. Once again, metadata right device configuration, looking at device states, the device commands and interactions, and device shadows.

This part of the IoT system also contains field gateways, specialized devices, or software that acts as a communication enabler in even a local device control system, and a device data processing hub.

The IoT Hub is where all the data comes together to allow operations, administration, and insights to take place. It has two or more types of storage, looking at a hot layer for ingesting and a holding layer for recent data and another cold layer for older data.

That hub can be on-premises or close to the edge or in the cloud depending on the scale of the data or latency requirements that the organization may have.

There are then two types of analytics that can be conducted via that hub. There's real-time analytics right as data arrives at a central hub. It is streamed with event streaming technologies, which allows complex event processing tasks and analytical tasks to take place.

Batch analytics is ideal for cases where large amounts of data must be analysed right with batch queries, or even ad hoc queries, as those systems or users require.

At the business layer is where all the data from those devices’ gateways and, other sources come together to provide analysis for actionable insights. This analysis provides the ability to spot anomalies and explore trends and measure operational efficiency is just an example.

Other tools like artificial intelligence and machine learning form the basis for predictive maintenance and operation.

“I think that those three elements, they're aligned around device connectivity, the IoT hub in the business layer is what really kind of help form the right data infrastructure, architecture for IoT.”

Click on the PodChat player as Naidu elaborates on how to achieve better results using IoT analytics.
  1. What is IoT analytics?
  2. How prevalent is the use of IoT analytics in Asia?
  3. We know that IoT produces a lot of data. What are the real challenges why enterprises struggle to better utilise/monetise the data produced by IoT?
  4. Can you name a high-value/promising use case of IoT analytics?
  5. What would the data infrastructure for IoT look like?
  6. Do you see IoT streaming data as further complicating (or facilitating) IoT analytics adoption?
  7. Where does DataStax sit in the adoption of IoT analytics?

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The value of AI in IoT analytics https://futureiot.tech/the-value-of-ai-in-iot-analytics/ Fri, 30 Sep 2022 01:00:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=11452 In many parts of Asia, seasonal torrential rains bring with them floods that damage property and livelihood of citizens. Whereas in the past, city administrations, citizens and businesses can do almost nothing but ride out the unwelcoming waves of flood water and the potential diseases these carry, technologies like the Internet of Things (IoT), machine […]

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In many parts of Asia, seasonal torrential rains bring with them floods that damage property and livelihood of citizens. Whereas in the past, city administrations, citizens and businesses can do almost nothing but ride out the unwelcoming waves of flood water and the potential diseases these carry, technologies like the Internet of Things (IoT), machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) may provide respite for more forward-looking leaders.

This is the case of the DKI Jakarta Provincial Government's Flood Control System in the Jakarta Smart City application. Developed by Jakarta Smart City in collaboration with the Jakarta Water Resource Service (DSDA) to optimise flood risk management in Jakarta, the project involved the use of IoT, AI and ML as part of an early warning system against the risk of floods in the city.

As more organisations deploy IoT in commercial and industrial environments, the amount of data that is derived from these devices and sensors may prove important in improving quality, operational efficiency, and in the case of Jakarta – saving lives and property from natural disasters.

Kenneth Koh

Kenneth Koh, head of industry consulting at SAS Institute, argues that the speed and accuracy with which an IoT system reacts to its environment is critical. However, with the devices and other sensors in a typical system generating overwhelming amounts of data, traditional tools and methods can slow down the process of making sense of that data.

Can you explain what AI-embedded IoT is?

Kenneth Koh: Processing data at or near the edge allows IoT systems to be nimbler and more impactful. But the quality of a data-led action is only as meaningful as the quality of the data-based insights it is acting on.

IoT by itself is not new to manufacturers. Manufacturers have been collecting and storing sensor data from machines for decades. The value proposition for them is in AIoT -analysing that data, at the edge in real-time, using AI and ML to drive efficiencies and value.

By equipping IoT systems with AI capabilities, a wide variety of data, both structured and unstructured, can be processed on the edge. High-quality insights are made available at increased speeds for systems to act on.

AI-embedded IoT and how it unlocks business value

Kenneth Koh: AI-embedded IoT improves operational efficiency and productivity while reducing costs. It also drives innovation towards better customer service, better products, and faster product deployment to the market.

Photo by Samon Yu: https://www.pexels.com/photo/a-man-looking-at-multiple-monitors-11783119/

Embedding AI in IoT devices enables edge computing, allowing for the deployment of IoT systems in situations where consistent 5G networks are unavailable. For example, logistics providers can use IoT sensors in their transportation fleet to monitor the internal and external conditions in their vehicles, even in remote parts of the latter's routes.

Aside from edge computing, AI-embedded IoT utilises machine learning to develop actionable insights from the terabytes of data an IoT system generates daily. In the example above, data collected from these sensors are sent to the cloud in real-time, enabling technicians to address vehicle breakdowns more accurately and much faster.

Manufacturers can also use these insights to predict when a particular factory system or piece of equipment would fail, allowing technicians to implement preventive maintenance. Proactive detection of faulty equipment saves precious man-hours while reducing costly unscheduled downtimes.

On the retail side, insights from IoT systems can be used to identify optimal prices for products and minimise disruption to their supply chains.

ML and its role in IoT analytics

Kenneth Koh: Machine learning is the edge AI-embedded IoT has over other IoT deployments. Systems can learn as it processes sensor-generated data using diverse advanced analytical methods such as decision trees, random forests, gradient boosting, neural networks, support vector machines, and factorization machines.

This creates savings for enterprises in terms of man-hours and specialists in the organisation. Without the need to extensively train AI systems, specialists can focus on other critical tasks as non-data scientists can access, view, and process data.

Machine learning capabilities also increase the range of data that AI systems can access and process: visual images online and offline, text, and even verbal speech. The increased volume and quality of available data increases the value and impact of insights derived from it.

Combined, these machine learning capabilities enable both increased speed and volume of data processing, enabling real-time actionable insights which are crucial in many IoT systems.

How AIoT supported Jakarta Smart City: Using SAS's AI-powered platforms, Jakarta Smart City was able to integrate multi-source data in real-time and provides advanced analytics with IoT, machine learning & AI technology to provide emergency/disaster predictive capability and optimisation to serve the public. The result is a flood emergency response to mitigate the risk of floods in Jakarta.

Jakarta Flood Control System
Source: SAS, Priority Consultants

Given that IoT historically falls under operational technology, who should own the securing of IoT?

Kenneth Koh: The introduction of IoT is blurring the lines between IT and OT across enterprises. Sensors and devices are connected to the network to create new systems and improve processes. At the same time, this convergence exposes traditional OT equipment and systems to threats they were previously insulated from.

The fact is that true device security is a combination of technologies, processes, and best practices. Thus, securing IoT systems should not be the sole domain of either OT or IT teams but engendering closer, more effective collaboration between both.

However, this is easier said than done, as IT security teams and OT security teams often don't speak the same language and find it difficult to understand each other's point of view.

Responsibilities are distributed quite differently; priorities often diverge and regulations governing OT security and IT security can sometimes contradict one another. Gaining an overview of all assets within the given environment makes clear what assets and processes must not fail under any circumstances.

By doing this, organisations can establish and practice unified cybersecurity that ensures the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of data.

Name one best practice for IT and operational technology staff working together.

Kenneth Koh: In manufacturing, data is very time sensitive. For example, if the chemical concentration of a process is drifting away from optimal, the engineer may have only minutes to react to save many tons of product. 

Photo by cottonbro: https://www.pexels.com/photo/person-with-black-gloves-in-hand-holding-a-machine-5532835/

In many semiconductor processes, engineers have only seconds to react. In such situations, Analytics needs to move to the ‘edge’ which means the data must be analysed and decisioned at the machine or on the shop floor, not in the back office or engineering.

This requires the ability to do analytics wherever it is needed –at the machine, on the production floor, in the cloud or the back office.

One of the major challenges faced is data silos. For organisations that are not implementing IT/OT convergence, due to a patchwork of unintegrated or partially integrated apps and enterprise systems. Without careful planning, introducing new sources of data (e.g. IoT sensors) will compound the problem.

Implementing a data integration platform to connect IoT systems with organisations' existing technology stack breaks down silos between historical and future data while providing all teams the same access through a single point of control. This ensures that IT and OT teams are with the same page, establishing a foundation for better IT/OT convergence.

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Smart hospital solution to reshape the future of healthcare https://futureiot.tech/smart-hospital-solution-to-reshape-the-future-of-healthcare/ Mon, 12 Sep 2022 01:00:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=11381 Hong Kong-based AI company, SenseTime recently launched its Smart Hospital Solution – a full-stack solution to facilitate the digital and intelligent transformation of hospitals and reshape the future landscape of healthcare. Speaking at the 2022 World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC), Dr Zhang Shaoting, vice president and president of smart health business at SenseTime, introduced SenseTime’s […]

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Hong Kong-based AI company, SenseTime recently launched its Smart Hospital Solution – a full-stack solution to facilitate the digital and intelligent transformation of hospitals and reshape the future landscape of healthcare.

SenseTime's Smart Hospital Solution product portfolio
Source: SenseTime

Speaking at the 2022 World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC), Dr Zhang Shaoting, vice president and president of smart health business at SenseTime, introduced SenseTime’s comprehensive Smart Hospital Solution by depicting how the future healthcare landscape brings better patient experience, combined with real cases:

“Through conversations with the intelligent chatbot on a mobile phone, the patient was able to receive a recommendation for the most suitable department or doctor, as well as a complete appointment at home; after arriving at the hospital, the patient was able to follow the AR navigation function which indicated the best route and arrived at the destination without any hassles.”

Dr Zhang Shaoting

Based on deep learning algorithms, the AI diagnostic assistance software helps doctors quickly detect lesions, analyse the patient’s conditions, and plan for future treatments. Doctors can also simulate and assess a surgical plan through 3D visualized models, to better communicate with patients and their families.

The regional-level medical collaborative platform connects experts from different cities to discuss the case, analyse surgical difficulties and optimize treatment plans. During the rehabilitation phase, doctors can keep close track of patients’ conditions through intelligent follow-up and management systems.

Putting the smart in healthcare

Smart Hospital Solution has the capability to upgrade a hospital’s facilities with fully digitalised and intelligent processes including contactless temperature sensors and verification devices at entrances, effectively ensuring the safety and order of hospital admission.

SenseCare Smart Health Platform provides high-performance clinical assistance
Source: SenseTime

The possibilities

Adhering to the “patient-centric, quality first” mission, SenseTime’s Smart Hospital Solution is designed to promote a new mode of healthcare and enhance various healthcare scenarios by providing the following services:

For medical professionals, the SenseCare Smart Health Platform provides high-performance clinical assistance covering multiple medical imaging modalities and body parts.

For patients, the Smart Outpatient Assistant simplifies outpatient procedures and communication processes to reduce waiting time and optimise the patient experience.

For hospital operators, the Smart Hospital Operation and Management service provides comprehensive digital and intelligent solutions for managing patients, hospital staff, space, and facilities.

For researchers, the Intelligent Clinical Research Platform provides a platform to accelerate innovation, elevate research efficiency and facilitate R&D projects across different research institutions.

For regional-level medical alliances, the Smart Medical Cloud Platform enables a more convenient and flexible remote diagnosis and patient referral to optimize the allocation of medical resources in the region. In addition, it also facilitates collaboration between hospitals of an alliance, making high-quality medical resources more accessible in grassroots healthcare institutions.

Actual use cases

Ruijin Hospital (one of China's most prominent hospitals): Its Pathology department has deployed the SenseCare Smart Health Platform to improve the efficiency and accuracy of diagnosis and treatment planning by doctors, and facilitate remote diagnosis across different branches

Qingdao West Coast New Area (China’s State-level new area): Deployed the SenseCare Smart Health Platform and the Smart Medical Cloud Platform to promote AI-enabled processing and interpretation of medical images at the regional level, contributing to the construction of a hierarchical medical treatment system and facilitating the allocation of regional medical resources

Xinhua Hospital (a leading hospital in China): Deployed the Smart Outpatient Assistant to streamline outpatient procedures and optimize patients’ experience

Xiangya Hospital (one of the earliest Western hospitals in China): Deployed the Intelligent Clinical Research Platform to accelerate innovation, elevate research efficiency and facilitate R&D projects, especially for multicenter research

Kiang Wu Hospital in Macau (one of the largest and oldest hospitals in Macau): Deployed the SenseCare Smart Health Platform to elevate clinical efficiency and accuracy for the Radiology department

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The IoT horizon for Asia’s manufacturers beyond 2022 https://futureiot.tech/the-iot-horizon-for-asias-manufacturers-beyond-2022/ Wed, 07 Sep 2022 08:11:55 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=11347 The Internet of Things (IoT) has been around for years but only in the recent decade has its prominence moved up the awareness chain following two significant events: development around smart solutions supported by sensors, devices and technologies that form part of the IoT ecosystem. The second, and arguably more dramatic, are the nearly persistent […]

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The Internet of Things (IoT) has been around for years but only in the recent decade has its prominence moved up the awareness chain following two significant events: development around smart solutions supported by sensors, devices and technologies that form part of the IoT ecosystem.

The second, and arguably more dramatic, are the nearly persistent cyberattacks against private businesses and the continued operation of critical infrastructure. Nearly all industries are unable to escape unscathed from these attacks.

IoT adoption in manufacturing

Specific to Asia’s manufacturing sector, IDC is projecting continued growth in the integration of IoT technologies into the region’s manufacturing sector.

IDC estimates that in 2020, US$83.4 billion was spent on IoT technology by manufacturers in Asia/Pacific (excluding Japan) with discrete manufacturing accounting for 60% of spend. Process manufacturing spent more than US$33 billion in the same year.

By 2025, IDC expects discrete manufacturers will send US$88.7 billion compared to US$51.9 billion among process manufacturers. The analyst says manufacturers can profit greatly from retrofitting smart sensors to old equipment because of the insights they can obtain about their equipment

FutureIoT touched base with Piyush Singh, senior market Analyst for IoT Insights, IDC Asia/Pacific to discuss how IoT is trending within the manufacturing sectors of Asia.

Manufacturers, whether in process or discrete, have used instrumentations to get feedback and provide some control over the production line. How can a manufacturer introduce IoT technology without disrupting the production line?

Piyush Singh: Industrial IoT uses a network of sensors to gather crucial production data, and cloud software to transform this data into insightful knowledge about how well industrial activities are run. The primary use case for expenditure was operations, followed by production asset management, maintenance, and field service.

APEJ IoT spending in the manufacturing sector, 2022-2025 (US$M)
Source: IDC Manufacturing Insights

Most of the manufacturers start with pilot testing by upgrading the existing legacy machines with the implementation of various hardware products. Additionally, it is true that replacing a plant entails a lengthy period of machine downtime.

In terms of time, this is frequently unsustainable. In this regard, a refit operation evaluation would be helpful. The most difficult barrier to a retrofitting effort is that a legacy system has machine tools from many manufacturing eras with various connection protocols.

Process control must be carried out manually by monitoring, sensing, estimating, and modifying the machine parameters due to the lack of sensors and actuators.

Piyush Singh

"Usually, in Asia, the retrofitting is completed in a phased manner wherein one production line is taken for the upgradation to avoid unnecessary downtime in production. Once the transformation of machines is completed in one production line, later the retrofitting of other machines will be considered."

Piyush Singh
Specific to manufacturers in Asia, do you see information security including cyber security, as a priority over production? How has the perception/acceptance/attitude towards security changed over the last five years?

Piyush Singh: The fourth industrial revolution, often known as Industry 4.0, is the logical outcome of the third revolution and is primarily focused on two key elements: the Internet of Things and Services (IoT) and Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS).

In Asia, retrofitting is not only the key concept of factory automation. Cyber security, data security, and enhanced data privacy are all covered under one umbrella called industry 4.0.

With the growing demand for IoT in various sectors, the demand for robust cyber security is also the need of the hour. Spending on security solutions and services in Asia/Pacific is forecasted to exceed $31 billion in 2022, an increase of 15.5% from 2021 in which almost $2 billion in security spending would be under the discrete manufacturing section, according to IDC's latest Worldwide Security Spending Guide.

Despite headwinds such as looming global recession, geopolitical conflicts, and rising inflation, investments in hardware, software, and services related to cybersecurity are expected to reach US$ 57.6 billion in 2026, with a CAGR (compound annual growth rate) of 16.4% for the period of 2021-26.

China will continue to be the region's largest market, accounting for more than 40% of total Asia/Pacific* security spending in 2022, with a five-year CAGR of 21.2% during the forecast period. This clearly showcases that the demand for security infrastructure is increasing in the Asia Pacific manufacturing sector.

If you think of IoT integration in the manufacturing process as a timeline, what IoT technologies do you see being deployed over time and what other technologies do you anticipate will follow because of IoT?

Piyush Singh: Most of the downtime and accidents are caused by the wear and tear of machines in many manufacturing plants. By virtualizing the plant and averting high-risk operator occurrences, the retrofitting goal is to ensure predictive maintenance applications.

Remote monitoring and management system, digital connectivity, cloud storage and robotic process control are some of the IoT retrofitting trends seen in manufacturing processes. 

To identify and detect upcoming errors, Deep Learning algorithms and Digital Twin (DT) approaches is something which is being used and have the tendency to grow exponentially in future. Artificial neural networks (ANN) for detecting the tool wear in a CNC machine after retrofitting is a concept which is in great demand in many production plants.

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Edge to drive industrial IT-OT convergence in key industries https://futureiot.tech/edge-to-drive-industrial-it-ot-convergence-in-key-industries/ Tue, 30 Aug 2022 01:31:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=11323 Industrial businesses continue to undergo a rapid digital transformation as digitalization increases operational efficiency, productivity, and responsiveness to the market. Digital enterprises can create new, more competitive solutions and services and superior customer experiences. Gathering, analysing, and utilising vast amounts of data from equipment, processes, customers, and suppliers also drive this transformation. Broad, organisational information […]

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Industrial businesses continue to undergo a rapid digital transformation as digitalization increases operational efficiency, productivity, and responsiveness to the market. Digital enterprises can create new, more competitive solutions and services and superior customer experiences.

Gathering, analysing, and utilising vast amounts of data from equipment, processes, customers, and suppliers also drive this transformation. Broad, organisational information technology (IT) and operational technology (OT) convergence, in which data-centric IT systems integrate with operations equipment and technology, can provide a huge competitive advantage when executed successfully.

IT-OT convergence is cited as one of the most important factors for organisations to achieve their strategic goals—68% of respondents—with a majority implementing or annually reviewing some form of this process.

Integration challenges range from getting old equipment to work with new systems and platforms to bridging the different goals and priorities of IT and OT teams. Others include:

  • Technical and cultural integration issues.
  • Incompatible legacy applications.
  • Security vulnerabilities and concerns integrating IT and OT systems.
  • Lack of expertise in IT/OT integration.
  • Organisational complexity.

Despite these hurdles, many industrial organisations are working to excel at their IT/OT convergence strategy.

Roberta Gamble

“Addressing these challenges requires investing in complementary solutions such as digital technologies and risk management, and ensuring that IT/OT convergence has clear, quantifiable business advantages by creating strong data monetization strategies and being responsive to evolving customer needs,” said Roberta Gamble, partner and vice president at Frost & Sullivan.

She added that reducing production downtimes and increasing competitiveness through optimizing operational performance (by reducing OPEX, and faster time to market) are the most common OT investment drivers across industries.

“Initiatives are led at the C level, with CEOs being the most common champions. Interestingly, they have a balanced view of achieving convergence across all three types; IT-centric roles tend to have physical convergence goals.”

Roberta Gamble

Recommendations

Frost suggests that Oil & gas industries must build industry-appropriate apps and systems that build value from data, prioritize creating operations and production performance views, and bridge growing skill and workforce gaps limiting IT/OT potential.

Utilities industrials must transition from silos to a matrix of multidisciplinary teams focused on end-to-end business goals, create strong defences against cyber threats, and harmonize data collection protocols.

Among the automotive industrials, Gamble suggested these prioritise automation to improve quality, reduce OT costs, and build workforce flexibility; use advanced connectivity for reliable, real-time connectivity; and build or partner with a solution provider to create industry-focused tools.

“Manufacturing industrials must create continuity and visibility across a disparate organisation, work with value chain partners on data/digital transformation strategies, adopt cohesive and integral cybersecurity solutions across platforms and networks, and opt for open systems that easily integrate across different equipment generations and legacy data systems,” she concluded.

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Connected devices fuel data-driven efficiency https://futureiot.tech/connected-devices-fuel-data-driven-efficiency/ Mon, 22 Aug 2022 01:00:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=11255 Digital transformation is happening across the energy sector at a rapid pace. While accelerated digital adoption can be attributed to the pandemic, Singapore had the foresight to outline the digitalisation of the industry in 2017. This was done through the Ministry of Trade and Industry’s (MTI) Committee on Future Economy report, charting the transformation of […]

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Digital transformation is happening across the energy sector at a rapid pace. While accelerated digital adoption can be attributed to the pandemic, Singapore had the foresight to outline the digitalisation of the industry in 2017.

This was done through the Ministry of Trade and Industry’s (MTI) Committee on Future Economy report, charting the transformation of the manufacturing industry into Industry 4.0.

In basic terms, Industry 4.0 refers to the use of digital technologies to support automation in the manufacturing sector, delivering value to every stage of the production process. It is impacting almost every aspect of how companies do business, especially when it comes to repairing and maintaining their machines.

Historically, businesses depend on taking a preventative approach to machine maintenance. However, downtime is too costly in an industry where the product (energy) is expected to be provided reliably and consistently.

One of the ways the energy sector can benefit from digital transformation and modernisation is by utilising intelligent, connected technologies that work behind the scenes, gathering and analysing data 24 hours a day.

Why adopt IoT

Here are three main reasons to adopt the Internet of Things (IoT) – Firstly, remotely collecting data allows energy businesses to operate remote services more effectively to, for example, improve efficiency or safety. Secondly, connecting devices helps shorten feedback loops.

For example, the data can deliver real-time insights into how customers use products or services. These insights provide a window of opportunity for fine-tuning them during the engineering and design stages.

Finally, when companies are proactive in machine maintenance, they can spot potential risks before they become high-cost problems. Businesses appear to be seeing the value in that, with estimates predicting the total number of connected devices to reach some 64 billion by the middle of this decade.

According to a recent IDC report, spending on IoT technologies in Asia-Pacific (excluding Japan) would reach beyond US$400 billion by the year 2026. IoT use cases that see the highest spending in 2022 include manufacturing operations and production asset management.

At the same time, Singapore’s steadfast investment in such technologies looks to grow the value of industries utilising such tech. Of the SGD3.8 billion committed to the ICT sector here, 70% will go into application building and upgrading.

With the value of projects adopting emerging technologies such as machine learning, sensors and IoT looking set to more than double from well under a billion Singaporean dollars on-year to $2 billion this year, unlocking the potential of Industry 4.0 will require Singaporean businesses to harness solutions that enable them to gain full value from these emerging technologies.

Replacing old-school preventative maintenance

Today, instead of more traditional ways, a company can use IoT-based, data-driven insights for preventative maintenance.

For example, a solar energy company tasked with installing solar panels for the Housing Development Board (HDB) under the SolarNova programme, which provides solar energy to over 8000 housing blocks in Singapore. Systems downtime due to hardware failure would not only negatively impact consumers, but also regulatory fines and reputational damage to the government.

With remote access capabilities provided through IoT-based data collection and artificial intelligence (AI) analysis, a business can observe when machines need attention based on real-time insights into vibrations, light density, temperature, and more.

What’s more, since IoT-based systems are constantly collecting data, processes get smarter over time. As a company assesses the machines’ data flow and executes repairs based on the data, the system will learn through (AI) to make even more accurate predictions.

Secure connected devices against cyber attackers

With the rise of supply chain attacks against manufacturing organisations, organisations must also consider the security risks and manage them through proper IoT device security measures and protocols.

Ways to enhance IoT security include ensuring equipment manufacturers follow good security practices. Organisations also need to layer security controls for a defence-in-depth approach to protect critical technology such as through patching, vulnerability testing, penetration testing, and network isolation to ensure that these connected devices are secured.

Onward together

Modernisation, automation, and data management are transforming today’s energy sector. With a steady flow of data from machines, one can achieve business outcomes based on strategic insights, which empowers organisations to save on labour costs and avoid expenses associated with premature machinery replacement.

For organisations in Asia seeking to utilise ground-breaking technologies, seeking out data modernisation teams with deep technical and business process expertise should be a priority. This would help them learn to design and build data architectures fit for accelerating innovation and realising value faster, not just in productivity but in sustainability as well.

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Healthcare Triangle eyes APAC digital health market https://futureiot.tech/healthcare-triangle-eyes-apac-digital-health-market/ Tue, 26 Jul 2022 00:30:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=11189 The company plans to tap into Shankar Group, a leading diversified enterprise in FMCG, property development and services presence across the region, including South Asia, the Middle East, Japan, and Australia to expand its services all over the ecosystem.

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Healthcare Triangle enters the Asia Pacific digital healthcare market, earmarking an investment of US$25 million in the next five years.

The new joint venture company based in Singapore sees a tremendous opportunity in the region with the increased adoption of virtual healthcare and growing investments in digitalisation by healthcare institutions.

Suresh Venkatachari, chairman and CEO, Healthcare Triangle

“Owing to the rise of artificial intelligence, IoT, and big data in healthcare, the region’s digital health market, valued at US$40.3 billion in 2021, is expected to expand to US$326.7 billion by 2030 at a CAGR of 26.5%. As such, Healthcare Triangle’s entry into the region couldn’t be timelier,” said company chairman and CEO Suresh Venkatachari.

The company’s expansion into the region is expected to bolster the role of Singapore as a medical innovation hub. With their experience working in the developing healthcare technology industry in the US, Healthcare Triangle aims to help healthcare companies scale their digital solutions and innovation in the region.

Fostering partnerships for a resilient healthcare ecosystem

Meanwhile Healthcare Triangle will be  fostering partnerships and collaborations that help create better and more robust digital healthcare solutions in the Asia Pacific.

Specifically, the company plans to tap into Shankar Group, a leading diversified enterprise in FMCG, property development and services presence across the region, including South Asia, the Middle East, Japan, and Australia to expand its services all over the ecosystem.

Partnerships have been crucial  in enabling Healthcare Triangle to create a resilient healthcare system. It is one of the few providers in the region that has such a comprehensive network of partners that allows them to support regional and global healthcare projects.

The company is HITRUST certified and a premier partner of Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud (GCP) and Microsoft Azure to provide multi-cloud services to customers. To provide holistic digital health solutions, it collaborates with EPIC and Meditech, leading Electronic Health Records (EHR).

Opportunity abounds across the region

According to McKinsey, digital health in Asia could collectively create up to US$100 billion in value by 2025, up from US$37 billion in 2020.

A large population of the APAC region still lives in remote areas seeking digital healthcare services. Increasing awareness about telehealth services and the growing demand for low-cost remote patient monitoring services are expected to drive the market in the next ten years.

The growing need for clinical information systems and electronic medical records will propel digital healthcare platform adoption.

“We are confident that our platform solutions will elevate healthcare and life sciences businesses with the power to transform and manage their cloud infrastructure across any CSP (Cloud Service Provider) and empower businesses with utmost security and compliance to harness the full potential of their data and thereby speed up their data-driven digital transformation journey,” said Venkatachari.

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Fibocom unleashes power of AIoT with new smart module https://futureiot.tech/fibocom-unleashes-power-of-aiot-with-new-smart-module/ Fri, 22 Jul 2022 01:30:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=11167 Fibocom newly launched AI smart module SCA825-W is designed to meet the requirements of high-end AIoT scenarios such as HD video conferences, HD livestreaming, cloud gaming, edge computing, robotics, drones and AR/VR to name a few.

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Fibocom, which provides IoT wireless solutions and wireless communications module, is positioning itself to anticipate the expected surge in the demand for AIoT solutions. Its newly launched AI smart module SCA825-W is designed to meet the requirements of high-end AIoT scenarios such as HD video conferences, HD livestreaming, cloud gaming, edge computing, robotics, drones and AR/VR to name a few.

Based on recent figures from Counterpoint Research, the demand for 5G AIoT solution is expected to skyrocket, with shipments of 5G AIoT modules reaching a CAGR of 84% between 2022 and 2030, as the combination of AI and IoT open new possibilities for industries requiring automated real-time decision-making and data analysis

Fibocom's AI smart module is bound to play a crucial part in the industry, with the potential to empower a massive range of compute-intensive use cases.

Equipped with the Qualcomm QCS8250 IoT solution, Fibocom's new SCA825-W module integrates an octa-core Kryo 585 CPU, Adreno 650 GPU, dedicated NPU 230 (Neural Processing Unit), as well as Hexagon DSP for machine learning.

The module can deliver a computing power of up to 15 TOPS (Tera Operations per Second), enabling complex AI computing performance with exceptional features.

"With AIoT continuously transforming every industry, high-performance AI modules will become an important pillar," said Eden Chen, general manager of MC Product Management Dept., Fibocom. "Our newly-launched AI smart module SCA825-W is an exceptional part of the Fibocom smart module family, which will take a big step forward in the AIoT field with technological advancements."

Featuring a powerful Spectra  480 ISP (image signal processor) Adreno 995 DPU and Adreno 665 VPU, Fibocom SCA825-W supports up to seven concurrent cameras, triple 4K display and video encode at up to 4K resolution at 120 fps, 8K at 30 fps (frames per second), offering superior image capturing, processing and displaying capabilities.

In addition, the module supports 5G, Wi-Fi 6.0, Bluetooth 5.1 as well as 2×2 Wi-Fi MIMO multi-antenna technology, which allows various wireless connectivity options for industrial and commercial use cases. It also supports Android 10 operating system and a wide range of interfaces (MIPI-DSI, I2S, PCIe, UART, USB, I2C, SPI), enabling much flexibility and ease of integration to meet the application demands of the AIoT industry.

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Strategies to achieving a sustainable supply chain https://futureiot.tech/strategies-to-achieving-a-sustainable-supply-chain/ Fri, 22 Jul 2022 00:41:22 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=11154 The global supply chain during the pandemic has remained unpredictable with disruptions showing no end in sight. The Cushman & Wakefield report, The Role of Asia Pacific in Global Supply Chains, noted that with the growing importance of intraregional trade in Asia, corporations are having to reconfigure and build out their logistics and industrial networks […]

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The global supply chain during the pandemic has remained unpredictable with disruptions showing no end in sight. The Cushman & Wakefield report, The Role of Asia Pacific in Global Supply Chains, noted that with the growing importance of intraregional trade in Asia, corporations are having to reconfigure and build out their logistics and industrial networks in the region.

Source: The role of Asia Pacific in global supply chains, Cushman & Wakefield 2022

“The rising ‘Asia for Asia’ approach sets the stage for the growth of supply chain networks in the region, particularly in Southeast Asia and India, and also highlights the critical factors that contribute towards the optimisation of these networks,” said Tim Foster, head of supply chain & logistics advisory, Asia-Pacific at Cushman & Wakefield.

So how to capture that future, FutureIoT spoke to Tim McCain, global business development, digital partner program at Rockwell Automation, for his thoughts on how to be smarter at navigating the new and evolving supply chain.

RECAP: Supply chain visibility has always been important to players in the supply chain. What was different during the COVID-19 pandemic? What has COVID-19 taught supply chain decision-makers?

Tim McCain: Many corporations who spent years establishing extended supply chains with offshore dependencies were disrupted due to COVID shutdowns.

Tim McCain

The impact varied by region and industry but the sharp decline in consumer demand and resource availability in certain markets created a “ripple” similar to the supply chain concept of the “bullwhip” effect.

There was a combination of dramatic changes in consumer demand in specific industries and spot closures making nodes in the supply chain unavailable which made planning and forecasting difficult, to say the least.

We’ve seen preventative reactions take shape with organisations reshoring manufacturing and increasing critical inventory. It’s easier to buy more inventory than build new plants, but reshoring of manufacturing is occurring.

The lesson for supply chain decision-makers is that improved supply chain visibility means you have access to more real-time data that can be coupled with investments for enabling resiliency and greater agility to adapt to future disruptive events (ex. forecasting and demand planning tools utilising analytics).

Tim McCain
What is hindering the adoption of traceability technology and practices within the supply chain? What needs to happen for better visibility/control of elements of the supply chain?

Background: The Forrester commissioned the report, Increase Brand Loyalty and Generate ROI with Improved Traceability, revealed that almost half of companies surveyed lost up to 60% of sales income each year due to counterfeiting, while almost 9 out of 10 reported the ‘grey market’ as problematic to them. However, 45% feel that they are prevented from implementing practices that might help mitigate these elements through a lack of a clear path to ROI.

Base: 307 global supply chain professionals tasked with planning, implementing, and measuring traceability and serialization within their organization’s ecosystem
Source: A commissioned study conducted by Forrester Consulting on behalf of Rockwell, January 2022

Tim McCain: (Citing the Forrester report) Historically, the catalyst for many organisations to invest was regulatory compliance. Compliance as a trigger leads to organisations seeking compliance at the lowest possible cost.

Many traceability systems are implemented to address a specific need and don’t offer the flexibility to address multiple use cases.

The investments to improve visibility will need to be justified by a combination of use cases that span organisational business functions.

Concerns on integration complexity and ROI to justify upfront non-recurring costs to implement mass serialization and end-to-end traceability are the root cause for organisations not investing faster.

What was also notable from the Forrester survey, while organisations were looking to make a business case to invest, many saw a negative impact on their topline due to counterfeit and grey market activities.

Seems as if a compelling financial justification to invest in serialization and traceability infrastructure could be made for deterring small percentages of the current counterfeit and grey market activities.

For true sustainability to be practised by participants in the supply chain, what needs to happen? What is the relationship between traceability and supply chain visibility?

Tim McCain: A combination of business environment factors such as regulatory evolution, industry standardisation, and organisational discipline will lead to sustainability practices.

New forms of regulation are coming. For instance, publicly traded companies along with the broader financial services industry will see more formalised guidance from the SEC on environmental impact and climate-related disclosures.

Companies shouldn’t wait for regulation because consumer expectations are evolving in parallel. Take as an example the Food & Beverage industry (in the US) where consumers prioritise information on ingredients today but are clearly becoming more ESG conscientious.

Improved transparency will support evolving consumer behaviour and enable supplier trust and brand loyalty. Industry associations like FMI are taking steps to help constituents assess overall transparency and identify specific areas for improvement.

Industry Standardisation on information format (ex. standard barcodes and QR codes) will help reduce the cost of adopting systems to enable visibility. GS1 digital link is an example that will force a certain degree of multi-party conformance but also guide individual organisations on a path to creating the necessary data-generating infrastructure that enables increased transparency.

In the months and years ahead, how should organisations prioritise supply chain strategies?
“What are your company’s plans to implement/perform the following digital initiatives related to your supply chain?”
Base: 307 global supply chain professionals tasked with planning, implementing, and measuring traceability and serialization within their organization’s ecosystem
Source: A commissioned study conducted by Forrester Consulting on behalf of Rockwell, January 2022

Tim McCain: We’ve used the terms traceability, visibility, and transparency. Let’s assume the following definitions to clarify where and how these terms apply to supply chain strategies:

Traceability is the means to provide provenance (history) of materials, work in progress, and finished goods along with the actual routes.

Visibility is the means to locate and subsequently plan, forecast and/or predict within the supply chain. This definition includes external entities that are both upstream (suppliers) and downstream (point of sale) of manufacturing.

Transparency means making specific information about the supply chain available to external stakeholders.

Given the dynamic macro business environment conditions, many organisations will see changes in their own supply chain maps (complete picture of all potential actors) or face changes in their role as a supplier to their customers and will need to make investments to ensure traceability and enable visibility.

Tim McCain

Traceability investments can be justified when use cases across multiple business functions are identified and addressed. Depending on the industry there is likely lost revenue to grey market and counterfeit activity that can be recovered.

The investments in traceability enable the data infrastructure to provide visibility inclusive of advanced analytics and (external) transparency.

Transparency will be necessary for supporting ESG-related objectives and regulatory obligations.

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UDI sets big goals for its self-driving vehicles https://futureiot.tech/udi-sets-big-goals-for-its-self-driving-vehicles/ Thu, 21 Jul 2022 02:00:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=11149 In terms of market applications, we have put a number of unmanned vehicles on the market in Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Guangzhou etc.

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For the past two years, Hong Kong’s first self-driving vehicle called Hercules  has been plying across the HKUST campus making point-to-point deliveries at self-pickup cabinets.

The vehicle was developed by Shenzhen Unity-Drive Innovation Technology (UDI), which is founded by the Intelligent Autonomous Driving Technology Center of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST). It is the first unmanned vehicle to obtain a test licence from Hong Kong’s Transport Department.

UDI designs autonomous vehicles for industrial logistics, unmanned distribution, terminal operations and other scenarios.

According to Professor Ming Liu, leading developer at UDI, Hercules is a level four autonomous vehicle (based on a five-level scale ranging from assisted driving to a fully autonomous vehicle).

“The body of the UDI unmanned vehicle is covered with various sensors such as LiDAR, camera and ultrasonic, which let the machine sense the surrounding environment in real time and can also autonomously plan and change the driving path when encountering obstacles,” said Liu, adding that Hercules can carry loads of nearly a tonne – a capacity of 800 kilograms and volume of 2,900 litres.

Moreover, Hercules can plan and adopt its own routes so long as it has a detailed map of the environment.

“Just as people need to know the driving trajectory through a map, the unmanned vehicle has a high-precision map [so it can determine] its own position and destination and plan its path,” Liu added.

The vehicles are mass-produced but can be adapted and configured for many different scenarios

Similar to Hercules, UDI has  tailor-made unmanned vehicles for delivery company SF Express to serve two universities in Shanghai, which made more than 1,000 express deliveries during the Singles Day (11/11) peak period.

SF Express is looking for autonomous “last mile” delivery, which is appropriate for UDI’s low-speed, high-frequency point-to-point delivery model.

Unmanned driving in controlled areas

The UDI Smart Wharf IGV Navigation Solution is being implement on a large scale in Guangzhou Port

UDI’s self-driving vehicles can be adapted and configured for many different scenarios, and the company is now developing a new vehicle that can carry up to 3 tonnes for use in locations such as airports and harbours.

“In the past four years, UDI has accumulated benchmark customers in express logistics and industrial logistics, represented by SF Express, Foxconn, etc, and provides transportation-as-a-service (TaaS) solutions,” Liu said.

He added: “Our products include unmanned industrial logistics vehicles, unmanned delivery vehicles, unmanned shuttle vehicles, unmanned sweeping vehicles, unmanned security vehicles, unmanned retail vehicles, and technology for unmanned vehicles for use during epidemics. As policies and regulations improve, UDI will also expand the scope of unmanned vehicle applications to make UDI unmanned vehicles travel throughout cities.”

Since UDI provides TaaS, its vehicles can work in synchronised swarms. Liu said UDI’s technology allowed for navigating through active traffic, though controlled environments remain the company’s core focus currently.

Use case in new retail

Meanwhile, the IoT capabilities of UDI’s unmanned vehicles have been deployed in an unlikely industry – retail.

According to Liu, UDI last year worked with new Chinese tea brand  CoasTea to transform the carriages [of the unmanned vehicle] into retail cabinets for ‘new retailing’ in shopping malls with high customer traffic.

“Customers scanned a QR code to place an order without going to the store. Our unmanned retail vehicle can also capture the pedestrian volume and improve the efficiency of matching people and goods,” Liu said, adding that UDI is looking to expand into other retail functions.

GBA opportunities

UDI unmanned vehicles have been used to transport anti-epidemic materials in quarantine hotels.

UDI, which began at HKUST, is now based in Shenzhen. With its close ties to both cities, the company hopes to further establish close cooperation with the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA).

“There are many commercial opportunities and requirements. We have participated in the Greater Bay Area Auto Show for two consecutive years to actively expand the resources of the GBA,” said Liu.

“In terms of market applications, we have put a number of unmanned vehicles on the market in Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Guangzhou etc. At the same time, we provided IGV autonomous driving navigation solutions in Guangzhou Port, and provided unmanned vehicle technology anti-epidemic solutions in Shenzhen and other places,” he added.

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Sensors to ensure air quality inside THK Disability Services https://futureiot.tech/sensors-to-ensure-air-quality-inside-thk-disability-services/ Wed, 20 Jul 2022 00:30:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=11142 THK Disability Services, through THKMC, tapped massive IoT provider UnaBiz to supply the IAQ sensors for the three-month pilot.

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To ensure a healthy and safe environment at its homes for the disabled, Singapore’s THK Disability Services has completed a three-month trial of a sensor-based indoor air quality (IAQ) monitoring system at its Eunos and Chai Chee Homes to track CO2 levels at each facility.

According to The National Environment Agency (NEA), CO2 levels in occupied areas are often used as a proxy for ventilation adequacy. Building managers should aim for CO2 levels below 800 parts per million (ppm) at all times. Measurements that exceed 1100 ppm is indicative of inadequate ventilation or potential overcrowding and should be addressed immediately.

“While the pandemic presented new challenges to our team, it also gave us an opportunity to review our processes and make our homes healthier. CO2 sensors are simple and powerful tools to optimise IAQ quality and build confidence for our residents,” said Agatha Tan, divisional director at the THK Disability Services.

THK Disability Services is one of the social welfare organisations under the Thye Hua Kwan Moral Charities (THKMC).

Tan added:  “We are pleased with the results of the trial. On top of real-time actions, our operation team can further analyse historical data stored on the cloud via a user-friendly dashboard, so that we can draw correlations between indoor capacity, length of activities and CO2 levels to predict IAQ and ventilate the rooms regularly.”

THK Disability Services, through THKMC, tapped massive IoT provider UnaBiz to supply the IAQ sensors for the three-month pilot.

During the trial, CO2 levels were captured in real-time and remotely throughout the day, in areas with high footfall such as dormitories, offices, activity rooms, and nursing stations.

The ability to monitor CO2 levels allows for the team to take the necessary corrective actions if predefined thresholds are breached. Measures such as increasing natural ventilation and deploying fans were taken to improve air quality, creating a healthier, safer, and more comfortable environment for over 500 staff and beneficiaries under THK Disability Services.

Jonathan Tan, managing director,  UnaBiz Singapore said: “As we transition into the post-pandemic era, vaccines and masks will take a back seat. However, more can be done to reduce the risk of COVID-19 infection by improving ventilation and monitoring CO2 levels to minimise aerosol transmissions. We are pleased to support THKMC by empowering the operation team with IoT solutions and real-time data to provide peace of mind to the residents and staff.”

With the completion of the trial, THK Disability Services plans to implement the  monitoring sensors in its other facilities  located in Sembawang, Geylang Bahru and Pan-Disability Eunos.

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SG port authorities deploy smart energy storage system https://futureiot.tech/sg-port-authorities-deploy-smart-energy-storage-system/ Thu, 14 Jul 2022 02:00:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=11117 The ESS is built on a platform that uses machine learning to provide real-time automated forecasts of the terminal’s energy demand.

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As part of the smart grid management system (SGMS) project at Singapore’s ports, the city’s first energy storage system (ESS) has been deployed  at the Pasir Panjang Terminal and will be operational in the third quarter of this year.

The  ESS will contribute to helping the SGMS to improve the energy efficiency of port operations by 2.5%. It will also reduce the port’s carbon footprint by 1,000 tCO2e per annum, the equivalent of removing around 300 cars off the road annually.

“Electricity demand will grow in the next decade with increasing electrification. The adoption of innovative demand-side technologies such as smart energy management systems and energy storage systems will help us optimise our energy supply and power grid capabilities,” said Ms Jeanette Lim, director of the industry development department at the Energy Market Authority (EMA).

Battery modules within the battery container (Photo credit: PSA Corporation)

She added that  innovative digital solutions such as this project will play a part in making Singapore’s energy systems more efficient and resilient.

The SGMS project is part of the S$8 million partnership between the EMA and PSA Corporation (PSA) to transform PSA’s energy usage in port operations through the use of smart grid technologies and energy management systems. A consortium led by Envision Digital has been tapped for the project, which also includes the installation of solar panels.

The EMA-PSA partnership is part of EMA’s Accelerating Energy Storage for Singapore (ACCESS) programme to facilitate ESS adoption in Singapore by promoting use cases and business models. This project will also go towards supporting EMA’s target of deploying at least 200 MW of ESS beyond 2025.

Real-time automated forecasts

With the dynamic nature of port activities, energy demand can fluctuate throughout the day. Port operations involve the use of energy-intensive equipment such as cranes and prime movers. Due to the dynamic nature of port activities, the energy demand can fluctuate throughout the day.

The ESS is managed by the EnOSTM platform uses machine learning to provide real-time automated forecasts of the terminal’s energy demand. This enables long-term planning of port assets, short-term scheduling and real-time energy management within the Pasir Panjang Terminal to reduce overall energy costs and carbon footprint.

Whenever there is a forecasted surge in energy consumption, the 2 megawatt/2 megawatt-hour battery ESS is activated to supply energy to help meet demand. With this enhancement to Pasir Panjang Terminal, spikes in energy demand of the port will be minimised.

Use of cranes and prime movers for port operations at PSA’s Pasir Panjang Terminal (Photos credit: PSA Corporation)

“As a premier hub port driving innovation, digitalisation and sustainability, PSA can play an active role in contributing and co-creating Singapore’s smart grid architecture and energy systems. We are excited to partner EMA in unlocking the full potential of battery energy storage solutions to achieve cleaner and more efficient energy for our operations. As PSA enhances efficiency with port automation, we will continue to drive collaborative innovation with our partners for greater resilience in our energy future,” said Alvin Foo, head of new technologies and sustainability at PSA.

Meanwhile, at times when the ESS is not being used at the terminal, it will  participate in the National Electricity Market of Singapore to provide ancillary services to the power grid and to generate revenue. Insights from the project may also validate the possibility for commercial and industrial users to adopt ESS to serve multiple purposes, such as demand management on-site and providing commercial ancillary services to support power systems.

Sustainable development journey

Tan Joo Hong, head of global ports solutions at Envision Digital said its collaboration with the PSA will result in a reference model for ports embarking on sustainable development journey.

“With energy, machines, and systems orchestration through the use of EnOSTM, our jointly developed SGMS solution will support PSA in its sustainable development initiatives such as large-scale electrification and enable better management capabilities when PSA adopt different green energy sources,” said Tan.

Insights from the SGMS can also be applied for advanced energy management and optimisation at the Tuas Port, which would be the world’s single largest fully automated terminal upon completion in the 2040s. For greater sustainability, retired batteries from port equipment such as automated guided vehicles can be repurposed into second-life ESS.

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SAP APJ, NTT DATA unveil sensor-based logistics offering https://futureiot.tech/sap-apj-ntt-data-unveil-sensor-based-logistics-offering/ Wed, 13 Jul 2022 05:00:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=11109 SAP and NTT Data are piloting the solution with 20 shippers from March to September, tracking 400 container shipments and collecting more than 200,000 pieces of data from the sensors.

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SAP APJ and NTT DATA have yesterday unveiled a marine transportation solution that uses IoT sensors to deliver real-time monitoring and tracking of global shipments with matching insurance coverage.

Called “Connected Product”, the packaged offering is jointly developed  by the two companies as part of their strategic alliance signed in 2020. The tracking solution provides greater visibility across the entire supply chain, and agility to activate immediate reactionary procedures, in case of damage or delays.

“What we’re announcing today improves supply chain visibility for logistics companies and insurers here in the APJ region, and delivers on NTT and SAP’s shared vision of helping companies around the globe achieve greater resiliency and agility to ensure they are prepared for future disruptions,” said Paul Marriott, president of SAP APJ, at the SAP Sapphire Conference held in Tokyo yesterday.

Logistics and supply chain disruptions have been commonplace these past two years as a result of the COVID pandemic and climate change, with marine transportation one of the most affected areas in the global supply chain model.

According to NTT DATA, there are instances when products were not tracked for three months and found out to be damaged or lost in transit – resulting to  more than US$5 billion in insurance claims.

“More than ever before, global logistics need to be resilient and adaptative. Long-term planning alone is no longer sufficient, and organisations must be able to react quickly especially in times of uncertainty. Critical to enabling this type of agility is to have the right data in the right hands, in real time,” said Norbert Rotter, SVP, NTT DATA Corporation, and CEO, NTT DATA Business Solutions.

The Connected Product solution responds to this need by monitoring the location and environmental conditions of goods in transit, particularly fragile goods, such as solar panels; bulk liquids, such as wine and olive oil; and sensitive cold chain shipments, such as cheese, pharmaceuticals, and even vaccines.

Making insurance management easier

More than 70% of supply chain claims are due to breakages and until the cargo arrives at its destination. Nobody has any idea of its actual condition and if it is suitable for sale to end customers.

Losses due to poor transportation conditions is becoming a multi-billion dollar problem, because it is almost impossible to know who did what and when an incident was caused.

This lack of visibility prevents companies from taking proactive decisions to avoid significant contractual penalties by setting accountability for each stakeholder.

To make insurance management easier, the new Connected Product solution connects SAP business network for logistics with smart insurance policy management assets powered by NTT DATA.

This provides real-time information on operations to all stakeholders, digitising all shipment and insurance documentation – triggering  and executing insurance policies automatically through NTT DATA smart shipments and giving everyone the ability to adapt to potential incidents quickly.

How it works: it all starts with sensor data

The solution starts when goods are loaded in the container a sensor is installed and linked to the logistics order shipment and the smart shipment policy the sensor collects data and sends its geo-location and transportation conditions every hour.

Alongside marine transportation of the goods, the solution monitors all variables that could affect the cargo. All this real-time data gathered remotely facilitates automatic decision-making provided by NTT DATA smart shipments that optimises insurance-related processes significantly and assures all stakeholders across the supply chain that everything is in hand no matter what happens.

Meanwhile, all stakeholders across the supply chain can follow the order conditions using dynamic dashboards showing insurance policy coverage and impact with light medium or heavy categories to anticipate potential breaches.

If the transport conditions defined in the policy are breached during the shipment of the goods, the NTT DATA  smart insurance policy is triggered and executes the payments of the insurance policy reducing claim management overheads and general costs

Piloting the solution

Right now, SAP and NTT DATA are piloting the solution with 20 shippers. From March to September this year, the Connected Product solution are tracking 400 container shipments bound for Europe, Asia and Europe. The journey spans more than 5 million kilometres, collecting more than 200,000 pieces of data from the sensors

It is especially useful for tracking fragile goods, such as solar panels; bulk liquids, such as wine and olive oil; and sensitive cold chain shipments, such as cheese, pharmaceuticals, and even vaccines.

The data gathered by IoT sensors helps to ensure that conditions critical for the goods – like temperature, luminosity, or shock-proofing requirements – are managed during the journey. That information gives customers the opportunity to quickly react to incidents.

After the pilot,  NTT DATA plans to incorporate the system into business operations, extending the solution to more international insurance and logistics companies.

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Taiwan eyes leadership in smart city solutions development https://futureiot.tech/taiwan-eyes-leadership-in-smart-city-solutions-development/ Tue, 12 Jul 2022 01:00:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=11105 According to a Digitimes research report, the country’s ICT industry has shifted from focusing on hardware to hardware/software integration models.

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Taiwan is relying on its IT hardware expertise to propel its ambitions in developing competitive smart city solutions for the global market.

According to a Digitimes research report, the country’s ICT industry has shifted from focusing on hardware to hardware/software integration models. The industry is combining big data analysis and AI applications in public IoT to facilitate the development of smart city management.

Tools such as IoT, AI, cloud computing, and communications technologies are efficiently integrated with urban infrastructure to produce economic benefits and improve quality of life.

Dr. Ayesha Khanna, co-founder and CEO, Addo

“Taiwan's expertise in semiconductor and hardware is important to smart cities' development as more data is being used to improve AI systems, resulting in rising demand for stronger infrastructure and hardware with next-generation AI semiconductors,” said Dr. Ayesha Khanna, co-founder and CEO of Addo, an AI consulting firm based in California.

Khanna will be one of the speakers at the upcoming smart city webinar in Taipei later this month to be hosted by Digitimes Asia.

Khanna believes that whether it is AI, robots, 3D printing, Internet of things or 5G, smart city's development should not start purely with technologies but the idea of assisting people to solve their problems or become the aspirational goal for citizens.

It is estimated that the business opportunities of smart cities will reach US$2.6 trillion in 2025, mainly in the Asia Pacific region. This includes sectors such as smart poles, building, parking, monitor, government, transportation, fire protection, water conservancy and WITMED.

“When people want to have better energy and waste management in their city, designers can create an AI solution for monitoring energy usage that can turn streetlights on and off with a built-in smart lighting system. They can also build a centralised trash collection mechanism with sensors and have robots powered by AI to collect waste all around the neighbourhoods to reduce traffic and road congestions,” Khanna said.

Collecting and integrating public and private data

Khanna pointed out that it also important to collect and integrate publicly available data and data from the ecosystem's private firms to form a system.

For example, by combining data of taxi companies and traffic light operation, it reduces people's waiting time for taxies, while traffic congestion can also be significantly lowered with the system's assistance in rerouting or changing the traffic lights.

Technologies for smart healthcare

Nowadays, because of the pandemic, the number of hospital visits via online meeting software or telemedicine services increased dramatically as people find it more convenient and efficient.

The technologies used by medical care system are also making improvements with some designers beginning to adopt biometric sensors onto the terminals for the machines to collect more patients' data, giving doctors more information to make intelligent diagnosis, such as handheld ultrasound products that can be connected via smartphones for patients to check on themselves via AI or by medical staff nearby and then send results to their doctors.

“Technologies for remote medical care are a key area that many IT companies have devoted their R&D effort to. Ambulances built with remote medical care system can connect doctors with ambulances care assistants for them to do check-ups while transporting patents to the hospital. The doctors can also make an examination over patients' injuries via a head-mounted display (HMD) to save time,” said Khanna.

Vital role of 5G in smart city

However, Khanna said all these innovations still rely on 5G, which allows devices to communicate with each other with its fast transmission speed, and has brought a revolution to the manufacturing industry and factories.

In Singapore, a lot of investments are being made for deploying 5G infrastructure throughout the city. This is also the case for many countries including the US.

As smart systems are adopting more sensors to enhance their data collection ability, 5G's commercialisation has become the key to unlock the potential of IoT.

With telecom carriers worldwide keenly expanding their 5G infrastructure, Dr. Khanna is optimistic about the birth of more new smart systems and the rapid development of smart cities worldwide.

“The future of smart city will not be operated by one large central AI, but multiple small ones. Issues within smart cities' key sectors such as healthcare, energy and education will continue to be overseen by government departments or public sector companies with them using AIs to optimise and create innovations for their services,” said Khanna.

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Pure Harvest to expand smart farms to new markets in Asia https://futureiot.tech/pure-harvest-to-expand-smart-farms-to-new-markets-in-asia/ Tue, 05 Jul 2022 02:00:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=11077 It’s clear that controlled-environment agriculture is becoming increasingly important as a solution to food security issues while also mitigating the environmental impact of food production.

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Focused on helping the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to significantly reduce reliance of food imports for the past six years, agribusiness tech startup Pure Harvest Smart Farms is now keen to expand its footprint wider afield with plans to open new markets in Asia.

It will also expand its reach across the GCC countries, which comprise of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman.

Pure Harvest opened up about its market expansion after securing its latest growth funding of US$180.5 million.

“We have demonstrated that we can reliably deploy our high-tech farming solutions across the GCC. Now it is time to enter new markets that share similar challenges to our own – fast-growing populations, seasonal import-dependence, and an awareness of the crippling effects that short-term crises such as COVID-19 and the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and climate change – are having on our global food system. The future of farming is here… now, we have the resources to bring our solution to the world,” said Sky Kurtz, co-founder and CEO, Pure Harvest.

The company also will use its new capital to invest in research and development.

The financing was raised by a consortium of key global investors, including Metric Capital Partners, UK, IMM Investment Corp, Korea, and Olayan Group, KSA, joined by several existing investors and management.

It represents the largest-ever convertible financing in the MEASA region. The funding round was vastly oversubscribed, and a few strategic investors are still in discussions for further upsizing, underscoring the strong institutional investor appetite for Pure Harvest.

The growth capital cements Pure Harvest’s role as the MEASA region’s champion within the fast-emerging, global high-tech agriculture ecosystem.

Kurtz said: “We are humbled by this investment from an esteemed group of global investors, backing our mission: to harness the wonders of science, the power of nature, and the passions of people to provide tasty, affordable, sustainably-grown fresh produce anywhere. “

Established in 2016 in Abu Dhabi, Pure Harvest grow crops in smart greenhouses installed with controlled-environment agriculture technologies to deliver fresh produce that is “cleaner-than-organic”. For now, the company only produces tomatoes.

The company deploys technology to circumvent the UAE’s hostile climate and create an environment that can sustain agriculture. Its high-tech greenhouses provide precise climate & environmental controls, enabling increased productivity and reduced waste, including water, energy and  time).

An advanced system analyses data to adjust sunlight, temperature and humidity. Other variables such as levels of carbon dioxide, water and airflow are also measured. There is also an advanced on-site water treatment to ensure food safety.

Pure Harvest packs its own produce: immediately cooling fresh-picked produce to extend shelf life – preserving freshness, firmness and flavour.

Controlled-environment agriculture is the future

Investors in Pure Harvest’s latest funding are confident that controlled-environment agriculture (CEA) plays a vital role in ensuring global food security amid the worsening climate change.

"It's clear that controlled-environment agriculture is becoming increasingly important as a solution to food security issues while also mitigating the environmental impact of food production. We believe Pure Harvest is extremely well positioned to thrive in this growing market driven by its excellent team, innovative approach, and proven track record of building and operating at scale in a region characterised by difficult climatic conditions for agriculture,” said Bjørn Tessiore, partner at Metric Capital Partners.

Hyun-Chan Cho, partner at IMM Investment, said: “Due to our longstanding successful investment in Farm8 (PlanTFarm), we knew the CEA space well. With Pure Harvest, we saw a complementary solution that let us double-down on an investment thesis that we continue to believe in, and that tangibly contributes to global food security, water conservation, economic diversification, and sustainability objectives. We are proud to actively support Pure Harvest as it brings its solution to Asian markets.”

The leading alternative investment firm in South Korea, IMM has forked out an initial USD $50 million investment in Pure Harvest in October.

One of the company’s latest investors, the Saudi Arabian-based Olayan Financing Company, said the climate and water challenges that Pure Harvest works to overcome is vital to the global economy.

“Pure Harvest has proven its ability to deliver incredibly high-quality, safe, sustainable products at affordable prices, and they’ve shown an openness to partner with others to achieve their mission. I believe this funding will allow them to unleash significant potential, and to meet growing food demands in many new markets. We are pleased to be joining the company at this critical point in their journey, transitioning from a regional leader to a global one,” a spokesperson from Olayan Financing Company said.

The latest round of fundraising cements Pure Harvest’s leadership position as the pioneer in CEA in harsh climates. This fundraise, together with the sizable research and development incentives secured from the Abu Dhabi Investment Office in 2020, will allow Pure Harvest to accelerate its growth plans, deploying growing systems in new markets and increasing research and development investments.

Pure Harvest  is also investigating a number of new growth initiatives, including product extensions and water-efficient CEA solutions for fodder production.

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SenseTime and Alfa Romeo F1 Team ORLEN forge AI pact https://futureiot.tech/sensetime-and-alfa-romeo-f1-team-orlen-forge-ai-pact/ Mon, 04 Jul 2022 02:00:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=11072 AI offers many possibilities to improve a car’s performance, helping drivers maximise their decision-making process and optimise racing strategy.

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SenseTime and Alfa Romeo F1 Team ORLEN are exploring various ways to integrate AI technologies with the motorsport racing industry.

“We are leading the way in leveraging AI technology to empower a wide range of industries. Our partnership with Alfa Romeo F1 Team ORLEN will unleash the potential of AI to transform the motorsports industry by taking its performance to new heights. We look forward to combining our latest SenseAuto technology with F1’s brand to revolutionize motorsport experience,” said

Xu Li, co-founder, executive chairman of the board and CEO, SenseTime.

To mark this technology partnership, the former’s branding was featured prominently on the sidepods of Alfa Romeo’s F1 cars during last weekend’s British Grand Prix, as it will be in future Grand Prix Races.

AI offers many possibilities to improve a car's performance, helping drivers maximise their decision-making process. The technology also optimise racing strategy through reinforcement learning of optimal race strategies, speech transcription, anomaly detection in the race car’s sensor data, comprehensive competitor analysis and competitor database.

The technology partnership between the two companies represents a shared passion for innovation, and a desire to pursue new frontiers by reshaping the way technology drives racing.

Frédéric Vasseur, team principal of Alfa Romeo F1 Team ORLEN, said: “Artificial Intelligence is the new frontier of innovation. It will influence many fields of applications – motorsport included. Our partnership with SenseTime allows the team to collaborate with a global leader in this growing sector, making sure we explore every opportunity to gain an advantage over our competition and push the boundaries of technologies together.”

SenseTime has been  leveraging AI technology to empower a variety of industries globally, including the Middle East through its partnerships with local clients. Racing offers an abundance of opportunities for AI to enhance data processing and provide an advantage in overall performance.

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Four APAC cities rank in top 10 of Digital Cities Index 2022 https://futureiot.tech/four-apac-cities-rank-in-top-10-of-digital-cities-index-2022/ Tue, 28 Jun 2022 03:00:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=11051 In Asia, apps were central to managing covid-19, while telemedicine and real time remote monitoring of chronic patients has marked digitisation everywhere.

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Beijing, Seoul, Singapore and Sydney made it to the top 10 of the recently released Digital Cities Index 2022, which ranked 30 global cities across four thematic pillars: connectivity, services, culture and sustainability.

The four Asia Pacific cities are joined on top of the list by Copenhagen, Amsterdam, London and Paris in Europe and New York and Washington DC in the United States.

The index was produced by Economist Impact and supported by NEC.

According to Ritu Bhandari, manager for policy and insights at Economist Impact, smart cities will be safer, cleaner and more inclusive urban landscapes, where citizens enjoy better public health and services, more efficient transport and major economic improvements to be shared as public goods.

“The index highlights how outlier cities are leveraging technology to improve quality of life for millions of citizens around the world. While we see strong leadership from cities in Western Europe, the table is led by major cities from a wide geographical spread. The most significant improvements were delivered against tightly defined goals – a critical success factor for urban digital transformation,” said Bhandari.

A peek at the top performers

Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Beijing, London and Seoul performed the best, with successful open data projects and major strides in smart technology-powered sustainability projects like utility management.

Cities with very defined goals realised the greatest benefits: European cities ran highly impactful traffic management systems, while Beijing made progress using applied digital technologies - tackling air pollution, optimising its utilities and promoting its sharing economy. The Atlantic nation cities led in open data innovation with a boom in travel and mobility apps.

Sustainability was the biggest impact area highlighted by the White Paper, with leading smart cities realising major gains in air quality through smart utility management. Sustainability brought the highest overall scores, with Copenhagen, Seoul and Toronto scoring highest for their use of digital technology to support urban sustainability.

Copenhagen and Singapore were the most connected cities, followed by Zurich, Beijing and Sydney. Singapore’s strategy for developing digital connectivity is built on the premise that AI, 5G and cyber security will drive the country’s growth and innovation post-covid. Smart cities are anticipated to drive economic growth: 5G alone will enable an estimated US$660 billion global mobility and transportation market by 2035.

Internet services impact smart city goals

According to the index, unaffordable, unreliable or inaccessible internet services impact other city level goal, with half-a-million households reportedly lack a reliable internet connection in New York City, for instance, disadvantaging low-income children for remote learning.

By contrast, Washington DC has offered low-cost or free services and devices to families unable to afford a broadband subscription and Paris has the most affordable mobile data of all the cities analysed.

Digital technologies enable progress in public health

Since the pandemic, digital technologies have enabled real progress in public health. In Asia, apps were central to managing COVID-19, while telemedicine and real-time remote monitoring of chronic patients has marked digitisation everywhere. In New York, for instance, a diabetes-prevention initiative for adults has reduced the risk of type 2 diabetes in high-risk individuals by 58%.

Singapore, São Paulo and New Delhi ranked the highest for their delivery of digital municipal services. New Delhi ranks high in part because of the success of Aadhar, India’s ground-breaking national digital identity scheme. In Korea, Metaverse Seoul, announced in November 2021 by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, will provide citizens with access to government services via the metaverse.

The index also noted that involving citizens in the design of smart city schemes underpins meaningful inclusion, a critical success factor for smart city projects, along with delivery against tightly defined goals.

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PodChats for FutureIoT: Future of connected mobility https://futureiot.tech/podchats-for-futureiot-future-of-connected-mobility/ Tue, 21 Jun 2022 02:30:04 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=10963 The global elevators and escalators market is forecast to reach US$83 billion in 2022. Despite the initial setbacks arising from the pandemic, demand for inter-floor transporter is projected to rise on the back of investments in commercial and residential infrastructure projects globally. With maintenance and modernisation of existing equipment expected to exhibit significant growth over […]

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The global elevators and escalators market is forecast to reach US$83 billion in 2022. Despite the initial setbacks arising from the pandemic, demand for inter-floor transporter is projected to rise on the back of investments in commercial and residential infrastructure projects globally.

With maintenance and modernisation of existing equipment expected to exhibit significant growth over time, manufacturers are also focusing on value-added services.

Elevator maintenance, including elevator preventive maintenance, is one of the major tasks involved in elevator service. It involves ensuring that no accidents or breakdowns happen on elevators. Elevator maintenance helps avoid major replacements and it prolongs the life of elevators.

Another issue that has recently come to the fore (driven in part by climate change) is sustainable energy use. With elevators representing 2-7% of the total energy consumed in a building, there is significant scope for improvement regarding energy consumption.

The rise of IoT elevators

The global IoT elevator market is set to reach US$93.9 billion by the end of 2022-2032 with a CAGR of 13.4%, according to Fact.MR. IoT Elevators are proving to be more efficient than traditional elevators in comparison with next-generation elevators.

With a growth rate valued at US$18.4 Billion, in 2022 the hardware demand has boomed significantly in the past few years. Based on the data that is being collected from daily usage of elevators, artificial intelligence is currently being used to assist both operators and mechanical contractors in keeping up with their daily routines and finding ways to better manage the flow of elevator traffic and find ways to prevent problems before they occur.

Challenges ahead

The integration of third-party systems with elevators is expected to become more prevalent as technology develops. Construction companies are calling for efficient and safe technologies in the global elevator market.

Driving the growth is increased urbanisation, including demand for residential & commercial amenities, propping demand for IoT in elevators.

IoT to power innovations

Devices powered by IoT technology can manage big data streams and perform predictive maintenance in elevators.

Birgitta Van den Driessche, TK Elevator’s product and marketing director for APAC, says the pandemic, technology and sustainability have fuelled the innovations of the past few years. She highlights technologies like TWIN elevators operating in the same shaft and ropeless elevators that can move both vertically and horizontally.

Twin elevators in the same shaft
Spurce: TK Elevator

When it comes to user expense, she noted that smart and connected elevators not only streamline maintenance but also effectively increase availability levels.

Birgitta Van den Driessche

“Through newly developed human and system interfaces, elevators are getting more integrated into building operations. We expect innovations to continue as vertical mobility serves an ever-important role in reducing urban sprawl and improving accessibility, especially in emerging economies in APAC."

Birgitta Van den Driessche
How is elevator maintenance conducted?

Birgitta Van den Driessche: Elevator maintenance is of paramount importance to the safety of passengers, for the same reason it is highly regulated in most countries around the world. Maintenance checks are required to be conducted regularly by certified technicians to verify the integrity and efficiency of mechanical, electrical and safety devices, and to ensure elevator units operate safely and efficiently.

Given that these tend to be operated manually by passengers, how do you ensure minimal disruption to operations?

Birgitta Van den Driessche: Through connected controllers, elevators today work in synergy with advanced group scheduling and calling solutions. These systems optimise elevator dispatching to cater for the needs of different scenarios, including energy-saving, priority service and peak hours arrangement for specific zones/floors.

For example, in multi-car configurations like the TWIN, these systems are together able to increase service availability and optimise energy consumption by parking the unused car during non-peak hours. With the entire operation flow coordinated by digital systems, operations are optimised, and human disruptions can be reduced to a minimum.

How has IoT influenced the preventive/predictive maintenance of elevators?

Birgitta Van den Driessche: Elevator maintenance was performed on a “Break & Fix” basis, usage data of elevator components was not easily accessible.

Max controller
Source: TK Elevator

Recent technological advancements gave major global players an unprecedented edge over smaller and local contenders - with the introduction of elevators connected through an IoT platform and monitored by a host of sensors, and the help of big data, operation insights of thousands of elevators uploaded to the cloud, property owners and managers are now able to integrate predictive maintenance into building operations workflow, and as aforementioned, enable more versatile elevator services.

Talk about the impact of data-driven building operations on the passenger experience.

Birgitta Van den Driessche: The integration of digital mobility solutions and data-driven building operations has changed how people travel within buildings, especially in today’s post-pandemic situation.

On one hand, digital solutions such as gesture, voice and mobile elevator calls enable smooth elevator rides without the need for a single physical touch, on the other hand, digital and centralised elevator dispatch systems shorten queues and wait times by optimising elevator availability according to access and usage data in specific sections of the building.

Real-time operation insights including fall and misuse detection and visual safety based on computer vision and AI technologies will also significantly enhance the safety performance of elevators and escalators.

Can you compare traditional and cloud-based elevator maintenance?

Birgitta Van den Driessche: Cloud-based maintenance is of game-changing importance when it comes to service improvement. In the past elevator maintenance was conducted mainly through visual inspection, technicians were often not able to accurately estimate the usage of elevator components. As a result, when elevators malfunctioned, downtimes were inevitable due to parts availability and time needed for the actual repair work.

With the new cloud-based maintenance approach, in addition to regular visual inspections conducted by certified technicians, we are now able to monitor the real-time operational status of the elevator and its various components, which enable us to perform predictive maintenance on connected elevator units.

Can you share the future development and benefits of building operation platforms?

Birgitta Van den Driessche: Buildings in the future will consist of numerous control systems, a greater scale of integration of these systems will be the way forward.

Agile, destination control
Source: TK Elevator

With next-generation elevators, access control, in-car infotainment, emergency-call, smart maintenance and monitoring solutions, central air conditioning, etc., all working together in synergy, will result in a building that allows tenants and even robots – a new type of elevator users travel seamlessly within a building that is more secure and consumes less energy.

Development of these technologies has matured in recent years, and they are readily available for deployment as new installations or retrofits.

Click on the PodChat player to listen to Van den Driessche’s account on how IoT is further accelerating the adoption of IoT-enabled elevators, and the benefits these bring to both operators and the public.

  1. What is new about elevators (particularly since 2020)? – new in terms of features, rider expectations and operator preferences.
  2. How is elevator maintenance conducted?
  3. Given that elevators tend to be operated manually often by passengers, how do you ensure minimal disruption to operations?
  4. Talk to us about the impact of data-driven building operations on passenger experience.
  5. How has IoT influenced the preventive/predictive maintenance of elevators?
  6. Can you compare traditional and cloud-based elevator maintenance?
  7. Can you share future development and benefits of building operation platforms?

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HK’s first double-decker electric bus starts trial run https://futureiot.tech/hks-first-double-decker-electric-bus-starts-trial-run/ Mon, 20 Jun 2022 01:00:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=10954 Bravo is committed to operate a full-fledge of zero-emission buses across its operations by 2045, five years head of the Hong Kong government carbon neutrality target.

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Hong Kong’s first double-decker electric bus started trial operations yesterday, operating the Citybus Route 5B from Eastern Hospital Road Hong Kong Stadium bus terminus to Kennedy Town.

“With the electric double-deck bus and later the first hydrogen fuel cell double-deck bus, we can run these new energy buses in parallel to gather valuable operational data that can assist the government in the formulation of a comprehensive zero-emission transformation plan,” said Roger Ma, general manager for operation, Citybus and New Word First Bus.

The city’s first electric double-decker bus will later be deployed in Kowloon to operate Citybus Route 20, 20A and 22M that run from Kai Tak to Tai Kok Tsui, Tsim Sha Tsui and Tok Kwa Wan, subject to approval of the Transport Department.

The construction of the bus is a joint project between Bravo Transport Services  – the parent company of Citybus and New World First Bus – and Wisdom (Fuijian) Motor Company. They worked closely from the concept, to design, to production, with a focus on enabling the bus to handle the city's topography and operating environment.

The bus will undergo a series of rigorous internal tests before completing the Transport Department's official vehicle inspection. The actual service operations will be announced in due course.

Bravo is committed to operate a full-fledge of zero-emission buses across its operations by 2045, five years head of the Hong Kong government carbon neutrality target. Currently, the company operates over 1,700 buses across Hong Kong, Kowloon and New Territories and carries over one million passengers daily.

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SG unveils AI app to stop illegal trade of shark and ray fins https://futureiot.tech/sg-unveils-ai-app-to-stop-illegal-trade-of-shark-and-ray-fins/ Thu, 09 Jun 2022 03:00:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=10912 The app is expected to reduce the time and effort spent to on shipment validation, enabling NParks officers to help put a stop to illegal wildlife trade more quickly.

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Singapore National Parks Board (NParks), Microsoft and Conservation International yesterday unveiled Fin Finder, touted to be Asia's first mobile application that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to visually identify illegally traded shark and ray species.

"Sharks and rays play an important role in maintaining marine ecosystems by keeping other fish populations in check. If stripped from our oceans, there would be dire consequences for ocean health, which would affect us, and our food security,” said Dhanushri Munasinghe, project coordinator at the Conservation International Singapore.

He added: “As one of the world's most significant transhipment hubs, Singapore is well positioned to combat illegal wildlife trade. Conservation International, supported by Microsoft and other partners, is excited to support Singapore and the Singapore National Parks Board's leadership in conservation through the creation of Fin Finder".

The mobile app was created by a Singapore-led team from Conservation International in consultation with NParks with support from the Microsoft AI for Earth program. It will be used by officers from the Singapore National Parks Board to combat illegal wildlife trade.

Fin Finder, a complex AI and cloud based mobile application that runs on Microsoft Azure, was created in just nine months to address a pressing need. The project was supported by a highly collaborative consortium of global experts in conservation and technology, with resources, data, and volunteer contributions from Microsoft, Conservation International, the NParks, Sineurope, Rumah Foundation, Coastal Natives and Wild Me.

Stopping illegal trade of sharks and rays

There are approximately 1,000 species of sharks and rays in the world, of which over 30 species are listed under the appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) for regulated trade.

Photo by Jeffrey Low from NParks website

Between 2012 and 2020, more than 160,000 kilograms of fins from CITES-listed sharks and rays have entered the Singapore waters. The current process requires officers to collect the fins from each shipment for DNA testing to determine its species. This takes an average of up to one week.

Ivonne Higuero, secretary general of CITES, said: "The first step in ensuring international trade complies with CITES regulations comes with the, sometimes difficult, process of identifying the species being traded. Fin Finder is a welcome and innovative addition in the identification of fins and will complement other tools such as iSharkFin. It will give customs and enforcement officers an easy-to-use tool that will contribute to an international trade in CITES-listed species that remains legal, traceable, and sustainable."

Fin Finder optimises the identification process by allowing officers to take photos of fins that will be matched against a database of over 15,000 shark and ray fin images via an AI-driven algorithm in the app. In a matter of seconds, the AI-powered app which runs on Microsoft Azure will quickly and accurately provide a visual identification of shark and ray species onsite and empower officers to quickly flag suspicious fin shipments for further DNA testing to stop the illegal trade of shark and ray fins.

When wildlife species are traded illegally, the consequences are far-reaching to many ecosystems, economies and communities around the world, according to Dr Adrian Loo, group director of wildlife management, NParks.

“By using advanced technology in the creation of Fin Finder, we can strengthen the enforcement against the illegal trade of sharks and ray species following CITES regulation, and boost Singapore's capabilities in conserving precious biodiversity,” Loo said.

Fin Finder as a single-platform directory

Beyond identification of illegally traded shark and ray fins, officers from the NParks will also use Fin Finder as a single-platform directory of relevant shark and ray species. The app also offers onsite access to reference materials that can be used for validation of CITES-approved permits or shipping documents. This feature is expected to reduce the time and effort spent to on shipment validation, enabling officers to help put a stop to illegal wildlife trade more quickly.

Richard Koh, chief technology officer, Microsoft Singapore,  said: "AI has the potential to solve critical environmental challenges. By taking AI tools out of the lab and putting it into the hands of experts in the field, we can accelerate new solutions for a better world. That's why we are proud to support Fin Finder as it protects global shark and ray populations and preserves our ocean life. By conserving wildlife with help from technology, future generations can enjoy our natural world, as we empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more."

Fin Finder is a project in Microsoft AI for Earth, a global program that supports organisations applying responsible AI and cloud computing to address critical environmental issues. The program is part of Microsoft's AI for Good initiative, which aims to solve the world's most challenging problems, from climate change to agriculture, biodiversity and water. To date, AI for Earth has awarded 138 grants to people and businesses in more than 45 countries globally.

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Vingroup and Intel to develop smart technologies https://futureiot.tech/vingroup-and-intel-to-develop-smart-technologies/ Wed, 08 Jun 2022 02:00:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=10908 The companies will also collaborate around creating and deploying smart factory IoT solutions for VinES batteries manufacturing and VinFast electric vehicles manufacturing.

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Vietnamese conglomerate Vingroup recently signed an agreement with Intel to develop 5G-enabled smart city and smart building solutions, which can be applied to Vinhomes' smart city projects.

The companies will also collaborate around creating and deploying smart factory IoT solutions for VinES batteries manufacturing and VinFast electric vehicles manufacturing.

“Vingroup has always been a pioneer in bringing consumers smart products and services integrated with world-class technologies, advanced features and outstanding experiences to improve their lives. We work towards realising this vision through partnerships like this, to create a smarter and more sustainable future for everyone,” said Le Thi Thu Thuy, vice chairwoman of Vingroup.

The collaboration is part of a continued effort from Vingroup to work with top tier global suppliers who can aid with manufacturing development, smart services and electric vehicle initiatives.

Vingroup recently adjusted its orientation and redefined three key groups of activities, namely technology and industry, trade and services, and social enterprise.

To develop the technology and industry group, Vingroup focuses on two main strategies: building Vingoup's technology ecosystem and connecting global intelligence – cooperating with the world's leading technology partners to accelerate the application of the most advanced and new technologies to Vingroup's products and services.

Advancing automotive technology

Under their new MOU, Vingroup and Intel will also  collectively define and build both an optimised and scalable computing architecture for AI training and inference for Vingroup's in-vehicle and cloud applications.

The applications will enable a specific in-vehicle experience for consumers and an optimised multi-cloud strategy to potentially migrate and deploy open-source in-vehicle and in-building applications. They can include high-performance data management systems for ADAS and Infotainment, manufacturing and supply chain management along with enterprise solutions for Vingroup facilities.

Both companies will also work together to define a shared vision of future in-vehicle computing platforms and build scalable in-vehicle computing platforms for Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) based on Mobileye technology and infotainment systems that deliver a unique in-vehicle experience for Vingroup and VinFast customers and create a suite of services that will differentiate them from competitors.

"The digitisation of everything is contributing to the insatiable need for semiconductors, especially in the automotive sector. Intel has the depth and breadth of software, silicon and platforms, and process with at-scale manufacturing our partners need for their next-generation innovations. This collaboration with Vingroup can help deliver needed technology innovations for safer roads, more sustainable manufacturing and smarter cities," said Pat Gelsinger, Intel CEO.

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CGH, CapitaLand Investment and KONE join hands to integrate robotics in buildings https://futureiot.tech/cgh-capitaland-investment-and-kone-join-hands-to-integrate-robotics-in-buildings/ Thu, 02 Jun 2022 05:00:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=10894 The testbeds are guided by Singapore’s Technical Reference (TR) 93, the new national guidelines that seek to harmonise data exchanges between autonomous robots and building infrastructure for effective deployment through horizontal and vertical spaces.

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Changi General Hospital (CGH), together with CapitaLand Investment (CLI) and KONE, have joined forces to testbed the integration of multifunctional robots and building infrastructure at Heartbeat @ Bedok and the CLI-led Smart Urban Co-Innovation Lab (the Lab) at Singapore Science Park 2.

The testbeds are guided by Singapore’s Technical Reference (TR) 93, the new national guidelines that seek to harmonise data exchanges between autonomous robots and building infrastructure for effective deployment through horizontal and vertical spaces.

“As a smart and Caring General Hospital, we innovate and collaborate widely within and beyond healthcare to create new value, benefit our communities, and contribute to the nation's efforts in Research, Innovation and Enterprise,” said Professor Ng Wai Hoe, chief executive officer, CGH.

He added: “The invaluable partnerships with CLI, KONE, Enterprise Singapore and other industry players enable us to leapfrog healthcare solutions to new ground and open up endless possibilities. We are excited that RoMi-H, which first started as a solution for healthcare, can now be integrated with smart infrastructure, potentially accelerating the scaling up of automation and robotics technologies in Singapore and the world."

Touted as the world’s first, the standardised RoMi-H, short for Robotics Middleware for Healthcare, has paved the way for multiple robots with different proprietary systems from different technology providers to communicate and sync together through common data exchanges.

RoMi-H  is developed by CGH's Centre for Healthcare Assistive and Robotics Technologies (CHART) and other partners.

Now, by enabling integration with the building infrastructure through efficient communications with lifts and doorways, these various robots can travel autonomously and safely through indoor and outdoor spaces and gain access to various storeys in a multi-storey building.

These crucial developments led by cross-industry efforts are a boost to Singapore's robotics ecosystem in line with the national Research, Innovation, and Enterprise 2025 plans, as they help to reduce the time and costs needed to integrate robots with buildings, enhance efficiencies, support the safe deployment of robots within dynamic environments, as well as create new opportunities and jobs.

First-of-its-kind testbeds

Leveraging CGH's technology expertise and CLI's global network of partners through its Smart Urban Co-Innovation Lab, the first-of-its-kind testbeds are designed to enable industry players to interface RoMi-H with KONE's next-generation lifts, which comes with cloud connectivity capabilities and open application programming interface (API) that is aligned with TR 93.

Heartbeat @ Bedok is one of the testbed sites, where CGH and KONE have successfully integrated robots with a next-generation lift.

The other testbed site at The Galen at Singapore Science Park 2, provides a realistic, accessible and secure operating environment for companies to "plug and play" their own technologies and test the integration with lifts. This will allow building owners in any sector to interweave functions of diverse robots into complex operational workflows.

Over 25 local and international industry players have shown interest to be part of the testbed, and more technology players, start-ups, SMEs, as well as adopters including facility management companies, are expected to join and benefit from this initiative in the near future.

“Our collaboration with CGH and KONE allows us to further advance innovation by bringing partners from our global network to testbed cutting-edge robotics solutions for the built environment industry,” said Aylwin Tan, chief customer solutions officer, CLI, and director of Smart Urban Co-Innovation Lab.

He added that CLI has been at the forefront of innovation in support of the Singapore's efforts to build a smart and sustainable city.

“As Southeast Asia's first industry-led lab for smart cities solutions development, our Smart Urban Co-Innovation Lab has engaged with over 700 companies across a wide range of industries to identify opportunities and co-create solutions for smart sustainable cities,” said Tan.

With data exchanges between robots and lifts through the Robotics Middleware for Healthcare (RoMi-H) standardised by the Technical Reference 93, robots can navigate autonomously and deconflict their routes with other robots to execute their individual tasks in a co-ordinated manner.

New standard in syncing robots with building infrastructure

RoMi-H has been successfully test bedded for deployment at public sector hospitals and at COVID-19 Treatment Facilities to augment operations and care. Its innovative interface enables robots to navigate autonomously in human-rich environments, proactively and independently de-conflict their navigation routes with robots of different makes across narrow common pathways, and execute their individual tasks in a co-ordinated manner. This also allows for a universal charging system and fleet management to be developed so that the different robots can be more efficiently managed.

Furthermore, the development of the TR93 standards provide guidance to robot manufacturers and building owners in deploying multiple robots in smart buildings and accelerate the take-up of robotics technologies in multi-storey buildings.

TR93  was driven by CGH's CHART and local engineering firm HOPE Technik, and supported by the National Robotics Programme and Enterprise Singapore.

With the ability to integrate autonomous robots with next-generation lifts and automated doorways, technology providers, system integrators and building owners can explore and easily adopt the innovative use of robotics technologies in buildings.

Choy Sauw Kook, director-general (Quality & Excellence), Enterprise Singapore, said: "The Singapore Standards Council, overseen by Enterprise Singapore, is proud to have worked with CHART and various stakeholders to enhance the integration and adoption of safe and effective robotics solutions through the development of TR 93. We envision that this new standard will help spur more deployment of robots in the built environment as it provides a common data interchange platform for various system and equipment providers to work together."

KONE, on the other hand, is proud to be a key contributor to the development of TR 93.

“New technologies, such as in the area of robotics, are rapidly changing the way our customers construct and operate buildings. We have increased investments in advanced technologies and broadened our digital capabilities to collaborate and co-innovate with different stakeholders in the built environment sector. We see great opportunities to progress our efforts in Singapore, with its strong focus to be a smart and sustainable nation,” said Samer Halabi, executive vice president, KONE Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa.

Prof Ng Wai Hoe, CEO, Changi General Hospital and Aylwin Tan, chief customer solutions officer, CapitaLand Investment, together with advisers to East Coast GRC, Heng Swee Keat, Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for Economic Policies; Tan Kiat How, Minister of State, Ministry of Communications and Information & Ministry of National Development; and Jessica Tan at the launch of the cross-industry collaborations to advance the integration of robotics in buildings.

Forging vibrant partnerships in East Coast

Meanwhile,  CGH and CLI – the two of the founding partners of Vibrant @ East Coast – joined forces with KONE, to co-create innovative solutions to benefit communities and industries under the East Coast Vibrant Community Footprints

The official launch of the partnership was witnessed by Guest-of-Honour, Heng Swee Keat, Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for Economic Policies, Chairman of the National Research Foundation and Adviser to East Coast Group Representation Constituency (GRC) at Heartbeat @ Bedok.

CGH and CLI also signed a Memorandum of Understanding to create co-innovation and deployment opportunities to drive discovery, adaptation and adoption of smart cities solutions, and develop initiatives to excite, educate and engage the community in health and wellness. Innovations arising from the partnership are expected to overcome common challenges, increase productivity and help the industry, including small-and medium-sized enterprises (SME), to grow.

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SG urges companies to join AI governance testing pilot https://futureiot.tech/sg-urges-companies-to-join-ai-governance-testing-pilot/ Fri, 27 May 2022 02:00:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=10877 Called AI Verify, the self-test toolkit aims to promote transparency between companies and their stakeholders through a combination of technical tests and process checks.

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The Singapore government is piloting the world’s first artificial intelligence governance testing framework, which enables companies to measure the safety and reliability of their products and services.

Called AI Verify, the self-test toolkit aims to promote transparency between companies and their stakeholders through a combination of technical tests and process checks. The is developed by the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) and the Personal Data Protection Commission (PDPC).

“It is another step forward in Singapore’s AI development. This will promote greater public trust towards the use of AI. We invite industry partners from all around the world to join us in this pilot and contribute to building international standards in AI governance,” said Josephine Teo, Singapore’s minister for communications and information, at annual meeting last Wednesday of the World Economic Forum (WEF) at Davos, Switzerland.

Globally, testing for the trustworthiness for AI systems is an emergent space. As more companies use AI in their products and services, fostering public’s trust in AI technologies remains key in unlocking the transformative opportunities of AI.

Objective and verifiable testing process

Developers and owners can verify the claimed performance of their AI systems against a set of principles through standardised tests. A.I. Verify packages a set of open-source testing solutions together, including a set of process checks into a toolkit for convenient self-assessment.

The toolkit will generate reports for developers, management, and business partners, covering major areas affecting AI performance. The toolkit will transparently show how the AI model claims fared against  test results in areas such as: on the use of AI to achieve what stated outcome; understanding how the AI model reaches a decision; and, whether the decisions predicted by the AI show unintended bias

The toolkit will also assess the safety and resilience, as well as the accountability and oversight of AI systems.

“Rapid digitisation has led to a proliferation of data and improved algorithms. As companies across sectors continue to innovate, this toolkit will enable them to turn concepts of responsible and trustworthy AI into practical applications,” said Chia Song Hwee, deputy CEO, Temasek International and member of Singapore’s Advisory Council on the Ethical Use of AI and Data, which guided the development of the toolkit.

Positive industry feedback

Already, 10 companies from different sectors and of different scale, have already tested and/or provided feedback. These companies are AWS, DBS Bank, Google, Meta, Microsoft, Singapore Airlines, NCS (Part of Singtel Group)/Land Transport Authority, Standard Chartered Bank, UCARE.AI, and X0PA.AI.

“As organisations worldwide continue to harness data and drive increased adoption of AI-based solutions, it is more important than ever to establish the guardrails to ensure this is done responsibly. Singapore has, for some time now, been at the forefront in developing the thinking around the important and emergent subject of AI governance,” said Piyush Gupta, group CEO, DBS Group.

According to Pier Luigi Culazzo, group chief data officer at Standard Chartered Bank, the development of the AI Governance Testing Framework is an integral progress to Singapore’s vision of building a robust digital economy.

“From integration with other jurisdictions to standardisation across industries, the use of IMDA’s framework will go towards enhancing accountability and transparency of the AI ecosystem in Singapore, motivating more organisations to deploy AI responsibly,” said Culazzo.

George Wang, senior vice president – information technology at Singapore Airlines said: “We brought our strong data science and AI expertise and capabilities to IMDA’s AI Governance Testing framework, contributing to efforts to make it a Minimal Viable Product. Through this partnership, we gained insights that enhance our own digital capabilities.”

Singapore’s Land Transport Authority, which participated in the pilot together with its partner NCS, expressed optimism over the AI Governance self-test.

“The Land Transport Authority is in the nascent stage of exploring the use of AI to augment our work processes, and we are mindful that there should be clear guidelines and processes in place for safe and responsible application of the technology,” said agency chief executive Ng Lang.

IMDA is also working together with the U.S. Department of Commerce to build interoperable AI governance frameworks. Beyond the pilot stage of the MVP, Singapore aims to work with AI system owners/developers globally to collate and build industry benchmark, which will enable the city to continue contributing to the development of international standards on AI governance.

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China’s RobotPlusPlus eyes overseas market https://futureiot.tech/chinas-robotplusplus-eyes-overseas-market/ Tue, 24 May 2022 01:00:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=10861 To support its global expansion, the company is set to open an office in Singapore to serve the Asian and Middle Eastern markets.

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Aerial works robot provider RobotPlusPlus will accelerate R&D and will expand its market presence outside China with new robots for cargo-hold cleaning, tank painting and façade cleaning.

The company announced its plans in the heels of securing a US$15-million Series B funding led by Meituan, China's leading tech and online retail company, and Fosun, a global innovation-driven consumer group.

"While we've previously focused on the Chinese market, 2021 has brought us more success outside China. We're looking forward to making our solutions available to a broader audience and cementing our position as a key player globally," stated Andy Lu, partner & SVP of RobotPlusPlus.

To support its global expansion, the company is set to open an office in Singapore to serve the Asian and Middle Eastern markets.

RobotPlusPlus has a portfolio of robotic solutions for crucial industries such as maritime, ship repair, petrochemicals, and power generation, with hundreds of magnetic crawler robots deployed globally. The company focuses providing aerial work safety for operators while improving the efficiency of Inspection, Maintenance, and Repair (IMR) solutions and lowering operating costs for asset owners.

With its large team of skilled engineers and operators in place, RobotPlusPlus also provides Robot as a Service(RaaS) services to clients, enabling them not only to offer timely and cost-effective services but also to gain insights into industrial application scenarios.

"An aging workforce, rising labour costs, frequent aerial work-related accidents, and the COVID-19 pandemic have had an accelerative effect on the aerial work robotics sector," said Pu Xiao, investment manager at Fosun. "RobotPlusPlus empowers people with robots while helping increase operational safety and productivity. We're excited to support the company in leveraging AI and RaaS to optimise aerial work environments and enable robotic applications."

Hua-yang Xu, founder and CEO of RobotPlusPlus reiterated the company’s commitment to delivering “more transformational results” to its customers

The company plans to use its fresh funding to upgrade current products by integrating more autonomous technologies

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PodChats for FutureIoT: Redefining insurance with IoT https://futureiot.tech/podchats-for-futureiot-redefining-insurance-with-iot/ Mon, 23 May 2022 01:00:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=10852 Insurance is a competitive landscape, more so these days as regulations evolve, customers become demanding and picky with what products they need and how much they are willing to pay. The entry of insurtech has also opened new avenues for insurers to market products, in some cases, create totally new offerings in new locations, not […]

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Insurance is a competitive landscape, more so these days as regulations evolve, customers become demanding and picky with what products they need and how much they are willing to pay.

The entry of insurtech has also opened new avenues for insurers to market products, in some cases, create totally new offerings in new locations, not possible with the conventional model for marketing insurance.

Concirrus CEO Andrew Yeoman acknowledged that the pandemic has challenged the insurance industry business model in Asia. He commented that COVID-19 has given the industry problems and opportunities.

"It's given us a problem because operating a business where you're we've been predominantly used to doing face to face work, and then trying to do that remotely has been challenging. And clearly, there's going to need to be some investment going forwards in some of that backend office and infrastructure. The very manual methods of perhaps processing policies have been challenged," he added.

IoT-led innovations in insurance

According to the IMARC Group report, IoT Insurance Market: Global Industry Trends, Share, Size, Growth, Opportunity and Forecast 2022-2027, the global IoT insurance market reached a value of US$20.2 Billion in 2021. The Internet of Things (IoT) insurance refers to a technological solution that collects, transmits, and shares data of the client to insurance companies.

Yeoman acknowledges that IoT is creeping in everywhere. "Everything that we see in touch with seems to be monitored these days. What we're starting to slowly see is that the insurers are building products around that," he added.

"We're seeing it rising everywhere at the same time, both in personal lines and in commercial lines. And really the most exciting part of it is that it gives you some that hyper-personalised proposition so around how you work, how you're behaving and how you're driving."

The value proposition of IoT in insurance

IoT brings with it data not previously available to insurers. Yeoman commented that the data represents the behaviour, in the form of how, where, and when, of the asset. He cited the example of vehicular insurance. Where traditional insurance would mean that the insurer would only have a record of an incident during an insurance claim, embedded insurance describes a behaviour that is a far better indicator of risk than the static factors that have been used previously.

According to Yeoman, from the insurer's perspective, the data that they get from IoT devices will allow for disaggregation of risk. He posited that using data gathered by IoT devices, insurers can price their products and services to the risk profile of the insured.

"The secondary benefit that it also provides is the concept of nudge behaviour. I think that notion of those additional benefits changes our relationship with an insurer from just being somebody that's there, when things go wrong, to somebody that can help me live a healthier life," he added.

Supporting the operations of insurers

Beyond the embedding of IoT into insurance products, Yeoman says insurance companies make their living off managing the risks of the insured. He cited the example of insured vehicles – that under the traditional business model, the insurer has no awareness of where an insured vehicle is at any given time, whether it is on the road or parked somewhere, the road conditions and the driving habits or pattern of the driver.

He posited that the insurer would not know how many risks the insurance company is taking during the lifetime of the policy. IoT quantifies some of these risks and provides a granularity of risks down to the individual policy owner.

Importance of data

To realise that example of automotive insurance, it is important that data from IoT devices are collected and processed according to a pre-defined workflow.

To succeed in integrating IoT into the insurance business model, Yeoman says it is important to have a very clear understanding of what their business model is going to be, how that's going to scale, and how they can adopt such a business model.

He posited that insurers would need to be willing to experiment and be able to adapt to what works for them. "They need to see what's acceptable to their policyholders. And they need to do that quickly. I think the short, sharp, focused experience. What can we learn? We call it fail-fast," he commented.

Managing the unknown – IoT skills, experience, and expertise

Yeoman noted that insurers are used to dealing with data – much of it recorded on paper. With an IoT-led insurance model,

Clearly, if you go in with an IoT enabled proposition, you might take on a new supply chain, you might have to buy hardware, you might have to have connectivity issues in terms of SIM cards or other sorts of network connectivity. And you need a supply chain to then say, both procure those but then get those shipped out or installed with a customer or whichever. I think that in terms of the insurance expertise, depending on the particular business case, and the line of business that going into, clearly, it changes the need of an insurer, what skills they need in that supply chain. My one-sentence advice is, don't build that in-house, just partner with somebody who's an expert in that.

Click on the PodChat player to hear Yeoman's insights and recommendations around how the insurance industry can meet the evolving challenges using IoT.

  1. How has the insurance industry in Asia evolved in the last five years?
  2. It can be argued that IoT is still relatively new as applied in insurance. Can you cite one or two recent innovations around the use of IoT in insurance?
  3. What is the value proposition of IoT in the provision of insurance products and services?
  4. There are two aspects of IoT that need to be addressed in insurance: risk management and the other is around data privacy and protection.
    1. How are insurers using IoT to better manage their risks? (insight into behavioural analysis)
    1. In your observation, is the understanding of IoT technology, sufficiently mature around data privacy and protection?
  5. How important is having a clear business model to benefit from IoT data? And how can businesses adopt such a model?
    1. What skills, expertise, and experience must an insurer have access to benefit from the use of IoT?
    1. When looking to tap IoT, what questions should leadership ask their CIO/CTO to ensure they are in the right direction and frame of mind?
  6. What does Concirrus bring to the table?

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New drone creates 3D models while in flight https://futureiot.tech/new-drone-creates-3d-models-while-in-flight/ Mon, 23 May 2022 01:00:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=10855 The Elios 3 is powered by a new proprietary SLAM engine called FlyAware, which allows LiDAR Data to be turned into 3D models in real time, while the drone is in flight.

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As industries around the world scale up their use of drones, they need technology that is easy to use, performs the same way every time, and remains stable when working inside highly sensitive assets.

To cater to the demand for reliable inspection tools, Flyability has unveiled what it claims to be  the world's first collision-tolerant drone equipped with a LiDAR sensor for indoor mapping. Powered by new SLAM engine, the new drone also creates 3D models of points of interest (POIs) as it flies.

Elios 3, the first mapping and inspection indoor drone that turns asset data into digital insights.

With its new Elios 3 drone, Flyability continues its pledge to create cutting-edge technology designed to keep humans out of dangerous places to perform the most demanding inspection tasks.

"The Elios 3 has some of the very best stabilisation in the world, a modular payload, the ability to create 3D models in real time while in flight, and it paves the way towards an increasingly autonomous future," said Patrick Thévoz, co-founder and CEO of Flyability.

Flyability specialises pioneered confined space inspection drones that help companies improve safety, reduce downtimes, and cut costs for their internal inspections. Its drones are used in diverse industries from power generation, oil & gas, mining, chemical, maritime to infrastructure and utilities. It has  almost one thousand clients in over 60 countries, with offices located in Switzerland, China, Singapore, and the US.

The company has been working on the Elios 3 for four years. In that time, its engineers have spent thousands of hours on research and development and performed over 200 missions in the field to collect feedback, learn what clients want, and refine the technology in order to make the most reliable indoor drone on the market.

"For industrial inspections, the Elios 3 is a key enabler of Industry 4.0, presenting an inspection solution that can make inspections safer, more efficient, and less expensive than ever before,” said Thévoz.

Mapping areas that are out of reach or too dangerous for humans is very difficult, yet critical to support operational decisions in many industries.

The Elios 3 comes with an Ouster OS0-32 LiDAR sensor, allowing inspectors to collect data for the creation of survey-grade 3D models using software from Flyability's new partner, GeoSLAM.

By combining the best of confined space drone data capture and 3D geospatial software technology, Flyability's partnership with GeoSLAM enables professionals to produce survey-grade point clouds of the most inaccessible places in their workplace, completely removing the strain of approximations and guesswork from their operations.

In addition to carrying a LiDAR sensor, the Elios 3 can accommodate a second payload that allows it to be customised for each individual user's needs.

Creating 3D models in real time

The Elios 3 is powered by a new proprietary SLAM engine called FlyAware, which allows LiDAR Data to be turned into 3D models in real time, while the drone is in flight.

The new SLAM engine on Elios 3 delivers ground-breaking stability. Combining data from the drone's three optical cameras and its LiDAR sensor to catch the tiniest unpredictable movement and instruct the flight controller to compensate for it. This stability and other ease-of-use features make the Elios 3 easy to operate, so that new pilots can be trained and perform their first inspection in the same day.

Using Flyability's new Inspector 4.0 software made for reporting with the Elios 3, inspectors can now visualise POIs found during an inspection in a high-resolution 3D map using Inspector 4.0's 3D Map Viewer. This feature lets stakeholders navigate from POI to POI in a digital representation of their assets, providing a clear visualisation of the defects found within them to support planning, monitoring, and maintenance efforts.

"The Elios 3 is the single biggest project that Flyability has ever undertaken," said Adrien Briod, CTO of Flyability. "If you think of the Elios 2 as your classic flip phone, only designed to make phone calls, the Elios 3 is the smartphone. It's made to be customized for the specific demands of each user, letting you attach the payload you need so you can use the tool as you like, and allowing it to grow and improve over time with new payloads or software solutions."

As part of the effort to make the Elios 3, Flyability collaborated with top universities around the world by joining Team Cerberus, which competed in—and won—DARPA's multi-year Sub-T challenge for autonomous robotics in underground environments.

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Robots get the job done https://futureiot.tech/robots-get-the-job-done/ Tue, 17 May 2022 23:00:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=10838 At quarantine hotels Oasis Avenue – A GDH Hotel and Metropark Hotel Kowloon, robots have been deployed for two purposes: food delivery and disinfection.

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Hong Kong is now slowly emerging from the city-wide community lockdowns after the fifth wave of Covid-19 outbreak caused by the Omicron variant.

With the opening of flights into Hong Kong, returning residents and visitors still  have to undergo a week-long hotel quarantine to ensure the downward trend of infections in the city.

At quarantine hotels Oasis Avenue – A GDH Hotel and Metropark Hotel Kowloon, robots have been deployed for two purposes: food delivery and disinfection.

“Technology can be used effectively to curb the coronavirus,” said Zhang Tao, founder and CEO of Pudu Robotics. “When it is needed, we have the obligation, the ability, and the willingness to stand with the frontline workers and combat the pandemic. Turning the power of science and technology into an actual pandemic prevention force, we are ready to support and give back to global society with our products powered by advanced technologies."

The Shenzhen-based company donated several of its commercial service robots to the two Hong Kong hotels at the height of the Omicron outbreak.

Its BellaBot food delivery robot is equipped with an automotive-grade independent linkage suspension system, an  intelligent infrared induction tray, and 3D obstacle avoidance as well as the dual Laser SLAM and Visual SLAM positioning and navigation system. The robot’s robust four-layer tray allows the delivery of more than one item at a time.

On the other hand, the company’s Puductor 2 is UV cleaning robot is equipped with dual disinfection modes: ultrasonic dry mist disinfection where the disinfectant is atomised into 10µm dry particles that ensure complete sterilisation by remaining suspended in the air in a random motion, and UV-C Disinfection where a UV lamp is equipped, delivering disinfection with an ultraviolet illumination of 188μW/cm² at 1 meter.

By delivering daily necessities to the quarantine hotels’ guests in a contactless manner, BellaBot minimises the risk of cross infection by avoiding direct contact between staff and guests in addition to helping save on anti-pandemic supplies, while Puductor 2 guarantees safe and healthy indoor environments within the hotels by enabling its 24/7 automatic disinfection. The two robots work in tandem to maximise their effectiveness as a pandemic preventive solution.

Since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic in early 2020, Pudu Robotics has donated several hundred robots to hospitals, isolation wards, quarantine facilities, and several public transit hubs across China to support combating the pandemic. In addition, its service robots have contributed to solving the problems of labour shortage as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic worldwide.

Further inroads into the retail sector

Meanwhile, Pudu Robotics through its Jordanian partner Quill has been recently tapped to deploy BellaBot robots to promote and distribute Coca-Cola products at supermarkets throughout the Middle Eastern country.

"Unlike traditional retail services, having intelligent robots serve our customers will go a long way in meeting the expectations of various brands when it comes to more personalised and functional service robots, thereby significantly improving the in-store experience for shoppers,” said Zhang. “In addition, the high-tech robot itself will undoubtedly gain popularity among young audiences who love Coca-Cola beverages.”

BellaBot, with its attractive cat-like look and great human-computer interaction, is expected to attract the attention of consumers, particularly youngsters, while circulating around the aisles of retail businesses across Jordan.

“With the global pandemic prevention and control measures becoming normalised and integrated into the day-to-day landscape worldwide, it has become necessary for retailers to adopt a new, no-contact approach with shoppers as the sector shifts to intelligent operations that combines digital mindsets with innovation in merchandising,” added Felix. "The partnership with Coca-Cola Jordan marks the further implementation of Pudu Robotics' strategy to empower innovation across the retail sector by virtue of multiple cutting-edge technologies, including big data and AI."

Pudu Robotics has shipped over 600 units of its delivery and reception robot KettyBot to Chinese dairy giant Inner Mongolia Mengniu Dairy (Group) according to an agreement previously signed between both companies. The robot is being used by Mengniu to promote and hand out its products in supermarkets throughout China, facilitating the firm’s shift to a new intelligent retail model where products are transported and stocked by robots from the traditional one where these same actions are handled by humans.

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China’s Highway Research Institute to deploy blockchain system https://futureiot.tech/chinas-highway-research-institute-to-deploy-blockchain-system/ Tue, 10 May 2022 23:00:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=10804 The BotAiot electronic blockchain data and certificate storage platform integrates cloud computing, artificial intelligence, multimedia live broadcast, Internet of Things, electronic fence, blockchain and other technologies to realise remote online data collection of road and vehicle-related metering equipment.

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Beijing BotAioT Intelligent has been tapped by China’s Highway Research Institute to provide electronic blockchain data and certificate storage platform services to enable the institute to improve highway transport infrastructure and equipment calibration test efficiency and traffic flow rates.

BotAiot will build a blockchain-based electronic certificate consortium chain for the Highway Research Institute to store and encrypt data collected by online metering and calibration-testing equipment of commercial transportation vehicles originating from both highways and vehicles.

BotAiot's electronic consortium chain will also provide consortium chain member management, intelligent contract development, certificate issuance, query, cancellation, management and other functions, as well as blockchain custody services. The total number of devices in the e-certificate alliance chain service exceeds six million units, which are expected to be completely covered in the next two years. BotAiot will charge a fixed service fee per unit per year.

“Luokung has been actively promoting the application of blockchain technology in various fields of spatial-temporal big data. This contract marks the beginning of our commercial services in the field of highway transportation,” said Xuesong Song, chairman and CEO of Luokung Technology.

Luokung Technology  is the operating affiliate of BotAiot. The latter is a leading spatial-temporal intelligent big data services company and provider of interactive location-based services and high-definition maps in China.

Song added: “Combining Luokung's blockchain and artificial intelligence technologies, we anticipate strengthening our relationships and expanding our scope of blockchain services with more enterprise and institutional partners that recognise Luokung's competitiveness in highway transportation."

The BotAiot electronic blockchain data and certificate storage platform integrates cloud computing, artificial intelligence, multimedia live broadcast, Internet of Things, electronic fence, blockchain and other technologies to realise remote online data collection of road and vehicle-related metering equipment.

Combined with artificial intelligence technologies, BotAiot's service system can automatically identify, label and test collected data, then store the data, testing reports and certificates on the blockchain, and issue an electronic certificate for the device. The system can improve the calibration test efficiency of transportation infrastructure and equipment by shortening the test cycle, thereby enhancing traffic safety and efficiency, and significantly reducing labour costs.

The system will be applied to multiple scenarios involving calibration tests of metering equipment, including vehicle axle type identification equipment at national highway entrances and exits, vehicle size identification equipment, on-board equipment on long-distance buses, tourist buses, trucks, and hazardous materials transport vehicles, as well as highway bridges and tunnels condition inspection equipment.

"Blockchain and other distributed ledger technology services are fundamentally changing the service models of various industries, helping enterprises reconstruct and manage identity, data, brand, provenance, professional certification, copyright and other assets while improving the security of data management and the immutability of transaction authentication and records,” said Xueyu Lu, CEO of BotAiot.

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What lies ahead for IoT in 2022 https://futureiot.tech/what-lies-ahead-for-iot-in-2022/ https://futureiot.tech/what-lies-ahead-for-iot-in-2022/#comments Tue, 10 May 2022 00:38:01 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=10795 At the core of the digital universe is data. Thriving at the edge of this paradigm, where it all begins, is the Internet of Things (IoT). As a key component of the digital twin story, IoT is the enabling technology for the acquisition of data that will fuel economic growth. It is also one of […]

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At the core of the digital universe is data. Thriving at the edge of this paradigm, where it all begins, is the Internet of Things (IoT). As a key component of the digital twin story, IoT is the enabling technology for the acquisition of data that will fuel economic growth. It is also one of the starting points of the data lifecycle.

The March 2022 update of IoT Analytics’ Global IoT Enterprise Spending Dashboard, reveals the IoT market grew slightly slower than the 24% forecasted last year attributing this to factors such as a slower-than-anticipated overall economic recovery, a lack of chipsets, and disrupted supply chains.

Source: IoT Analytics 2022

North America was the fastest-growing region in 2021 (+24.1%), and process manufacturing was the fastest-growing segment (+25%).

The researcher forecasts connected IoT devices to reach 14.5 billion globally by the end of 2022. IoT Analytics noted the increasing importance of artificial intelligence in IoT projects. It posits that the infusion of AI into legacy applications and advances in AI hardware will boost the Artificial Intelligence of Things (AIoT) – a US$102.2 billion market opportunity by 2026.

Editor's suggested reading: OREM to deploy AIoT at 82 solar farms in Japan

With connectivity a central tenet of IoT, FutureIoT spoke to Sanjiv Verma, vice president of RUCKUS Networks, APAC, Commscope, for his take on where things are headed for the technology in 2022 and beyond.

What are the top IoT trends we can expect to see in 2022?

Sanjiv Verma

Sanjiv Verma: IoT will continue to skyrocket, with ongoing strong business investments in IoT. Businesses are looking closely at how they can run their operations better – optimizing shipping, for example – and putting sensors in the right places can help with that effort.

AI and machine learning (ML) use cases combined with augmented reality (AR) will grow rapidly in 2022. Facebook announced a name change and is now orienting the whole company toward the AR-driven metaverse. This AR-driven metaverse will lead to the evolution of commercial use cases for everyday business functions like meetings, sales, marketing, and skills training.

The key purpose of IoT is to collect data. We need AI because as you collect more data you need AI to process that data- you can’t do it manually anymore (think of facial recognition or contact tracing).

Further developments in AI and machine learning will continue to evolve alongside the expanding metaverse, as more complex solutions are needed to make sense of increasing amounts of data derived from emerging applications

When it comes to enabling the IoT and smart things, everything comes back to data. If you think about all the tiny data points involved in something as simple as a door sensor (when is it open, when is it closed, is it locked or unlocked, who unlocked or locked it) and you multiply that by the number of sensor applications (temperature, occupancy, lighting, water usage, etc.), it’s all data that needs to be stored someplace and accessed by an application or user. The infrastructure that makes that work is all in the data centre, where single-mode fibre adoption has accelerated.

Could you share industry-leading use cases and key sectors that are set to benefit from IoT solutions in APAC?

Sanjiv Verma: Key industries where we have seen accelerated adoption of digitized solutions, especially driven by the pandemic, include healthcare, hospitality, and education.

In a physical hospital setting and in remote healthcare services, we are seeing IoT solutions speed up healthcare delivery and build efficiency. For instance, an IoT-based healthcare management system acts as a central platform to manage the registration of patients to assign them wards and beds. In addition, the use of IoT solutions aid hospitals in better allocating resources by monitoring visitors’ movements.

IoT projects: CUHK Medical Centre commits to smart tech in healthcare

When it comes to the hospitality sector, hotels and apartment owners can more easily enhance security and convenience for guests and property managers through remote key card management, energy management and other amenities to improve guest satisfaction and build safer experiences.

Hotels will increasingly adopt a broader range of connected sensors, lights, and devices to provide “smarter” facilities management. The management of such smart facilities could take place through a single integrated network platform, which can enable more precise control of essential protocols like guests’ experiences and staff operations that are also made possible by IoT solutions.

In the education sector, we are seeing smart buildings play an integral role in smart campuses and enhancing operational efficiencies. On- and off-campus networks, lecture theatres, digital classrooms and libraries are modernizing to provide automated services and real-time information by tapping on IoT solutions, allowing students and faculties to be more time- and resource-efficient.

What are some challenges of enterprise IoT adoption and how can we overcome these hurdles?

Sanjiv Verma: While Asia-Pacific continues to lead the world in demand for IoT solutions - the region is expected to account for 48% of global IoT spending by 2023 - many organisations still face a complex, fragmented ecosystem of connectivity standards and siloed devices and services, that often slowed or stalled IoT deployments that are essential to enabling proper integration of emerging technologies. 

Source: IoT Analytics 2022

For many verticals, siloed IoT deployment is still prevalent. Such a format offers limited opportunities for infrastructure interoperability and requires redundant network infrastructure, additional security apparatus and extensive integration services to work with enterprise partners across the value chain, who might also employ their own disparate IoT systems and networks.

Enterprise networks are becoming increasingly complex by the day, with numerous endpoint devices, new applications and network protocols involved. Successful enterprises adopting IoT will require a single, multi-standard cloud-based architecture that enables more granular control of both IoT and OT networks to improve efficiency.

This approach prevents companies from deploying unnecessary resources for specific devices, and aggregate and backhaul traffic. Instead, the provisioning, management, and securing of networks are simplified through convergence. Immediate and evolving requirements from increasing network density and applications can also be easily supported as well. 

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TMAP joins Joby and SKT to bring air taxis to South Korea https://futureiot.tech/tmap-joins-joby-and-skt-to-bring-air-taxis-to-south-korea/ Thu, 05 May 2022 23:00:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=10774 With the unprecedented amount of transportation and mapping data that it has gathered over the last 20 years, TMAP will be able to help its partners design optimal air taxi routes, infrastructure networks and overall mobility service that cater to the preference of local customers.

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Mobility platform provider TMAP will join the partnership between US-based Joby Aviation and SK Telecom that aims to bring an emissions-free air taxi service to South Korea.

With the unprecedented amount of transportation and mapping data that it has gathered over the last 20 years, TMAP will be able to help its partners design optimal air taxi routes, infrastructure networks and overall mobility service that cater to the preference of local customers.

“TMAP’s deep knowledge and understanding of mobility needs across Korea, along with millions of daily users across Korea, makes them a great partner and platform through which to bring our aerial ridesharing service to customers,” said Justin Lang, head of partnerships and corporate strategy at Joby. “South Korea is a remarkable opportunity for our aircraft to improve lives and save people time, and working with SKT and TMAP puts us in the best position to deliver a revolutionary service that is clean, quiet, and affordable.”

Joby Aviation develops all-electric aircraft for commercial passenger service.

With a maximum range of 150 miles (241 kilometres), a top speed of 200 mph (321 km/h), and a low noise profile that will allow it to access urban areas, Joby's piloted electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft is designed to make convenient, emissions-free air travel an everyday reality.

In February, Joby and SKT  announced an agreement to work closely on introducing emissions-free aerial ridesharing to Korean cities and communities in support of the “K-UAM” (Korean Urban Air Mobility) Roadmap laid out by the South Korean Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport.

Lee Jong Ho, CEO of TMAP Mobility, said: “By cooperating with Joby, TMAP will become a platform operator that can offer a seamless transportation service between the ground and the sky.”

TMAP  jointly owns on-demand ride-hailing app UT along with Uber, a partner to Joby since 2019, which will enable multi-modal journeys that seamlessly integrate both ground and air travel.

Together with SK Telecom, TMAP and Joby will work together to integrate emissions-free aerial ridesharing into TMAP’s transportation services.

While Joby’s aerial ridesharing service will be operated directly by the company, its strategy is to partner with local companies committed to delivering exceptional customer service and operational excellence to launch its service in select international markets.

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SenseTime defines five development stages of digital humans https://futureiot.tech/sensetime-defines-five-development-stages-of-digital-humans/ Wed, 04 May 2022 23:00:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=10768 AI giant SenseTime has been working hard to develop digital humans that can carry out various tasks across different milieus in the real world.

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Computer-generated characters used to be the stuff of fiction, populating the world of video games and  of films, but no longer.

AI giant SenseTime has been working hard to develop digital humans that can carry out  various tasks across different milieus in the real world.

“With the dawn of the AI era, digital human is developing into a more advanced and intelligent model which is comparable to human beings. The AI-enabled intelligent service provided by a digital human can significantly increase productivity, facilitating the integration of digital economy and physical economy,” said Tian Feng, dean of SenseTime's Intelligence Industry Research Institute.

Five development stages of digital humans

The AI pioneer recently came out with what is touted to be the first-ever definition of  the five development stages of digital human, analysing its core technologies and future trends.

In a whitepaper entitled “AI Digital Human: New Momentum for Digital Economy Development”, written in collaboration with The China Augmented Reality Core Technology Industry Alliance (CARA), SenseTime described the development stages of digital humans from two perspective: level of automation and similarity to human beings.

At levels 4 and levels 5 of development, SenseTime claims that a digital human attains a level of sophistication to simulate human behaviour.

“AI digital human of L4 can learn from a large number of human conversations, facial expressions, and body languages. It can achieve intelligent human-like interactions by performing natural facial expressions and body movements,” SenseTime said in a statement.

With its advanced deep learning capabilities, a digital human at the upper development levels can rapidly acquire knowledge from various scenarios to become an “expert” of a specific field. The intelligent interactions by AI digital humans of L4 or higher can be applied in general scenarios and various industries, providing momentum for industrial transformation.

AI digital humans to empower industries

Moving forward, SenseTime will continue to leverage AI technologies to unlock the potential of  digital humans in empowering industries to forge a path for its smart journey

The company leveraged proprietary multimodal interaction, deep learning algorithms and full stack AI-Generated Content (AIGC) to create smarter and more professional AI digital humans, enabling human-machine interactive experience.

At the 2020 World Artificial Intelligent Conference, SenseTime’s digital human acted as a docent to guide tours for guests and visitors. Meanwhile, the company’s  digital humans have served as a shopping guide in Guangzhou AEON Mall, as well as the customer service manager in the Bank of Ningbo Shanghai Branch, providing inquiry services for customers.

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Top HK food manufacturers embrace industry 4.0 https://futureiot.tech/top-hk-food-manufacturers-embrace-industry-4-0/ https://futureiot.tech/top-hk-food-manufacturers-embrace-industry-4-0/#comments Fri, 29 Apr 2022 01:00:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=10744 Two of Hong Kong’s well-established food manufacturers, Lee Kum Kee (Hong Kong) Foods Limited and Leun Tai Hong Kong Fresh Liquid Eggs Limited, will set up a new smart production line as part of their industry 4.0 transformation – in projects partially financed under the city’s Re-industrialisation Funding Scheme (RFS).

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Two of Hong Kong’s well-established food manufacturers, Lee Kum Kee (Hong Kong) Foods Limited and Leun Tai Hong Kong Fresh Liquid Eggs Limited, will set up a new smart production line as part of their industry 4.0 transformation  – in projects partially financed by the city’s Re-industrialisation Funding Scheme (RFS).

Lee Kum Kee (Hong Kong) Foods Limited has earmarked HK$46 million to build its new oyster sauce smart production line, which is scheduled to start operation in the first quarter of 2024.

Lee Kum Kee executives Katty Lam and Alan Lui with ITC commissioners Rebecca Pun and Indiana Wong.

The new fully automated production line will produce 20,000 bottles of oyster sauce per hour, doubling the production capacity of the company's oyster sauce manufacturing plant at Tai Po InnoPark. Artificial intelligence (AI) will be deployed in the new line to monitor the production process and to gather real-time data to enhance product traceability and overall operational efficiency.

The  company last week received HK$15 million under the RFS to partially fund the project.

“We are glad to receive funding support for our new Oyster Sauce Smart Production Line project under the RFS. We are committed to implementing digital upgrade and smart factory transformation, in order to enhance our production efficiency and satisfy consumer needs,” said Kathy Lam, CEO, Lee Kum Kee International Holdings.

Launched in July 2020 under the auspices of the city’s Innovation and Technology Commission (ITC), the RFS provides subsidy to manufacturers in Hong Kong who are upgrading their factories into smart production lines. The scheme offers a matching financial support amounting to one-third of the approved project cost, capped at a maximum ceiling of HK$15 million per project. Projects under the scheme are expected to be completed within 24 months.

Upgrading production processes

Lee Kum Kee (Hong Kong) Foods is the latest local food manufacturer to avail of the RFS initiative.

In January of this year,  the ITC approved a HK$14.9 million RFS project to help Leun Tai Hong Kong Fresh Liquid Eggs Limited to establish its smart production line  for its fresh liquid egg products. The new smart facility will be similarly located at the Tai Po InnoPark.

The smart production line project is expected to increase the daily production of fresh liquid eggs by two to three times, while lowering the production cost by 20% to 30%.

Established in 1957, Luen Tai Hong is  a key local supplier of fresh liquid eggs (with a market share of nearly 30%) for many restaurants and food manufacturers in Hong Kong. It established the first pasteurised liquid eggs factory in the city in 2013.

Young Kam-yim, managing director, Leun Tai Hong

Leun Tai Hong last month has enlisted the help of the Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC) to customise the design of its new smart production line.

“At present, 30 tons of fresh egg liquid are produced every day, mainly relying on manual supervision and productivity is limited. With intelligent production, the production capacity can increase by 2 to 3 times, with 60 to 70 tons of fresh egg liquid to be produced per day,” said Young Kam-yim, managing director of Luen Tai Hong.

He added:  “At the same time, manpower, production time and human error will be reduced, achieving overall cost saving of up to 30%. Staff can also be deployed to handle high-tech work, reducing costs and raising efficiency. Intelligent production will also diversify our business. In addition to expanding from B2B to B2C retail business, high production capacity will also help the brand enter the huge and potential Greater Bay Area (GBA) market with a population of more than 86 million, making Hong Kong’s food manufacturing industry shine on the global stage.”

Edmond Lai, chief digital officer, HKPC

By applying HKPCs one-stop integrated technical support, Leun Tai Hong will be able to optimise its production process through the adoption of  sensors, Internet of Things and machine vision. Furthermore, the production process will be monitored with real-time data to ensure product safety and traceability, while increasing productivity and stability.

“The food industry is one of the top four sectors boosting the largest value growth among local manufacturing. We determined to lead the food industry gradually move towards advanced manufacturing so as to strengthen the ‘Made in Hong Kong’ brand and let it shine in the international market,” said Edmond Lai, chief digital officer, HKPC.

He added: “With the advanced manufacturing technologies of i4.0, HKPC helps the manufacturing industry to streamline the traditional production process. Through data-based real-time monitoring of product quality, operators can also flexibly deploy according to the data of each position, and establish predictive maintenance to avoid losses incurred by unexpected downtime, making enterprise management more handy.”

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Digital treatment for lazy eye on clinical trial in Shanghai https://futureiot.tech/digital-treatment-for-lazy-eye-on-clinical-trial-in-shanghai/ Fri, 22 Apr 2022 03:00:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=10702 Optical image sensors track and record momentary gaze position, sampling 90 times a second to create objective and comprehensive eye movement patterns.

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Israel-based start-up NovaSight has started clinical trial for lazy eye treatment in Shanghai using its CureSight system, a medical device that uses optimal image sensors to track eye movements.

The study is hoped to pave the way for the company’s overseas expansion, banking on its cloud-based digital treatment of the medical condition that afflicts three of 100 children in the population.

Ran Yam, CEO, NovaSight

“The study, which includes two sites in Shanghai, is led by Dr. Rui Liu from the Eye & ENT Hospital of Fudan University, one of the mainland's top hospitals, and will involve 20 patients in the CureSight treatment group and 20 in the patching control group,” said Ran Yam, CEO, NovaSight.

He added: “This marks another milestone for NovaSight and the beginning of our journey to secure the mainland National Medical Products Administration clearance in preparation for our future commercial activities in the mainland.”

Yam said the results of the Shanghai study would be released by the end of 2022.

A similar clinical trial was conducted last year in six medical centres in Israel, including Sheba Medical Center, which was ranked one of the top 10 best hospitals in the world.

The study, which randomly assigned 103 patients from the ages of 4 to 9, compared the improvement in visual outcomes achieved by CureSight digital treatment versus eye patching, considered the current gold-standard-of-care treatment.

In addition to achieving the non-inferiority primary endpoint, NovaSight noted that the topline analyses from the pivotal study demonstrated that best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) improvement at week 16 was larger in the treatment group compared to the patching control group.

The study also evaluated adherence and patient satisfaction, noting a mean adherence of 93% among clinical subjects in using the CureSight eye tracking system, with 93% of parents saying that they are likely or very likely to choose the CureSight digital treatment over patching.

“Eye patching is effective when patients are compliant, however, patching is often associated with insufficient adherence due to the discomfort it brings to the patient and the social stigma that many children experience when wearing a patch," Yam said.

Cloud-based digital device

The CureSight system consists of a digital screen device and a red-blue treatment glasses that trains brain to use both eyes simultaneously, while the user watches any streamed video content through red-blue treatment glasses.

Optical image sensors track and record momentary gaze position, sampling 90 times a second to create objective and comprehensive eye movement patterns.

Using sophisticated AI algorithms and eye-tracking technology, CureSight blurs the centre of vision of the image that is shown to the strong eye using real-time image processing.

This encourages the brain to complete the image fine details from the amblyopic eye image and trains the two eyes to work as a team. The device is designed to be used at home, and it shares treatment reports with caregivers via a cloud portal.

By tracking the patient eye movement, the AI algorithms receive the data which allows for unique insights into human behaviour and facilitates natural user interfaces.

All collected data is uploaded to the cloud and is processed in real-time for immediate analysis of the results to help in the assessment and decision of treatment. The eye care provider receives a comprehensive patient vision summary. Progress reports and real-time monitoring of the child's treatment are easily accessible.

Using digital technology to diagnose vision problems

Meanwhile, NovaSight plans to introduce its EyeSwiftPRO system, another device which helps diagnose conditions such as myopia by tracking patients’ eye movements as they watch animated videos on a screen.

“Traditional vision exams such as the eye chart, undergone by hundreds of millions of patients worldwide every year, are manual, subjective, time-consuming, limited and often inaccurate – especially for toddlers who can’t always understand the examiner’s instructions or communicate what they’re seeing,” said Yam. “Therefore, they are not sufficiently effective to detect many visual impairments, including amblyopia (lazy eye). As a result, these conditions often go undetected or are misdiagnosed.

Suitable for both children and adults,  EyeSwiftPRO is designed to replace the traditional eye chart and other manual exams and deliver any trained eye-care provider various fields of diagnostic tools by using dedicated protocols such as myopia, amblyopia, binocular vision and more.

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SoftBank Robotics, UnaBiz ink building management pact https://futureiot.tech/softbank-robotics-unabiz-ink-building-management-pact/ Tue, 19 Apr 2022 01:00:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=10684 The alliance with UnaBiz is part of the SoftBank’s overall roadmap to implement an IoT system onto a unified smart facility management platform.

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SoftBank Robotics Group and UnaBiz have teamed up to seamlessly integrate IoT sensors and robotics in building management and maintenance. First to be rolled out in Singapore, the new partnership will be subsequently cover  in other Softbank Robotics regional and global offices.

The partnership between the two companies aims to streamline work processes, allowing efficient mobilisation of on-site manpower resources. It will also improve customer service experiences with more targeted and enhanced cleaning services

“We have always been committed to providing solutions such as Whiz, an AI-enabled vacuum cleaning robot to facility operators. With the use of disruptive technologies such as predictive data on maintenance monitoring, it will provide building owners with building intelligence that is needed to digitally transform this industry operating landscape,” said Kenichi Yoshida, chief business officer, SoftBank Robotics Group Corp

“Teaming up with UnaBiz, we are confident that this partnership will not just add value to our customers but eventually make a difference in the entire sector,” Yoshida added.

SoftBank Robotics believes that facilities management operators are faced with handling many different building management tools and different brands of robots. On the backend, there are several dashboards – most of which don’t have a central control system for easy management.

It’s alliance with UnaBiz is part of the company’s  overall roadmap to implement an IoT system onto a unified smart facility management platform – where IoT devices trigger alerts and automate AI-enabled autonomous vacuum cleaning robots like Whiz to tasks in addition to providing AI predictive data analytics.

Massive IoT provider has deployed UnaBiz has deployed last year one of the largest Integrated Facilities Management projects in Singapore, with over 3,000 sensors at Temasek Polytechnic. On top of smart facilities management, UnaBiz also focuses on smart cities applications like smart metering, asset management, and asset tracking. The scaleup has deployed more than 1.3 million sensors globally, of which, over 1 million were smart gas meter sensors for Nicigas, Japan’s major LPG company.

Henri Bong, co-CEO and co-founder of UnaBiz said : “Facility managers are embracing technology to increase the productivity of the workforce, improve customer satisfaction, and reduce carbon emissions. Both IoT and robotics have a lot of complementary purposes and the synergy of both can unlock new value for future disruptions and growth. We are confident that the right mix of SBRG robotics and our IoT devices could greatly benefit the whole industry.”

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Neuron aims to make buildings smarter and sustainable https://futureiot.tech/neuron-aims-to-make-buildings-smarter-and-sustainable/ Wed, 13 Apr 2022 23:00:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=10674 Neuron embraces data technology to serve modern-day buildings, including energy management, tenant wellness and satisfaction, automation and indoor air quality.

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According to the International Energy Agency, buildings use 30% of the world’s energy and contribute 28% of global carbon dioxide emissions – making these structures one of the least digitalised sectors in the world.

Newly launched Neuron Digital Group is setting its sight to making buildings smarter and leveraging the power of data and technology to decarbonise building assets and facilitate digital property management.

Headquartered in Hong Kong, Neuron is already serving several prominent clients in the local market. It also plans to expand from its research and development base in Hong Kong and establish operating hubs in mainland China and other key leading smart cities in the Asia Pacific.

“Neuron is a powerful demonstration of our commitment to a sustainable future. It offers a systematic approach to decarbonising the built environment by unlocking the potential of data and technology. With this joint venture, we aim to scale up the accessibility and usability of Neuron via cloud platforms, facilitating the industry to accelerate the journey to net zero,” said Dr. Andy Lee, co-chairman of Neuron and East Asia chief operating officer of Arup.

Neuron is a joint venture between global built environment consultant Arup and China’s Venturous Group. With the domain knowledge of these two companies, Neuron is best position to develop the ideal platform for smart and sustainable buildings.

Benson Tam, co-chairman of Neuron and founder & chairman of Venturous Group, said: “Neuron is proudly a ‘child of Hong Kong’. We are so excited to launch it here. Neuron is an infrastructure key to Smart Cities, which is at the core of our firm’s mission. At Venturous Group we not only invest, but also build and operate Citytech. Neuron is a perfect example of what we can achieve together with best-in-class, long-term strategic partners such as Arup.”

Neuron embraces data technology to serve modern-day buildings, including energy management, tenant wellness and satisfaction, automation and indoor air quality. It will also help reduce maintenance costs and equipment downtime, and optimise asset management.

The Neuron solutions have been implemented in different projects in Asia, resulting in a significant improvement in building energy and operation efficiency. With Venturous Group’s capital, strategy and technology capabilities, Neuron will further develop into a cloud-based integrated technology platform with Digital Twin, AI and big data capabilities that will meet the needs of building owners, operators and users.

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Levi Strauss embraces digital tools for enhanced omnichannel engagement https://futureiot.tech/levi-strauss-embraces-digital-tools-for-enhanced-omnichannel-engagement/ Tue, 12 Apr 2022 01:00:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=10666 The company will leverage digital, data and AI to stay ahead of trends, drive efficiency and innovation in the product creation process, deliver omnichannel offerings and claim its space in the direct-to-consumer (DTC) sphere.

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East Asia Pacific to elevate store experience using digital tools to streamline the consumer journey, including installing LED portal entry archways and LED screens for marketing content.

The new in-store experience boosted with new tailored services for greater personalisation is in line with the fashion company’s renewed focus on omnichannel engagement, leveraging the hybrid customer experience model.

The company will transform a number of stores in Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand into NextGen Indigo stores fitted with new store designs, digital features and operating models – all aimed at boosting Levi Straus’ omni-channel capabilities for deeper connection with consumers.

"We are committed to the future success of our business at every level and are reimagining what we do and how we win in today's marketplace. At the same time, we are embracing the technologies of tomorrow to power innovation and better serve our customers and deliver greater value to stakeholders. We will do this by placing people at the heart of our business and through responsible practices because being a force for positive change is integral to being the world's best apparel brand," said Nuholt Huisamen, managing director and senior vice president, Levi Straus.

Coupling heritage with digitisation

While drawing on its 169-year heritage to drive key category growth, Levi Strauss is redoubling its digital transformation efforts.

The company will leverage digital, data and AI to stay ahead of trends, drive efficiency and innovation in the product creation process, deliver omnichannel offerings, claim its space in the direct-to-consumer (DTC) sphere, and ultimately enhance the consumer experience.

As part of its DTC strategy, the company also provided learning opportunities to existing staff to upskill themselves through training and development programs such as a Machine Learning Bootcamp to equip employees with the tools they need to thrive in a changing and increasingly digitalised economy.

ESG initiatives

On the Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) front, Levi Strauss targets measurable metrics and remains committed to responsible and sustainable practices outlined in its 2020 Sustainability Report.

The company is on track to achieving its 2025 Water and Climate Action Strategy targets. Initiatives include Water<Less finishing techniques that have enabled billions of liters of water to be saved; reducing emissions across the supply chain; driving innovation in sustainable materials and designs through Wellthread; and advocating ethical consumerism through the Levi's Buy Better, Wear Longer campaign. These initiatives embody the company's move to develop and implement circular products and practices

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IoT helps bring clean water to Indian villages https://futureiot.tech/iot-helps-bring-clean-water-to-indian-villages/ Sun, 10 Apr 2022 23:00:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=10660 The new RMM platform has been successfully rolled out across 100 villages in India's Karnataka state in just four months.

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According to UNICEF, less than 50% of India's population has access to safely managed drinking water, and the impact of waterborne diseases costs the country's economy approximately US$600 million a year.

With this in mind, local tech startup RefillBot has teamed up with Arrow Electronics’ IoT Open Lab to  develop a Remote Monitoring and Management (RMM) solution aimed at improving access to clean water in Indian villages.

Using advanced sensing and IoT technologies that allow real-time 24/7 water quality monitoring, the new RMM platform has been successfully rolled out across 100 villages in India's Karnataka state in just four months.

RefillBot's RMM platform simplifies and enhances the operation and maintenance of water purification plants in India's underserved areas.

"Remote monitoring and management is a game changer for many industrial applications, especially water purification in remote village locations, where meeting essential daily needs is a constant challenge," said Savitri Patil, co-founder and CEO of RefillBot.

He added: “With the support of the Arrow and STPI IoT Open Lab and RefillBot's comprehensive understanding of IIOT, this new RMM offering has the potential to make a real and immediate difference to the lives of millions of people and create positive, long-term economic and health development outcomes for India's underserved as it rolls out."

(Left to right) RefillBot team - Savitri Patil (CEO), Naveen G (CTO), Prabhu S (CBO)

RefillBot used the IoT Open Lab's equipment to test and verify its boards, and consulted and collaborated with Arrow on system design and the selection of cutting-edge components. Arrow engineers and technical experts provided insight and recommendations to help RefillBot bring the solution to life, including:

  • Wireless module design: Developing a wireless module to communicate in real-time over mobile networks to help ensure access to cloud servers.
  • Smart sensors and data analytics enabling 24x7 always-on operation: With modest wireless network connectivity requirements, ranging from basic 2G up to fast 4G LTE, the RMM uses sensors embedded in dispensing systems, water filters, and switches to capture and communicate critical operational, consumption and quality details.
  • Boosting antenna signal at remote locations: Formulating an LTE external antenna strategy to ensure optimum coverage in low signal areas without the need for extensive field testing.
  • Rapid prototyping: Arranging quick shipment of development kits and evaluation boards, which enabled RefillBot to experiment with data handling, I/O system design, and build a scalable solution during the pandemic.
  • Fast go-to-market: Providing the IoT Open Lab environment and equipment required for extensive RMM evaluation, GSM antenna tuning, and EMF (Electromagnetic Field) and signal testing.

Founded in 2019 by Savitri Patil, RefillBot develops and delivers plug-and-play, IIoT-grade monitoring and management for municipal utilities, as well as industrial applications like HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning), asset monitoring and availability tracking in remote locations.

Bhartendu Mishra, Arrow Electronics' general manager of sales for India, said they are constantly seeking ways to make it easier for innovators to create, make and manage the technology of the future.

“Collaborations, like the Arrow and STPI IoT Open Lab in India, are part of our long-term commitment to giving local start-ups and innovators access to world-class engineering expertise and resources. We are proud to be playing a role in RefillBot's innovation journey and supporting its goal of developing a solution to address one of the most pressing community challenges – helping ensure reliable access to clean water,” he said.

Equipped with advanced engineering equipment and testing modules, the IoT Open Lab has assisted the start-up community from the region in their idea-to-prototype-to-product innovation journey. Arrow's experienced vertical segment experts and engineers with expertise in areas of embedded computing, sensing, connectivity and system integration are on site to provide professional advice to these innovators and makers.

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LG Smart Park gets WEF’s Lighthouse Factory nod https://futureiot.tech/lg-smart-park-gets-wefs-lighthouse-factory-nod/ Thu, 31 Mar 2022 23:00:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=10603 Over the past five years, LG has transformed its factory complex in Changwon, South Korea into LG Smart Park, a futuristic hub of home appliance manufacturing.

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LG Smart Park, a production base of LG Electronics (LG), has been selected as a Lighthouse Factory by the World Economic Forum (WEF).

Shaping the future of manufacturing, WEF “Lighthouse” facilities implement Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies, such as the Internet of Things, big data, artificial intelligence and robots, into manufacturing and supply chain operations to deliver a wide range of benefits, from increased production efficiency to enhanced environmental sustainability.

“As the world grapples with many challenges, it is remarkable to see how Lighthouses are yielding sustainability benefits while achieving business goals, which we call eco-efficiency,” said Francisco Betti, head of Shaping the Future of Advanced Manufacturing and Value Chains, World Economic Forum. “We need them to continue illuminating the way forward for the global manufacturing community by shaping a responsible future of manufacturing that works for people, society and the environment.”

Futuristic manufacturing

Over the past five years, LG has transformed its factory complex in Changwon, South Korea into LG Smart Park, a futuristic hub of home appliance manufacturing.

The key elements of the transformation are a digitally-enabled end-to-end three-dimensional logistics system, an advanced analytics system based on edge computing technology and machine learning that predicts defects, and state-of-the-art facilities that can mass-produce multiple models to respond flexibly to customer requirements.

'Digital twin' technology enables the operation system to analyze the production processes in virtual reality. (PRNewsfoto/LG Electronics, Inc.)

The newly implemented “digital twin” technology enables the operation system to analyse production processes in virtual reality. It can predict if any issues will occur within the next 10 minutes and provide exact parts and materials for the assembling of each appliance with an accurate, up-to-the-minute status of the facility’s logistics operations.

Sensors utilising deep learning technology are installed throughout the factory to monitor each phase of production in real-time, helping factory workers to pre-emptively identify and resolve any possible issues. As a result, the cost of defective product returns dropped by 70%  from 2020 to 2021 while overall quality competitiveness and production efficiency were both significantly strengthened.

Refrigerator door attachment based on 3D vision recognition technology (PRNewsfoto/LG Electronics, Inc.)

Floors one, two and three at LG Smart Park employ an overhead conveyor system that quickly transports boxes containing refrigerator parts to the required production lines. Attached to each line is an intelligent warehouse that monitors inventory in real-time, enabling automated materials management, including the request of additional parts and supplies.

Overhead conveyor system (PRNewsfoto/LG Electronics, Inc.)

On the ground, automated guided vehicles (AGVs) leveraging stable 5G network connectivity transport parts and materials to wherever they are needed on site. Through its three-dimensional logistics automation system, the company can minimize the amount of warehouse space needed by 30% compared to conventional logistics systems, and shorten the time required for hourly materials transportation by 25%.

LG Smart Park has also adopted the use of robots featuring an AI engine and camera to make the home appliance production process faster and safer. The robots undertake dangerous and complicated tasks, such as welding and the lifting of heavy parts and equipment.

Taking it global

LG plans to apply the innovative, smart production technologies pioneered at LG Smart Park to a total of 26 LG production facilities in 13 countries, accelerating the digital transformation of its global manufacturing network by 2025.

“LG Smart Park illustrates our strong commitment to adopting the revolutionary technologies as the leader of the global premium home appliance market,” said Lyu Jae-cheol, president of the LG Electronics Home Appliance & Air Solution Company. “We are presenting a blueprint for the future of manufacturing, one that delivers better outcomes across environmental, economic and employment aspects.”

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Hong Kong pilots two robots for drainage maintenance https://futureiot.tech/hong-kong-pilots-two-robots-for-drainage-maintenance/ Tue, 29 Mar 2022 23:00:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=10591 The river desilting robot and the pipeline inspection robot can greatly reduce the safety risk of workers by remote operation.

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Hong Kong’s Drainage Services Department (DSD) has conducted pilot operations of two robots – the river desilting robot and the pipeline inspection robot – to enhance the efficiency and safety of maintenance works on the city’s drainage facilities.

The DSD conducts regular maintenance of these facilities such as river channels and underground pipes. However, maintenance works for drainage facilities are easily affected by weather conditions and tide levels. In addition, limited working spaces in most of the underground drainage facilities constrained the use of large machinery, posing safety risks for workers.

River desilting robot

The  new river desilting river, introduced in December last year, to remove accumulated silt at a section of the Tuen Mun River under the Tuen Mun MTR Station.

“The robot collects silt by suction, which is similar to the operation of a vacuum cleaner. The operator remotely controls the robot on a temporary working platform via a console,” said a DSD spokesperson. “The silt is located by the closed-circuit television and sonar device installed on the robot and dewatered at the temporary dewatering tank before it is transferred off site."

Remote control console for the river desilting robot

Compared with the traditional desilting method which requires operators to drive excavators and trucks into the river, the river desilting robot can operate under water regardless of tides and weather conditions. Hence, desilting works can be conducted throughout the year, making desilting operations more flexible and efficient.

The larger suction rate of the river desilting robot enables the collection of more fluid silt as compared with the desilting robot used at box culverts, making it more suitable for the desilting works at rivers.

Meanwhile, the remotely-operated pipeline inspection robot is built to assist in the investigation of the structural integrity and service condition of underground drains, which helps with the maintenance and upgrading of drainage systems in a timely manner.

Pipeline inspection robot

The pipeline inspection robot is a vessel equipped with a 360-degree high-definition camera and a sonar device. The robot can operate within a drain remotely without flow diversion. The data collected can help with the formulation of desilting and maintenance works. The high-definition camera inspects the condition of the pipeline structure above water level, and the sonar device detects the profile of the siltation.

The pipeline inspection robot completed an inspection with CCTV and sonar of a 1.8-kilometres sewage tunnel in Tseung Kwan O on January 15 this year, breaking the record in Hong Kong.

The pipeline inspection robot is equipped a camera and sonar device

"The river desilting robot and the pipeline inspection robot can greatly reduce the safety risk of workers by remote operation. The DSD expects the applications of such technology can be further extended to the maintenance works of other rivers and pipelines upon the gathering of data and experience from these trials,” the DSD spokesperson said.

In recent years,  heavy rainfall due to extreme weather has become more frequent. Over the last five years, the DSD received an average of 90 flooding reports annually.

Analysis of the flooding reports revealed that the majority of flooding cases were caused by the blockage of drainage intakes by debris such as leaves, sand, gravel or waste, which affected the discharging of surface runoff. Also, part of the flooding cases were the result of tidal caused backwater in low-lying areas. Majority of flooding cases subsided immediately after emergency clearance works conducted by the DSD.

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Nissan deploys sensors during crash tests of upcoming EV https://futureiot.tech/nissan-deploys-sensors-during-crash-tests-of-upcoming-ev/ Sun, 27 Mar 2022 23:00:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=10579 More than 100 data points are evaluated on the Ariya. Nissan will conduct more than 400 tests from the early stages of development to market launch.

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Japan automaker Nissan has fitted multiple sensors on dummy passengers to measure the effects of collision involving its upcoming Ariya electric crossover SUV.

Assessing human safety is only one of the comprehensive tests being done Nissan’s new vehicle.

The automaker subjects every one of its vehicles to rigorous crash tests that include frontal-, side- and rear-impact collisions, as well as those that simulate accidents when pedestrians are on the road.

At the Nissan Technical Center in Atsugi, Japan, a team of engineers tirelessly work to ensure that Nissan vehicles, including the upcoming Ariya electric crossover SUV, have a high safety level in the event of a collision.

“More than 100 data points are evaluated on the Ariya,” said Gen Tanabe of the Passive Safety Evaluation Group. “Because the upcoming Ariya will be sold in many markets, we will conduct more than 400 tests from the early stages of development to market launch.”

According to Tanabe, it only takes 1/1000th of a second for a Nissan crash test vehicle to fulfil its role.

Being a pure EV meant that many of the procedures employed for the Nissan LEAF were adopted for the Ariya, resulting in stricter safety measures than those required by regulations. For example, the safety engineers needed to ensure th3 high-voltage EV battery pack retained its structural integrity after a crash without the electrodes leaking.

Serving as the basis for developing safer automobiles, Nissan’s Safety Shield concept includes active and passive safety measures to support the safety of vehicle occupants in a variety of scenarios. The overall goal is to prevent collisions where possible and, in case of unavoidable collisions, mitigate damage and injuries.

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SpaceAge Labs eyes more IoT trials with AU and US expansion https://futureiot.tech/spaceage-labs-eyes-more-iot-trials-with-au-and-us-expansion/ Fri, 25 Mar 2022 03:00:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=10572 SpaceAge Labs will continue piloting monitoring projects in its home country – specifically around water consumption patterns and leak detection in facilities, air quality in outdoor spaces, and water quality in swimming pools to name a few.

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Singapore-based tech-startup SpaceAge Labs will embark on more pilot projects  with landscaping companies in Australia and the United States in the coming months. The pilots aim to improve efficiencies of the companies’ grass-cutting work through the deployment of SpaceAge Labs’ AI/IoT monitoring solution. If these are successful, it could lead to nation-wide deployments.

These pilots signal the startup’s international expansion, which comes on the heels of the recent US$1.25 million seed funding secured from investors led by Silicon Solution Partners (SSP) and SEEDS Capital, the investment arm of Enterprise Singapore.

"We hope to conduct more pilot trials with companies and governments, to showcase how remoteEye results in benefits including cost savings, improved safety/hygiene levels, improved performance and reduced reliance on manpower,” said Deepak Pitta, founder and CEO, SpaceAge Labs

In the next six to 12 months, Pitta said the company  plans to double its current headcount of 12 employees as it opens international offices in Australia and the US.

Pushing for more pilots in Singapore

At the same time, SpaceAge Labs will continue piloting monitoring projects in its home country – specifically around water consumption patterns and leak detection in facilities,  air quality in outdoor spaces, and water quality in swimming pools to name a few.

Last year, Public Utilities Board (PUB) of Singapore collaborated with the local startup to trial an IoT-based monitoring solution aimed at preventing sewer overflows in the city state’s wastewater network.

Some 40 IoT devices have been installed in sewer manholes across Little India, Geylang and Serangoon Gardens, which were prone to overflows. These areas have a high restaurant concentration and tend to have faster build-up of fat, oil and grease in the sewer network which will eventually lead to a blockage if not cleared.

The battery-operated wireless IoT devices are installed inside the harsh, confined conditions within a sewer manhole, providing PUB with real-time alerts when waste water levels within the sewer system rises too high. When alerts are triggered PUB officers would quickly check for blockages downstream, with SpaceAge Labs informing them the areas that are likely to be clogged.

“Over a twelve-month period from January 2021 to December 2021, we successfully alerted PUB to 10 events within the wastewater network. PUB promptly cleared these blockages before any overflow events happened,” said SpaceAge Labs in a statement.

This has significantly improved efficiency of operations, and in preventing pollution to ensure safety and regulatory compliance.

Today, More than 750+ rEye devices deployed so far on site to monitor 1000+ remote assets for different applications.​

IoT devices trialled in greenery management

The company also conducted a pilot with another government agency in Singapore, deploying IoT devices to enable the National Parks Board (NParks) to track the completion and quality of the grass-cutting operations.

NParks manages some 400 parks, 3,347 hectares of nature reserves, the Singapore Botanic Gardens, Pulau Ubin and the Sisters' Islands Marine Park  With over 13,000 hectare of green spaces under its jurisdiction, it is a challenge to physically monitor each location regularly.

The grass height sensor is currently deployed as part of the pilot of park and greenery management using digital tools in the Bishan-Ang Mo Kio precinct. This project supports NParks’ landscape sector transformation plan that aims to elevate and grow the local landscape sector through digitalisation, mechanisation and “professionalisation”.

The IoT devices are worn by grass-cutters using push lawn mowers or handheld grass trimmers. They can also be installed on equipment such as sit-on mowers. The sensors transmit data on the height of grass (post-cut) as well as high precision GPS location data to the cloud. The data are available via web dashboards and a mobile app, where contractors and NParks staff can easily verify the completion and quality of the grass-cutting operation.

“It is important that we take steps to make operations more precise and think of ways to overcome physical and manpower limitations through the adoption of technology. Leveraging on SpaceAge Lab's smart technology, we have been able to conduct grass height inspections more effectively with less manpower.," said Ryan Lee, group director, National Parks Board.

Meanwhile, the IoT-based monitoring system also helps to expedite payment to the contractors as NParks can quickly confirm completed of their work. These operational data and insights also enable the contractors to improve their efficiencies, through better deployment of resources, resulting in lower labour and fuel costs.

Digitising distributed assets maintenance

Established in 2016, SpaceAge Labs started as a consulting company, designing end-to-end IoT solutions for its customers, but pivoted in 2017 to become a product company. In the same year, it became an NUS Enterprise incubatee, based within NUS Enterprise's deep-tech incubation facility in Singapore Science Park I.

The company has found its niche in transforming operations and maintenance of remote and distributed assets by collecting asset data using low power, long-range wireless IoT devices, together with advanced AI software to generate valuable insights from this data.

SpaceAge Labs’ solution aims to deliver the following benefits: asset's uptime (due to data-driven predictive maintenance); reduces cost (less manpower required) and provides peace of mind (operators gain real-time asset visibility).

Its flagship product called remoteEye is sensor-agnostic IoT/AI platform that enables connected operations and maintenance, consisting of three parts:

  • rEye IoT Nodes – These are low-powered, wireless devices that read and transmit data from industrial sensors located at the assets.
  • Wireless networks – The sensor data is transmitted via low power wide area wireless networks to the cloud. The networks are at low cost (from S$1 per month per device), able to transmit over long distances (several kilometres) and consume low power (up to five years of battery life).
  • rEye Data Cloud – Enterprise-grade IoT/AI software that stores, analyses, and visualises this sensor data. This software is secure, easy to use and able to scale easily from managing one asset to thousands of assets. Proprietary AI software and geospatial data analysis provides useful insights and predictions that can be accessed via web or mobile.

SpaceAge Labs is initially targeting three sectors: Water/Wastewater; Urban Greenery/Landscaping; and Facilities management.

Currently, the company has IoT deployments with more than 30 customers, including two key Smart Nation pilot projects in Singapore with PUB and NParks.

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43% of businesses don’t protect their full IoT suite https://futureiot.tech/43-of-businesses-dont-protect-their-full-iot-suite/ Thu, 24 Mar 2022 03:53:11 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=10561 IoT Analytics estimates that the global number of connected IoT devices is expected to grow 9%, reaching 27 billion IoT connections by 2025. Riding on this growth of connected devices is an increased need for security. Gartner observed that in the past three years, nearly 20% of organisations have already observed cyberattacks on IoT devices […]

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IoT Analytics estimates that the global number of connected IoT devices is expected to grow 9%, reaching 27 billion IoT connections by 2025. Riding on this growth of connected devices is an increased need for security.

Source: Kaspersky Global Corporate IT Security Risks Survey, 2022

Gartner observed that in the past three years, nearly 20% of organisations have already observed cyberattacks on IoT devices in their network.

While 64% of respondents to the Kaspersky study, Pushing the limits: How to address specific cybersecurity demands and protect IoT, use IoT solutions, as much as 43% do not protect them completely.

This means that for some of their IoT projects – which may be anything from an EV charging station to connected medical equipment – businesses don’t use any protection tools. Kaspersky posits that may be due to the great diversity of IoT devices and systems, which are not always compatible with security solutions.

Barriers to protecting IoT

The study noted that 64% of businesses fear that cybersecurity products can affect the performance of IoT while 40% fear it can be too hard to find a suitable solution. Other common issues businesses face when implementing cybersecurity tools are high costs (40%), being unable to justify the investment to the board (36%) and lack of staff or specific IoT security expertise (35%).

Barriers to implementing IoT

The study also noted that 57% of surveyed organisations see cybersecurity risks as the main barrier to implementing IoT. This can occur when companies struggle to address cyber risks at the design stage and then must carefully weigh up all pros and cons before implementation.

Source: Kaspersky Global Corporate IT Security Risks Survey, 2022

Stephen Mellor, chief technology officer at Industry IoT Consortium, insists that cybersecurity must be front and centre for IoT. He posits that managing risk is a major concern as life, limb and the environment are at stake.

He warns that an IT error can be embarrassing and expensive; an IoT error can be fatal. But cybersecurity is only one part of making a system trustworthy.

“We also need physical security, privacy, resilience, reliability and safety. And these need to be reconciled: what can make a building secure, (locked doors for example), could make it unsafe if you cannot get out quickly,” he continued.

While IT projects such as messaging/communication, analytics, CRM, etc., have around 80% of common requirements, IoT deployments are very fragmented, loosely coupled, domain-specific and integration-heavy in nature.

Eric Kao, director for WISE-Edge+ at Advantech comments that in the case of IoT implementation, companies must deal with all kinds of legacy systems, physical constraints, domain protocols, multiple vendor solutions. They must also maintain a reasonable balance in availability, scalability and security.

“In pursuit of higher availability and scalability, certain cloud infrastructure has to be leveraged, the system has to be open to some extent, then security becomes an enormous challenge,” he added.

The bright side

Challenges aside, there remains optimistic about the potential benefits of the technology and the possibilities of protecting IoT solutions as they are integrated into operations and IT.

Source: Kaspersky Global Corporate IT Security Risks Survey, 2022

Andrey Suvorov, CEO at Adrotech in Russia, says IoT is widely used in smart cities (62%), retail (62%) and industry (60%). These include projects such as energy and water management, smart lighting, alarm systems, video surveillance and many more.

“Experts around the world are working on the task of effective protection for such projects but efforts should be made at every level – from equipment manufacturers and software developers to service providers and companies that implement and use these solutions,” he added.

Next steps for securing IoT

To help organizations fill the gaps in their IoT security, Kaspersky suggests the following approaches:

  • Assess the status of a device’s security before implementing it. Preferences should be given to devices with cybersecurity certificates and products from manufacturers who pay more attention to information security.
  • Use a strict access policy, network segmentation and a zero-trust model. This will help minimize the spread of an attack and protect the most sensitive parts of the infrastructure.
  • Adopt a vulnerability management program to regularly receive the most relevant data about vulnerabilities in programmable logic controllers (PLCs), equipment and firmware, and patch them or use any protection workarounds.
  • Check the “IoT Security Maturity Model” – an approach that helps companies evaluate all steps and levels they need to pass to achieve a sufficient level of IoT protection.
  • Use a dedicated IoT gateway that ensures the inbuilt security and reliability of data transferring from edge to business applications.

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Envision Digital and Lightsource bp signed a multi-year solar power pact https://futureiot.tech/envision-digital-and-lightsource-bp-signed-a-multi-year-solar-power-pact/ Tue, 22 Mar 2022 23:00:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=10556 Singapore-based Envision Digital and Lightsource bp have entered into a multi-year global partnership to accelerate the growth of solar power. Lightsource bp will be leveraging the data analytics capabilities of Envision Digital’s AIoT platform for its existing and rapidly growing portfolio of solar projects worldwide. “Deploying solar power at pace means making the most of […]

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Singapore-based Envision Digital and Lightsource bp have entered into a multi-year global partnership to accelerate the growth of solar power. Lightsource bp will be leveraging the data analytics capabilities of Envision Digital’s AIoT platform for its existing and rapidly growing portfolio of solar projects worldwide.

“Deploying solar power at pace means making the most of projects once they are up and running. It’s not just about the cost of capital and your project execution. Lightsource bp has an exceptional reputation on both fronts and once all that hard work is done, we don’t want to waste a single photon,” said Nick Boyle, group CEO of Lightsource bp.

“The partnership with Envision Digital gives us an anatomical level of insight on our assets to optimise them remotely and drive improvements,” he added.

Lightsource bp is targeting the development of 25GW of solar power projects globally by 2025 delivering renewable power at scale, and with the urgency the climate crisis requires. Through the partnership and the advanced analytics from Envision Digital’s AIoT platform, Lightsource bp will be able to gain data-driven insights to enable automation, efficiency, value and ultimately, substantial volumes of additional low-carbon power.

“We see a lot of synergies with Lightsource bp and our teams are rapidly deploying and scaling technology to power the energy transition together,” said Michael Ding, global executive director of Envision.

Envision Digital’s proprietary AIoT operating system called EnOS, currently supports more than 360GW of clean energy assets globally. As the partnership develops, and as global governments and corporations quicken net zero discussions, both companies will explore additional opportunities to drive value across Lightsource bp’s expanding portfolio of solar power projects globally.

Meanwhile, Lightsource bp is a 50:50 joint venture with global energy major bp. By leveraging this partnership with Envision Digital, as well as more than a decade of solar experience, the company expects to be able to deliver greater value at scale and enact a real change on the global energy landscape.

The 247MW Vendimia project in Spain started generating low-cost power in June 2021. The site created 600 jobs during construction and provides a snapshot of the benefits solar can provide to the economy and the climate.

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Manipal Hospitals to use wearables to monitor post-surgery recoveries https://futureiot.tech/manipal-hospitals-to-use-wearables-to-monitor-post-surgery-recoveries/ Sun, 20 Mar 2022 23:00:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=10537 The advanced digital solution can remotely capture heart rate, oxygen saturation level, and activity metrics (sleep quality, steps taken, and pain score) both pre-and and post-operatively.

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Manipal Hospitals, the second-largest healthcare services provider in India, has partnered with Singapore-based healthtech company ConnectedLife to use Fitbit’s wearable technology to monitor patients’ recovery  after  they are discharged.

This digital initiative aims to use wearable technology to stay connected with patients post surgeries like total knee replacement, angioplasty, cardiac bypass surgery, and other high-risk surgeries.

“This is an incredible opportunity to deliver at scale and further advance the application of easy-to-use smartphone and wearable technology, and novel data analytics and AI, and population health management tools,” said Daryl Arnold, founder and CEO, ConnectedLife. “We will deploy new features and capabilities based on patient and clinician feedback every two to four weeks, and maintain the strictest accountability for data acquisition, privacy and protection.”

The advanced digital solution, built on Google Cloud, can remotely capture heart rate, oxygen saturation level, and activity metrics (sleep quality, steps taken, and pain score) both pre-and and post-operatively. The technology optimises patient care by triggering reminders to take medications or participate in physiotherapy and triggering warnings if there are significant deviations outside normal physiological parameters.

“Early data indicates patients on the programme have seen improved adherence to medication and exercise schedule with associated improvements in physical activity. Within this programme we are able to give patients in post-operative care a better view of their activity, sleep and other health metrics that can help empower them in managing their day-to-day wellbeing,” said Dilip Jose, managing director and CEO, Manipal Hospitals.

Jose added that their new digital initiative will help the hospital chain  to determine if the post-operative data collected from the ConnectedLife with Fitbit dashboard match with functional outcomes and improved patient satisfaction post-surgery.

“This data will allow us to understand and develop new methods in cost-effectiveness, compliance, comfort, and ease of use, all while giving us accurate data on the vitals," said Jose.

He added: “The intuitive, user-centric platform will help every person, from at-risk patients to chronic sufferers. We will be able to better understand their condition and then collaborate with care teams to achieve better health outcomes. Through its patient-centric platform, we will be able to replace lengthy manual processes with 24/7 insight-based care and monitoring, and thus enabling recovery outside of hospitals.”

Meanwhile, Dr. Sudarshan Ballal, chairman, Manipal Hospitals, this latest healthtech project brings a new chapter to the Indian healthcare ecosystem.

“Today, we have an excellent opportunity to develop a cohesive program for the continuity of care after hospitalization. Through this partnership, we are expecting post-surgery care to become seamless, as wearable technology will help us monitor certain critical parameters of patients who have undergone total knee replacement surgery, angioplasty, cardiac bypass surgery, and other high-risk surgeries," said Ballal.

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Suntory Beer sets up AI-based anomaly detection system https://futureiot.tech/suntory-beer-sets-up-ai-based-anomaly-detection-system/ Sun, 20 Feb 2022 23:00:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=10404 The new AI-based anomaly detection system from NEC Corporation will autonomically discover the relationships between approximately 1,500 sensors at the new can filling line at Suntory’s Natural Water Plant.

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Suntory Beer is currently implementing an AI-based facility anomaly detection system at the new can filling line at its Natural Water Beer Plan in Kyoto Japan.

Traditionally, at production lines at manufacturing sites where mass production is undertaken, field personnel mainly use sensor data from equipment to monitor usage thresholds. However, there is a need for experience and know-how in order to understand the fine changes in individual data, and passing these skills along is a challenge.

The beverage maker’s own in-house IT team at Suntory System Technology is currently working with  NEC Corporation to implement the latter’s  NEC Advanced Analytics-Invariant Analysis system, which is set to go live in late May.

Using AI to sift anomalies in sensor data

The new AI-based anomaly detection system from NEC Corporation will automatically discover the relationships between approximately 1,500 sensors at the new can filling line at Suntory’s Natural Water Plant, which will start operating in April.

The system will trigger alarms when changes occur, thereby detecting equipment anomalies at an early stage and helping to resolve them faster.

"Through the provision of this system, NEC is supporting the stable operation of facilities, preserving expert know-how and experience, recognizing errors that are difficult to detect, and contributing to the DX of production lines," said Masayuki Ikeda, general manager, AI Analytics Division, NEC Corporation.

System configuration of Suntory Beer's AI-based anomaly detection system

The system uses Invariant Analysis Technology, part of NEC's leading-edge AI technology group, NEC the WISE. By collecting and analysing a large amount of time-series data from a large number of sensors installed in facilities through control systems such as PLCs (Programmable Logic Controller), modelling invariant relationships between sensors (invariants) and comparing changes between predicted data with actual data, users can detect "irregular" occurrences at an early stage.

This system takes advantage of the features of White Box AI and provides information necessary for taking action at maintenance sites, such as where and why functions are performing abnormally. When modelling, users can easily visualise conditions by simply entering the sensor information they want to see with the time that those sensors were operating.

Moreover, NEC will install microphones near filling machines in order to analyse when sounds are different from usual, which could possibly indicate an abnormality with the system.

In the future, it is expected that these advancements could help to reduce the number of people required for maintenance work, while helping to detect abnormalities more quickly.

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Smart buildings: ASEAN workers urge for good indoor air quality https://futureiot.tech/smart-buildings-asean-workers-urge-for-good-indoor-air-quality/ Thu, 17 Feb 2022 03:00:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=10395 ASEAN workers are likely to take action if they feel their employer isn’t taking steps to create a healthier indoor environment.

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Nearly 80% of office workers in the ASEAN said their building’s indoor air quality has a direct impact on their health and well-being, while 64% believe that indoor air is less healthy to breathe than out door air.

This was the regional findings of Honeywell’s second annual Healthy Buildings Survey entitled “Workplace Air Quality: A Global Concern Emerges”, where 500 office workers across Southeast Asia joined the 3,000-man poll that included their counterparts from India, Germany, the Middle East, United Kingdom and United States. The survey was conducted between December 17, 2021, and January 11, 2022, using an email invitation and an online form.

Across all regions surveyed, ASEAN office workers are among the least knowledgeable about specific factors that affect IAQ. Just 34% correctly identified  the factors that contribute to air quality. Despite this seeming lack of awareness, ASEAN workers report having more knowledge about their own building’s IAQ than workers in other regions

Many surveyed workers (58%) said their building IAQ is monitored often or continuously – more than the global average of 43% – and more than half (51%) say they are being informed at the same frequency. The option for self-service IAQ data is also prevalent in the ASEAN region; 59% of workers

have a place where they can read or see current air quality data on their own.

“With a large percentage of workers in the ASEAN region working in the office at least part of the time, and despite many having access to IAQ information in their workplace, employees still want more information,” said  Norm Gilsdorf, president, Honeywell ASEAN.

He added that since the pandemic, Honeywell has worked to help companies in the region bring people safely back to their buildings by deploying “innovative technology that helps reassure employees that their workspaces are healthier.

Indeed, Honeywell Building Technologies (HBT) solutions integrate air quality, safety and security technologies with advanced analytics to help building owners improve the health of their buildings, operate more cleanly, comply with new guidelines, and help reassure occupants.

Honeywell's advanced IAQ portfolio can help improve occupant well-being, meet energy efficiency goals, and importantly, change the way occupants experience a building.   It is transforming the way every building operates to help improve the quality of life. HBT solutions and services are used in more than 10 million buildings worldwide.

Taking proactive actions

While ASEAN workers are more informed, 90%  worry more about their building’s IAQ with the emergence of new COVID-19 variants.

And the survey said that they are likely to take action if they feel their employer isn’t taking steps to create a healthier indoor environment, with more than two-thirds (68%) saying they would likely quit their job under these conditions.

“These findings suggest that communication of IAQ metrics to employees should be top priority for companies,” added Sharad Yadav, vice president and general manager of HBT, ASEAN.

Doug Wright, president and CEO, Honeywell Building Technologies said: "In a competitive labour market, demonstrating an effort to create a healthier work environment can be an advantage in attracting and retaining employees. Every dollar invested in upgrading workplace air quality, monitoring IAQ data and communicating it to employees is a dollar strategically spent."

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PodChats for FutureIoT: Integrating IOT into existing business processes https://futureiot.tech/podchats-for-futureiot-integrating-iot-into-existing-business-processes/ Thu, 17 Feb 2022 01:00:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=10390 For decades industrial operations have used sensors to automate parts of the processes. In many cases, the automation was mainly in the collection of telemetry data. Most processes still required human interaction to push things along. In recent years, the convergence of IoT technologies with machine learning, artificial intelligence, and cloud, along with automation, have […]

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For decades industrial operations have used sensors to automate parts of the processes. In many cases, the automation was mainly in the collection of telemetry data. Most processes still required human interaction to push things along.

In recent years, the convergence of IoT technologies with machine learning, artificial intelligence, and cloud, along with automation, have raised the possibility of putting smart IoT technology into business processes or workflows with the idea of automating these with minimum human intervention.

Seth Ryding, chief sales officer (CSO) global sales, Telenor Connexion, acknowledges that how IoT is valued by a business varies from industry to industry.

“There are general values that you see in different verticals such as increased reliability, predictability and being able to collect real time data. You can also add a new customer value that can generate new charging models for users. The way you operate your business and the transition from selling a product to selling a product as a service brings new and shifts the total business value,” he continued.

How do average business and operations leaders in organisations see IoT?

Seth Ryding: There are always two sides to a coin. There are risks and, in some cases, hesitation in moving into a new solution. The pandemic has shown us that those who had made or initiated the transition towards a connected solution pre-pandemic, have been much stronger when it comes to continuing through the pandemic.

What challenges must CIOs address if called upon by leadership to introduce IoT into business processes whether it is workflow or automation or actual operations?

Seth Ryding: An IoT solution is something the whole company needs to stand behind. CIOs and IT heads need to be well prepared to have a good plan about security and capabilities within the company and have a clear view on how they want to create their solution.

Things are evolving so fast and are so complex so the faster you develop your solution and focus on the customer value; it helps the operations process.

When is the best time to consider adopting IoT into the business processes? If yes, how do you minimise disruption and risk to existing operations?

Seth Ryding: I would say there is no time to wait. Looking from an employment perspective, we are living in a time where you can recruit people anywhere in the world which means it is easier to acquire competencies for areas you want to develop. It might just take a little different approach on how you do it.

What is your advice for CIOs and CTOs to help them guide the successful adoption of IoT into the business process?

Seth Ryding: You need to focus on what value you want to bring. Without the value that is related to your connected solution, there is really no point of doing it.

In addition, you need to be agile, try not to overcomplicate things. Create the solution that you can test and that you can scale and then start to roll it out.

Finally, you need to have the support of the whole management team as this is a transformation journey.  

Click on the PodChat player to listen to the full discussion including some interesting use cases of IoT integration.

  1. In the context of a typical business operation – for example a financial institution, hospital or government – what is the business value of IoT?
  2. How do business and operations leaders in these organisations see IoT? Any preconceived ideas that may hinder adoption of IoT in business processes?
  3. For CIOs and heads of IT, what are the challenges they must address if called to introduce IoT across several business processes – for example process or workflow automation?
  4. Given the continuing uncertainties arising from the pandemic. Is now the best time to consider adopting IoT into business processes? If yes, what is the better approach to ensure minimal disruption to existing operations, and minimised risks?
  5. What is your advice for CIOs and CTOs to help guide the successful adoption of IoT into the business process?
  6. You spoke about partnerships and core competencies, what is Telenor Connexion’s value proposition in an organisation’s IoT journey?

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Smart manufacturing spending to reach US$950-B in 2030 https://futureiot.tech/smart-manufacturing-spending-to-reach-us950-b-in-2030/ Thu, 10 Feb 2022 23:00:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=10369 Increasingly, there are more data sources (including spatial data) that can be layered and compared in real time for more contextual and predictive operations

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ABI Research predicts spending on smart manufacturing will grow from US$345 billion in 2021 to more than US$950 billion in 2030 as manufacturers advance their digital transformation initiatives. This market refers to factories that adopt Industry 4.0 solutions, such as autonomous mobile robots (AMRs), asset tracking, simulation, and digital twins.

"While most of the revenue today is attributed to hardware, a greater reliance on analytics, collaborative industrial software, and wireless connectivity (Wi-Fi 6, 4G, 5G) will drive spending on value-added services, namely connectivity, data management, and enabling platforms, to more than double over the forecast," said Ryan Martin, Industrial & Manufacturing Research Director at ABI Research.

The top producing manufacturing regions are China, the United States, Japan, and Germany (in that order) and the transportation industry, more specifically automotive manufacturing, is the top industry in terms of revenue in all regions except China, where automotive is second and electronics manufacturing is first. These regions are also the early adopters of advanced manufacturing technology and are the most developed manufacturing economies globally. In terms of automation, the automotive industry leads, having automated close to 50% of operations.

"Manufacturers and their technology partners are acutely focused on supporting the shift to digital threads for better data management and enrichment throughout the manufacturing lifecycle," said Martin. "A common data backbone allows manufacturers to operate more efficiently across teams and departments, and there are a range of suppliers helping manufacturers with their digital threads."

Siemens, PTC, and Hitachi Vantara are some of the leaders in terms of overall innovation and ability to execute. Other important players focus on core aspects of the manufacturing data lifecycle, including modeling and simulation (Autodesk, Ansys, Dassault Systèmes, MSC Software), connectivity (Nokia, Ericsson), quality (Hexagon, Instrumental, Cognex, Keyence), and industrial automation (Rockwell, Emerson, ABB).

"Increasingly, there are more data sources (including spatial data) that can be layered and compared in real time for more contextual and predictive operations.The most advanced manufacturers are starting to think along these lines while the majority have started their digital transformation journey but have yet to fully scale," Martin said.

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Oyster farms deploy sensors to monitor environmental changes https://futureiot.tech/oyster-farms-deploy-sensors-to-monitor-environmental-changes/ Wed, 09 Feb 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=10359 The sensors are part of the Estuary Sensor Platform, a tool built for oyster farmers as part of NSW Department of Primary Industries’ (DPI) AU$6.7 million Climate Smart Pilots (CSP) project.

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On Clyde River across New South Wales (NSW) in Australia, a series of marine-proof sensors – mounted on buoys – are measuring water salinity and temperature to help the estuary’s oyster farmers to adapt and respond to climate events.

With annual production worth more than AU$59 million, NSW oyster production plays an important economic role in the fisheries sector. Oyster farming also has numerous advantages to coastal ecosystems. Oysters are filter feeders, which improves water quality, cycles nutrients and sequesters carbon. Farming infrastructure also acts a habitat to shelter small invertebrates and juvenile fish from both weather and predators

Any improvements to this important fisheries sector through technology is beneficial to the wider community.

The sensors are part of the Estuary Sensor Platform, a tool built for oyster farmers as part of the NSW Department of Primary Industries' (DPI) AU$6.7 million Climate Smart Pilots (CSP) project. Launched in 2018, the CSP project establishes practical trials with NSW farmers to test how new technologies – through data collection and decision-making tools – can inform and improve management decisions.

The Estuary Sensor Platform incorporates numerous environmental and marine IoT sensors. These sensors are low-power wide-area network protocol (LoRaWAN) enabled and transmit measurements multiple times a day.

“Under a changing climate the future rainfall regime could shift considerably on the southeast coast of NSW. A key risk-factor is increased storm and rainfall intensity, leading to more frequent and larger pulses of fresh water through the Batemans Bay Estuary,” said agricultural sensing technician Matt Pierce, who is working across all CSP projects

Although rainfall is a welcome sight for many NSW farmers, for oyster farmers it needs to be monitored carefully. This is because flood events can damage oyster farming infrastructure and create conditions that affect oyster mortality.

“The sudden and occasionally prolonged drop in water temperature, introduction of excess sediments and displacement of saline water creates a hostile habitat.”

Why is the platform needed?

Fresh water is a primary contamination source. When introduced to oysters it poses consumer health risks, and therefore, rainfall determines harvest closures. That means it is vital for farmers to track local rainfall as it occurs in preparation for any closures, potentially reducing losses.

With farmers’ only consistent Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) station more than 20 kilometres away, local, on-farm weather stations will provide much needed data.

Sensors that log temperature are also important, Pierce said. “They can tell farmers if a heat wave is occurring in their lease. This allows them to respond as required, again with the potential to reduce losses.”

He added the digital tools linked to the management of these water quality changes will better prepare the local industry. “They not only save on labour, but also provide extra ‘peace of mind’ given the prospect of these shifts in climate extremes.”

This is particularly important for the area’s oyster farmers. “Producers are already dealing with other factors such as the ongoing impacts of the 2019/2020 bushfire season and the effect of Covid-19 on their markets.”

The Estuary Sensor Platform includes:

  • floating salinity and temperature sensors mounted on buoys in the estuary channel and oyster harvest zones, which monitor changing water conditions
  • fixed salinity and temperature sensors, which monitor changes from tidal effects
  • temperature loggers for oyster farmers to place with their oysters to monitor and provide warning of extreme temperature events
  • and an automatic weather station, which provides accurate and timely data to farmers that is local to their oyster production zones.
  • centralised LoRaWAN gateways, which capture sensor data and upload it for farmers to access
  • a ‘backend’ or cloud-based system to store data
  • an easily accessible dashboard for visualising and interacting with the data.

ICT International, an IoT solution provider for environmental applications, was tapped to  provide the LoRaWAN-based sensors  and water quality monitoring systems for aquaculture. The company has integrated Semtech’s LoRa devices and the LoRaWAN standard into its solutions.

“Data-based management is driving reductions in oyster mortality, increased harvest times and reduced labour costs,” said Dr. Peter Cull, managing director at ICT International.

Meanwhile, LoRaWAN network, as with all being established by NSW DPI, is not restricted to producers. It may be freely used by anyone, including developers, researchers, schools, businesses, and individuals. This means anyone with a LoRaWAN-enabled device can use the network.

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Digital twin specialist Matterport expands into Singapore https://futureiot.tech/digital-twin-specialist-matterport-expands-into-singapore/ Wed, 26 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=10261 These digital twins are changing how buildings are designed, built, promoted, and managed online across a variety of industries, including allowing real estate teams to better optimise the workplace.

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Spatial data platform provider Matterport has expanded its international footprint into five countries including Singapore as it seeks to help property owners create immersive digital twins of their buildings.

Besides, Singapore the company is also extending its Matterport Capture Services into France, Netherlands, Ireland and Canada.

Capture Services On-Demand delivers a 3D digital twin of any space, produced by trained and certified Capture Technicians within supported cities. Using Matterport’s Capture app and Pro2 3D camera, spaces are transformed into an immersive, precise 3D digital twin and delivered to the customer to access, manage, and share the space more effectively.

These digital twins are changing how buildings are designed, built, promoted, and managed online across a variety of industries, including allowing real estate teams to better optimise the workplace.

“As demand for Capture Services On-Demand continues to grow we are rapidly expanding our reach for customers all over the globe like Canoa that are putting their trust in the Matterport Capture Services’ ecosystem,” said Brendan Dowdle, vice president of Matterport Capture Services. “We constantly strive to surpass the expectations of our customers. We are thrilled to expand this exceptional service standard internationally to conveniently deliver a professionally scanned digital twin of any building or physical space at the touch of a button.”

Canoa, the first scaling platform for sustainable design and deployment of commercial real estate assets, uses Matterport in the retrofit process to survey and document the as-built conditions, traditionally a laborious and error-prone process.

With Matterport, Canoa can capture a space and convert it into a digital twin that has accurate spatial data and 3D imagery in 4K resolution. The company then generates accurate floor plans to help them redesign spaces and allocate assets for clients with ease and accuracy.  

“Using Matterport Capture Services On-Demand costs 30 percent less than if we send someone to do it,” said Lance Amato, head of compliance at Canoa, “and it costs 70 percent less than sending someone long distance. At the end of the day, it makes sense to delegate this to people who capture spaces for a living so we can focus on what we do best—designing and managing spaces and inventory so our customers can thrive.”

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UnaBiz teams up with Kinéis to deliver satellite IoT connectivity https://futureiot.tech/unabiz-teams-up-with-kineis-to-deliver-satellite-iot-connectivity/ Fri, 21 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=10249 Both companies will begin the development and commercialisation of a seamless global IoT solution that collects data from Kinéis satellite network and integrates them on UnaBiz’s data platform designed for massive scale asset management.

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Massive IoT service provider UnaBiz has partnered with Kinéis to deliver satellite IoT connectivity to companies in the Asia Pacific, with the initial target being the transportation and logistics sector.

"Both Kinéis and UnaBiz are focused on creating value for the ecosystem", said Henri Bong, co-founder and co-CEO of UnaBiz. "We are excited to work with our new partner in the new space industry as nanosatellites IoT solutions will complement our existing terrestrial offers, including LPWAN and cellular solutions, providing our partners with a truly global connectivity solution."

Satellite connectivity complements terrestrial networks – both cellular and non-cellular. And today, the new space industry is growing at a steady space, with recent studies predicting that the number of satellite IoT subscribing will increase at CAGR annual growth rate of 35.8% to reach 15.7 million units in 2025.

Kinéis forges links between New Space and IoT and connects hundreds of customers with satellite IoT – tapping its expertise in localisation and data collection, to provide low-cost, low-power, direct to satellite IoT connectivity.

Established in 2019, the satellite operator and global connectivity provider inherited 40 years of expertise in the Argos system, founded by CNES (French space agency) and historically operated by CLS (Collecte Localisation Satellites).

It has seven operational satellites, with two more announced this year, Kinéis will launch a 25-nanosatellite constellation in 2023 from New Zealand, quadrupling its current network to achieve near real-time connectivity.

"We are very pleased to begin this new partnership with UnaBiz in Asia, after being granted access to the U.S. market,” said Alexandre Tisserant, Kinéis’ CEO. “Together, we can strengthen our market position by offering a complete and reliable IoT solution with global coverage which combines the best of each technology."

To kick off the partnership, both companies will begin the development and commercialisation of a seamless global IoT solution that collects data from Kinéis satellite network and integrates them on UnaBiz’s data platform designed for massive scale asset management.

The solution is initially targeted  for global logistics and transportation industry where consistent and seamless connectivity is essential. Further down the line, it will be aimed at other verticals such as useful for applications in asset tracking, maritime, utilities, agriculture, and construction.

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India IoT market to reach US$9.28 billion by 2025 https://futureiot.tech/india-iot-market-to-reach-us9-28-billion-by-2025/ Fri, 14 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=10205 Use cases such as industrial automation, building automation, security, and surveillance account for the majority of the market revenue.

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The Indian IoT market is expected to reach US$9.28 billion by 2025 from US$4.98 billion in 2020, driven mostly by changes in enterprise behaviour triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic and verticals' focus on automation are driving the market.

According to latest analysis by Frost & Sullivan, the growth of IoT adoption in the country is backed by strong connectivity and coverage, rising internet penetration, a surge in smart applications adoption, new business models, and government initiatives such as smart city projects.

"IoT solution deployment for manufacturing industries, including automotive, energy and utilities, smart cities (government), retail, and other industries such as logistics, will drive investments for enterprise IoT products and services," said Apalak Ghosh, associate director, Information & Communications Technologies, Frost & Sullivan. "Enterprises are becoming more technology-focused and increasing investments in cellular IoT to generate value from their digital transformation."

Ghosh added: "Use cases such as industrial automation, building automation, security, and surveillance account for the majority of the market revenue. Telcos may benefit from a share of this revenue, depending on their strategic partnerships with hardware providers and their roles in the IoT value chain."

India offers multiple opportunities for IoT providers, and the country's IoT ecosystem is expected to continue growing to offer entire new streams of revenue. Market participants should focus on:

  • Private long-term evolution (P-LTE) for enhanced security: Indian telcos should focus on marketing the benefits of P-LTE to create awareness and approach enterprises with vertical-specific P-LTE solutions.
  • Real-time operational intelligence for heightened risk and compliance management: IoT providers must develop hardware and applications that are interoperable and pre-integrated to offer brand-agnostic IoT solutions.
  • Visual matrix solutions for improved CX: IoT providers should establish partnerships with visual surveillance system original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to jointly offer in-store, live consumer analytics along with core security solutions.
  • IoT as a Service for Smart Diagnostics Laboratories: Starting with open source-based IoT solutions can reduce costs substantially and encourage the adoption of smart laboratories as a service.

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Buildings will get smarter in 2022 https://futureiot.tech/buildings-will-get-smarter-in-2022/ Thu, 13 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=10181 In future, the value of buildings will not depreciate over time. By leveraging data-driven technologies, buildings will become smarter and able to upgrade its features, thereby increasing their own value.

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The ongoing pandemic has driven both tenants and building operators to seek viable solutions that improve building spaces, making them smarter, healthier, and safer.

This year will continue to see industry players in the built environment sector focused on finetuning the vision of the Future of Buildings – when space, technology, and people intersect.

“Space” refers to the physical area and the movement flow, such as spatial intelligence (e.g., predictive facilities management), while “technology” would refer to facilities-centric concerns such as building and environmental intelligence (think predictive energy management). Meanwhile, “people” looks at human-centric considerations, including behavioural intelligence (e.g., tenant information analytics), and wellness intelligence (e.g., smart workplace productivity, clean indoor air circulation for better health well-being).

Driving this intersection would be innovation and the identification of smart technologies that have to be developed and rolled out.

Myriad of technologies come together

Realising the vision for future buildings involves the integration of a myriad of technologies from analytics, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, to converged systems and Internet of Things (IoT), as well as data management.

Analytics, AI, and IoT enable buildings to be self-adapting, self-healing and self-optimising. The building will be able to predict and learn occupants’ preferences and usage patterns. It will also be adept at detecting human presence within a space and personalising the environment for improved productivity and wellness – critical when building occupancy is expected to continue fluctuating depending on the government’s directive.

AI would also be useful to further personalise the building as it can streamline maintenance tasks such as load management and fault detection. This includes installing automated air-filtration systems with touch-free controls that detect and reduce airborne pathogens, or using timed artificial lighting that mimics changing natural light throughout the day. This will improve energy usage, increase the commercial attractiveness of the property, enhance its environmental, social and governance (ESG) metrics, and manage risks of viruses spreading.

Visualising cognitive buildings

In future, the value of buildings will not depreciate over time. By leveraging data-driven technologies, buildings will become smarter and able to upgrade its features, thereby increasing their own value.

Such buildings are known as cognitive buildings – and this development has happened as the industry transitions from system insights into platform optimisation that enables data-driven user applications. Focuses are also changing, from energy efficiency to concerns around sustainability and wellness.

While data can provide actionable insights to transform buildings into cognitive buildings, it can be daunting to deal with the massive amount of data that is collected . To overcome this, organisations need to have the right tools to digest the data and the requisite domain knowledge to analyse the information to extract the insights.

Systems and solutions of the future

As we enter the future, converged systems & IoT solutions will lead the way: they are the drivers behind cognitive buildings. Equally important is a unified platform that connects devices and data to deliver a holistic outcome for the occupant. Synonymous to data is security – which needs to be everyone’s responsibility. There needs to be basic cybersecurity awareness across the industry, as well as ensuring all building data are encrypted at rest and in transit using industry-leading protocols. There also needs to be restricted access and secure data protection to ensure user privacy and adherence to existing data protection laws, as well as regular audits to validate security measures to avoid complacency.

In conclusion, as we move into the new year, we can expect a wave of change in the way buildings and spaces are designed, built and utilised in a post-pandemic world. Fast-emerging technologies will help unlock predictive insights from behavioural, building, and spatial intelligence that will be critical to transform the occupants’ experience. 

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Malaysian utility signs 15-year IIoT contract with Itron https://futureiot.tech/malaysian-utility-signs-15-year-iiot-contract-with-itron/ Fri, 07 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=10132 The solution will help the Sarawak Energy subsidiary improve operational efficiency and consumer engagement, includes Itron’s communications network for 180,000 Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) endpoints as well as Operations Optimizer and UtilityIQ (UIQ) Software-as-a-Service.

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Syarikat SESCO Berhad (SESCO), an energy development and vertically integrated electrical utility company located in Sarawak, Malaysia, signed a contract to deploy Itron’s industrial IoT (IIoT) solution.

The solution will help the Sarawak Energy subsidiary improve operational efficiency and consumer engagement, includes Itron’s communications network for 180,000 Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) endpoints as well as Operations Optimizer and UtilityIQ (UIQ) Software-as-a-Service.

As part of the 15-year contract, Sarawak Energy will leverage Itron’s Network-as-a-Service (NaaS) to deploy, monitor and maintain the communications network.

“With our open, standards-based network, Sarawak Energy will be able to easily and efficiently improve customer service, safety and operational efficiency,” said Don Reeves, senior vice president of Outcomes at Itron. “With such a high success rate from our pilot deployment in 2018, we are thrilled to continue the expansion of this project with our long-term customer, Sarawak Energy.”

Itron enables utilities and cities to deliver critical infrastructure solutions safely, securely and reliably to communities in more than 100 countries. Its portfolio of smart networks, software, services, meters and sensors help customers better manage electricity, gas and water resources for the people they serve.

In 2018, Sarawak Energy collaborated with Itron on a project to deploy and operate Itron’s IIoT network, including a pilot for 6,000 AMI endpoints.

With the successful implementation of the pilot, Sarawak Energy has now progressed to the next phase and awarded Itron with an expanded deployment of 180,000 AMI endpoints. As a NaaS contract, Itron will manage the network and the UIQ headend software suite on Sarawak Energy’s behalf to collect and manage consumption data. Sarawak Energy will also utilize Itron’s Operations Optimizer analytics solution to improve operational efficiency and develop business processes and workflows by leveraging insights from a variety of internal and external data sources.

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NYP, Schneider Electric team up on green building initiative https://futureiot.tech/nyp-schneider-electric-team-up-on-green-building-initiative/ Thu, 06 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=10127 Schneider Electric and NYP are also co-training a nexus of future-ready workforce to meet the increasing demands to help companies implement a sustainable transport solution – through electric fleets.

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Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP) and Schneider Electric yesterday opened a one-stop Sustainability Experience Centre to help Singapore's small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) implement green technologies at the workplace.

Focusing on sustainable facilities management, augmented reality is tapped for instant diagnosis – and when coupled with contactless and predictive maintenance, the overall power efficiency of a venue is significantly improved.

This enables  SMEs operate more sustainably and enhances the productivity of maintenance crew, as repairs and rectifications can be reliably predicted, and preventive maintenance be made ahead of time.

"With NYP's expertise in engineering systems and data analytics, alongside Schneider Electric's technology and solutions, SMEs will now have easy access to kickstart their green journey. This is also a great opportunity to strengthen and inculcate a sustainability-conscious mindset among our youth and empower them to play a role in bringing about a greener future,” said NYP's principal and  CE), Jeanne Liew.

This can help Singapore achieve its goal of having at least 80% of buildings to be green by 2030, according to the Building and Construction Authority's Green Masterplan.

Indeed, another key showcase at the centre helps SMEs identify solutions to optimise power usage and reduce energy consumption. With deft application of automation and sensors, lights would be activated only in areas where needed; and data usage patterns can also be analysed in real-time.

Schneider Electric's EcoStruxure Building Operation 3.0 makes this possible by pulling in data from a wide range of sensors, running an analysis, and providing users with suggestions to maximise energy use and reduce overall cost. It can also adjust lighting and temperature on the fly.

 According to Singapore's Energy Efficiency Programme Office (E²PO), occupancy sensors for lighting controls can result in at least 50% energy saving after implementation at workplaces. Implementing such energy efficient measures helps SMEs reduce operating costs and become more competitive.

Training future-ready workforce

Schneider Electric and NYP are also co-training a nexus of future-ready workforce to meet the increasing demands to help companies implement a sustainable transport solution – through electric fleets.

To date, staff from more than 20 SMEs have been trained on the key skills of managing Electric Vehicles (EVs), including setting up charging systems and processes for these EVs. To ensure buildings have enough electric supply capacity for EV charging stations, Schneider Electric also developed an EVlink Wallbox, to integrate with a load management system to regulate the amount of electricity allocated for EV charging in real-time. This allows building owners to deploy such sustainable solutions with minimal infrastructure cost, while ensuring that critical functions are prioritised to prevents electrical overload.

Furthermore, students from NYP's School of Engineering will be able to gain from the centre valuable hands-on experience in cutting edge solutions used by the industry to meet sustainability goals.

For example, students from NYP's Diploma in Electronic & Computer Engineering will learn how to integrate multiple systems and devices to collect and analyse relevant data. The first-hand experience would provide gainful insights to these students, thereby preparing a steady pipeline of talents to meet the demands for sustainability solutions in future industries.

 "Our commitment to fostering the next generation of engineers and dedication to sustainability are core identities of Schneider Electric. This opportunity to work with NYP is a perfect match with our DNA. We have always been advocates of using cutting edge technology to help the industry meet critical sustainability goals, and our own regional headquarters at Kallang is a testament to that belief,” said Yoon Young Kim, cluster president for Singapore, Malaysia and Brunei at Schneider Electric.

He added: “The Sustainability Experience Centre is a fantastic two-pronged approached where we can showcase our technology to the industry while training the next generation who can help them implement these solutions,”

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AWS takes pain out in collecting in-vehicle data https://futureiot.tech/aws-takes-pain-out-in-collecting-in-vehicle-data/ Mon, 20 Dec 2021 02:00:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=10049 AWS IoT FleetWise allows for standardised access to fleet-wide vehicle data without the need to develop custom data collection systems.

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In the next several months before its general availability, Amazon Web Services (AWS) is looking to work with car manufacturers and get their feedback on its newly launched AWS IoT FleetWise, which aims to simplify data collection of in-vehicle data through open and standardised formats.

“We to learn how they will potentially use the service and how they will have some of the benefits that the service can bring in,” said Mike Tzamaloukas, general Manager of IoT Automotive at AWS.

Mike Tzamaloukas, general manager, Iot Automotive, AWS

For over a 10 years now, car manufacturers have been collecting data from standard vehicle sensors to evaluate operational and safety indicators like engine temperature and vehicle stability. However, today’s new car models comes with advanced sensors like radar and cameras. Greater vehicle connectivity gives automakers opportunities to improve vehicle quality, safety and autonomy; but on the flipside, it also generate exponentially increasing amounts of data.

Indeed, by 2030, a study made by the Mckinsey Center for Future Mobility predicts that more than 95% of new vehicles sold globally will be connected to the internet – up  from about 50%  today.

Two-fold data challenge

There are a two-fold challenge in collecting in-vehicle information: data variety and data volume.

A car manufacturer typically has in its portfolio several models in its lineup, with each model producing data in a unique format. This results to an overwhelming volume of unique vehicle data configuration, data structures and schemas. Compounding the problem, most of these data is  not readable by human and is encoded in proprietary formats specific to automakers.

To make the data usable, automakers must first decode it then reconcile it across their fleets. Collecting and reconciling this data across multiple variations of vehicle models requires automakers to build, scale, and maintain custom data collections systems.

Furthermore, with the increasing sophistication and autonomy of new models, there more sensors inside a connected vehicle, which generate more data. In particular, connected vehicles today have multiple cameras and radars fitted with advanced sensors, thus increasing data volume at an exponential rate and making it difficult to manage.

What’s more, this growing amount of data is being transfer to the cloud, so car makers can use it for AI and machine learning training and improvement. However, cloud data transfer is cost prohibitive across a fleet of production vehicles. A single autonomous vehicle can generate up to 2 TiBs of data hourly per vehicle. As a result, automakers often resort to using autonomous test fleets with specially built on-board storage as a work-around for getting the data they need to train AI/ML models.

Faster and cheaper data collection

According to Tzamaloukas, AWS IoT FleetWise is the company’s first purpose-built service for the automotive industry aimed at making data collection easier, more efficient and at scale.

For one, it standardises access to fleet-wide data through its global signal catalog without the need to develop custom data collection systems.

“It takes away a lot of the vehicle model variations that exist today, where different vehicle models have different features, different capabilities, different signals in them, therefore making it hard to collect data across all of the vehicle models,” Tzamaloukas said.

The service also allows automakers to reduce costs and enable more efficient data transfer with intelligent filtering that sends the exact data you need to the cloud.

“We want to create a service that allows automakers to easily focus on the data that they're interested in. And with intelligent data-filtering, achieved this efficient upload to the cloud of the valuable information. Thus, it will allow them to extract high-volume data more cost efficiently,” said Tzamaloukas.

Furthermore, AWS IoT FleetWise Surface delivers near real time access to vehicle health data, which would enable automakers to detect and mitigate issues faster, help prevent potential recalls, and remotely assist customers.

“Today, it takes weeks – if not months – for automakers to detect and mitigate any anomaly in a vehicle. The service’s near real-time access to in-vehicle data would allow them to find the problem that may lead to a breakdown, such as false positives in radar or camera systems.”

How it works:

Complementary to proprietary systems

Acknowledging that automakers today have their own proprietary autonomous vehicle data collection systems, Tzamaloukas said that AWS IoT FleetWise can work alongside them.

“We are looking for working with partners and working with customers, to see how we can complement the existing approach to collecting data, to ingesting data, and to representing data in ways that can be open in ways that can be scalable. And, of course, with all the security, privacy, and other robustness and reliability guarantees that AWS can offer. So, we are just at the beginning of an exciting journey. And looking forward to  working with customers and partners to learn more,” he said.

He noted that, currently, automakers focus primarily on collecting a lot of data with their own test vehicles.

“Their data collection approach so far has been manual, meaning that they retrofit vehicles with a lot of SSD drives, they drive them, they get terabytes of data. And then they upload these terabytes of data to AWS.

With AWS IoT FleetWise, he added that they are complementing that existing approach towards giving the automakers the ability to not collect terabytes of data from one or a few test vehicles.

“But instead, collect something much smaller, just a few megabytes, but from many production vehicles out there on the field. So, we do believe we will be complementary to the current AV data collection approaches,” said Tzamaloukas.

He added: “Coming back to the way that FleetWise works, the first step they have to do is visualise their car models – when an OEM goes to our console and uploads proprietary markings of the data that exist in the vehicle. And of course, that belongs only to them and their account. That's information that we as AWS never seen.

“But once they have done that step, they now have this ability to be collecting data based on the open standards and they are able to now with FleetWise, collect the different proprietary data formats in the vehicle.

“So, they do actually coexist in some ways. But one path one method is going to be very hard to scale. The existing approach today is going to be hard to scale because you will keep on having to fix things that break us you go. Whereas with the FleetWise approach, we believe that you will have the ability to have a flexible and adaptable way, and data structure eventually, that can help you keep up with any number of changes that may happen in future vehicle models, and in future data types that you want to collect.”

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Yili Indonesia Dairy opens smart factory https://futureiot.tech/yili-indonesia-dairy-opens-smart-factory/ Mon, 13 Dec 2021 02:00:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=10018 Yili Indonesia Dairy, a subsidiary of China-based Yili Group, starts operations of the first phase of its smart factory which features technologies such as Internet of Things (IoT) and big data analytics.

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Yili Indonesia Dairy, a subsidiary of China-based Yili Group, starts operations of the first phase of its smart factory which features technologies such as Internet of Things (IoT) and big data analytics.

The 17-hectare ice-cream plant is located  at the  Greenland International Industrial Center, Bekasi, West Java in Indonesia. It is  established amid the  surging popularity of Joyday ice cream, a brand that has rapidly expanded its reach to 260 local cities in 26 provinces, covering nearly all of Indonesia, since its entry into the market in 2018.

Photo credit: Fimela.com/Novi Nadya

The Indonesia-based hub aims to speed up Joyday's product manufacturing, R&D and marketing efforts, with more new products targeted to suit local palate.

"Local consumers' clear preference for and trust in our products has reinforced Yili's confidence about our long-term investment and development in Indonesia," said Pan Gang, chairman and president of Yili Group, in a virtual speech during the opening of the smart factory over the weekend.

Gang reiterated Yili Group’ commitment to the highest quality standards and sustainable development over the long term, and establishing localized operations that benefit the communities where the company operates.

“This ensures that we can better serve local consumers and make deep contributions to socio-economic development throughout the region,” he added.

An innovative, green, and open factory

With an investment of RMB867 million, the first phase of the project has a daily production capacity of 159 tons. Yili expects to expand capacity to 343 tons per day – a daily production capacity of four million ice cream products – once the second phase is complete. The production base will become the country's largest ice cream factory.

As Yili's first self-built plant in Southeast Asia, Yili Indonesia Dairy has adopted cutting-edge technology and equipment, including the IoT and big data analytics, to build an innovative and smart factory.

The production base integrates advanced digital technologies throughout its entire production chain. Robotics solutions are introduced to provide automated packing, palletising, and warehousing.

The construction of infrastructure and buildings has been undertaken strictly in line with Yili Group's global quality management standards. To date, the factory has already passed the ISO22000, HALAL, and BPOM certifications and been rated A grade by LPPOM MUI, the largest food and drug certification agency in Indonesia.

As part of its efforts to build a sustainable and environmentally friendly production facility, Yili Indonesia Dairy has built a wastewater treatment system with a daily treatment capacity of 2,800 tons. Reclaimed water is then used for the irrigation of plants in the factory.

To ensure high levels of visibility and transparency, the site will be open to the public whenever the factory is in full operation, and consumers can watch the whole production process as it unfolds.

Meanwhile, Yili Indonesia Dairy will not only focus on the local Indonesian market but the wider region as well. As one of Yili Group's "dual centers" in Southeast Asia (the other center is the company's Thailand-based ice cream production base), it will expand into the Southeast Asian market, providing regional consumers with a more diverse range of products.

The completion of Yili Indonesia Dairy sets up another key pillar for Yili's development in the Indonesian and the broader Southeast Asian markets. Together with the company's Thailand-based ice cream production base, Yili's "Southeast Asian dual centers" and Southeast Asia Innovation Center have taken shape, and are expected to accelerate product manufacturing and R&D in the region.

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Siemens, AWS to push for accelerated digital twin adoption https://futureiot.tech/siemens-aws-to-push-for-accelerated-digital-twin-adoption/ Wed, 08 Dec 2021 02:00:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=9984 The agreement makes it easier for industrial customers to use Siemens’ digital twin technology and AWS’s cloud services to deliver new manufacturing insights, automation, and connected services.

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Siemens and Amazon Web Services (AWS) have agreed to push for the accelerated adoption of new digital twin solutions using AWS IoT TwinMaker, a newly launched AWS service that makes it faster and easier to create digital twins that incorporate multiple data sources.

“Working together, Siemens and AWS will make it easier for industrial customers to use Siemens’ comprehensive digital twin technology and AWS’s cloud services to deliver new manufacturing insights, automation, and connected services,” said Bill Vass, vice president of engineering at AWS. “Together, we’ll bring new cloud-based digital transformation solutions to market that will help companies of any size address industrial complexity and turn it into competitive advantage”.

Integral to this agreement is driving the adoption of  Siemens’ Xcelerator as a Service – making its portfolio of integrated software, services, and application development platform more accessible, scalable, and flexible. Xcelerator as a Service acts as a catalyst for fast and predictable digital transformation—including by gaining new manufacturing insights, automating processes, and deploying connected services—and offers customisable solutions for any starting point on the digital journey.

Siemens‘ Xcelerator  is already integrated with over 60 AWS services, and with the addition of AWS IoT TwinMaker, customers can apply AWS IoT TwinMaker to develop powerful digital twin solutions that are compatible with Siemens‘ design, simulation and manufacturing software.

“Siemens and AWS are coming together to help companies speed engineering efforts, optimise factory operations, and enhance customer experiences from chip to edge to cloud,“ said Tony Hemmelgarn, president and chief executive officer at Siemens Digital Industries Software. “We’re excited to combine our proven cloud and industrial experience in this expanded partnership and simplify the journey for our mutual customers to become digital enterprises.“

The strategic collaboration agreement between AWS and Siemens will see the companies cooperate to support customers; expand cloud capabilities in Siemens‘ Xcelerator as a Service portfolio; explore opportunities for innovation; and develop and take to market new solutions.

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Huawei makes campus networks smarter https://futureiot.tech/huawei-makes-campus-networks-smarter/ Mon, 06 Dec 2021 02:00:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=9971 The difference between Huawei’s smart campus and a traditional campus lies in the upper-layer brain, which includes the Intelligent Operation Centre (IOC) platform.

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Huawei has redefined traditional campus networks to align them to the requirements of smart city developments. With the Asia Pacific launch of its Smart Campus Solution last week in Singapore, the company unveiled a  smart campus with a secure, open, and sustainable digital platform, which easily integrates new ICT technologies such as cloud computing, Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), and mobile interconnection.

“We have completed 500 smart campus projects around the world, helping our customers achieve business success," said Bob Chen, vice president of Huawei Enterprise Business Group. "We look forward to continuing to work with our customers, to deal with challenges as we build a smart world together.

Huawei hopes to get a lion’s share of the smart campus market in the Asia Pacific, which is currently estimated to exceed US$10 billion in value based on analyst figures.

Huawei Smart Campus Architecture

The difference between Huawei's smart campus and a traditional one lies in the upper-layer brain, which includes the Intelligent Operation Centre (IOC) platform. The IOC platform delivers intelligent asset management of the campus  with digital twin visualisation of the physical space.

Implemented through wired networks, Wi-Fi, 5G, microwave, and IoT technologies, it is built with energy-saving features where IoT used to connect various terminals and sensors to collect energy consumption information. AI algorithms are used for analysis and optimisation, reducing energy consumption and OPEX of campus networks and achieving green and sustainable development.

“With the digital platform integrated with video cloud, IoT, Internet Communications Protocol (ICP), Geographic Information System (GIS) and other new technologies, customers could leverage on the platform to design, develop and verify solutions to create a secure, comfortable, efficient and green campus,” said Tony Shi, CTO of Huawei APAC Scenario-Based Solution, adding that major use cases for the smart campus include  ubiquitous connectivity, integrated management and new service development.

Huawei’s smart campus solution also implements intelligent video prevention and control and AI analysis. It also features office collaboration – where the smart office and smart classrooms implement seamless collaboration, greatly improving remote communication and efficiency during the epidemic, and bringing users new experience in office, learning, and diagnosis and treatment.

Positive feedback

Several Huawei customer at the launch of the smart campus solution expressed optimism about the new offering.

“As ICT advances, system construction gets more and more complex, with campuses getting bigger and bigger. It is therefore becoming harder to manage them and there is an urgent need for us to understand them better and manage them smarter. The launch of this Smart Campus Solution is timely, providing many of our members with the solution that they've been looking for,” said Tony Khoo, president of the Singapore International Facility Management Association (SIFMA).

Kittikun Potivanakul, the CTO of DTGO,  said Huawei’s smart campus helps enterprises integrate digital services, with its customer-oriented approach replacing a functional one.

“With the deployment of smart services — such as an IOC perimeter management, video-based patrol, and device management — the solution deploys big data analytics to support decision-making at the management level. Similarly, it supports business innovation and will, in the future, facilitate multi-campus access.”

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Pfizer teams up with AWS to hasten drug development https://futureiot.tech/pfizer-teams-up-with-aws-to-hasten-drug-development/ Fri, 03 Dec 2021 02:30:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=9967 The joint initiative applies AWS capabilities in analytics, machine learning, compute, storage, security, and cloud data warehousing to Pfizer laboratory, clinical manufacturing, and clinical supply chain efforts.

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Pfizer is working with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to deploy cloud-based solutions with the potential to improve how medicines are developed, manufactured and distributed for testing in clinical trials.

For instance, Pfizer is using AWS to enhance its continuous clinical manufacturing processes by incorporating predictive maintenance capabilities built with AWS machine learning services like Amazon Lookout for Equipment, the AWS’s service for detecting abnormal equipment behaviour by analysing sensor data.

As a result, the pharmaceutical firm can maximise uptime for equipment such as centrifuges, agitators, pulverisers, coaters, and air handlers used in clinical drug manufacturing.

The overall focus of this collaboration is to support Pfizer in more rapidly and reliably producing new drugs and evaluating their potential health benefit for patients.

New PACT initiative

To mark the enhanced collaboration between the two companies, they have created the Pfizer Amazon Collaboration Team (PACT) initiative, which applies AWS capabilities in analytics, machine learning, compute, storage, security, and cloud data warehousing to Pfizer laboratory, clinical manufacturing, and clinical supply chain efforts.

Image by torstensimon from Pixabay

“Our goal with AWS is to expedite the processes for drug discovery and development in ways that can ultimately enhance patient experiences and deliver new therapies to market. Working closely with AWS experts in machine learning and analytics, we aim to provide our scientists and researchers with the insights they need to help deliver medical breakthroughs that change patients’ lives,” said Andrew McKillop, vice president of pharmaceutical sciences, worldwide research, development, and medical at Pfizer.

Both companies are working to develop a prototype solution for detecting abnormal data points in its drug product continuous clinical manufacturing platform for solid, oral-dose medicines. The prototype solution uses Amazon SageMaker (AWS’s service for building, training, and deploying machine learning models quickly in the cloud and at the edge), Amazon Lookout for Equipment, Amazon Lookout for Metrics (AWS’s service for automatically detecting anomalies in metrics and identifying their root cause), and Amazon QuickSight (AWS’s scalable machine learning-powered business intelligence service for the cloud).

The machine learning models used in the prototype were able to provide early warnings for alarms with minimal false positives and direct users to the relevant signals. As a result, Pfizer can process data from the equipment and sensors involved in Portable Continuous Miniature and Modular (PCMM) manufacturing to detect anomalies as they occur, predict maintenance needs, and reduce potential equipment downtime.

Mining insights  from legacy data to develop new drugs

According to Kathrin Renz, vice president of business development and industries at AWS, the past two years have reinforced for the world just how much speed and agility matter at every step of the research, development, and clinical manufacturing cycle when lives are on the line.

“We’re proud to work with Pfizer and lend our deep domain expertise to assist in developing solutions that could significantly improve the lives of patients globally,” she said.

With the new PACT initiative, Pfizer scientists will also collaborate with AWS healthcare and life sciences professionals to explore how researchers in Pfizer’s Pharmaceutical Sciences Small Molecules teams can extract and mine information from legacy documents by leveraging AWS analytics and machine learning services.

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

Pfizer has an extensive collection of documents that contain valuable data from a variety of drug development processes. The documents include data related to synthetic chemistry routes, recipes, analytical tests, method development, formulation composition, clinical manufacturing campaigns, batch records, technology transfer, and many other types of work.

Housed within these documents are potentially powerful insights that could point Pfizer researchers in the right direction for developing new drugs or repurposing existing ones—if the researchers can identify and link the right information efficiently.

To gain quick, secure access to the right information at the right time, Pfizer’s Pharmaceutical Sciences Small Molecules teams are working with AWS to develop a prototype system that can automatically extract, ingest, and process data from this documentation to help in the design of lab experiments.

The prototype system is powered by Amazon Comprehend Medical (AWS’s HIPAA-eligible natural language processing (NLP) service to extract information from unstructured medical text accurately and quickly) and Amazon SageMaker, and uses Amazon Cognito to deliver secure user access control.

“Our life sciences customers are increasingly looking for opportunities to scale expertise, insight, and secure access to the right information, at the right time, with the aim of reducing the time and cost for drug development and clinical trials,” “AWS’s breadth and depth of cloud capabilities help support Pfizer’s teams through secure, novel research methods as they work to optimize drug development and clinical manufacturing processes.

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AWS unveils new IoT services https://futureiot.tech/aws-unveils-new-iot-services/ Wed, 01 Dec 2021 04:00:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=9950 Amazon Web Services (AWS) unveiled new IoT services geared to help companies build digital twins and automaker customise collection of vehicle data.

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Amazon Web Services (AWS) yesterday unveiled new IoT services – one  geared towards helping companies to create digital twins of real-world systems, and the other targeted at helping car manufacturers to quickly and cost collect, transform, and transfer vehicle data to the cloud in near-real time.

Called  AWS IoT TwinMaker and AWS IoT FleetWise, the two new services were announced at the ongoing  AWS re: Invent event in Las Vegas.

AWS IoT TwinMaker is available in preview in US East (N. Virginia), US West (Oregon), Asia Pacific (Singapore), and Europe (Ireland) with availability in additional AWS Regions coming soon. Likewise,  AWS IoT FleetWise with standard vehicle data collection is now available in preview  in US East (N. Virginia) and Europe (Frankfurt), with availability in additional AWS Regions coming soon.

There are no up-front commitments or fees to use AWS IoT TwinMaker and AWS IoT FleetWise.  Customers only pay for the AWS services used.

Building digital twins faster

Digital twins are virtual representations of physical systems that are regularly updated with real-world data to mimic the structure, state, and behaviour of the objects they represent.

Industrial companies collect and process vast troves of data about their equipment and facilities from sources like equipment sensors, video cameras, and business applications (e.g. enterprise resource planning systems or project management systems). They want to combine these data sources to create a virtual representation of their physical systems (called a digital twin) to help them simulate and optimise operational performance.

But building and managing digital twins is hard even for the most technically advanced organisations. To build digital twins, companies must manually connect different types of data from diverse sources (e.g. time-series sensor data from equipment, video feeds from cameras, maintenance records from business applications, etc.). Then, they have to create a knowledge graph that provides common access to all the connected data and maps the relationships between the data sources to the physical environment.

To complete the digital twin, a 3D virtual representation of physical systems (e.g. buildings, factories, equipment, production lines, etc.)  have to be built and overlay the real-world data on to the 3D visualisation. Once there is a virtual representation of the real-world systems with real-time data, companies can build applications for plant operators and maintenance engineers that can leverage machine learning and analytics to extract business insights about the real-time operational performance of their physical systems. Because of the work required, the vast majority of organisations are unable to use digital twins to improve their operations.

“With today’s launch of AWS IoT TwinMaker, more customers can now have a holistic view of their industrial equipment, facilities, and processes to monitor and optimize all of their operations in real time,” said Michael MacKenzie, general manager, AWS IoT.

With AWS IoT TwinMaker, developers can quickly get started building digital twins of devices, equipment, and processes by connecting AWS IoT TwinMaker to data sources like equipment sensors, video feeds, and business applications.

AWS IoT TwinMaker contains built-in connectors for AWS IoT SiteWise, Amazon Kinesis Video Streams, and Amazon S3 (or customers can add their own connectors for data sources like Amazon Timestream or Snowflake) to make it easy to gather data from a variety of sources.

The new IoT service automatically creates a knowledge graph that combines and understands the relationships of the connected data sources, so it can update the digital twin with real-time information from the system being modelled. Customers can import existing 3D models (e.g. CAD and BIM files, point cloud scans, etc.), directly into AWS IoT TwinMaker to easily create 3D visualizations of the physical systems (e.g. buildings, factories, equipment, production lines, etc.) and overlay the data from the knowledge graph on to the 3D visualizations to create the digital twin.

Once the digital twin has been created, developers can use an AWS IoT TwinMaker plugin for Amazon Managed Grafana to create a web-based application that displays the digital twin on the devices plant operators and maintenance engineers use to monitor and inspect facilities and industrial systems.

For example, developers can create a virtual representation of a metals processing plant by associating data from the plant’s equipment sensors with real-time video of the various machines in operation and the maintenance history of those machines. Developers can then set up rules to alert plant operators when anomalies in the plant’s furnace are detected (e.g. temperature threshold has been breached) and display those anomalies on a 3D representation of the plant with real-time video from the furnaces, which can help operators make quick decisions on predictive maintenance before a furnace fails. With AWS IoT TwinMaker, many more customers can use digital twins to build applications that simulate their real-world systems to improve operational efficiency and reduce downtime.

Mackenzie said AWS IoT TwinMaker includes the built-in capabilities most customers need for their digital twins, such as connecting to data across disparate sources, modelling physical environments, and visualisation of data with spatial context.

“Customers are excited about the opportunity to use digital twins to improve their operations and processes, but the work involved in creating a digital twin and custom applications for different use cases is complicated, expensive, and prohibitive for most,” he added.

Already, several AWS customers are such as Carrier Global, Siemens and Accenture are  currently the digital twin service.

Customised collection of vehicle data

Car manufacturers have been collecting data from standard vehicle sensors for over a decade to evaluate operational and safety indicators like engine temperature and vehicle stability. However, automakers today are building cars with new classes of advanced sensors like radar and cameras that improve vehicle safety but also generate exponentially increasing amounts of data.

They want to collect, standardise, and transfer this data to the cloud more cost-effectively, so they can use it to generate insights that help improve vehicle quality, safety, and autonomy. However, the ever-increasing variety of vehicle makes, models, and options that generate data in different proprietary formats creates a complex array of data across the vehicles on the road.

Collecting and transforming all of this vehicle data so that it can be analysed in the cloud requires automakers to build custom data collection systems that standardize the data across the wide variety of data formats, which is difficult and time-consuming. Instead, automakers want to select the data to collect and transfer to the cloud in near-real time based on their specific use case, but this type of intelligent data filtering doesn’t exist today. As a result, automakers are unable to put data to work to help solve common problems like diagnosing issues with individual vehicle performance, spotting fleet-wide issues before they become a growing problem, and using the data to improve vehicle performance and autonomy.

With AWS IoT FleetWise, automakers can easily collect and organize data in any format present in their vehicles (regardless of make, model, or options) and standardize the data format for easy data analysis in the cloud. AWS IoT FleetWise helps automakers efficiently transfer data to the cloud in near-real time using the service’s intelligent filtering capabilities that allow developers to reduce network traffic by selecting the data to transfer and defining rules for when to transfer it based on parameters like weather conditions, location, or vehicle type. Once the data is in the cloud, automakers can use it for applications that remotely diagnose issues in individual vehicles, analyze vehicle fleet health to help prevent potential recalls or safety issues, or improve advanced technologies like autonomous driving and advanced driver assistance systems with analytics and machine learning.

“While automakers have collected, stored, and analyzed vehicle data for years, they are not equipped to manage the explosion of data generated by advanced vehicle safety and autonomous driving systems, nor have they had access to the near-real-time data needed to help proactively address vehicle problems,” said Mike Tzamaloukas, general manager of IoT Automotive at AWS. “With AWS IoT FleetWise, automakers can now efficiently collect this data, transform it, and gain deep, actionable insights on the condition and usage of vehicles on the road. Automakers can now use the power of AWS to help maintain millions of vehicles, increase vehicle safety, and improve customer service.”

AWS IoT FleetWise provides automakers a managed service that makes it easier and more cost-effective to collect and transfer data from millions of vehicles to the cloud in near-real time. AWS IoT FleetWise can access the unique data format of a vehicle and then structure and standardise the data so automakers don’t have to develop custom data collection systems.

Automakers start in the AWS Management Console by defining and modeling vehicle attributes (e.g. a two-door coupe) and the sensors associated with the car’s make, model, and options (e.g. engine temperature, front-impact warning, parking assist system, etc.) for individual vehicle types or multiple vehicle types across their entire fleet.

After vehicle modeling, automakers install the AWS IoT FleetWise application on the vehicle gateway (an in-vehicle communications hub that monitors and collects data), so it can read, decode, and transmit information to and from AWS. With AWS IoT FleetWise’s intelligent filtering controls, automakers can select the exact data they need for their use cases and help reduce costs by limiting the amount of data transferred to the cloud by creating conditional rules to filter the data they want to collect and analyze (e.g. sensor data from hard-braking events associated with a vehicle make and model).

Once data is transferred to the cloud with AWS IoT FleetWise, automakers can use AWS’s breadth and depth of services to extract value from vehicle data. For example, automakers can use intelligent filtering to collect camera data from vehicles traveling on newly built highways when an autonomous driving system identifies text in road signage with less than 90% confidence. When that data is sent to the cloud, automakers can label the data for accuracy to improve the machine learning models powering autonomous driving systems. Or, automakers can use intelligent filtering to collect data from electric vehicle batteries when the temperature drops below freezing and then analyze it and run simulations in the cloud to improve battery performance in cold weather.

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Veeam: reindustrialisation will drive IoT adoption in HK in 2022 https://futureiot.tech/veeam-reindustrialisation-will-drive-iot-adoption-in-hk-in-2022/ Tue, 30 Nov 2021 02:00:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=9942 Together with the projected growth of installed IoT devices in Hong Kong, Veeam predicts increase data management at the edge as companies seek to process data close to where the devices are located.

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Companies in Hong Kong will show growing interest in reindustrialisation in 2022, driving the adoption of industry 4.0 and IoT technologies in the city.

Joseph Chan, Veeam Software

“As these technologies are being explored, there is a need to address the data challenge with more data residing in these new end points and devices at the edge. We see businesses adding new apps and functionality to the edge as a result,” said Joseph Chan, senior director for Hong Kong and Taiwan at Veeam Software, a provider of backup, recovery and data management solutions.

Reindustrialisation has been on top of the Hong Kong government agenda for several years now and has been one of the major focus for technology innovation in the city. In fact, the government launched  in July this year the HK$2-billion Re-industrialisation Funding Scheme under the Innovation and Technology Fund. The scheme subsidise to subsidise the cost for local manufacturers to set up new smart production lines.

“We expect advanced manufacturing and high-quality processes to be areas of growth which will drive more IoT adoption [in the city],” Chan said, adding that Veeam has been in talks with the Hong Kong Productivity Council and other organisations who are helping businesses implement industry 4.0 technologies.

Data management at the edge

Together with the projected growth of installed IoT devices in Hong Kong, Veeam predicts increase data management at the edge as companies seek to process data close to where the devices are located before moving them to the cloud.

“As businesses seek to run their applications and manage data efficiently at the edge, we're going to be there to be able to protect that data, and then I'll obviously unlock it and make it portable as well,” said Anthony Spiteri, senior technologist – global product strategy at Veeam.

Anthony Spiteri, Veeam Software

Spiteri pointed out that with Veeam’s acquisition of Kasten, a cloud-native backup and recovery solution for Kubernetes workloads and applications, would enable them to protect IoT data at the edge.

“With Kasten, we are able to protect the data  no matter where it is. A piece of software like Kasten positions us very well to be able to backup data that's being generated at the edge,” Spiteri said.

Indeed, looking at technology trends in 2022, Veeam predicts fluidity in the movement of data across the enterprise – whether physical or virtual.

Data portability will be a big thing in the coming 12 months. Last year with the rise of working-from-home due to COVID-19, this concept has been somewhat suppressed. However, as employees return to office workspaces, data portability will again take centre stage.

“In 2022, there will be a significant focus on the ability for users or owners of a given dataset to easily duplicate information across different software applications, platforms, services, and storage environments,” said Spiteri.

He added that reducing the friction of data movement and enabling cloud acceleration are among the top benefits.

“According to our 2021 Data Protections Trends report, 36% of executives believe the ability to move workloads from one cloud to another is the most important element to modern data protection. The goal is to allow any user to experience flawless services across cloud environments, and in turn help the data economy thrive. Veeam’s vision of ‘your data, when you need it, where you need it’ will be vital to ensure teams can access data anywhere, at any time,” Spiteri said.

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DHL Supply Chain opens five centres in Japan https://futureiot.tech/dhl-supply-chain-opens-five-centres-in-japan/ Wed, 24 Nov 2021 06:00:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=9840 The 5,000sqm Kawasaki facility can support future implementation of robotics, cold room storage and high-spec IT systems, and processing in excess of 600,000 orders per annum.

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DHL Supply Chain (DHL) has opened five new logistics centres in Japan to support its operations for GE Healthcare Japan. The new logistics centres are located in Kawasaki, Sapporo, Nagoya, Osaka and Fukuoka.

The biggest centre, the 5,000sqm Kawasaki facility, can support future implementation of robotics, cold room storage and high-spec IT systems, and processing in excess of 600,000 orders per annum. Each of the five centres have been selected for their strategic location based network centricity analysis and are designed to be the regional distribution centre to supply medical service parts on demand speed to market to GE Japan's customer swiftly.

The new  centres manage the warehousing of service parts for GE Healthcare's transformational medical technologies and service to meet demand for increase access, enhanced quality and more affordable healthcare around the world.

The Tokyo Central Distribution Centers (CDC) in Kawasaki provide 24x7 services encompassing distribution & regulatory compliance, call centre operations, international import, reverse returns management, demand fulfilment support global services medical professional to deliver greatest healthcare to patients.

"It was imperative for us optimise our logistics operations as we faced quality and cost challenges in service parts logistics management. DHL's robust performance management, proactive continuous improvement culture, optimised supply chain cost, and service logistics network covering all necessary areas match GE Healthcare's priorities for business growth. We saw a strong business fit between both companies. We believe that DHL, with its global expertise and localised know-how, is an ideal partner for us in providing efficient services,” said Akiko Nakategawa, director of global service parts operations, GE Healthcare Japan.

DHL has already been providing logistic services to GE Healthcare in 13 sites across 10 countries, according to Alfred Goh, president and representative director, CEO Japan and Korea.

“We are honoured to be able to demonstrate our capabilities and deliver value in Japan by utilising world-class warehouse standards, network scalability, visibility, flexibility, innovation, continuous improvement based on our unique operation management system as well as best practices from other parts of the world."

With regulatory and trade compliance requirements for the transportation and storage of medicines becoming more rigorous, DHL provides high-quality fully compliant logistics and supply chain services. With over 80,000 experts and 9,000 Life Sciences and Healthcare certified specialists in over 220 countries, DHL Life Sciences and Healthcare business offers dedicated network maintains complete control of the entire journey. It delivers seamless end-to-end transport of temperature sensitive products across countries and modes; real-time temperature monitoring; and in-depth knowledge in coldchain and clinical trials business and a worldwide network of over 4,000 dedicated and trained experts

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Urban mobility systems market will see dynamic shifts https://futureiot.tech/urban-mobility-systems-market-will-see-dynamic-shifts/ Tue, 23 Nov 2021 01:30:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=9794 Data generated from connected solutions will help solution providers build novel offerings and business models, finds Frost & Sullivan

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Consumer preferences toward various modes of mobility are likely to witness dynamic shifts due to sudden environmental changes and dynamic needs,  according to a recent analysis by Frost and Sullivan.

Hence, the flexibility to offer multiple mobility options through a single provider is crucial. In addition,  the need to improve commuting efficiency and effective orchestration of fleets will require the deployment of high-impact technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI)-driven platforms, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) capabilities, blockchain, 5G, and edge computing.

Technology is driving the evolution of the mobility ecosystem and services, enabling on-demand services and integrated solutions. Digital urban mobility management solutions will be key to cities becoming more proactive, smart and liveable.

"Every stakeholder in the value chain of technology providers, automakers, mobility service providers, and cities aim to ensure effective mobility management of passengers and goods. They are increasingly resorting to partnerships/acquisitions to build capabilities and be prepared for the future of mobility," noted Albert Geraldine Priya, program manager - mobility, at Frost & Sullivan. "Public-private partnerships are expected to boost the uptake of smart city initiatives. Open data policies and policy support will catalyse this trend, especially for MaaS and marketplace solutions."

Priya added: "There is likely to be a shift from hardware to software platforms, such as moving from fixed road sensors to floating sensors in cars or cell phones. Differentiated, scalable, and usage-based fee models will require coordinated demand management. The focus on user orientation and convenience will promote free-flow traffic systems, end-user services, and converging technologies."

Urban mobility services providers can expand in a highly dynamic marketplace by making the most of the opportunities offered in the following areas:

  • Extensive Collaborations to Develop Capabilities for Future Urban Mobility Management: Collaborations among traditional and new mobility technology providers can result in new business models and Mobility as a Service (MaaS) on a larger scale.
  • Advanced Technology and Intelligent Solutions Vital for Smart Mobility of the Future: Solution providers from the information and communications technology (ICT) and automotive sectors should focus on deeper collaborations with various stakeholders, including city governments, to develop a scalable and robust smart city urban mobility management platform that can converge, process, and supply intelligence for seamless operations.
  • Urban Mobility Management Systems are Crucial for Future Mobility Operating Systems: With urban mobility management systems central to the design of cities in the future, cities should transition to smart mobility operating systems that can provide a view of the entire city on a single screen.

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ASTRI, CITIC Telecom CPC expand AI-AR partnership in HK https://futureiot.tech/astri-citic-telecom-cpc-expand-ai-ar-partnership-in-hk/ Fri, 19 Nov 2021 01:00:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=9734 In Phase 2, ASTRI and CITIC Telecom CPC will be working to build innovative new features into the heads-up display of AR glasses.

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Entering a new phase of a two-and-a-half-year partnership, CITIC Telecom CPC and the Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute (ASTRI) are exploring new industry use cases for integrated AI-AR solutions for commercialisation.

“To have sustainable traction in intelligent and innovative technologies development, we need an integrated ecosystem approach and strong partnership with stakeholders in various sectors and industries,” said Denis Yip, CEO of ASTRI. “Our  continuing collaboration with CITIC Telecom CPC will lead to a meaningful exchange of innovative R&D, technologies, knowledge, and insights, which will ultimately increase operational efficiencies of the industries, uplift user experience, and create value to the community.”

“We are enthusiastic about advancing AI-AR technologies with ASTRI and leveraging collaborations and sound technological exchanges to pursue innovative and practical applications,” said Esmond Li, CEO, CITIC Telecom CPC.

The two organisations started their partnership in developing integrated AI and AR (augmented reality) solutions in June 2019, which led to launch of an AR Remote Hand Solution in September the following year.

Boosting field service productivity by up to 50%, the enhanced AR-based vision allowed field engineers to access vital information at data centres and enabled seamless collaboration between frontline and back-end teams to complete maintenance tasks. The solution also demonstrated how companies could facilitate remote work strategies during the pandemic using AR technologies.

Taking AR glasses to new heights

In Phase 2, ASTRI and CITIC Telecom CPC will be working to build innovative new features into the heads-up display of AR glasses.

ASTRI will provide the software platform and customisation, while CITIC Telecom CPC’s team will build an innovative Machine Learning (ML) model in order to integrate virtual, big data, AI, and physical data into the AR device.

The key features include:

  • Data Visualisation – Computer vision techniques and machine-learning algorithms enhanced data integration will provide the remote workforce with 2D and 3D diagrams for better data visualisation. Users can use AR glasses to detect, identify, locate, and track objects positioning and project holograms of technical manuals, analytical figures, or even instructions onto the heads-up display to analyse trends or issues for quicker response.
  • Cognitive Object Recognition – The AI-AR integrated service will use Cognitive Object Recognition System (CORS), which runs using CITIC Telecom CPC’s algorithm and solution to improve object mapping accuracy. Using AR glasses, users can easily define the correlation between different objects. The AR glasses can further improve workplace safety by projecting the physical (path) and logical relations onto the reality in the form of digital maps, 3D models and virtual information.
  • Middleware Enhancement – Both organisations will develop middleware for AR glasses, empowering customers to work with different AR headsets such as HoloLens and Android-based headsets.

The two organisations expect the AR glasses with enhanced AI/AR capabilities will bring more business values in a range of industrial applications, such as:

  • AI-AR Remote Hands for Seamless Collaboration From a Distance
  • Streamlining maintenance and inspection for Utilities – The AI-AR integrated service will provide field workers with better computer vision capabilities. Field users can access manuals and analysed data or graphs for maintenance using the AR glasses while receiving immediate alerts of any wrong steps. The 5G-enabled cloud connectivity can enable supervisors to guide field users during installation and maintenance verbally.  
  • Computer Vision and Cognitive Analytics Solutions for Better Decision Making
  • Business Operations planning (e.g., Supply Chain Management) – The integrated service can provide workers with extra information during operations. The frontline staff can use data visualizations and object mapping to identify goods quickly and accurately for loading and unloading.
  • Predictive Customer Experience for Maximising Customer Value
  • Enhancing customer services experience in all industries – AI and AR allow companies to use predictive and prescriptive data to understand what customers want before they know themselves, delivering exceptional customer experiences.

“We are confident that this collaboration will result in a win-win outcome by creating viable commercial applications that benefit different industries,” said Yip.

Daniel Kwong, CIIO of CITIC Telecom CPC said: “We believe that our strong partnership with ASTRI, together with the development of new technologies, such as AI, AR, blockchain, 5G, IoT and cloud, will ensure that we will continue to find innovative and intelligent ways of helping enterprises to reap the benefits of digital transformation.”

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HK maritime industry urged to be green and smart https://futureiot.tech/hk-maritime-industry-urged-to-be-green-and-smart/ Mon, 08 Nov 2021 03:00:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=9650 The future of modern logistics is going to be smart and technology-driven. Automation, artificial intelligence, big data and digitalisation are instrumental.

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The Hong Kong government vowed to steadfastly encourage the local maritime industry to  use of clean energy, while driving the development of smart port initiatives for operational efficiency.

“While we seek to expand our maritime industry, we have not forgotten our commitment to sustainable development,” said Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam. “We have already announced the target for Hong Kong to achieve carbon neutrality before 2050. As part of our decarbonisation effort, we encourage industry players to adopt more sustainable shipping initiatives. As you all know, Hong Kong was the first city in Asia to mandate a fuel switching requirement for ocean-going vessels.”

Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam virtually addressing the ALMAC delegates.

In her speech at the 11th edition of the Asian Logistics, Maritime & Aviation Conference (ALMAC) held in Hong Kong last week, Lam also reiterated the need to use innovative technologies, even as the city continues to enhance maritime services – including  ship finance, marine insurance, maritime legal and arbitration services, ship agency and management and shipbroking – through the provision of economic incentives such as tax concessions and manpower training.

With over 150 years of maritime heritage and robust international connectivity, Hong Kong has one of the top 10 container ports in the world, as well as a transhipment hub in the region. There are some 280 weekly container vessel sailings, connecting to over 600 destinations worldwide.

At the same ALMAC event, Frank Chan, Hong Kong’s secretary for transport and housing, echoed the importance adapting innovative technologies to sustain the city’s leading position as a global logistics, maritime and aviation hub.

 "The future of modern logistics is going to be smart and technology-driven. Automation, AI, big data and digitalisation are instrumental," said Chan, adding that to  help achieve this strategic goal, the Hong Kong government has up a HK$300 million funding scheme to encourage logistics service providers in applying technological solutions to enhance productivity.

COVID-19 and hitting the reset button

Panellists at the “New trade order and evolving intermodal networks in the Asia-Pacific” conference session noted that  current pandemic has amplified seismic shifts in the supply chain where it is becoming more regional than global, a trend particularly noticeable in the Asia Pacific.

Kelvin Leung, CEO of DHL Global Forwarding Asia Pacific, said that a lot of issues, such as port congestion and traffic congestion, were happening even before the pandemic. Even before COVID-19, many industries and companies had been rethinking how to position their supply chain, sourcing models, manufacturing models, and so forth, focusing on enhancing the transparency of their supply chain and the resilience of the supply chain model.

“Digitalisation is going to change the way we operate going forward, and ESG is becoming more important because our industry creates a lot of emissions, and we have to address that,” said Leung.

Kelvin Leung, CEO, DHL Global Forwarding Asia Pacific (right) and Joseph Phi, group CEO Li & Fung (left)

Raymond Fung, director of trades at Orient Overseas Container Line, said businesses have needed to increase dialogue with each and every customer and have also had to cater for certain SMEs they previously wouldn’t have dealt with over the past couple of years. As service providers, he said shipping lines must live with what the customer wants and adjust accordingly.

“For example, we have been using big-bulk vessels, as long as they are seaworthy, to run short-distance trips for certain customers,” he said. With the growth of e-commerce and the use of artificial intelligence by some carriers and customers, he hoped it would be easier to forecast demand, with shipping lines able to come up with different sizes of vessels and different routings to better cater for customers’ requirements.

According to Joseph Phi, group CEO Li & Fung, supply chain has seized to be “invisible” to shippers, but now stands front and centre.

“We have surging demand, rising transportation costs, manufacturing delays, port congestion, labour shortages, trade disputes, trade policies, inflation, and so on, so the whole supply chain is facing the perfect storm,” he said at the conference’s

“The more progressive companies are doing things to create value in their supply chains. The overarching theme they have adopted is they have hit the reset button, concluding that the pandemic is a perfect occasion to reset their strategies and refresh the way they execute their strategies, so they are trying their very best to make their supply chains more resilient and agile,” Phi added.

The future of smart air cargo

Meanwhile, the same supply chain disruptions are plaguing air cargo segment of the logistics industry amid the pandemic, even while air cargo volume has been significantly up and expected to comprise  nearly a third of the airline operating revenues.

To get transparency across their operations, industry players have been deploying technologies to find their way across their supply chain years before the pandemic hit.

According to Victor Mok, chairman and CEO - Asset Service Platform at GLP China, Chinese logistics providers have implemented digital solutions five to 10 years ago to enhance the digital transparency and safety of cargo movements.

Cross-border e-commerce has greatly accelerated progress in this area, he said.

“Digitalisation is a big word, but it doesn't mean just moving things like processes from paper to online platforms. That is only the first small step,” Mok added. “The key is how you optimise the processes, using technology and data to improve the processes and therefore efficiency and transparency, to make better decisions than in the past.”

Victor Mok, Chairman and CEO, Asset Service Platform, GLP China (left, on screen) and Mark Slade, Managing Director, DHL Global Forwarding Hong Kong & Macau (second from right)

Mark Slade, managing director of DHL Global Forwarding Hong Kong & Macau noted that up to 60% of supply chain disruptions come not from direct suppliers, but further upstream from second- and third-tier suppliers.

“We at DHL use an analytical tool to allow companies to get deeper into the supply chain and identify risks with suppliers that are actually two or three layers removed from their operations,” said Slade.

The annual ALMAC is jointly organised by the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the Hong Kong Trade Development Council. It is a is a flagship event of Hong Kong Maritime Week. This year’s conference had more than 11,200 viewers from some 60 countries and regions. They included participants from Hong Kong, Mainland China, newcomers from Mexico, Nigeria, Romania and more, highlighting how the event offered networking opportunities spanning the globe.

A newly added physical and virtual exhibition showcased different logistics technologies, including 5G technology for warehouse management, smart logistics solutions, international payment solutions and the latest smart port developments, connecting participants with the best business solutions

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E-scooter brain with smart sensors to be trialled in four cities https://futureiot.tech/e-scooter-brain-with-smart-sensors-to-be-trialled-in-four-cities/ Thu, 04 Nov 2021 18:00:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=9635 Fitted to the company’s N3 e-scooters, the new “brain” includes a range of newly developed technologies such as High Accuracy Location Technology (HALT), Rapid Geofence Detection (RGD), and an array of multi-function sensors and a new proprietary vehicle operating system.

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Singapore-based Neuron Mobility will conduct a six-month trial of its new “e-scooter brain” across four cities in Australia, Canada and United Kingdom.

Fitted into the company's N3 e-scooters, the new brain includes a range of newly developed technologies such as the High Accuracy Location Technology (HALT), the Rapid Geofence Detection (RGD), and an array of multi-function sensors and a new proprietary vehicle operating system.

Used together, these features will facilitate what is touted to be the world’s first Dangerous Riding Detection (DRD) system for e-scooters, which allows Neuron Mobility to  warn of  unsafe behaviours in real time while also profiling users and incentivising safe riding.

“Our trial is the first of its kind - we’ll have 1,500 e-scooters in cities across the world being tested in real-world situations to improve rider behaviour and safety. With the introduction of ultra-precise location, rapid response to geofencing, plus an array of new sensors we’ll be able to correct rider behaviour while also putting the cities more in control of their e-scooter programmes,” said Zachary Wang, CEO of Neuron Mobility.

The e-scooter brain will initially be beta tested on 1,500 e-scooters in Ottawa in Canada, Brisbane and Darwin in Australia, and Slough in the United Kingdom. The trials will take place over a six-month period and will assess how riders behave in all kinds of real-life situations and how good riding can be encouraged. The findings will be evaluated, the technology refined, and selected features will be rolled out across Neuron’s fleet internationally over the next six to 12 months.

Wang pointed out that there has been plenty of industry talk from micromobility operators about how to apply new technology to better control e-scooters in cities.

“But until now it’s mostly been aspirational or theoretical,” he said.

Under the hood: HALT and RGD

Neuron Mobility claims that HALT is the next step in e-scooter precision location tracking. Using a sophisticated fixed base station within a city, which connects wirelessly to a receiver in the e-scooter, it corrects GPS inaccuracies, allowing every vehicle’s location to be tracked in real-time down to a range of within 10cm. This is at least 50 times more accurate than the e-scooter industry’s average GPS location system which plots a vehicle’s location to 5 - 10 metres or more within cities

Meanwhile, the company’s Rapid Geofence Detection (RGD) feature works with HALT to give unparalleled control of how e-scooters are managed in cities. With RGD, when an e-scooter crosses a geofence, such as a no-ride or go-slow zone, the vehicle can respond in 0.3 seconds, rather than the 6-12 seconds it currently takes most rental e-scooter models to react. This is achieved by storing geofence data -- and rules of how an e-scooter should behave when it crosses a geofence -- in the e-scooter’s brain on the e-scooter rather than in the cloud, which significantly cuts down on processing time.

Combining the high precision location capabilities of HALT with the ability to react almost immediately to geofences using RGD, provides Neuron with the ‘holy grail’ that many e-scooters operators, and City transport managers, have been searching for. Using these two technologies Neuron will now be able to detect and control sidewalk riding, provide high accuracy geofencing, and also designate precise smart parking locations.

Multiple sensors used to monitory safety

The e-scooter brain also includes an array of sophisticated multi-function sensors, which combined with the company’s proprietary vehicle operating system, allow Neuron’s e-scooters to operate a Dangerous Riding Detection (DRD) system.

It will monitor, in real-time, a range of bad riding habits such as sidewalk riding; aggressive swerving; skidding; tandem riding; and, ‘kerb jumping’. Using the data, Neuron will be able to deliver immediate alerts or follow up later with targeted rider education modules. The system will be able to profile different types of riders, giving them an individual safety rating, which provides the opportunity to incentivise good riding behaviour as well as tackle problem riding.

Wong said:  “The launch of our Dangerous Riding Detection technology allows us to profile our riders, and we can take a carrot and stick approach to improving behaviour. In some cases, alerting a rider to a dangerous behaviour at the exact moment it happens, then immediately educating them on how to rectify the situation, could help to change bad habits and improve safety. Long-term we can give all riders an individual safety rating. It will allow us to incentivise good behaviour, target certain riders for refresher training, and also ban rogue riders and repeat offenders for riding dangerously.”

Meanwhile, Neuron’s next-generation N3 e-scooters have been purpose-built to a commercial grade, specifically for renting and rider safety. They have visibly larger, 11.5” wheels and wider footplates than other e-scooters, and deliver the highest levels of safety, stability and rider experience, to give users an extra level of confidence.

The e-scooters feature the world’s first app-controlled Helmet Lock, which secures a safety helmet to the e-scooter, electronically releasing it to use at the start of the booking. Riders benefit from multi-language voice guidance to educate them on how to travel safely; a Follow My Ride feature allows riders to share their trip with friends and family in real time for added safety; and an emergency button can tell if someone has had a fall, then help them call the emergency services. A topple detection feature alerts Neuron’s operations team if an e-scooter has been left on its side so it can be repositioned. Geofencing technology control where e-scooters are ridden and parked, and how fast they can travel in certain areas.

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Building an IoT data pipeline https://futureiot.tech/building-an-iot-data-pipeline/ Thu, 28 Oct 2021 22:00:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=9604 The challenge of collecting IoT data for analysis has real consequences in terms of inefficiencies, outages and wastage.

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Companies need to build an open IoT architecture that embraces a holistic approach to data and analytics that would allow them to see a complete overview of their entire production site.

“You need to integrate data from different sources into one holistic data platform. You also need an open and agnostic data pipeline that forwards your data from the devices to your platform,” said Philipp Redlinger, IoT architect at German-based System Vertrieb Alexander (SVA). “The pipeline needs to be able to integrate data from various sources in different formats. So, it has to be agnostic pipeline that you can expand for other protocols as well. And the platform has to be open on both sides in terms of ingestion as well as output. It must be capable of sharing data and insights with end-users via desktops and mobile clients. And, of course, it needs to be able to connect to other systems via a clearly structured API.”

“In order to enable interoperability and data-driven applications and end-to-end scenarios, such data pipeline in combination with an open platform is crucial,” he stressed.

Redlinger and his SVA colleague, IoT engineer Patrick Nieto Castro, were co-presenters during the  “From Sensor To Cloud” session at last week’s .conf21 event organised by Splunk.

Redlinger added that the data pipeline of the IoT architecture should not only serve as “a simple data funnel that simply ingest all data” that cross its path.

“It should be capable of performing data processing such as transforming and filtering your data in order to increase the quality of your data at an early stage. And by turning raw data to refine data that is optimally prepared for your analytical applications, you will enable them to provide high-value insights for your business cases.”

Consequences of the silo issue

Gartner estimates that there will be 25 billion connected devices by the end of the year. And companies that have long ago deployed devices in various areas of their operations are now connecting them into an IIoT network with the hope mining the data in these devices to gain business insights to deliver new digital services.

According to Redlinger, isolated systems  and fragmented solutions that now exist within organisations create a silo problem that prevent them from getting the total picture ,

“Due to these fragmented solutions, there are a lot of inefficiencies, and the systems vendor ultimately decides what happens to your data. You do not have sovereignty over your data.   Because of this, it is very difficult to correlate data from sources and you cannot perform root cause analysis of multiple workstations, and you are missing the global perspective.”

The challenge of collecting IoT data for analysis has real consequences in terms of inefficiencies, outages and wastage, Redlinger pointed out.

“They are not just theoretical problems of missed opportunities due to the sophisticated use cases that you cannot implement. And there are also real money that is being lost basically every minute in countless ways.”

Citing a recent survey, he noted that people lost 30 minutes to two hours per working shift looking for the right data. On the positive side, a utility company in the US was able to cut the amount of outage minutes by 43.5% and reduce the cost by US$40 million a year after it dissolved legacy information silos and consolidate them in one holistic information platform.

Some ground rules before building an IoT architecture

Redlinger urged companies be realistic about technology, pointing out that architectures oftentimes are being built just for the sake of fancy technologies.

“Try to avoid this. Keep your strategies and business cases constantly aligned to your architecture,” he said. “Start with an MVP approach – start with minimum viable products. Keep it flexible and expandable so you can build on that later on.”

He also advised  companies to accept that their requirements will change as the project progresses.

“Even if you try to get a perfect information upfront, your requirements will change by an estimated 1% per month. That is a rule of thumb. So even if you would know everything at the beginning, after one month of doing the project, your requirements would have already been different, so you need to constantly readjust.”

He stressed that there is no silver bullet, so build on open standards and consider hybrid scenarios. “And keep single parts of your pipeline exchangeable so you can make adjustments later on.”

Needless to say, do not compromise on security, Redlinger said.

“There are many strong mechanisms nowadays such as network segmentation, strong authentication mechanism, encryption and analytics-driven security – which is a strong one at Splunk.”

Connecting to the cloud

According to Redlinger, the quick start  scenario for designing an IoT data pipeline is a direct integration with Splunk Cloud. And these can be done in several ways as shown below:

He enumerated the different components and protocols that are the building blocks: LP-WAN for connectivity when Wi-Fi and LTE is not an option; an edge hardware, which is typically an IoT gateway, but can be anything up to scalable edge-as-a-service platforms; and various legacy and proprietary machine protocols that need to be translated by middleware, which runs on edge Hardware or in the cloud or data centre.

He also listed the new protocols for the open IoT architecture.

“The OPC UA is the silver lining in the horizon because it is the first widely accepted open standard for machine interoperability, supported by most modern industrial equipment and software. So, keep your architecture somewhat compatible OPC UA as possible.

“And at the backend, we have the MQTT protocol, which is the open & lightweight Pub/Sub-Messaging Protocol. It is very useful in scenarios where there are a high number of connected devices or uneven network coverage – i.e., connected cars.

“And then we have the Apache Kafka, which is a fully blown distributed streaming platform. And that is very helpful if you need a central data hub for various applications and backend systems, and if you want to perform heavy workloads on your streaming data.”

Meanwhile, SVA IoT engineer Patrick Nieto Castro, the first step in building the IoT data pipeline is connecting all the actual devices.

“You have to select appropriate sensors for the measurement of your physical data of interest. And already think to exhaust any possibility of edge computing,” he said.

Castro advise that companies should ensure that they clean their data and prepare their data as early as possible before sending them any further.

“Believe me, any data scientist you are possibly working with will surely be thankful if filter out any nulled values, any non-numeric values or any crappy data before handing it to them.”

Castro shared a real-life use case where SVA worked to create the IoT data pipeline for a company that runs electric vehicle charging stations in Germany.

“For the final architecture, I will try to put some name in the architectural building blocks. We use gateways of Insys Microelectronics, one of our partners for connectivity and edge computing, at each production site. The HiveMQ, enterprise MQTT broker as a reliable and scalable data turntable. Also, my colleagues and I developed our very own extension for sending telemetry data from HiveMQ MQTT broker to Splunk Cloud where the sensor data is connected and analysed.”

Onsite at each EV charging station, Castro gave a glimpse of what it takes to physically build the IoT data pipeline.

“We have to convert current and voltage to https. First, we connect our power consumer to a power relay, which is done via an electric wiring. This is an interesting step because of the high voltage. Next, we connect the power relay to a power meter, the sensor that effectively converts  current and voltage into measurement. You all know this type of device because it is used to collect the electricity bill at your home by your local electricity supplier.

“And now we connect the power meter to an energy gateway by one of our partners.  Insys Microelectronics is one of the market leaders in the energy supply markets. They make it possible to encode the data of power meters as serial signals. And we connect the central gateway to HiveMQ, an enterprise MQTT broker that converts digital signals into telemetry encrypted data.  The central gateway has an internet connection and sends the telemetry data via MQTT using our very own extension to send telemetry data into Splunk Cloud.”

Benefits of the holistic approach to data and analytics

Redlinger said that once a company’s IIoT use case has matured enough and  having a good idea of their  analytical algorithms, then you can start deploying simplified versions of them right away on their edge devices.

“You have some kind of limited compute power that might be enough to run the simpler algorithms and then you can start generating insights right from the beginning where the data is generated.  And you can have a very tight feedback loop. So, if one of your algorithms detect an error in your production system, it can halt the production and notify a shop floor operations person in order to fix the error. You have a very fast reaction time with this, and you can also use a lot of pre-processing at the edge that way,” Redlinger said.

Redlinger explained why Splunk is an ideal choice for building an IoT data pipeline: “Splunk has very strong self-service analytics capabilities. It is easy for normal users to learn how to run communities, how to build dashboards, how to explore data. And by hierarchical segmentation of dashboards, you can build apps and dashboards for management reports down to the operational level of having an overview for shop co-operators.

“And you have machine learning capabilities: you have the machine learning toolkit, the deep learning toolkit. You can integrate custom codes for custom app, so you can have all the data-driven analytics capabilities that you need. And in the cloud, it is fast and easy to start. You have low capital expenditure – an upfront investment but you can really start your journey very quickly – see it has proven value, then quickly scale it up and down if necessary.

“And it is also very easy as the data is already globally available in the cloud to share it with other parties and other systems to create third-party services as well.

Meanwhile, Castro identified benefits of adopting a holistic approach to data and analytics in IIoT deployments.

“The digital twins accelerate  your business as never experienced before by increasing transparency of the day to day actions. Instead of sending over technicians to read out measurements, there is constant monitoring of device performance and conditions.

“We have the advantage of AIOps that train models to look for feature combinations which best explain your data. And we have predictive maintenance. You can forecast anomalies, machinery conditions, which effectively decreases unexpected downtime and increases the overall performance.”

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China, US to account for over 60% of smart hospital spending https://futureiot.tech/china-us-to-account-for-over-60-of-smart-hospital-spending/ Thu, 28 Oct 2021 01:30:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=9601 In the next five years, Juniper Research estimates that the smart hospital market will have an average annual growth of 15%, with a value of US$59 billion by 2026 from US$29 billion in 2021.

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China and the US will grow to account for over 60% of global smart hospital spending by 2026, according to the latest report by Juniper Research.  The research firm predicts that both countries’ pre-existing smart hospital services, allied with the formulation of favourable reimbursement structures, will provide an ideal basis for further smart hospital roll-outs.

The concept of the smart hospital includes healthcare providers leveraging advanced analytics, connected devices, and healthcare platforms to improve care, productivity, and operational efficiency.

The new report entitled “Smart Hospitals: Technologies, Global Adoption & Market Forecasts 2021-2026”, identified the China and the US as leading smart hospital adopters; accounting for US$17 billion of market value in 2021. Digital healthcare initiatives implemented in light of the COVID-19 pandemic and the high levels of existing digitalisation within healthcare infrastructure are essential to these countries’ positions as leaders.

Juniper Research however warns that the need for pre-existing digital infrastructure, such as electronic health records, will limit smart hospital roll-outs to developed regions.

“As a result, it anticipates that Latin America, Africa, and the Middle East will represent less than 5% of global smart hospital spending by 2026,” said research author Adam Wears.

In the next five years, Juniper Research estimates that the smart hospital market will have an average annual growth of 15%,  with a value of US$59 billion by  2026 from US$29 billion in 2021.

Meanwhile, the new report outlined how a current lack of interoperability between devices and platforms has resulted in a high degree of fragmentation that will require regulatory intervention on a country-level basis.

Wears pointed out that vendor lock-in and high investment requirements are the most prevalent issues for healthcare providers in adopting smart hospital services.

“At a time when healthcare industries are still feeling the impacts of the global pandemic, the long-term benefits of smart hospital services must be demonstrated to foster confidence in these services’ ability to secure a return on investment,” Wears said.

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Mindtree builds industry IoT solutions with ServiceNow platform https://futureiot.tech/mindtree-builds-industry-iot-solutions-with-servicenow-platform/ Tue, 26 Oct 2021 01:30:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=9594 Through Mindtree's solutions. companies from the manufacturing and consumer goods sectors can harness a single source of truth for collaborative decision-making.

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Mindtree has partnered with ServiceNow to build industry-specific solutions that turn enterprise IoT data into actionable business  workflow.

The alliance allowed the two companies to combine their IoT capabilities – Mindtree Nxt IoT service line and the IoT-geared ServiceNow Connected Operations platform – to help companies in industry sectors such as manufacturing and consumer goods achieve smarter operations and improve their decision-making by tapping hidden insights  in their IoT data.

"The true transformative potential of data can be realised only by using it effectively," said Alex Nicholas, vice president and head of ServiceNow Business at Mindtree. "Siloed data and disconnected systems can undermine the best of IoT programs. The capabilities of Mindtree NxT alongside ServiceNow and their dedicated Connected Operations team position us well to help enterprises better manage critical infrastructure, deliver superior customer experiences, and drive customer loyalty."

Mindtree, a technology consulting and services company, applies its deep domain knowledge to more than 260 enterprise client engagements to break down silos, make sense of digital complexity and bring new initiatives to market faster. The company enables IT to move at the speed of business, leveraging emerging technologies and the efficiencies of “Continuous Delivery” to spur business innovation.

Operating in 24 countries across the world, its geographic footprint in Asia Pacific include presence in Auckland, Beijing, Kuala Lumpur, Melbourne, Shanghai, Singapore, Sydney and Tokyo, as well as several cities in India.

Turning data into actionable insights

Manufacturing and consumer goods companies are increasingly looking to make better use of the data generated through multiple platforms and legacy operational technology (OT) systems.

This means working around operational and data silos between OT and IT, a lack of common processes and tools in floor systems, and an inability to bring all data into a single system of record. Through Mindtree's solutions, these companies will be able to gain greater visibility across the enterprise; mitigate risk; and, reduce cost. They can also harness a single source of truth for collaborative decision-making and leverage advanced analytics, data insights, simulation and modelling for better evaluation of their value chains.

"Across industries, businesses realise the need for digital workflows to deliver greater operational efficiencies and better customer outcomes," said Jonathan Sparks, vice president of IoT and operations products at ServiceNow. "Together with Mindtree, we're helping move customers in manufacturing and consumer goods beyond dashboards to automate issue resolution with IoT. Combining Mindtree's powerful IoT, AI and Machine Learning capabilities with ServiceNow's leading workflow platform will improve decision-making and drive smart operations while helping customers realise new business outcomes based on business-relevant insights."

By connecting IoT data with digital workflows, ServiceNow Connected Operations enables organisations to realise the full value of their IoT investments, help increase customer satisfaction, and access new business models. Together with Mindtree driving actionable and industry-specific insights, these solutions will allow customers to break down data silos, proactively resolve issues, and evolve collaboration between customers, operations, customer service, and field service.

Indeed, with its industry partner solutions,  ServiceNow is able to extend its capabilities to deliver industry-specific applications and services that are tailored to customers' unique digital transformation needs.

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Firms plan an average US$2M on IoT projects through 2024 https://futureiot.tech/firms-plan-an-average-us2m-on-iot-projects-through-2024/ Fri, 15 Oct 2021 02:00:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=9552 Businesses plan to spend 10% of their IT budgets on IoT projects over the next three years, a three percent increase over the average 7% previously allocated between 2017 and 2020.

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Companies across industry sectors are planning to spend an average of US$2million on IoT investment through 2024 – indicating that IoT has reached a new level of maturity, according to a research recently by Inmarsat, global mobile satellite communications provider.

Businesses plan to spend 10% of their IT budgets on IoT projects over the next three years, a three percent increase over the average 7% previously allocated between 2017 and 2020. Planned investments in IoT are notably higher than those earmarked for other Industry 4.0 technologies, including cloud computing (9.0%), next generation security (7.5%), big data analytics (7.3%), robotics (5.3%), machine learning (4.8%) and virtual reality (4.3%).

Image by Frauke Feind from Pixabay

There are, however, noticeable variations in the planned levels of IoT investments between different industry sectors. Oil and gas firms intend to invest the most in IoT over the next three years (an average of $3.2 million), followed by electrical utilities companies (US$3.1 million), transport and logistics businesses (£3 million), mining operators ($2.7 million) and, finally, agricultural businesses ($2 million).

“Our latest research reveals IoT is now the primary Industry 4.0 technology in which companies are investing over the next three years. The emergence of IoT as an investment priority for businesses, and the increasing level of cost-savings they expect IoT to deliver in the years ahead, demonstrates how well-established a technology IoT has become across multiple industries,” said Mike Carter, president on Inmarsat Enterprise.  

The research  entitled “Industrial IoT in the Time of Covid-19” is based on interviews with 450 global respondents across the agriculture, electrical utilities, mining, oil & gas and transport & logistics sectors in early 2021, a year after the start of the pandemic. The respondents are responsible for delivering IoT initiatives at their respective organisations, whose businesses have at least 250 employees and spanned across the Americas, Asia Pacific and EMEA.

The report focuses on measuring the IoT maturity of global industry during the Covid-19 pandemic and the rise of digitalised production and supply chains. It analyses a number of key themes such as adoption, connectivity, data, skills, security and investment.

According to Carter,  Covid-19 has emphasised the importance of Industry 4.0 technologies like IoT for business continuity.

“With the world’s production and supply chains becoming increasingly interconnected and digitalised, those companies producing digital twins of their supply chains and sharing data, are the ones reaping the benefits,” he said.

Mainstream IoT adoption brings operational cost-savings

Meanwhile, the new research also reveals that the mainstream adoption of IoT is already making a significant difference in terms of operational cost-savings to many organisations.

Respondents report that IoT projects currently save their organisations an average of 9%  of their yearly costs. In the future, they expect to achieve an average of 15% cost-savings in 12 months’ time, rising to 22% in three years and 30% in five years’ time.

 “However, there are still noticeable differences between sectors and several significant areas for all organisations on which to improve to draw optimum benefits from the technology, namely: securing reliable connectivity, improving data management and addressing their IoT skills gaps and security concerns,” Carter said.

Inmarsat is positioning its ELERA narrowband network as ideally suited to the rapidly evolving world of IoT and the billions of devices that are being connected every year.

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Users of AR apps leveraging AI to exceed 200M by 2026 https://futureiot.tech/users-of-ar-apps-leveraging-ai-to-exceed-200m-by-2026/ Wed, 13 Oct 2021 02:00:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=9545 The need for visual and spatial data for AR often relies on AI enabling technologies to capture, process, and contextualise that data in an actionable way. As a result, these two markets continue to overlap and create substantial opportunity.

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ABI Research expects over 200 million active users in augmented reality (AR) applications that leverage artificial intelligence (AI) in some form by 2026. This can include foundational AR technologies like machine vision and Simultaneous Location and Mapping (SLAM) tracking, as well as value add applications like image and object recognition, semantic labelling, and expert system analytics.

“The combination of AI, machine learning (ML), and AR is an incredibly potent one,” says Eric Abbruzzese, augmented and virtual reality research director at ABI Research. “At the core, the capabilities of augmented reality get stronger with more data available. This data comes from location data, sensor data, environmental dynamics, and integrated systems such as Internet of Things (IoT). AR can also serve as a data collection enabler for these data types. Weaving AI into these areas brings high value and often critical AR capabilities to market.”

The need for visual and spatial data for AR often relies on AI enabling technologies to capture, process, and contextualise that data in an actionable way. As a result, these two markets continue to overlap and create substantial opportunity.

According to ABI Research, while machine vision isn’t inherently required for AR—in the case of assisted reality hardware and applications—it is increasingly becoming a necessity for most use cases. Machine vision enabling SLAM tracking allows for precise user tracking in space and can also capture spatial data for later use.

ABI Research expects nearly 20 million shipments of AR smart glasses with local on-device AI chipsets in 2026, which accounts for 70% of total smart glasses shipments in that year. Local processing of AI is most common today, but processing location is increasingly moving to the cloud for some AI processing types. For instance, SLAM tracking can stay on-device for reliability and low latency, but semantic labelling can sit on the cloud, sacrificing latency in a non-sensitive latency scenario for that type of data. Cloud and hybrid compute scenarios allow for the best AI processing performance versus device performance and battery life, flexibility depending on application, and environment.

Many companies in the AR space have been leveraging AI in numerous ways for years, and this usage is growing both in number of companies and scope of usage. At the hardware level, Qualcomm has baked in AI enhancements specifically for AR and VR—to improve tracking accuracy and performance, for instance—in their XR chipset line. NVIDIA is leveraging AI in their CloudXR product as well as Omniverse, which most recently announced automated simulation and content creation elements using AI. Enterprise players like PTC and Teamviewer use machine vision for device tracking, as well as for backend processing, analytics, predictive processes, and more.

These elements sum up to a valuable enabling technology that is harmonious with the entire augmented reality value chain.

“Point to a use case, application, service, or vertical, and AI is already being leveraged and its role will evolve substantially over the next 5 to 10 years. The value adds commonly cited for augmented reality, including increased worker efficiency and safety as well as novel collaboration and remote enablement capabilities, are enhanced with AI. More accurate and predictable tracking and data gathering, automated and targeted content delivery, newly uncovered data and usage trends all contribute,” concludes Abbruzzese.

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SenseTime and West China Hospital set up joint AI lab https://futureiot.tech/sensetime-and-west-china-hospital-set-up-joint-ai-lab/ Fri, 08 Oct 2021 02:30:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=9533 The joint lab will be essential in support the West China Hospital’s transformation into a leading smart hospital.

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SenseTime and the West China Hospital of Sichuan University (WCHSCU) have launched a joint lab in Sichuan, China to fill the talent gap in medical researchers and professionals who are well versed in artificial intelligence (AI).

The WCHSCU , known for its strong medical resources and top-notch research team, will collaborate with SenseTime by leveraging its industry-leading AI technology and AI education expertise to bring more targeted talent development schemes.

Under the collaborative framework, which aims to integrate the industry, academia, research, and medicine, the two parties are dedicated to nurturing the next generation of AI healthcare talents in a structured and systematic way.

Dr. Li Kang, director of the West China Hospital – SenseTime Joint Lab and PI at the West China Biomedical Big Data Center, Sichuan University; and Dr. Duan Qi, chief technology officer of Smart Health at SenseTime unveiled the joint lab

The joint lab located the university’s West China Biomedical Big Data Center was opened recently during the 7th Conference on Biochemical Big Data and Artificial Intelligence, which coincided with the 125th anniversary of the Sichuan University.

“Leading hospitals and industry players should work together to bolster AI healthcare development. We are glad that the lab links the top-notch clinical teams of West China Hospital with SenseTime’s leading AI capabilities and valuable industry experience. We believe this will lead the AI healthcare sector to take a big leap,” said Dr. Li Kang, director of the West China Hospital – SenseTime Joint Lab.

The lab aims to enhance fundamental research in AI healthcare, establish a collaborative innovation platform for medical professionals and researchers.  The lab will work on various medical specialties such as orthopaedics, neurology, physiatry, radiology, cardiology, pathology, and medical ultrasound, with the goal to effectively facilitate technology innovation in diagnosis, treatment to rehabilitation.

Joint lab essential to WCHSCU’s smart goal

The joint lab will be essential in support the WCHSCU’s transformation into a leading smart hospital.

To date, SenseTime’s proprietary SenseCare Liver CT product has already been deployed in the West China Hospital. With key features such as intelligent detection of liver abnormalities including various focal lesions and diffused diseases, automatic 3D reconstruction of liver anatomical structures, multidimensional quantitative lesion assessment and customized preoperative planning, the software ensures highly accurate diagnoses and personalised treatment plans.

SenseCare Liver CT product has been deployed in the West China Hospital

Furthermore, SenseTime’s smart hospital solution already  enables intelligent medical treatment process optimisation, streamlined daily operations at the WCHSCU – minimising the risk of cross-infection during the ongoing pandemic.

Moving forward, SenseTime will continue to provide essential AI capabilities to hospital.

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Over 1,000 smart meters deployed at Singapore Zoo https://futureiot.tech/over-1000-smart-meters-deployed-at-singapore-zoo/ Thu, 07 Oct 2021 01:00:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=9530 By integrating Semtech’s LoRa devices and the LoRaWAN standard into the Sindcon water and energy meters, they are able to transmit real-time metering data from the Singapore Zoo every 15 minutes.

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Singapore Zoo has deployed smart meters to track energy and water consumption at the 28-hectare park, overcoming the challenge of its forested terrain to deploy over 1,000 devices in three strategic locations across its premises.

Semtech Corporation, supplier of high performance analogue and mixed-signal semiconductors and advanced algorithms, and Sindcon (Singapore) IoT Technology, a provider of low power wide area network (LPWAN) Internet of Things (IoT) metering solutions, have been tapped for the project alongside Electrique Energie & Metering.

By integrating Semtech’s LoRa devices and the LoRaWAN standard into the Sindcon water and energy meters, they are able to transmit real-time metering data from the Singapore Zoo every 15 minutes. Additionally, leveraging the power efficiency of LoRa devices, Sindcon was able to reduce the cost of power cabling, further reducing the cost and complexity of deployment.

According to Deyu Chen, CEO and founder of Sindcon, his company’s collaboration with Semtech “highlights how LPWAN technologies are moving toward the future of a more energy-efficient and smarter world”.

“The immense scale of this project was a challenge for radio signal transmission due to the Singapore Zoo’s expansive area and heavily forested terrain. LoRaWAN and Semtech’s LoRa devices were the ideal solution to this problem, supporting the need of the project for low power data communication that allows smart meters to function for up to three years on a single battery while sending data uplinks every 15 minutes, relaying critical water and energy usage data in real time for the Singapore Zoo to monitor and lower its overall usage,” said Chen.

Over the past three years, the 1000+ Sindcon water and energy meters with LoRaWAN connectivity have been successfully deployed throughout the Singapore Zoo with a data success rate of 97% according to Sindcon.

The smart meters are located inside the switch rooms and are housed within electrical panels across the three parks within the Singapore Zoo. Each device monitors key consumption metrics like cubic meter (m3) throughput for water meters and kilowatt-hour (kWh), voltage, current and power consumption for electricity meters.

“LoRa devices and the LoRaWAN standard deliver a cost effective and flexible networking solution for Sindcon, driving bottom line business benefits,” said Marc Pégulu, vice president of IoT product marketing and strategy for Semtech’s Wireless and Sensing Products Group. “Enhancing the Singapore Zoo with Sindcon through the deployment of smart water and energy meters with LoRaWAN showcases how the Internet of Things is shaping the future of smart utilities.”

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Bao Viet Insurance uses big data to support health awareness https://futureiot.tech/bao-viet-insurance-uses-big-data-to-support-health-awareness/ Wed, 06 Oct 2021 02:00:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=9516 By integrating the solution into Bao Viet Direct app, more than one million of the company’s medical insurance policy holders can easily check their future risks of these eight major lifestyle-related diseases simply by entering their health check-up results and past medical history into the mobile app.

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Starting this October, Bao Viet Insurance has introduced a new feature on its Bao Viet Direct mobile app that allows its policy holders to measure their risk of developing lifestyle-related diseases and receive the appropriate health guidance to prevent them.

The new mobile app service is the result of the recent partnership between Bao Viet Insurance and Hitachi Asia Vietnam that enables to insurance company to integrate Hitachi’s Risk Simulator for Insurance, a Lumada solution that analyses medical big data using Hitachi's proprietary AI.

Lumada is Hitachi’s suite of advanced digital and services for turning data into insights that drive digital transformation of social infrastructure. Hitachi’s Risk Simulator for Insurance solution uses medical big data to predict a person’s risk of contracting one or more of eight major lifestyle-related ailments such as diabetes, cerebrovascular diseases, renal diseases, cardiovascular diseases, hypertensive diseases, pancreatic diseases, hepatic diseases, and malignant neoplasm.

By integrating the solution into Bao Viet Direct app, more than one million of the company’s medical insurance policy holders can easily check their future risks of these eight major lifestyle-related diseases simply by entering their health check-up results and past medical history into the mobile app. The app also displays factors for risks and offers advice for improvement. There information can enable specific behavioural changes and lifestyle habits to support health improvement.

Rising medical cost from lifestyle-related diseases

Rapid economic growth and the rising number of the middle class have changed the lifestyle – including diet and exercise – of the Vietnamese people. In recent years, the growing prevalence of lifestyle-related diseases has been a problem in Vietnam.

While there is rising demand for high-quality medical services due to increase in income and improvement in living standards, the ideas of prevention and early treatments are not instilled in most Vietnamese.

Many people in the country do not start their treatment until they become severely ill. For one, only around 30% of diabetes patients, estimated to number over 3.5 million, are receiving treatment for the condition.

Meanwhile, the local medical insurance market has been expanding rapidly, with concern over spiralling medical costs reflecting a rise in personnel expenses at medical institutions.

The concern over rising medical costs has spurred Bao Viet to deploy advanced digital technologies such as AI and big data to promote healthy lifestyle through disease prevention, early detection and early treatment.

Meanwhile as it seeks to deliver more high-value insurance services, Bao Viet will use data from the Hitachi’s Risk Simulator for Insurance to enable channel expansion and create opportunities of cross-selling during insurance application.

For example, the risk prediction service will be linked to the remote medical care services provided by Bao Viet Insurance. In addition, these services will be combined with various health data management functions of Bao Viet Direct app for a customised, centralised and integrated administration of health information that supports wellbeing and productivity management of companies.

Bao Viet is one of the many insurance companies to adopt Hitachi’s Risk Simulator for Insurance after it launched in Japan in 2018.

Bao Viet and Hitachi will continue to discuss the creation of new health promotion services that utilise various technologies. And Hitachi will enhance its services further based on achievements from joint initiatives with Bao Viet Insurance and expand them to Southeast Asian countries and other countries where demand is expected.

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Smart grid to save over 1,000 terawatt hours in energy by 2026 https://futureiot.tech/smart-grid-to-save-over-1000-terawatt-hours-in-energy-by-2026/ Tue, 05 Oct 2021 01:30:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=9510 The study predicts that vendors who can best combine analytics that deliver operational insights to energy companies, with low-cost sensors and connectivity, will achieve the greatest success.

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Global smart grid deployment is expected to save 1,060 terawatt hours in energy in 2026, the equivalent of equivalent of powering over 42 million 90-minute football matches at Wembley stadium. This is nearly triple the number of energy savings of 316 terawatt hours estimated in 2021.

According to the latest study by Juniper Research,  increased sustainability and energy security as critical to the appeal of smart grids, with analytics and demand-responsive networks able to have a dramatic impact in a renewables-heavy future.

Entitled  “Smart Grid: Industry Trends, Competitor Leaderboard and Market Forecasts 2021-2026”, the study predicts that vendors who can best combine analytics that deliver operational insights to energy companies, with low-cost sensors and connectivity, will achieve the greatest success.

“To meet ambitious climate targets and lower spiralling operating costs for utility companies, the grid must evolve rapidly into a smart grid. Leveraging connectivity and deploying analytics at scale will be vital in achieving the truly demand-responsive grid that is needed today,” said research co-author Damla Sat.

The new study found that smart grid software, which analyses energy usage in real-time to enable responsive features for utility companies, will be critical to delivering energy and cost savings. The essential nature of these benefits will drive smart grid software spend to over US$38 billion annually by 2026, from US$12 billion in 2021, reflecting its dramatically increasing importance.

Meanwhile, the study found that smart metering roll-outs are growing, with global smart meters in service set to reach over 2 billion in 2026, from 1.1 billion in 2021.

While this represents a growth of just under 95%, adoption is very uneven worldwide, with markets including Latin America and Africa & Middle East lagging significantly behind the leaders in Western Europe and the Far East & China. The research recommends that vendors lobby governments urgently to support smart metering roll-outs, or they will rapidly fall further behind.

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Schaeffler launches OPTIME monitoring system in SG and SK https://futureiot.tech/schaeffler-launches-optime-monitoring-system-in-sg-and-sk/ Tue, 28 Sep 2021 01:30:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=9464 OPTIME is an innovative plug and play condition monitoring system for machines that prevents unplanned downtime through the use of predictive analysis. Installation can be done on existing machines as OPTIME’s vibration sensors are activated via NFC.

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Schaeffler, which specialises in condition monitoring systems (CMS) for machines and systems, is introducing its award-winning OPTIME solution in Singapore and South Korea to enable industrial customers to predict and prevent unplanned downtimes

“We are expanding our scope in the region to provide analysis which enables maintenance teams to predict machine problems and act appropriately. As a result, our customers reduce downtime and increase the profitability of their machinery,” said David Nevin, industrial president for South East Asia at Schaeffer.

OPTIME is an innovative plug and play condition monitoring system for machines that prevents unplanned downtime through the use of predictive analysis. Installation can be done on existing machines as OPTIME’s vibration sensors are activated via NFC. All sensors then automatically connect to each other and the gateway to form a mesh network to begin condition monitoring.

The OPTIME system consists of three components:

  • Wireless, battery-powered vibration and temperature sensors that can be attached directly to machines
  • A gateway that receives the data from the sensors
  • A digital service that analyses the data using proprietary algorithms that draw upon Schaeffler’s extensive technical expertise

The system is easy to put into operation, can be used without any specialist knowledge.

In Asia Pacific, the solution is also available in Australia, India, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines and Thailand. Schaeffler expects to launch OPTIME in Japan, Indonesia and Vietnam in the coming months

Hassle-free condition monitoring

The analytical system behind all Schaeffler CMS offerings provides an advance warning period of several weeks and specific recommendations for action. As a result, in-house maintenance personnel or even service companies can plan maintenance measures, personnel utilisation, and the procurement of replacement parts in a timely and cost-efficient manner.

As such, Schaeffler targets companies operating in system-intensive industries, where avoiding unplanned downtime means greater profitability.

Through the OPTIME smartphone or desktop app, companies can have a constant eye on the status of their plant, even with hundreds of machines, as the messages are user-friendly and prioritised according to criticality, according to Nevin.

“As a result, in-house maintenance personnel or even service companies can plan maintenance measures, personnel utilisation, and the procurement of replacement parts in a timely and cost-efficient manner. They have the flexibility to decide whether they want to draw on other services and if so, which ones. The modular service concept offers online, remote or on-site services,” he added.

An integrated solution

OPTIME now integrates Schaeffler’s SmartCheck and ProLink solutions. OPTIME therefore covers condition monitoring for a very wide range of machines and often even entire plants.  

With the latest update, three IoT-capable hardware solutions can now be connected, making condition monitoring for a very wide range of machines and often even entire plants a possibility. Status reports for all systems are clearly visualised in the OPTIME app.

In addition, Schaeffler’s CMS solutions  can be used without needing extra qualifications because the system configuration and data analysis are largely automated. This is essential for users of digital services in the industrial environment as they expect the information provided to be easily understood and the hardware and software to be uncomplicated to get around.

“This integrated knowledge is integral not only to the highly scalable OPTIME solution with wireless single-channel sensors, but also to the two systems for machines with dynamic speed and load conditions and involving environments with temperatures in excess of 85 degrees Celsius – the single-channel CMS SmartCheck and the multi-channel CMS ProLink. With condition monitoring solutions from Schaeffler, operators and maintenance personnel have an expert eye tracking the condition of practically every machine in the plant via the app,” Nevin said.

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Networks play critical role in a connected world https://futureiot.tech/networks-play-critical-role-in-a-connected-world/ Fri, 24 Sep 2021 02:00:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=9447 Throughout time, society has been relentless in the pursuit of growth and productivity. In previous eras, this was powered by the steam engine, by electricity, and by the building of roads. In today’s world, as we march through the 4th Industrial Revolution, this evolution will be fostered by networks – the expansion of the internet, […]

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Throughout time, society has been relentless in the pursuit of growth and productivity. In previous eras, this was powered by the steam engine, by electricity, and by the building of roads. In today’s world, as we march through the 4th Industrial Revolution, this evolution will be fostered by networks – the expansion of the internet, cloud, as well as fixed, mobile, and wireless technologies – what we call critical networks.

Networks for the new normal

More than ever before, networks are now vital. They cannot struggle under the load of new demand. Instead, they must be able to accommodate societies and businesses during the next, connectivity-driven industrial phase. Yet, this is not just an imperative for a far-off future; it must be done now, due in no small part to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

For people, ‘shelter-in-place’, ‘work-from-home’, and ‘remote schooling’ practices – in addition to people generally digitally connecting with each other during the pandemic – have led to a surge in internet traffic. In many of these instances, more people are consuming high-definition video streaming, caused by the concurrent rise in upstream traffic which, due to the greater proliferation of video conferencing and collaboration tools, require connectivity that is significantly lower in latency and higher in bandwidth.

Robust and high-capacity networks are also needed to facilitate the revolution of industries and enterprises operating within them. We are no longer at the beginning of a new industrial era; COVID-19 has shown that we are now in the thick of it. The “Automation of Everything” is already happening and it is being brought about by digital interfaces, data analysis, and control of the physical world via networks.

Automation will catalyse the digital transformation of more physical, asset-intensive industries. This is as significant productivity improvements can be generated by combining advances in information technology (IT) and operations technology (OT) to enable industries to drive closed-loop automation in their physical environments.

This will involve the proliferation of advanced technologies such as the internet of things (IoT), edge computing, artificial intelligence (AI)- and machine learning (ML)-powered deep analytics, virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR), robotics, remote control, and digital twinning technologies – just to name a few. These innovations will then foster new demands on the network infrastructure, and in many cases, these demands will extend far beyond what has traditionally been acceptable, even for the largest enterprise networks. This means that the capabilities of mission-critical network infrastructures must be expanded greatly.

The 5G difference

As our world’s digital transformation is gaining strong momentum, so too is the 5G race. Revenue from 5G network infrastructures worldwide continues to grow and by 2024, more CSPs are projected to commercialise more 5G services. The next few years will therefore be the bellwether of a decade of 5G innovations that will bring an expanded portfolio of mobile and wireless services to market. For people, 5G will bring broadband performance to mobile devices while industries can realise more wireless applications and industrial IoT to not only drive greater productivity, efficiency, and safety, but also make operations more resilient during unforeseen crises.

To deliver 5G-enabled innovations with agility and flexibility, radio access network (RAN) and mobile core technologies are migrating to cloud-native architectures, in addition to adopting virtualised, comprehensive ‘network slices’ to partition resources as needed. The roadmaps for new 5G capabilities are deep – ranging from immersive experiences and sophisticated video analytics for environmental applications to connected vehicles and eHealth – and will be rolled out over many years. Given that 5G RAN will generate ten times more traffic than 3G and 4G combined, their impacts on IP and optical networks will be profound and, by extension, for the services that will be made possible by next-generation connectivity.

The transformation of networks is at hand

Just like roads that were built centuries ago, quality networks are now core building block of our society and economies. Still, creating and operating modern networking infrastructures – especially those that stand up when we need them most – is highly complex.

To ensure that broadband, and eventually 5G, networks must step up to meet the challenges of today and tomorrow. IP and optical networking systems must provide scalable and assured network performance, robust and secure network infrastructure, efficient and programmable network architecture. Networks that are designed and built around these principles will make them ready to deliver the needed connectivity at any time and no matter the crisis. This is because the network can respond quickly and gracefully, ensuring continuity of relationships, businesses, and life, particularly when they all are being threatened by circumstances we cannot control.

At the end of the day, networks are what keeps us going and will continue to do so. As they become more mission-critical to our daily lives, they must be reimagined for a world that has been irrevocably changed by digitalisation and global crises to help sustain societies and businesses in the future.

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Balancing act: traditional timepieces vs smart watches https://futureiot.tech/balancing-act-traditional-timepieces-vs-smart-watches/ Thu, 16 Sep 2021 09:00:27 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=9375 While we are seeing exponential growth in digitalisation, consumers seek digital balance, and that there is a need to avoid redundant connectivity.

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Digital fatigue among consumers has contributed to the recovery of traditional watch market as they step away from redundant connectivity. Brands such as Swatch, Rolex, Omega and Casio have all seen a recovery, while sales of hybrid watches have been declining.

This was one of the key takeaways of the presentation  given by Jorge Martin, head of fashion research at Euromonitor, during the recently-concluded Asian Watch Conference hosted early this month in conjunction with the 38th Hong Kong Watch & Clock Fair organised by the Hong Kong Trade and Development Council.

Jorge Martin, head of fashion research at Euromonitor

“While we are seeing exponential growth in digitalisation, consumers seek digital balance, and that there is a need to avoid redundant connectivity. Through analogue creativity, there are a lot of things that can be done with traditional timepieces,” Martin said.

Aware of the power of digitisation and connectivity Martin noted that analogue watch manufacturers and retailers have been trying creative approaches.

One example is slow watches, which use a 24-hour dial. This is in-sync with the “slow movement”, while minimalistic designs are also proving popular these days, Martin said.

“Instead of pushing people to always be connected, watch manufacturers are taking the opposite approach – going back to the basics. One example is Crown and Caliber, a company that sells pre-owned premium watches online, and tests and guarantees them to reassure buyers. Another example is Schaffen Watches, a small brand that allows consumers to co-design their own personalised watch,” he added.

The increased digitisation that has connected 4 billion people  online not only for communication, but it has also seen the Internet of Things (IoT) from homes, cars to traffic lights.

Martin pointed out there is a downside to these enormous changes. It has resulted in passive consumption, as businesses use big data and artificial intelligence to predict what consumers need.

“It has resulted in a digital detox for many people. For example, Euromonitor research showed 25% of consumers say passive access to the Internet adds stress to their lives. As a result, big companies like Apple, Google and Facebook are enabling users to actively manage their online access.”

Furthermore, questions have been raised whether the connected device is relevant, in terms of addressing unmet consumer needs or adding extra value to the consumer experience; whether it does the job it was designed to do; and whether it is user-friendly, in terms of allowing effortless interactivity, for example.

Martin discussed the ever-changing positioning in the smart wearables ecosystem, as sportswear manufacturers such as Nike enter the smart-tracking market.

“Differentiation allows product cohabitation,” he said. “Traditional timepieces offer the time function, while the others are mainly fashion-oriented.”

Opportunities still abound for smart wearable

According to Philip Wong, vice-president (technical) at the Movado Group, the past two to three years had seen an increase in connected watches for children aged four to 12 and for the elderly. There has also been a rise in the number of hybrid smart watches sold.

The preferred functions of smart watches for children include real-time location monitoring, SOS alerts, proximity break alerts, location history, school attendance tracking, and geofence-enabling as a safeguard.

Philip Wong, vice-president (technical) at the Movado GroupAs an example of the future for this segment, Mr Wong said: “Qualcomm, one of the biggest chipset providers in the world, has developed a chipset for kids’ smart watches that we use in our own products, selling 25 million units in 2017.”

“Smart watches for children would form a big part of the IOT smart wearables market,” he added.

Meanwhile, citing recent market research, Wong said high-income consumers were more interested in hybrid smart watches than smart connected watches – presenting  a market opportunity for hybrid smart watches.

“This is resulting in a fusion between traditional analogue watches and smart connected features using Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) connectivity,” Wong said.  “These watches do not have as many functions as regular smart watches, but have a much longer battery life and ‘real’ dials, with watch hands. They generally have basic functions, such as an activity tracker, for health management, a notification function, automatic time-zone synchronisation and remote control.”

Market research showed that consumers also want an ECG measurement tracker that can provide useful information for their doctor. “The new hybrids are aligned with the expectations and needs of upper-income consumers – simple and adequate,” he said.

An additional benefit of hybrid watches, Wong pointed out, is that the investment cost is lower, although they do have additional costs in terms of software development, certification and licensing, and app maintenance. The lower entry cost will encourage greater participation in this watch category, he added.

 

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Microsoft joins LoRA Alliance board of directors https://futureiot.tech/microsoft-joins-lora-alliance-board-of-directors/ Thu, 16 Sep 2021 02:30:29 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=9370 Microsoft, widely considered a hyperscaler for LoRaWAN, has joined the LoRA Alliance with Tony Shakib, general manager and partner of Azure IoT Engineering at Microsoft, taking a seat on the association’s board of directors. “Microsoft joins an impressive roster of industry leaders who back the LoRaWAN standard and are committed to its development and the […]

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Microsoft, widely considered a hyperscaler for LoRaWAN, has joined the LoRA Alliance with Tony Shakib, general manager and partner of Azure IoT Engineering at Microsoft, taking a seat on the association’s board of directors.

Tony Shakib, general manager and partner of Azure IoT Engineering at Microsoft

“Microsoft joins an impressive roster of industry leaders who back the LoRaWAN standard and are committed to its development and the expansion of our ecosystem. Tony’s insight and guidance as an Alliance board director will strengthen and accelerate LoRaWAN end-to-end solutions and zero-touch deployments,” said Donna Moore, CEO and chairwoman of the LoRa Alliance, adding that Shakib’s addition to the alliance’s leadership will further accelerate market adoption of the LoRaWan standard.

Established in 2015,  the LoRa Alliance is the global association of companies backing the open LoRaWAN  standard for the Internet of Things (IoT) low-power wide-area networks (LPWANs).  Its members collaborate closely and share expertise to develop and promote the LoRaWAN standard, which is the de facto global standard for secure, carrier-grade IoT LPWAN connectivity.

LoRaWAN has the technical flexibility to address a broad range of IoT applications, both static and mobile, and a robust LoRaWAN Certification program to guarantee that devices perform as specified. Deployed by 150 major mobile network operators globally, LoRaWAN connectivity is available in more than 160 countries to date.

Microsoft has already worked with a number of LoRa Alliance members to deploy LoRaWAN solutions globally on the Azure IoT infrastructure.

“Microsoft has invested billions of dollars to enable customers to build digital twins of the physical world,” said Shakib. “The digital twin enables customers to analyse, predict and control environments across industries, whether monitoring production lines, managing worker safety, optimising supply chains or delighting retail customers. A critical link in these digital transformations is the connectivity fabric, and LoRaWAN has unique capabilities to help fulfil that vision. We are excited to join the LoRa Alliance and deepen our collaboration with members to help our customers succeed in IoT.”

To date, some of the key projects that Microsoft has done around LoRaWAN include:

  • Beyond Eyes, a brand created by Heijmans N.V., a major Dutch construction-services business, deployed 20,000 LoRaWAN-connected IoT Smart Building sensors for Heijmans’ clients in the Netherlands, based on private LoRaWAN network management provided by Actility’s ThingPark  Enterprise IoT platform,and seamless integration with Microsoft IoT Hub and IoT Central, at scale. Beyond Eyes uses wireless sensors from CLICKEY to collect anonymous data on a building’s utilization, occupation, usage and indoor environment. The solution, implemented across a wide variety of building types, provides insight into the performance and use of a building, ultimately leading to process, staffing and building improvements to enable cost savings, creating a sustainable work environment. “With native integration to Azure IoT, as well as our ever increasing collection of drivers, small and large organizations now have the perfect end-to-end stack for massive IoT projects,” said Olivier Hersent, CEO at Actility.
  • MachineQ, a Comcast Company, harnesses the infrastructure and scale of Azure Cloud Services to deliver its all-in-one IoT connectivity platform for enterprises needing to build and deploy LoRaWAN solutions at scale. For Microsoft customers and partners, the MachineQ platform offers native tooling and streamlined delivery of integrated data, making it easy to visualize and analyse sensor data in Azure IoT. Among its most significant and largest customer deployments, MachineQ partnered with CoreKinect to develop an outdoor asset tracking solution to streamline inventory management, reduce operational costs, and improve customer experience. The deployment included over 325,000 LoRaWAN devices connecting to just a couple hundred MachineQ LoRaWAN gateways installed at more than 80 sites across the U.S. and Canada.
  • Microshare EverSmart on Azure/LoRaWAN delivers over 20 IoT Sensing-as-a-Service solutions for Smart Spaces to global customers in any industry, especially corporate office, manufacturing and health care. With data stream endpoints to IoT Hub, Power BI, and IoT Central, EverSmart customers can take full advantage of Azure Cloud Services including Stream Analytics, Databricks and Digital Twins to gain intelligence and make insightful decisions that improve their business and enhance the experience of the people using the space. Because of the ease of deploying LoRaWAN on Azure, the Royal Hospital for Neuro-disability in London quickly installed a solution portfolio that includes asset zoning and occupancy as well as monitoring for environment, CO2, fridge and water temperature to get a consolidated view of conditions and equipment locations in their space. “Thanks to BT and Microshare, we are now able to automate many tasks that would have previously taken considerable time or effort to carry out,” said Toby Roberts, CIO of the Royal Hospital for Neuro-disability. “This technology has been extremely useful during the current pandemic, as it has allowed our staff to perform more efficiently under heightened pressures.”
  • “Sodexo, through its global partnership with myDevices, provides its Vital Spaces services to a wide range of customers that require occupancy sensors, automated people counting, electric submetering, temperature monitoring, asset condition monitoring, air quality monitoring, asset tracking and many other sensor solutions,” said William Keys, MSM, director of FM technology development and innovation, Sodexo. “Through a single integration with myDevices’ platform, Sodexo can now easily source, procure and deploy pre-provisioned LoRaWAN hardware from hundreds of manufacturers, alongside its own in-house occupancy solutions provided by WX Solutions. All of the sensor data is then consolidated, normalized and transformed into our back-end platforms to gather insights using Microsoft’s Power BI and Time Series Insights.” “Our global partners, like Sodexo, require the most secure and scalable systems, and that is why myDevices’ platform uses Microsoft Azure DPS and IoT Hub to secure, scale and manage these deployments around the world,” said Kevin Bromber, CEO and founder, myDevices.
  • Webee, a company that develops IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things) and AI solutions, has deployed its No-Code End-to-End Solution Builder, running on Microsoft Azure, and leveraging Semtech LoRa devices and the LoRaWAN standard, in a variety of industries including agriculture to industrial IoT to conserve natural resources and improve sustainability efforts. Large commercial farms are able to implement LoRaWAN powered soil moisture sensors enabling new visibility and valuable learnings about the effects of light, temperature, Co2levels, humidity, PH, EC, water usage, as well as an irrigation controller to manage the water valves intelligently.
  • The Things Industries’ customers use LoRaWAN through private networks in smart buildings, smart agriculture and food tech. Morgan Sindall executes preventive maintenance of real estate through LoRaWAN temperature and humidity sensors, supported by The Things Industries’ network server, The Things Stack. “Sensors on LoRaWAN technology have a long battery life and open standard. We use Microsoft’s Digital Transformation platform to route to applications like Microsoft Dynamics Field Services and the Power Platform,” said Phil Copperwheat, information systems director, Morgan Sindall.The Things Stack Azure IoT Hub integration enables exchange of traffic between the LoRaWAN network server and the Azure IoT Hub, which can be used for managing and monitoring devices and gateways, end-to-end encryption and leverage Device Repository, allowing high-level communication designs. “Through the low-code integration, LoRaWAN platform from The Things Industries and Microsoft’s Digital Transformation platform open endless LoRaWAN use cases, and our customers are already putting that to use across many continents,” said Wienke Giezeman, CEO, The Things Industries.

 

 

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HK’s Central Market: a testbed for proptech innovations https://futureiot.tech/9353-2/ Mon, 13 Sep 2021 03:00:56 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=9353 The shortlisted startups have exclusive opportunity to develop pilot solutions at the Central Market in collaboration with Chinachem Group to ensure they can deliver market-ready solutions  before  general adoption.

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The revitailised Central Market will be a testbed for local proptech innovations, as Chinachem Group and the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP) last week announced the 10 technology startups selected to deploy their solutions at the iconic 82-year-old  market.

This is part of the pilot-first  "CCG Accel – Powered by HKSTP" accelerator” programme, which allows tech ventures to install and test solutions in a real market environment even at concept stage. The first batch of shortlisted startups have exclusive opportunity to develop pilot solutions at the Central Market in collaboration with Chinachem Group to ensure they can deliver market-ready solutions  before  general adoption.

Chinachem Group executive director and CEO Donald Choi (2nd from right), HKSTP CEO Albert Wong (2nd from left), Chinachem group director of business transformation and innovation Damien Wu (1st from right) and HKSTP chief corporate development officer Eugene Hsia (1st from left) announced the launch of “CCG Accel – Powered by HKSTP” accelerator programme.

“We are excited to be working with HKSTP to support high-potential tech ventures and their innovations that can make Hong Kong a better place to live, work and play for our future generation,” said Donald Choi, executive director and CEO, Chinachem Group. "Our expertise and wide portfolio of commercial properties provide the ideal testing and development opportunities for innovation to thrive. We believe this can accelerate smart city development in Hong Kong and benefit people, prosperity and planet."

Chinachem Group was awarded the operation contract for the iconic market in February this year.

Accelerating product development process

Indeed, the pioneering pilot-first accelerator program speeds up the product development process, while closing the critical gap between ideation and commercialisation which halts many early-stage ventures. The process allows tech ventures to collect valuable data and instant user feedback so that they can strengthen the opportunities for adoption.

Grouped under “Cohort 1”, the tech startups participating in proptech innovations at Central Market

Cohort 1 participants will focus in the areas of visitor experience, environment and sustainability, as well as operation and facility management.

Pilot testing will take place from September to December 2021, with a final demo day in January 2022 when all participating tech ventures will showcase their solutions. By collecting real-life data through trials at Central Market, the final winning innovations may be adopted within Central Market itself and help revitalise the building into a 21st century marketplace blending old and new.

Access to training and HKSTP’s tech ecosystem

HKSTP will  facilitate a programme of training sessions during the pilot period to equip the selected tech ventures with diverse technology and business skills. The tech ventures will benefit from direct access to HKSTP's extensive ecosystem and value-added services.

"This unique partnership with Chinachem Group is a continued extension of the HKSTP I&T ecosystem to new locations in Hong Kong and will help innovators fast-track their ground-breaking ideas into fully-tested solutions ready for market adoption,” said Albert Wong, CEO, HKSTP.

He added: “We constantly seek new ways to smooth tech ventures' path to success and this programme will spur more successful innovation while also propelling Hong Kong's smart city vision with smart property and retail solutions."

The "CCG Accel – Powered by HKSTP" accelerator” programme features  a series of three themed cohorts,  which will use designated Chinachem Group properties as a testing stage in each cohort as the innovators are tasked to solve property-based challenges. CCG will also assign mentors to each programme participant and provide industry insight and knowledge to refine their solution with the participating tech ventures.

The landmark Central Market  started trial operation three weeks ago after completing the first phase of revitalisation that spanned three years at the cost of HK$500 million. The first phase of revitalisation covered 80% t of its work space, open space facing Queen's Road Central and its atrium.

Central Market was handed over to the Urban Renewal Authority (URA) in 2009, and revitalisation work began in October 2017. The market opens officially in November, with  20% of the market still under construction – it is expected to be total completed in the second quarter of 2022.

The short-listed technology startups selected to participate in the Central Market proptech pilots are:

  • Apicem Technology Services Company Limited (ATS) - provides a smart air purifying system that prevents cross air contamination and keeps air quality high. It uses a high voltage direct current air purifying system with a patented metal foam material with fully automated monitoring in a totally green device. Using this keeps buildings up to sustainability standards and air quality high for better health and productivity. It will be installed at Central Market to give a safe and comfortable indoor environment for people.
  • Dayta AI Limited - provides a real-time plug and play solution that collects visitor data in shopping malls, retail outlets and exhibitions. It is an all-in-one service which integrates with existing cameras and provides data analysis and visualisation of visitors. Dayta.ai will help address market needs in Central Market via its building management services platform and provide performance indicators to continuously perfect operation quality. Using this platform, management staff can learn more about its frequent customers and market demographic, and tailor more caring experiences for visitors using real data.
  • i2Cool Limited - invented a passive radiative cooling paint (patented in Hong Kong) that can achieve an electricity-free and refrigerant-free self-cooling effect. By applying this paint on the roof or external walls of buildings, the indoor air temperature can be decreased, saving the energy usage of air-conditioning systems and reducing carbon emission. Apart from that, adopting this technology would cut down both running and installation costs of cooling equipment and reduce the amount of maintenance needed. At the same time, by reducing the amount of equipment, more space can be freed up for other amenities. The cooling paint developed by i2Cool will be tested in the Central Market and make it a place to CHILL.
  • Megasoft Limited - provides real-time temperature monitoring and track & trace solutions for the F & B industry, where food management, cooking safety, and food delivery are primary concerns. To ensure that these primary concerns are fully addressed by food stalls, restaurants, central kitchens, or even processing centres, the solutions have been developed to preserve food safety during transportation, assuring the temperatures of several food types across multiple outlets can be instantly tracked. The ultimate result would be a safer kitchen and a more satisfying experience for diners in the Central Market.
  • Negawatt Utility Limited - established an Anti-COVID Management Solution and implemented Negawatt Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) solution on-site, with the control capability to high-quality air disinfection system. Multiple Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) Sensors and people count devices are deployed at Central Market and continuously collecting IEQ data. Based on the activities of the site and immediate IEQ data , Negawatt A.I. calculates the Risk Factor on indoor environmental safety. With reference to different Risk Value, Negawatt A.I. is capable to activate the air-disinfection system installed at Central Market, providing a safe & immunised indoor environment for visitors.
  • Novelte Robotics Limited – developed Heritage , a guiding robot designed a futuristic and interactive experience for visitors wanting to learn more about the site. This robot is fully automated, increasing the appeal of the area with its personalised service which decreasing staff workload. It also adds to the customer's experience while visiting to be able to enjoy a unique heritage tour at Central Market.
  • Optical Sensing Limited – specialises in fibre optic sensing monitoring system development and installation to achieve digital transformation in building and facility management. The system uses optical fibre cables as tools and installed in targeted facilities such as air conditioning system, water and sewer pipes and power network. Optical fibre cables can collect data from difficult to reach pipelines to understand their condition. This provides predictive monitoring to prevent public areas of Central Market from being closed off, giving a better service to visitors.
  • Rice Robotics Limited – developed an unmanned, autonomous robot that guides customers during the day and patrols for security at night. It is fully integrated to elevators and gates, and seemingly becomes part of a building's day to day operation. It increases shopping outlets appeal with its futuristic functions, alleviates staff workload from repetitious and tedious tasks and gives a unique and enhanced visitors experience.
  • RV Automation Technology Company Limited - Developed people-centric robot. Its patrol and food tray collection robot aims to help enhance operational efficiency, reduce labour costs, and ensure consistent performance. Using this robot not only increases the appeal of the site, but also significantly reduces staff workload from menial tasks while giving visitors something interesting to experience.
  • Tech Hill Limited – Developed a 3D multiple radar array bird deterrent is a product that protects buildings from damage and reduce maintenance from hard-to-read areas. It protects the historical and valuable building and rooftop of Central Market from unexpected damage and provides a smooth, comfortable and worry-free experience for visitors.

 

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Creating digital twins for 3D virtual property tours https://futureiot.tech/creating-digital-twins-for-3d-virtual-property-tours/ Fri, 10 Sep 2021 02:00:49 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=9338 In addition to remote site inspections,  Cushman & Wakefield is using Matterport technology in project management to enable clients to  monitor the progress of their projects and access the digital twin online from anywhere, and at any time regardless of property or audience location.

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Cushman & Wakefield is now enabling clients in Japan to create a digital twin of their properties that would allow for 3D virtual tours in lieu of physical site inspections.

The  real estate services firm is using a 3D virtualisation tool  from Matterport, which  develops a ground-breaking spatial data platform  that turns buildings into data – and turns them into digital assets. The use of this virtualisation tool comes on the heels of a global agreement that Cushman & Wakefield signed with Matterport last year.

"We were first acquainted with the Matterport platform when we were exploring the best way of introducing properties for rent during the pandemic,” said Keiji Kato, senior director and head of Leasing Advisory Group, Japan at Cushman & Wakefield.

“Matterport allows us to conduct high quality virtual tours for our clients with its ability to produce a highly photorealistic digital replica of the actual physical space. We have now introduced this service across all the properties that we lease and manage, and it has proven to be very effective in differentiating us from our competition. We believe that virtual tours will remain necessary even after the pandemic, and we will continue to use this platform as one of our key property marketing tools,” Kato added.

Matterport's AI-driven visualisation technology scans an existing space and reproduces it in digital form. This "digital twin" is a versatile asset within the commercial real estate industry, including in providing virtual tours of properties with detailed floor plans and a "dollhouse view", which provides prospective buyers and tenants with a dimensionally accurate and immersive view into a space.

Matterport enables Cushman & Wakefield to provide property inspections that keep clients and professionals safe during this COVID-19  pandemic, eliminating the need to be present in the space physically. Because of this, Cushman & Wakefield is also able to deliver additional benefits to clients such as reduced travel and fewer visits to a property, producing overall time and cost savings which will remain relevant beyond the pandemic.

According to Matterport, 3D virtual tours increase audience engagement by over 300% in comparison to 2D imagery. The technology helps in making better informed decisions by providing a multi-dimensional view of the venue, enabling more effective property inspection and marketing of assets.

"Japan's commercial real estate sector is one of the most competitive, so firms must constantly differentiate to win clients. Matterport's technology enables agents to achieve an edge through authentic, immersive and navigable 3D experiences,” said Howard Xiao, Japan country manager at Matterport.

He added: “By leveraging Matterport's powerful technology and insights, Cushman & Wakefield is positioning itself at the forefront of the sector's ongoing transformation, which harnesses technology to drive deeper engagement, analysis and understanding of listings. Increasingly, clients are turning to Matterport to capture their real estate portfolios due to the significant add-on benefits realised. We are delighted to be selected by Cushman & Wakefield Japan for all of their Leasing Management mandates."

In addition to remote site inspections,  Cushman & Wakefield is using Matterport technology in project management to enable clients to  monitor the progress of their projects and access the digital twin online from anywhere, and at any time regardless of property or audience location.

 

 

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Chery and Alibaba subsidiary agree to develop intelligent cars https://futureiot.tech/chery-and-alibaba-subsidiary-agree-to-develop-intelligent-cars/ Wed, 08 Sep 2021 02:00:27 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=9330 Alibaba’s Zebra Zhixing and Chery’s Lion Tech  will set up  a technical team to carry out in-depth cooperation in the fields of data operation, intelligent cab, intelligent car cloud and automatic driving.

 

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Two subsidiary companies respectively owned by Alibaba Group and Chinese car manufacturer Chery  recently entered a strategic agreement  to establish a joint laboratory to develop intelligent car solutions.

Alibaba’s Zebra Zhixing and Chery’s Lion Tech  will set up  a technical team to carry out in-depth cooperation in the fields of data operation, intelligent cab, intelligent car cloud and automatic driving. They will also

The two companies will build smart systems that fully link vehicles to various online services. They are also committed to develop a smart car operating system that would enable autonomous driving.  They will also carry out all-round cooperation to develop various  intelligent car-to-cloud services.

“Promoting independent innovation in science and technology and creating smarter travel experience are the common goals of Lion Tech and Zebra Zhixing,” the two companies said in a press release. “We will give full play of our respective advantages to jointly explore and take intelligent cars to the next phase of innovation.”

Lion Tech was established in 2014 as the intelligent business unit of Chery, focusing on technologies around intelligent cars such as autonomous driving, car networking, data operation, intelligent manufacturing and mobile travel services.  The subsidiary  provides with the digital technologies needed through the whole automobile manufacturing lifecycle from R&D, manufacturing, marketing, user service, and so forth.

On the other hand, Zebra Zhixing is founded in 2015 as Alibaba’s innovative business segment focusing on the R&D of the autonomous intelligent car operating system for the automotive industry.

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Dole Food & Beverage Group to digitise supply chain https://futureiot.tech/dole-food-beverage-group-to-digitise-supply-chain/ Fri, 27 Aug 2021 04:00:55 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=9272 It is introducing end-to-end visualisation to its supply chain by embarking on a digitalisation project that allows the company to  predict to predict shipment delays, forecast demand in line with changing consumer and optimise capacities to exceed service levels

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Dole Food & Beverage Group plans to digitise its supply chain by introducing end-to-end visualisation that would enable the company to:  predict shipment delays, forecast demand in line with changing consumer and optimise capacities to exceed service levels.

“Our goal was to enable agile and responsive cross-functional supply chain processes that empower people with data-driven decision-making capabilities based on the foundation of an end-to-end integrated technology platform,” said Fritz Zeh, vice president for global manufacturing at Dole Food & Beverages Group.

Dole Food & Beverages Group, a division of The Dole Sunshine Company, is one of the world's largest producers and marketers of high-quality packaged fresh fruit and fruit-based products.

Following the drastic supply chain disruption in the wake of  COVID-19, the company was looking for end-to-end visibility and forecasting, a sales and operations planning (S&OP) and a sales and operations execution (S&OE) process, and control tower capabilities.

The digital transformation project will allow Dole Food & Beverages Group to build an agile supply chain with a focus on three core components: people, process and systems. The company went through a comprehensive evaluation process and selected a long-term technology partner for the project.

Blue Yonder, which has been working with the company for over 20 years, has been tapped to provide its Luminate Control Tower and Luminate Planning to meet their newer requirements

“Blue Yonder’s Luminate Planning and Luminate Control Tower will provide us with the right solutions to make faster business decisions that improve our operations, resulting in lower costs and enhanced planner time,” said Zeh.

Luminate platform delivers intelligent automation and extensibility, uniformity of data, and unified, engaging experiences powering collaboration and decision making. The platform will power the visibility and planning capabilities for Dole Food & Beverages Group.

The Microsoft Azure- and cloud-based Luminate Control Tower will provide the company the ability to automate manual processes, access real-time data to manage and right-size inventory levels, and gain visibility into its supply chain. With Luminate Planning, the company can produce more accurate forecasts calculated from hundreds of variables that drive demand and in-turn achieve a single, unbiased demand forecast. The automated calculation and generation of this holistic forecast enables the company to unlock greater planner efficiency.

By implementing the Blue Yonder solutions powered by Luminate Platform, the company plans to:

  • Align future supply chain structure with a global and local control towers that work seamlessly together to gain end-to-end accountability across the supply chain.
  • Enhance customer satisfaction and cost savings through lower inventory levels and inventory optimisation.
  • Increase flexibility and agility in the planning process.
  • Enable data-driven decision-making capabilities through an end-to-end integrated platform.
  • Improve S&OP, scenario planning and financials, including P&L and cash flow.
  • Improve visualization across the supply chain.

“We are excited that Dole Food & Beverages Group has put their trust in our cloud-based solutions to help power their digital supply chain transformation. They will be able to take their forecasting and business planning abilities to the next level, while gaining visibility through the control tower,” said Vishal Dhawan, group vice president, Growth Markets, Blue Yonder.

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IoT sensors enable urban farming in Singapore https://futureiot.tech/iot-sensors-enable-urban-farming-in-singapore/ Tue, 17 Aug 2021 06:00:44 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=9193 Running a smart farm involves the deployment of various technologies such as IoT and machine learning to maximise crop yield and ensure productivity even with limited manpower.

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AbyFarm belongs to Singapore’s emerging group of urban farmers who are using technologies such as IoT, blockchain and machine learning to help the city state be self-sufficient in growing its own food in spite of shortage of  land for cultivation.

The urban farm located on a 3,200sq feet converted rooftop carpark of an HDB housing estate in Ang Mo Kio. It was one of several HDB carparks awarded by  the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) this February to six budding urban farms with a term of lease of up to three years. This is all part of the city’s “30 by 30” strategy to locally grow 30% of its own food by 2030.

Unlike traditional farms, AbyFarm adopts soil-less aeroponics and hydroponics farming where crops are grown inside a greenhouse that is fully automated. The farm grows vegetables from kangkong, mushrooms and kai lan  as well as potted trees such as figs and Japanese melons

It expects to Aby grow about 240 tons of crops a year.

“The farm is entirely automated, with real-time technology used to control the environment within the greenhouse, and to consistently monitor the crops and identify early the possibility of bad crops, which will ensure its quality,” said Phoebe Xie,  director and co-founder, AbyFarm

She added: “AbyFarm is now on the express lane to make smart, sustainable smart farms a reality for Singapore.”

Deploying IoT sensors

Running a smart farm involves the deployment of various technologies such as IoT and machine learning to maximise crop yield and ensure productivity even with limited manpower.

Crops are grown in optimal control environment 24x7 through the use of solar-powered outdoor sensors that track environmental conditions such as temperature, rainfall, humidity, sunlight as well as wind speed and direction. There are also indoor sensors that monitor light, temperature, humidity pH, EC (electrical conductivity of water)  and CO2 levels.

All sensor data are fed into the automated control system that triggers various mechanism such as the automated sunshield cover, spraying water mist,  cooling fan and wet curtain. Meanwhile, the detected pH and EC levels will automatically trigger the right amount of fertilisers to be mixed with dissolved oxygen and water, and pumped into the farm’s water fertilizer irrigation system.

“To run a self-regulating farm at optimal temperature with optimal water and nutrient supply, and to control the quality and taste of vegetables and fruits, we need IoT sensors,” Xie said.

 

Meanwhile, a remote management system with real-time notification feature  gives farmers the freedom to look after the  crops without being physically present. With the help of video cameras and image recognition technology, they can set the optimal range for plant environment, farm inputs and pricing.

Agronomists and other experts also can analyse sensor with machine learning the help improve plant heath and optimise crop yield. Also, if a plant is detected to have a disease,  it will trigger a notification to the farmer to physically check its condition. The incident and the subsequent action is fed into the system, allowing other farmers with similar crop issues to find a solution without consulting an expert.

Looking for ease of IoT deployment

Urban farms such as AbyFarm faces  challenges in sourcing and identifying appropriate applications, sensors, and technologies. This often results in the use of multiple IoT devices from different vendors, with hefty investments made on multiple platforms.

To save itself from deployment headaches, AbyFarm turned to SPTel to provide its IoT-as-a-platform to monitor and manage various sensors and applications, regardless of their gateway deployment requirements.

“The platform is built on an ‘as-a-service’ model, making the solutions accessible without the need for farmers to make heavy upfront investments to build and maintain their own platforms,” said Susan Loh, vice president for marketing and business development at SPTel.

She pointed out that as a “one-stop solution”, the SPTel platform manages the end-to-end IoT deployment.

“Farmers can focus on their business of providing quality crops instead of having to worry about managing multiple vendors,” she said.

Furthermore, the platform allows for urban farms to easily scale their IoT deployment as need. They can connect additional IoT sensors with ease as they expand, while retaining centralised control of all devices and applications on the platform. Furthermore, through SPTel’s extensive network of secure hubs across the island, urban farms can leverage a ready IoT platform with island-wide reach for fast deployment across multiple sites.

Xie said: “SPTel’s IoT-as-a-service solution for sensor data collection and analysis allows us to track multiple sensors simultaneously. Through this deployment, we are able to become a sustainable self-regulating urban farm with IoT, automation and crop blockchain ledger that enables farm-to-table traceability for improved food safety and security.”

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City of Melbourne trialled AI tech for city waste management https://futureiot.tech/city-of-melbourne-trialled-ai-tech-for-city-waste-management/ Thu, 12 Aug 2021 03:00:58 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=9168 With the existing network of installed cameras as internet of things (IoT) sensors to monitor one of the compactors, the trial allowed for real-time monitoring and detection of activity in the vicinity of the compactor using a virtual tripwire.

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The City of Melbourne is exploring the use of an AI-based analytics system to help tackle the issue of waste dumping as the city seeks to keep narrow city streets and pedestrian areas clean, safe and free of garbage.

Currently, the city offers local residents and businesses subscription-based access to the large-capacity compactor facilities. This was done to reduce the frequency of waste contractor visits to busy areas.

With the compactor in place, the city wants to understand how the service is being used and how  it mitigates illegal waste dumping, which can quickly create safety and hygiene issues in the area.

In line with this, the city together with waste service contractor Citywide recently trialled  Nokia Scene Analytics AI technology to develop a deeper understanding of waste disposal behaviour. The bustling Bullens Lane was selected as a testing site, and the trial is part of the city’s emerging technology testbed initiative.

With the existing network of installed cameras as internet of things (IoT) sensors to monitor one of the compactors, the trial allowed for real-time monitoring and detection of activity in the vicinity of the compactor using a virtual tripwire.

Object detection and object counting was used to identify and count items to show how the compactor was impacted by items incorrectly placed within it, while also identifying potentially dangerous items. Anomaly detection identified unusual movements, such as illegal waste dumping during the night, while face and license plate blurring maintained individual privacy during the trial.

The Nokia Scene Analytics solution employed an AI-powered algorithm to filter and collate data from the cameras, while also combining other data sources, such as operational data on the compactor itself, to create real-time alerts and produce reports.

Indeed, the trial allowed data to provide an insight to questions such as:

  • How much waste the Bullens Lane bins receive daily
  • The peak usage times
  • Alignment between waste collections and waste disposal.

The implementation of this pilot will identify opportunities for improved efficiencies and a potential for further engagement with users around awareness and behaviour.

“This is a great example of using new technology to help remove illegal waste more quickly, make our city cleaner and protect the environment. Our partnership with Nokia is another way we are gathering data to make Melbourne a safer, smarter and more sustainable city,” said Lord Mayor Sally Capp, City of Melbourne.

Initial trial results show that the solution can support the city’s objectives for better, safer citizen experiences while simultaneously lowering maintenance and down time costs for waste management services.

The reports that are generated can help the City of Melbourne better understand the correlation between illegal waste-dumping activities and compactor downtime – keeping  maintenance teams better informed and minimise issues.

It also allows them to swiftly address waste dumping activities before they become a hazard, viewing locations in real-time to observe any obstructions to service vehicle access, and adapting their schedule to reduce unnecessary visits and minimise their carbon footprint.

By understanding patterns of compactor usage and waste dumping activities, the city of Melbourne is also able to patrol the area more effectively, while developing an ongoing campaign to better inform and educate the community.

Capp added: “This innovative project will help to avoid hazards and make our streets even cleaner by allowing our waste services to better understand behaviour trends related to the illegal and dangerous dumping of waste.”

 

 

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IoT-based sensors curb rat infestation at HK public market https://futureiot.tech/iot-based-sensors-curb-rat-infestation-at-hk-public-market/ Tue, 10 Aug 2021 02:30:02 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=9152 IoTree placed 130 sensors on the floors, ceilings and other hidden locations to  capture data on rodent movements around the Yeung Uk Road public market.

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An IoT-based pest control monitoring system has been deployed recently at the Yeung Uk Road public market in Hong Kong’s New Territories to protect against rat infestation.

Rodent populations are common in areas where food is prepared and sold in large quantities, and popular local community market houses 200 stalls spread over three floors selling fresh seafood, meats, fruits, vegetables and grocery items.

The government was looking for a fast and reliable solution to monitor rodent activity and target treatment the prevent diseases and damage caused by rats and mice. It previously trialled thermal cameras to track rodent activity, but while they proved to be effective in monitoring infestations, they were too costly  for wide spread deployment.

In the end, the government decided to use an IoT-based surveillance solution, tapping Hong Kong -based IoTree to implement RATSENSE rodent surveillance system. Coupling IoT and cloud computing, the system uses infrared sensors as “electronic eyes” that monitor, detect and capture real-time data on rodent movements 24/7. That data is then analysed to track, trend and map rodent movements and behaviours, providing building managers with insights and location-based information on rodent infestations.

The government chose RATSENSE because of the ease and speed of installation. IoTree placed 130 sensors on the floors, ceilings and other hidden locations to  capture data on rodent movements around the Yeung Uk Road public market. Once sensors are installed, they can be instantly connected to the national Thinxtra 0G Network. The captured data are used to build insights that are then shared with building managers via a customised web portal and mobile application. Insights built with real-time data let building managers quickly pinpoint infestations and activities to target treatment for efficient, rodent reduction, using fewer toxins.

Deploying the RATSENSE system at Yeung Uk Road public market, the government counted several benefits:

  • Save time and money by needing fewer manual inspections to find infestations and monitor traps
  • Remove the guesswork from rodent detection and specifically target treatment
  • Reduce the use of harmful rodenticides in the market
  • Protect the market’s building from rodent damage
  • Provide a safer, cleaner customer environment.

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LiDAR sensors cut carbon footprint of a waste plant in China https://futureiot.tech/lidar-sensors-cut-carbon-footprint-in-a-waste-plant-in-china/ Fri, 06 Aug 2021 02:30:04 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=9123 3D LiDAR opens up clear and valuable insights that were previously inaccessible in the 2D world, not only improving operational efficiency, but also making the air cleaner and healthier by reducing emissions.

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Quanergy Systems, which specialises in OPA-based solid state LiDAR sensors and smart 3D solutions for automotive and IoT, has deployed  a new smart LiDAR solution in a waste-to-energy incineration plant in Hunan, China.

The deployment not only automates waste plant operations, but also ensures process efficiency and minimises the environmental impact.

Deployed in collaboration with Hunan University, one of China’s top engineering research universities, and Hunan Qiaokang Bridge Health Intelligent Technology for Puxiang Bioenergy, Quanergy’s high accuracy M-Series 3D LiDAR sensors were applied to scan the surface of the waste piles at the incineration plant and create a 3D point cloud image, to accurately calculate the volume of the waste.

"Before LiDAR, there was no way to accurately measure the volume and density of the waste, critical data points for accurate calorific value estimation," said Enzo Signore, CMO at Quanergy, “3D LiDAR opens up clear and valuable insights that were previously inaccessible in the 2D world, not only improving operational efficiency, but also making the air cleaner and healthier by reducing emissions.”

Through accurate volume data, the waste plant can estimate the density of the waste and apply estimation logic to determine the calorific value. For example, dry waste is less dense and has a higher calorific value than wet waste. With this rich and accurate 3D data, the recycling station can now effectively prioritise burning high calorific value dry fuels while giving wet wastes more time to dry out. This both improves overall efficiency and reduces carbon emissions.

The LiDAR solution from Quanergy features industry-leading high accuracy, through its angular resolution of 0.033 degrees, and point cloud density of up to 1.3 million points per second.

“The data from Quanergy’s LiDAR sensors allows us to generate digital data sets that we can then use to optimise and scale the waste recycling process throughout an entire city and beyond,” said Professor Xiaogang Zhang, deputy dean of the  School of Electrical & Information Engineering, Hunan University. “A powerful industrial IoT application, the data from Quanergy’s sensors also gives insight into the operation of the power plant to monitor, measure, and predict the amount of power that can be generated from waste incineration.”

In addition to their accuracy, Quanergy’s 3D LiDAR sensors are robust and reliable, even in the harsh conditions of the incineration plant, providing over 60,000 hours of mean time between failure (MTBF). The sensors can be installed in any environment, indoor or outdoor, and provide reliable performance regardless of ambient lighting conditions. Furthermore, the solution can be easily scaled, compounding its value for the city.

 

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DHL opens applied analytics hub in Medina https://futureiot.tech/dhl-opens-applied-analytics-hub-in-medina/ Tue, 03 Aug 2021 02:30:46 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=9100 The hub will see data scientists and machine learning experts develop robust analytics-driven logistics solutions for DHL's customers across Asia Pacific.

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DHL has opened its Applied Analytics Hub (AAH) in Medini City, a strategic growth zone located within the Iskandar Development Region in Johor, Malaysia. The hub will see data scientists and machine learning experts develop robust analytics-driven logistics solutions for DHL's customers across Asia Pacific.

The new hub is an extension of the DHL Applied Analytics team based in Singapore, that has been working in close partnerships with customers in conceptualising and implementing advanced data analytics solutions to maximise supply chain efficiencies.

Medini 6 building that houses the new DHL Applied Analytics Hub

The hub in Medini will deepen DHL's collaboration with the Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) including the hosting of faculty members from UTM, providing internships and mentoring budding data scientists who will get to work on solving complex supply chain problems for customers. The hub will equally spearhead networking sessions and conduct workshops where companies and industry experts come together to share best practices and brainstorm innovative ideas.

According to Prerit Mishra, head of applied analytics at DHL Customer Solutions and Innovation - Asia Pacific, there is a growing demand for best-in-class supply chain analytics solutions as companies in Malaysia and the region accelerate their digital transformation.

“Companies are eager to use digital solutions to enhance supply chain management and optimise their data. The AAH will also allow us to work more closely with businesses in Malaysia by pairing our extensive global supply chain expertise with advanced data science to unlock new value,” he said.

With its strategic collaboration with UTM, DHL can tap on a steady stream of high-quality talent while helping the university gain real-world industry experience that helps to shape its college curriculum.

"The partnership with DHL allows our faculty to test solutions and see the practical applications of data science outside the academic environment. Since we began our collaboration in 2019, we have extracted valuable insights to develop the curriculum for our Masters in Data Science program," said Professor Ts. Dr. Ruzairi Bin Abdul Rahim, dean of Faculty of Engineering at UTM.

Over two years, UTM's students and faculty members have been working on analytics projects alongside data scientists, engineers and logistics experts at DHL. With current COVID-19 regulations preventing the full use of the facilities at the new hub, the collaboration continues online.

Missing puzzle piece

IIB president and CEO Datuk Ir Khairil Anwar Ahmad

According to IIB president and chief executive officer Datuk Ir Khairil Anwar Ahmad, the establishment AHH Hub in Medini is a missing piece in the puzzle in further developing the business ecosystem in Iskandar Puteri.

IIB or Iskandar Investment Bhd is the company behind Iskandar Development Region.

“We are delighted to establish a platform to provide our local talents with exposure and training in data analysis which is crucial for digital ecosystem building in Medini,” Khairil said, pointing out that the IIB-DHL collaboration seeks to contribute to IIB's vision to build an inclusive and sustainable future metropolis.

Besides UTM, the Malaysian Global Innovation & Creativity Centre (MaGIC) is also one of the collaborators in setting up the new AAH Hub,  that is hoped to help turn  Medini into a key digital and innovation centre.

The AAH Hub is the third DHL facility in Medini after the Global Centre of Excellence (for Innovation) established 2018 and the DHL Global Forwarding that also opened this year.

The AAH Hub will also act as a platform to provide training and exposure in data analysis among members of the local community, which is crucial for digital ecosystem building within the 2,230-acre Medini township, the Johor Digital Hub.

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IoT AI and ML services to reach US$3.6 billion by 2026 https://futureiot.tech/iot-ai-and-ml-services-to-reach-us3-6-billion-by-2026/ Mon, 19 Jul 2021 02:00:26 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=9008 As the next wave of IoT analytics development will fully converge with the big data domain, the value in the technology stack is expected to shift beyond the hardware and middleware to analytics and value added services.

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Latest research by ABI Research showed that artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) services are estimated to grow within the Internet of Things (IoT) domain to about US$3.6 billion by 2026, growing at a CAGR of nearly 40%.

This is one of the key findings from ABI Research's IoT Data-Enabled Services: Value Chain, Companies to Watch, and Cloud Wars application analysis report.

As the next wave of IoT analytics development will fully converge with the big data domain, the value in the technology stack is expected to shift beyond the hardware and middleware to analytics and value added services.

According to ABI Research, COVID-19  did not have a negative impact on the IoT data analytics market with newly emerging cloud-native data-enabled analytics vendors having reaped some benefits from the current pandemic.

“Since industries are transitioning to ‘remote everything’,  out-of-the-box solutions for remote monitoring, asset management, asset visibility, and predictive maintenance are in high demand and exemplify market acceleration. Vendors, such as DataRobot,  are now easing access to ML and AI tool sets through different deployment options at the edge, on-premises, and the cloud, and through consumption using Platform as a Service (PaaS), and Software as a Service (SaaS),"  said Kateryna Dubrova, research analyst at ABI Research. "All and all, the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of rapid deployment solutions, such as hardware agnostic SaaS."

Companies like AWS, C3, and Google also have been successful in promoting their products and analytics capabilities (tool sets and environment) by creating centralised repositories for COVID-19 data. Currently, these data lakes are public and are not monetised. However, it is expected that those companies will attempt to use the data lakes to create products for sale to the healthcare market in the future.

From a technology perspective, the data lakes could be the first step for creating and testing data visibility, and streaming analytics services. COVID-19 has showcased the public cloud's healthcare industry ambitions expanding into pharmaceutical, biomedicine, and telemedicine.

Big data and data analytics might not have a remedy for the virus, but IoT-data enabled technologies proved essential to lessen public anxiety, to monitor patients, and prepare the infrastructure for new outbreaks.

"AI and ML usage has accelerated during the pandemic—however, greenfield AI projects have seen a significant slowdown. The AI and ML in the IoT is at its early adoption stage, the lack of the development of data-enabled infrastructure prevented rapid adoption of the machine learning on operational level when COVID-19 accelerated," Dubrova concludes.

 

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SG gov’t injects US$70M in tech R&D for city’s digital future https://futureiot.tech/sg-govt-injects-us70m-in-tech-rd-for-citys-digital-future/ Wed, 14 Jul 2021 03:00:11 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=8981 Furthermore, Heng used the ATxSummit to launch the Singapore Trade Data Exchange (SGTraDex), a common data infrastructure for the supply chain ecosystem.

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The Singapore government  has reiterated its commitment to continuously invest on projects and initiatives that will unlock the full potential of the digital revolution, injecting nearly US$70million into R&D to bolster the city’s technological capabilities.

This was key message from the speech given yesterday by Singapore Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for Economic Policies Heng Swee Keat during the opening the ATxSummit, the apex event of Asia Tech x Singapore (ATxSG).

“Even as we leverage on AI, IoT and 5G to power today’s digital revolution, we must continue to invest patient capital for new gamechangers in the next bound of growth,” Heng said, pointing out that the digital revolution that the city is experiencing today is powered by the  technologies that it had  patiently invested in over the decades.

For instance,  Heng noted that AI has been in development since the 1980s, with a major milestone reached in 1997 when Deep Blue became the first chess-playing computer to defeat a reigning world champion. “But it was not until the last five to ten years that we began to truly harness the potential of AI,” he added.

The current pandemic has “turbo charged” the pace of the digital revolution, but also ushered the “worst global recession in a century”. Nevertheless, Heng urged all stakeholders in various industry sectors  not to be fazed into pulling back  from technology investments.

“During a global recession, it is understandable that investments for the long term would come under pressure. But we should resist these pressures, as sustained investment in science and technology is critical to supporting innovation,” he said.

Close US$70 million in R&D investments

During his speech at the ATxSummit, Heng announced that the city will be launching a US$50million Future Communications Research & Development Programme (FCP).

The FCP supports cutting edge communications and connectivity research, and will in turn grow local capability to translate that into innovative products, services, and companies. This will be accomplished through the setup of new communications testbeds in 5G and beyond-5G, and support technology development, translation and training, while building up the talent pool in the areas of communications and connectivity technologies

As a start, the FCP has established a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the 6G Flagship Office of Finland.

“5G networks are being rolled out and are expected to cover one-third of the world’s population by 2025. We will need to look ahead at the next bound,” he said.

The FCP investment is on top of the US$19 billion spending on research, innovation and enterprise, which the city government allocated in the next five years, building deeper capabilities in technologies such as quantum and blockchain.

Singapore Trade Data Exchange unveiled

Furthermore, Heng used the ATxSummit to launch the Singapore Trade Data Exchange (SGTraDex), a  common data infrastructure for the supply chain ecosystem.  It is seen as breakthrough that would allow stakeholders to easily “plug and play” to exchange data in a secure environment.

SGTraDex is developed by Alliance for Action on Supply Chain Digitalisation, which counts as members port operator PSA International and commodities trader Trafigura. The alliance was one of the new series of private-public partnerships convened last year.

With SGTraDex, previously unavailable or difficult to obtain data – such as real-time cargo location – can be easily attained. This will enable logistic players and shippers to optimise cargo handling and operations.

SGTraDex will also enable new value-added services for supply chain participants and speed up the processing of customs clearance, trade financing, insurance and other related activities.

“Our goal is to on-board stakeholders along the supply chain, especially smaller firms, so that they can be part of this digital backbone,” Heng said. “Once on board, firms can exchange information with other parties through SGTraDex. The data will be encrypted and transmitted without being stored.”

From the pilots so far, Heng revealed that  SGTraDex has the potential to unlock more than US$150 million of value annually for the supply chain ecosystem.

SGTraDex is the second common data infrastructure exchange in the last seven months, the first being the Singapore Financial Data Exchange, which claims to be the world’s first public digital infrastructure that allows a person to sign-in  using his national digital identity. The user can provide consent to obtain his financial information from different financial institutions and agencies. Data from each source is encrypted and transmitted through the Exchange without being stored.

Both exchanges are part of a suite of digital infrastructure and utilities being developed to provide a strong foundation for Singapore’s digital economy.

Meanwhile, the inaugural ATxSG event will run until July 16. The four-day mega-tech fest seeks to drive conversations across business, technology and government sectors that will shape the digital future not only in Singapore but across the Asean region.

Organised by the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) and Informa Tech and supported by the Singapore Tourism Board (STB),  ATxSG four main segments, namely ATxSummit, ATxEnterprise, ATxImpact, and ATxPlus under its wing, with established conferences such as BroadcastAsia, CommunicAsia, SatelliteAsia and InnoFest  among others tucked into the relevant segments.

“At ATxSG, we want to shift the focus from technology in isolation to its intersection with society and the digital economy. There are both opportunities and challenges in these intersections, and that’s where important ideas and innovations are needed. Singapore, as a Global-Asia node and the Tech gateway to the fastest growing digital economies in the ASEAN region, makes it an ideal place to spark these conversations, and co-create potential solutions.  We are delighted to host government and business leaders from over 20 countries at the ATxSummit, to collectively shape our shared digital future,” said IMDA chief executive Lew Chuen Hong.

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MOU inked to build net zero carbon digital building solution in SG https://futureiot.tech/mou-inked-to-build-net-zero-carbon-digital-building-solution-in-sg/ Tue, 06 Jul 2021 02:00:28 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=8922 Both companies  have committed six months to build cloud-based, Integrated Net Zero Carbon Digital Building Suite that connects and facilitates real-time data flows across ST Engineering’s smart digital building solutions.

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Envision Digital and ST Engineering have agreed to jointly build an end-to-end net zero carbon urban infrastructure solution for Singapore’s public and commercial sectors, as a contribution to the city’s Energy Reset Initiative under the Singapore Green Plan 2030, which pushes for greener and sustainable commercial and industrial buildings.

In an MOU signed recently, both companies  have committed six months to build cloud-based, Integrated Net Zero Carbon Digital Building Suite that connects and facilitates real-time data flows across ST Engineering’s smart digital building solutions. These include connected IoT sensors for smart lighting and indoor daylight harvesting, integrated security management systems, smart car park platforms, advanced crowd detection systems and data-driven facility management systems.

The solution’s remote and autonomous management capabilities will enable buildings to continue to be operated reliably, efficiently and safely without human intervention, allowing urban infrastructure owners to optimise resource and asset deployment and conduct predictive maintenance.

The solution will also enable urban infrastructure owners to track their assets’ energy efficiency and carbon emissions over time, and easily orchestrate the use of power from smart renewable energy sources like rooftop solar, virtual power plants and electric vehicle (EV) charging points, to reduce reliance on electricity generated by fossil fuels.

“The demand for sustainable urban infrastructure solutions is set to grow as cities and organisations take urgent action to reduce their carbon footprint to move to a net zero carbon future,” said Chew Men Leong, president and head of urban solutions at ST Engineering.

ST Engineering specialises in smart city solutions that help reduce energy consumption, reduce traffic congestion and improve waste management while its range of Conversion Services helps extend the life of aircraft, ships and vehicles. The company has offices across Asia, Europe, the Middle East and the U.S., serving customers in more than 100 countries.

“Our collaboration with Envision Digital will augment our smart digital building offerings with intelligent energy and carbon emission tracking and optimisation technologies, providing our customers with actionable insights to help them achieve their sustainability targets.”

He added: “Innovation is critical to achieving net zero carbon, and we are confident that this partnership will pave the way to novel solutions that will contribute to a more sustainable, resilient and brighter future.”

Besides supporting Singapore’s target of achieving its long-term net zero emissions goal, both companies will also align with the city’s  recently announced Virtually Unlimited economic agenda to seize growth opportunities from the growing global demand for decarbonisation technology solutions. Hence, the aim to eventually export their net zero carbon digital building solution to other countries.

“We are proud to create Singapore’s first fully Integrated Net Zero Carbon Digital Building Suite, with the goal of it being the first of many in net zero carbon cities across the world,” said Michael Ding, executive director, Envision Group. “With ambitious targets to increase renewables through its Green Plan 2030, Singapore has been forward-thinking in its approach toward its energy transition. This, coupled with local stakeholders’ desire to continuously co-create and experiment with innovative concepts, scenarios, technologies, and business models in actual living environments, bodes well for us and underscores the city-state’s rich potential to become an international leader in exporting sustainability software solutions.”

Based in Singapore, Envision Digital’s AIoT operating system currently connects and manages more than 200 gigawatts of energy assets globally. Driven by machine learning, its proprietary monitoring, advanced analytics, forecasting, and optimising applications provide actionable insights and reliable controls to better manage assets’ energy performance. It has a growing ecosystem of more than 360 customers and partners spans 10 industries and includes Accenture, Amazon Web Services, GovTech Singapore, Keppel Corporation, Microsoft, Nissan, PTT, Solarvest and Total.

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SenRA, Actility team up for rapid LoRaWAN adoption in India https://futureiot.tech/senra-actility-team-up-for-rapid-lorawan-adoption-in-india/ Fri, 02 Jul 2021 03:00:07 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=8893 The partnership allows rapid deployments of LoRaWAN  solutions across many IoT segments such as smart cities, industrial IoT, smart buildings, and logistics and supply chain.

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PAN-India LoRaWAN public network operator SenRA has forged a partnership with Actility, a provider of industrial grade LPWAN connectivity solutions, in a bid to hasten LoRaWAN adoption across the sub-continent.

Furthermore, both companies see the combination of SenRA’s expertise in connectivity services and data analytics  and Actility’s advanced product portfolio will enable them to be players in the international market, extending their reach beyond India.

“Our collaboration with SenRA is enabling a faster adoption of IoT solutions in India through the expansion of LoRaWAN networks and help both companies in offering advanced solutions not only to customers from India, but globally,” said Olivier Hersent, CEO at Actility

The partnership allows rapid deployments of LoRaWAN  solutions across many IoT segments such as smart cities, industrial IoT, smart buildings, and logistics and supply chain. The two companies have already implemented go-to-market strategies to deploy end-to-end solutions across many verticals.

The seamless integration of Actility’s ThingPark Enterprise private network server and Abeeway asset management devices extends SenRA’s product portfolio to include reliable indoor and outdoor tracking solutions based on LoRaWAN, such as SenRA’s end-to-end smart tracking solution, uFind.

Abeeway, a subsidiary of Actility, offers energy-efficient, reliable and flexible geolocation solutions using unique tracking devices and a smart multi-technology location system optimised for LoRaWAN® connectivity. The partners are now deploying solutions for human safety and asset management in airports, factories, and, more recently, in the defense sector.

“Actility offers a variety of personal safety, proximity and asset management solutions which enable us to address our customer’s needs,” said SenRA’s chief executive officer, Ali Hosseini. “We are already working together on several projects in wildlife conservation, smart factories, and the defense sector and we look forward to the continued collaboration.”

An additional benefit of the partnership is the ability to combine Actility’s Proximity & Contact Tracing solutions with Abeeway’s devices, jointly safeguarding citizens in India in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The solution alerts people who do not comply with the COVID-19 safety guidelines.

Together, SenRA and Abeeway are combining their knowledge in wireless communication and tracking solutions to keep people safe and healthy.

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NTT creates digital twin for Tour de France 2021 https://futureiot.tech/ntt-creates-digital-twin-for-tour-de-france-2021/ Thu, 01 Jul 2021 02:30:40 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=8890 NTT will use a broad range of IoT sensors, edge compute and networks, integrated into NTT’s smart platforms and mapped against a geo-location model of each stage of the Tour.

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NTT will use a broad range of IoT sensors, edge compute and networks, integrated into NTT’s smart platforms and mapped against a geo-location model of each stage of the Tour.

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Aruba boosts AI and IoT features of edge services platform https://futureiot.tech/aruba-boosts-ai-and-iot-features-of-edge-services-platform/ Wed, 23 Jun 2021 02:00:40 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=8864 Aruba seeks to help enterprise customers to realise this network simplification through ongoing advancements to Aruba Central and ArubaOS 10 (AOS 10), a unified network operating system that brings together WLAN and SD-Branch capabilities.

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Aruba Networks has given its edge service platform with a new set of AI and IoT features, while boosting the security capabilities of Aruba Central – the cloud-native, AI-powered network management and analytics platform that sits at the heart of Aruba Edge Services Platform (ESP).

The year-old  Aruba ESP (Edge Services Platform) is designed to streamline network operations and maximise IT efficiency for enterprises.  As part of Aruba ESP, Aruba Central has experienced significant growth. To date, Aruba Central manages over 100 million client endpoints and 1.5 million devices across 100,000 organisations around the world.

Also, the HPE-owned company is introducing new additions to its CX Switching portfolio, which are purpose-built for the intelligent edge.

The company announced the new advancements yesterday at the HPE Discover 2021: The Edge-to-Cloud Conference.

With these upgrades, Aruba seeks to provide a seamless, unified infrastructure that delivers new levels of agility and simplicity, which are especially important in today’s highly distributed enterprise environment.

IT analyst firm Enterprise Strategy Group (ESG) said distributed enterprise is here to stay, especially as organisations seek ways to maximise flexibility and build resiliency into their businesses to adapt quickly to whatever challenges may arise.

“Our research has shown that enterprises are accelerating their digital transformation initiatives and prioritizing projects that enhance productivity, security and collaboration, however, these highly distributed environments create more IT complexity. Therefore, there’s a real appetite in the market for technologies and solutions that leverage data and automation to increase agility and streamline operations,” said Bob Laliberte, senior analyst and practice director at ESG.

Aruba seeks to help enterprise customers to realise this network simplification through ongoing advancements to Aruba Central and ArubaOS 10 (AOS 10), a unified network operating system that brings together WLAN and SD-Branch capabilities.

In this manner, IT can effectively manage a distributed network environment across microbranch, branch, and campus environments and deliver a high-quality user experience using a single architecture, orchestrated from a single management console.

Meanwhile, the new cloud-native management capabilities in Aruba Central include:

  • Self-healing AIOps that deliver on the promise of closed-loop remediation, so problems are automatically surfaced and fixed before end users or business performance are impacted, without requiring any manual effort on the behalf of IT operators
  • A new IoT Operations service that extends network monitoring capabilities to sensors, connectors, and other IoT infrastructure, along with an integrated app store that enables customers to deploy best-of-breed applications from Aruba IoT partners in a few clicks
  • New cloud-based authentication and policy capabilities that provide automated, secure network connectivity for end users across a wide range of devices, including SIM-enabled clients – providing a seamless user experience while easing operations for IT admins who manage network access

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DHL Express: COVID-19 hastens our automation journey https://futureiot.tech/dhl-express-covid-19-hastens-our-automation-journey/ Wed, 16 Jun 2021 03:00:25 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=8841 Long before the pandemic hit, DHL Express introduced solutions to streamline vital processes, automate time-consuming repetitive tasks, and helped teams become more productive.

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Logistics has long been known as a traditional industry associated with manual labour and repetitive tasks. Often held back by legacy processes and dated IT systems, logistics companies are increasingly aware of the need to harness technology to stay competitive in a fast-moving industry.

The onset of the COVI9-19 last year and the disruptions it brought to the global supply chain underscored the need for the logistics industry to accelerate their digital transformation projects in the quest for increased automation.

DHLBot that helps to sort parcels (PRNewsfoto/DHL)

Long before the pandemic hit, DHL Express introduced solutions to streamline vital processes, automate time-consuming repetitive tasks, and helped teams become more productive. These include autonomous guided vehicles to enhance our operations, chatbots to complement customer service operations, and shipment sensors with track-and-trace capabilities.

“We were cognizant that digital transformation was an imperative to maintain and elevate our service levels as a logistics provider. The pandemic accelerated our plans to allow our work force to collaborate and work virtually from any location. We also fast-tracked our adoption and rollout of technologies, such as live chat and digital assistants, which were crucial in helping us cope with an unprecedented demand surge worldwide," said Jimmy Yeoh, chief information officer, DHL Express Asia Pacific.

DHL Express has 3,200 facilities across more than 220 countries and territories worldwide, delivering close to 500 million shipments a year based on 2020 figures.

Taking the lead in technology innovations

According to DHL Express Asia Pacific CEO Ken Lee, embarking on digital transformation projects has driven greater efficiencies and higher productivity across their organisation.

At DHL Express,  solutions such as the AI-based Advanced Quality Control Center (AQCC) system installed in each facility is designed to monitor shipment movements and flag issues in real time. It ensures parcels in transit move smoothly at every stage of their journey.

The system triggers alerts when shipments in transit are stalled. The platform’s data analytics engine then kicks up to quickly identify to location of these “exceptions” and their projected routes  are mapped. The company’s team of analysts then  hunker down to implement corrective actions to ensure these shipments can still arrive at their destinations on time.

Furthermore, the AQCC system uses AI and machine learning to identify root causes and recommend actions for continuous improvement.

Besides the AQCC system, here is a peek of the various digital transformation projects that DHL Express have done in recent years:

  • Automatic flyer sorting with DHLBot: Sorts flyers to route level with 99% accuracy. It improves sorting efficiency while minimising human interaction (for safety during Covid-19).
  • Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs): Intelligently senses the environment and ferries shipments, cargo pallets, and containers safely and efficiently. It helps to scale throughput capacity as and when needed.
  • Autonomous mobile robots: Serve as autonomous "couriers" that provide on-demand deliveries. They are equipped with sensors and AI-powered avoidance system to navigate to their respective destination.
  • Chatbots for 24/7 customer service: Allows customers to receive bite-sized shipping information and track shipments on-the-go. It is designed to instantly address commonly asked questions.
  • On-Demand Delivery (ODD) online portal: Offers customers the flexibility to schedule contactless deliveries for shipments at their own convenience. Customers can choose from six alternative delivery options if they are unable to receive the shipment on the estimated delivery date.
  • QR code labellers for parcel returns: Allows customers to manage parcel returns digitally by getting a QR code online. This reduces physical contact for ad-hoc customers by replacing physical airway bills.
  • Route optimisation for faster deliveries: Enables couriers to plan their routes more effectively, thus improving productivity and fuel efficiency. It shortens delivery time to customers.

"By constantly listening to our customers' needs, we have implemented technological innovations that are relevant and sensible for our customers, employees and operations," Lee said.

Indeed, the Deutsche Post DHL Group (DPDHL Group) is investing over EUR2 billion on digital transformation projects from 2021 to 2025 to improve the experience of customers and employees, while also increasing operational excellence. This is in line with the group’s Strategy 2025 goal of delivering excellence in a digital world.

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Azbil to develop digital solutions for use with IBMS in SG https://futureiot.tech/azbil-to-develop-digital-solutions-for-use-with-ibms-in-sg/ Tue, 15 Jun 2021 02:00:33 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=8838 The new digital solutions aim to improve the safety of buildings and occupants, increase convenience and energy efficiency, and reduce operational costs and buildings' impact on the environment.

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With support from Singapore’s Economic Development Board (EDB), Azbil Corporation is developing new digital solutions – combining AI and big data – for use with intelligent building management systems (IBMS).

The new digital solutions aim to improve the safety of buildings and occupants, increase convenience and energy efficiency, and reduce operational costs and buildings' impact on the environment. This will be accomplished through an infrastructure that enables the status of the building and occupants to be checked and managed remotely.

"We are pleased that Azbil Corporation is advancing its innovation and digitalization capabilities in Singapore," said Linda Sein, senior vice president for investment facilitation at EDB. "Azbil's development of smart technologies and infrastructure in Singapore reflects the country's strengths in innovation and R&D for urban solutions and demonstrates our value in helping companies innovate and test-bed solutions for smart cities."

Japan-based Azbil Corporation specialises in providing solutions that automate operations, particularly for smart manufacturing projects. The company uses technological innovations in IoT, AI and big data in developing the solutions.

In 2018, the company opened a showroom in Singapore where various solutions are being demonstrated and different presentations are being conducted to discuss reference projects.

Conceptual images of the new digital solutions being developed for smart buildings will be exhibited at the Azbil Singapore showroom.

"We will continue to invest in Singapore, moving forward with the state-of-the-art innovation project of developing digital solutions for lBMS in response to rapidly increasing demands for digital transformation and smart solutions that leverage AI and big data," said Takayuki Yokota, Azbil's CFO and senior managing executive officer in charge of global corporate communication.

The company has been active in Singapore amid the Lion City’s aggressive push for smart city developments.

In January, Azbil announced its participation in an initiative to test new and innovative building automation solutions at the Smart Urban Co-Innovation Lab. The Lab, which was launched late last year, is a smart city programme spearheaded by the real estate developer CapitaLand.

The Lab brings together leaders across various industries to co-create and test innovations at CapitaLand's 5G-enabled Singapore Science Park. Through the Lab, Azbil is exploring possible collaborations with other participating companies to develop and manage projects requiring energy management solutions for the life cycle of buildings.

As part of this initiative, Azbil has installed its pandemic-ready airflow control system in the Lab. The system can easily convert an office meeting room into a temporary "pandemic-ready room" to isolate anyone who is suspected of carrying an infectious disease, while waiting to be taken to medical facilities.

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Aruba and Zebra build embedded solution for mobile devices https://futureiot.tech/aruba-and-zebra-build-embedded-solution-for-mobile-devices/ Tue, 01 Jun 2021 02:00:22 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=8787 The Aruba User Experience Insight (UXI) AI software agent embedded in Zebra mobile computers analyses real-time voice and data traffic and proactively flags issues that could affect application, Wi-Fi connectivity, roaming, and voice performance.

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Aruba, in collaboration with  Zebra Technologies, has developed an embedded solution for mobile devices that delivers real-time visibility into roaming user experiences and application performance.

The Aruba User Experience Insight (UXI) AI software agent embedded in Zebra mobile computers analyses real-time voice and data traffic and proactively flags issues that could affect application, Wi-Fi connectivity, roaming, and voice performance.

The embedded solution will be available in October of 2021. Target markets include healthcare, hospitality, logistics, and retail applications.

However, companies using Zebra devices can get hold of the solution now through early access trials.

The early warning provided by Aruba UXI informs remedial actions so that business-critical applications and end user experiences are not impacted. The result is higher up-time, increased productivity, and more expeditious problem remediation.

Aruba’s AI-based UXI agents’ network and application testing capabilities work in concert with Zebra’s Worry-Free Wi-Fi Edge Insights to expose a device-level view and pre-analysed insights of the network. Results are displayed on Aruba’s intuitive UXI dashboard.

Edge-to-cloud early warning system

Zebra developed WorryFree Wi-Fi Edge Insights to deliver device communications and management services. It will provide businesses with an edge-to-cloud early warning system that can directly enhance productivity, efficiency, and profitability.

The solution enables IT teams to automate the collection, analysis, and remediation of performance issues in real-time using data observed from the very devices that are being impacted, as simulated or historical data simply cannot provide the same level of accuracy as live data.

For example, connectivity and voice performance might vary considerably while standing at floor level, moving on a forklift, or while picking at the top of a storage rack. The combination of Aruba’s UXI agents and Zebra Worry-Free Wi-Fi Edge Insights will expose these differences, enabling IT staff – locally or remotely – to precisely target solutions. The real-time nature of data collection means that even transient events that might otherwise go unnoticed are captured and analysed.

“COOs are laser focused on improving operational efficiency, reducing downtime, and making the best use of skilled labour,” said Michael Tennefoss, vice president of IoT and strategic partnerships at Aruba. “Many of the most vexing problems are transient in nature and extremely challenging to troubleshoot. Capturing real-time information right at the point of impact gives the most insightful view of what’s happening, and best informs how to fix it. And that’s exactly what the combination of Zebra’s new Worry-Free Wi-Fi Edge Insights and Aruba’s UXI accomplishes.”

Mining business insights from big data

The vast amount of data generated by Zebra mobile computers and other IoT machines can be meaningfully collected, analysed, and acted upon by leveraging artificial intelligence (AI).

Aruba pioneered the application of AI to automated network and application performance monitoring. Aruba UXI, a component of Aruba’s AIOps suite, is AI-powered and its Incident Detection feature baselines application performance over time and automatically identifies and alerts when it detects service-impacting changes in behaviour.

The cloud-based service allows IT to proactively resolve issues before they impact operations, and minimise alert fatigue, often without ever stepping foot on the site being monitored. AIOps runs as a service within Aruba ESP (Edge Services Platform), the industry’s first cloud-native platform designed to automate, unify, and secure the edge.

“As enterprises make the leap to digitally transform, the amount of business-impacting data that has to be analysed for meaningful insights is growing exponentially,” said Brian Ray, vice president of engineering at HarborTech Mobility, an Aruba Platinum partner and Zebra PartnerConnect Premier Solutions partner.

He added: “Data science has to be leveraged, but it is only as good as the sources from which it draws. Mobile device-generated data is the gold standard for performance and troubleshooting information because it’s coming directly from the source, from the very device that’s impacted by network, service, and application issues.”

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ASTRI trialled cold food safety management platform https://futureiot.tech/astri-trialled-cold-food-safety-management-platform/ Fri, 28 May 2021 01:30:57 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=8774 Trucks will use the Global Positioning System (GPS) to record their driving routes and use an advanced electronic lock and thermometer to monitor the status of the container door and the temperature inside, uploading it to the system platform and storing on the blockchain in real time.

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The Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute (ASTRI) has successfully completed two phases of trial of its newly developed next-generation cold food import safety management platform, which is designed to enhance the monitoring and control of frozen meat imported from Mainland China.

Conducted with the support from Hong Kong’s Food and Environmental Hygiene Department and a meat importer, the trials were done in February and March this year on the routes between a meat processing plant on the Mainland and the Man Kam To Control Point.

ASTRI will optimise the platform, and share the trial results with the relevant departments on the Mainland and in Hong Kong, anticipating further discussions on the development of the platform.

"Our goal is to deploy blockchain and IoT technologies to ensure that the entire process of transporting and storing chilled and frozen food is efficient and hygienic, and to facilitate food traceability. If a food safety incident occurs, we will be able to trace where the problem food comes from and where it goes,” said  project coordinator Ricky Leung. Leung is also senior manager of cybersecurity, cryptography and trusted technologies at ASTRI.

Technology-assisted food safety measure

The next generation cold food import safety management platform stores all import documents and container temperature data on the blockchain. Those who have been granted access rights, including farms, processing plants, importers and exporters, and approval units, will share the same documents and data to ensure consistency.

Trucks will use the Global Positioning System (GPS) to record their driving routes and use an advanced electronic lock and thermometer to monitor the status of the container door and the temperature inside, uploading it to the system platform and storing on the blockchain in real time.

Established in 2000 with the mission to enhance Hong Kong's competitiveness through applied research, ASTRI's core R&D competence in various areas is grouped under five technology divisions: AI and big data analytics; communications; cybersecurity, cryptography and trusted technologies; integrated circuits and systems; and IoT and sensors. They are applied across five core areas, including smart city, financial technologies, intelligent manufacturing, digital health, and application specific integrated circuits.

To date, ASTRI has transferred over 750 technologies to the industries and been granted more than 900 patents in the Mainland, the US, and other countries.

“We have always been committed to using advanced scientific research to assist the government and the industrial and commercial sector in addressing problems and optimising operations, thereby improving the quality of life for our citizens,” said Dr Lucas Hui, ASTRI's acting co-CEO and chief technology officer, said.

He added: “With the next generation cold food import safety management platform, we can assist importers and relevant government departments in more efficiently processing food import applications."

 

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SAS eyes IoT analytics in cold chain storage, precision farming https://futureiot.tech/sas-eyes-iot-analytics-in-cold-chain-storage-precision-farming/ Wed, 26 May 2021 03:30:57 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=8765 By deploying connected sensors, companies can use IoT analytics to deliver temperature-sensitive COVID vaccines, analyse crop data to deliver higher-quality food, improve energy forecasting to reduce utility bills, and protect people and property from dangerous flooding.

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SAS and its IoT ecosystem partners apply advanced IoT analytics to help tackle major challenges in cold chain logistics, flood prediction, energy forecasting and livestock wellness.

By deploying connected sensors, companies can use IoT analytics to deliver temperature-sensitive COVID vaccines, analyse crop data to deliver higher-quality food, improve energy forecasting to reduce utility bills, and protect people and property from dangerous flooding.

For some time now, SAS has been working with key partners including Microsoft Azure and Stress Engineering to apply customisable analytics to cold chain logistics integrity challenges.

“We use data and analytics in the cloud to help protect the efficacy of temperature-sensitive medications while simultaneously addressing security and regulatory mandates,” said Jason Mann, vice president of IoT at SAS. “It helps companies maximise efficiency, align demand, and minimise waste and fraud.

According to a 2019 study by IQVIA Institute for Human Data Science, failures in temperature-controlled logistics – like those required for storing and transporting the COVID vaccine – result in US$35 billion in annual biopharma losses. IQVIA anticipates cold chain logistics will account for nearly a quarter of pharmaceutical companies’ R&D budgets in 2021 and beyond.

IoT analytics in crop and livestock farming

SAS has been collaborating with partners such as like Ernst & Young, Semtech , DunavNET and a host of universities and colleges to apply IoT analytics in precision agriculture.

“It helps field crop and livestock farming organisations enhance quality and maximise yield, so the world’s food supply is safe and abundant.” Mann said.

Again, through connected sensors, crop and livestock farmers to monitor the situation in the fields in real-time.

According to an IDC FutureScape: Worldwide Agriculture 2021 Predictions, 75% of livestock farmers will use wearables by 2026 to provide real-time information about animal health and activity levels. This will improve profits and operational efficiency. The experts also expect 35% of farmers will use drones to monitor and manage field crops and animals to reduce labour costs and manage more acreage.

By using data streaming from sensors integrated with the LoRaWAN standard on livestock or smart drones surveying field crops, SAS analytics  help farmers protect crops, increase yields and meet customer demand.

One company that hugely benefitted in using IoT analytics is  the 5,600 -acre 13. Jul – Plantaze, which owns Europe’s largest single complex vineyard. The company produces more than 20 million kilograms of grapes and approximately 15 million bottles of wine annually.

13. Jul - Plantaze uses SAS analytics deployed by partners DunavNET and the University of Donja Gorica to monitor the presence of grape moths, which can cause significant problems.

“The SAS analytics built into the DunavNET agroNET solution have helped us move our operation into the digital future,” said Dr. Vesna Maraš, director of the development sector at Plantaze. “Monitoring plant health and pests is key, but so is modernising our entire viticulture and

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OT systems of CI a lucrative market for cybersecurity https://futureiot.tech/ot-systems-of-ci-a-lucrative-market-for-cybersecurity/ Tue, 25 May 2021 03:00:12 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=8759 The Frost & Sullivan study pointed out that critical infrastructure organisations remain far behind where they should be in their cyber maturity and digital resilience strategies, necessitating a rapid push to fortify cyber defenses and manage their cyber-risk profiles.

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Cybersecurity vendors seeking to tap the anticipated demand from critical infrastructure (CI) operators must ensure that their data traffic monitoring solutions for operational technology (OT) systems can detect the actions of active and passive assets and all data traffic types, then decide how best to analyse the data.

This is one of the major pieces of advice given by Frost & Sullivan in its latest analysis of the global critical infrastructure cybersecurity market. Segmented into oil and gas facilities, utilities (electric and water), maritime (ports and entry points), and airports, the research firm estimates the market will reach US$24.22 billion by 2030 from US$21.68 billion in 2020.

Despite the ever-increasing threat landscape and their incredibly high-risk profile, the Frost & Sullivan study pointed out that critical infrastructure organisations remain far behind where they should be in their cyber maturity and digital resilience strategies, necessitating a rapid push to fortify cyber defenses and manage their cyber-risk profiles.

"While oil and gas facilities will continue to remain, the largest segment investing in cybersecurity solutions, airports will prove to be the fastest-growing one, with a CAGR of 10.1%. Spending is expected to reach US$1.87 billion by 2030," said Danielle VanZandt, industry analyst for security at Frost & Sullivan.

"This is driven by the ongoing construction of new facilities, significant digitalization upgrades within existing airports, and the incremental updates being made to cybersecurity systems to keep up with the changing cyber-threat landscape and improve detection capabilities," she added.

Besides ensuring that their data traffic monitoring for OT systems are up to scratch, the Frost & Sullivan analysis said cybersecurity vendors should focus on the following in order to tap into a potentially lucrative market:

  • Network topology solutions for vulnerability and risk assessment: Market participants seeking to provide network topology capabilities need to ensure that they can identify and discover the variety of information technology (IT), Internet of Things (IoT), and operational technology (OT) devices within an organization's network architecture to begin building the topological model.
  • Continuous discovery for organisational assets: For security vendors, emphasizing continuous monitoring and automatic discovery tasks will help attract new customers and improve their market share.
  • Predictive analytics and threat intelligence for incident detection: Cybersecurity solutions providers must emphasize automatic and predictive capabilities in their system tests and proofs of concept with customers to show how these systems will not overwhelm their existing security functions.
  • Secure-by-design initiatives for operational technology assets and systems: Security operators that want to update older OT assets and devices should look at any components that are not engineered via secure-by-design manufacturing.

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Hexagon puts stakes on ASEAN's smart manufacturing pie https://futureiot.tech/hexagon-puts-stakes-on-aseans-smart-manufacturing-pie/ Thu, 13 May 2021 02:00:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=8707 The new centre will offer design and production engineers the best environment to learn, experiment, interact, and facilitate deeper learning and knowledge transfer in areas such as reverse engineering, additive manufacturing, shop-floor automated inspection and digitalisation of operations.

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The Hexagon Smart Manufacturing Innovation Centre recently opened in Singapore, fitted with wide array of advanced hardware and software technologies,  aimed at enabling an autonomous future across Southeast Asia.

The new centre is run by the Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence division, which provides solutions that use data from design and engineering, production and metrology to make manufacturing smarter. Hexagon specialises in sensor, software and autonomous solutions, which data to work to boost efficiency, productivity, and quality across industrial, manufacturing, infrastructure, safety, and mobility applications.

“Singapore is a strategic location for Hexagon’s innovation centre in the ASEAN region, where we have seen a rapid rise of new innovations and start-ups in the region and the unfolding of 5G technologies,” said Paolo Guglielmini, president of Hexagon’s Manufacturing Intelligence division said. “We look forward to supporting the application of advanced technologies and smart manufacturing to support growth in industries such as electronics, medical technology or eMobility.”

The new centre is the company’s flagship facility in Southeast  Asia and is currently manned by over two dozen people.

It will carry a range of smart digital manufacturing technologies and autonomous connected ecosystems. This includes Hexagon’s latest advanced Computer Aided Engineering (CAE) solutions for design engineering; Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM) software for production applications; precision metrology, superior sensors, automation, Artificial Intelligence (AI), machine learning, data management and analytics solutions.

An environment for innovators

Indeed, the new centre will offer design and production engineers the best environment to learn, experiment, interact, and facilitate deeper learning and knowledge transfer in areas such as reverse engineering, additive manufacturing, shop-floor automated inspection and digitalisation of operations.

“This centre marks our on-going drive to bring Hexagon’s smart solutions into this region for the benefit of businesses here. It offers an environment for innovators, design engineers and manufacturers to test proof their inventions for quality, safety and productivity with access to our latest offerings which are a part of Hexagon’s Smart Solution portfolio,” said  Lim Boon Choon, president for Hexagon’s Manufacturing Intelligence division, Korea, ASEAN, Pacific, and India.

Solutions at the Hexagon’s Smart Manufacturing Innovation Centre include:

  • Advanced CAE solutions for design engineering, for simulation in the areas of comprehensive Computational Fluid Dynamics and Modern manufacturing simulation process such as forming, stamping, welding and additive manufacturing
  • CAM software for production solutions like NCSIMUL and VISI Reverse
  • Asset management and connected shopfloor digital solutions like SFx Asset Management
  • Quality analysis solutions such as Q-DAS, VGSTUDIO Max and Laser Trackers
  • Statistical Process Control to collect data for analytics

Lim hinted at exciting updates on the horizon. “More of Hexagon’s revolutionary smart technologies including the latest advanced non-contact sensors fitted on-machine, on coordinate measuring machines (CMM) as well as on Laser Trackers, to elevate quality and precision to the highest level possible will soon be featured at the centre. This is a pioneering achievement, one that the industry has not seen to-date.”

Eye on Southeast Asia

Industry research points to a shifting tide towards autonomous smart manufacturing in the next five years in Southeast Asia, especially with many industries and governments pushing for digitalisation.

Lim highlighted that the aerospace, automotive, electronics, medical technology as well as energy industries would stand to especially benefit from the new facility.

“Hexagon’s Smart Manufacturing Innovation Centre allows us to move closer towards creating an autonomous future where business, industry and humanity sustainably thrive,” he added.

Hexagon currently has smart manufacturing innovation centres and factories in Hongdao, China; Detroit, USA; Tokyo, Japan and several European countries. It will be expanding its footprint to include Thailand, Vietnam, India and Korea in the near future.

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ENGIE to build district cooling system in Punggol Digital District https://futureiot.tech/engie-to-build-district-cooling-system-in-punggol-digital-district/ Wed, 12 May 2021 02:00:11 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=8703 Beyond a reduction in carbon emission, the DCS contributes to PDD’s vision of not just being a sustainable mixed-use district, but a smart one.

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JTC Corporation has tapped  ENGIE South East Asia to build, own and operate the underground district cooling system (DCS) for the Punggol Digital District, Singapore’s first smart business district that integrates a national university, business park and community facilities.

ENGIE, which specialises on sustainable energy innovation, will develop and construct the DCS plant, which will have a cooling capacity of close to 30,000 refrigeration-tons[1], equivalent to cooling 8,000 4-room HDB flats.

With a 4km centralised piping network connected to customers in the district, the plant is expected to reduce 3,700 tons of CO2 emissions per year at full development and achieve up to 30% reduction of energy consumption compared to standard commercial buildings. The design phase contract, awarded to ENGIE in 2019, has also achieved the Building & Construction Authority’s (BCA) Green Mark Platinum award.

Beyond a reduction in carbon emission, the DCS contributes to PDD’s vision of not just being a sustainable mixed-use district, but a smart one. The system will be integrated into PDD’s Open Digital Platform where monitoring and machine learning of building usage patterns will be carried out.

“Technology is a key driver in advancing sustainability at Singapore’s first smart business District. The Open Digital Platform at PDD integrates various systems across the district, including the district cooling system. This will allow us to track energy consumption patterns, as well as optimise energy distribution and cost efficiencies across the entire District. This is an exciting partnership with ENGIE, and we welcome more players to join us," said David Tan, assistant CEO  of Development Group, JTC.

Part of urban transformation master plan

In line with Urban Redevelopment Authority's (URA) urban transformation master plan to optimise land use, key infrastructure for the district cooling system will be laid below ground. By implementing district cooling, more spaces can be used for green parks and social amenities, development of renewable energy such as rooftop solar panels.

Moreover, ENGIE will leverage construction innovations such as mechanical pipe couplings for a more efficient and environmentally friendly installation, which aligns with the nation's push to promote the adoption of sustainable construction materials and practices.

“We are proud to partner with JTC to build a world-class smart district cooling system that contributes to Singapore’s sustainability agenda. Increasingly, district cooling solutions will play a critical and essential role to help Southeast Asia meet its cooling needs while achieving its sustainability goals towards climate action,” said Thomas Baudlot, CEO, ENGIE South East Asia.

The selection of ENGIE to design, build, own and operate the district cooling system for PDD marks another significant step for the company, as it continues to make headway in strengthening South East Asia’s energy efficiency through innovations in district cooling and other smart and sustainable technologies.

“The development and construction of the plant is right at the heart of ENGIE’s vision to enable businesses, partners and governments to make the shift towards carbon neutrality,”  Baudlot added.

Expected to be completed in 2024, the underground plant will be operated by ENGIE for a period of 30 years. The district cooling facility will provide air conditioning in a reliable, sustainable and cost effective way to the business park, community, retail outlets, and transportation nodes within the district. It optimises resources, land use and operational efficiency by allowing individual buildings to avoid operating and maintaining their own air conditioning systems.

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Fibre optic sensors on bridges across Australia’s Victoria State https://futureiot.tech/fibre-optic-sensors-on-bridges-across-australias-victoria-state/ Tue, 11 May 2021 01:00:50 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=8691 The technology was developed at Xerox’s Palo Alto Research Center (PARC) and trailed through a partnership between Xerox and VicTrack, the Victorian Government state-owned enterprise that owns all railway and tram lines in the state.

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The Victorian Government of Australia has committed AU$50 million to deploy tiny fibre optic sensors onto bridges across the state for early detection and prediction of problems, thus preventing costly repairs and helping bridge operators to efficiently manage maintenance budgets.

“This will help to detect problems earlier, reduce delays caused by road closures for manual inspections and repairs, and help to find problems more quickly and accurately in the case of bridge strikes or other unexpected events,” said Victorian Minister for Transport Infrastructure Jacinta Allan.

The state government has partnered with technology vendor Xerox  on a joint venture  named Eloque to commercialise the new technology that will remotely monitor the structural health of bridges.

“The technology has already been deployed on 7 bridges in Victoria and will be progressively deployed on priority bridges, particularly those that regularly deal with heavy loads and are at the most risk of deterioration. This is solving a major pain point for customers and allowing them to better manage their assets,” said VicTrack chief executive Campbell Rose AM, who has taken the role of CEO of Eloque to support the company through its early establishment.

The Eloque solution is an Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) technology, that accurately measures and estimates structural strain, thermal response, bending, loads, vibration on bridges. Advanced analytics are then used to evaluate the sensors’ data and deliver insights directly to the bridge owners and operators in real time, to monitor whether a bridge is being over or underutilised, has structural problems or damage that needs repair.

Aging public infrastructure challenge

According to the American Society of Civil Engineers 2021 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure, in the United States alone, 42% of all bridges are at least 50 years old, and nearly 231,000 bridges need repair and preservation work. This problem extends across the globe. An estimated 70% of Australia’s bridges are more than 50 years old, around 11,000 of Germany's 25,000 rail bridges are over 100 years old, and 7% of bridges in France are already at risk of collapse.

“Aging and deteriorating public infrastructure is a global problem. We are pioneering technology that maintains the safety of bridges, extends their useful life and positively impacts planning,” said Xerox vice chairman and CEO John Visentin. “Our partnership with the Victorian Government not only allows us to solve this problem for Victoria, but also rapidly expand to customers around the world facing these challenges.”

The technology was developed at Xerox’s Palo Alto Research Center (PARC) and trailed through a partnership between Xerox and VicTrack, the Victorian Government state-owned enterprise that owns all railway and tram lines in the state. PARC’s solution uses sensors and advanced analytics to monitor structural health in bridges to optimize asset life.

“While our initial focus will be rail and road bridges, Eloque’s technology is versatile and we plan to adapt it for use on other critical structures in the future,” said Ersin Uzun, general manager of IoT for Xerox and Board Member of Eloque. “We are already looking to expand the technology to tunnels, ports, multi-story parking garages and other critical infrastructure assets.”

Xerox is the majority owner of Eloque, and this is part of its strategy for broad entry into the IoT market with new industrial offerings. Last year, Xerox also announced that PARC is working with the United States’ Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) for the development of a technology that can enable large scale monitoring of seas under the Ocean of Things program.

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Wika deploys BIM to speed up Jakarta hospital construction https://futureiot.tech/wika-deploys-bim-to-speed-up-jakarta-hospital-construction/ Tue, 04 May 2021 02:00:41 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=8661 By using BIM technology to digitally collaborate, Wika was able to rapidly progress through the design review process, manage complexity of design changes during construction, and achieve efficiency in time, cost, and quality.

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Construction firm PT Wijaya Karya (Persero) Tbk (Wika) has turned to digital solutions, integrating its modular approach to construction with BIM technology to build one of the 14 new hospitals commissioned by the Indonesian government to address the shortage of bed capacity because of rising COVID-19 cases.

The hospital, costing approximately US$4 million, is a one-storey building with a capacity of 300 beds, 35 intensive care unit rooms, and 10 emergency rooms. It occupies a 22,700sqm former football field in South Jakarta.

It is a modern facility equipped with a negative pressure isolation system to prevent the flow of virus-contaminated air, eliminating the spread of infectious pathogens to the surrounding environment, and includes a robotic nurse and an integrated command centre to connect it to 65 other hospitals.

In an article published trade publication Southeast Asia Construction, Wika shared how innovative solutions using drone and BIM technology help in building the hospital on time and within budget amidst the challenging COVID-19 situation.

Construction under time pressure

The Indonesia government instructed Wika to complete design and construction works, as well as have the hospital fully operating, in less than a month. Delivery also needed to be cost-effective and environmentally sustainable.

To meet these project requirements on a very tight timeline is no easy task with current social distancing measures. The company needed digital solutions that could fast-track construction by coordinating and accelerating engineering workflows, while at the same time addressing the various planning, collaboration and management challenges of the project.

By using BIM technology to digitally collaborate, Wika was able to rapidly progress through the design review process, manage complexity of design changes during construction, and achieve efficiency in time, cost, and quality.

“BIM facilitates the creation of designs that are complex to the construction process, starting from initial digital design to manufacturing workflows in all lines of construction disciplines,” Romi Ramadhan, BIM manager at Wika told trade publication Southeast Asia Construction.

BIM stands for Building Information Modelling, the process of generating and managing building data during its design, construction and during the building or assets life cycle. Typically, the process uses three-dimensional building modelling software to increase productivity of consultants and contractors during the whole asset life cycle.

The process produces the Building Information Model database, which encompasses building geometry, spatial relationships, geographic information, quantities and properties of building elements. It is a new way of working using new technology to facilitate project management, better construction process control, cross-disciplinary collaboration, communication with external stakeholders, decision support and risk management.

Establishing a connected data environment

To implement its BIM strategy, Wika needed interoperable modelling applications and a unified digital platform. To do this,  the company established a connected data environment using ProjectWise, and adopted Bentley’s reality modelling and BIM methodology to carry out its modular approach.

Wika used a quadcopter drone and ContextCapture to capture and process images of the 2-ha project site, creating a reality model of the topographic area. With OpenBuildings Designer, Wika generated a model of the entire hospital building, including structural, architectural, and MEP elements, as well as incorporated landscape and roadway design with OpenRoads.

To optimise design of the indoor airflow system to support patient recovery and prevent viral transmission, Wika used Hevacomp to perform airflow analysis and simulation within the building model, designing an HVAC system that complies with proper standards. The company integrated the 3D models with the construction schedule and costs using Synchro 4D while using LumenRT for visual animation, improving construction visualisation for better design verification.

Leveraging Bentley’s interoperable applications, Wika implemented a collaborative BIM methodology, enabling immediate access to real-time data and 3D models without needing to be in the same room. The integrated digital modelling solution facilitated survey, design, simulation, and visualisation, allowing design and construction to occur simultaneously, identifying and resolving design clashes, and making virtual changes to avoid errors and costly rework on site.

ProjectWise and Navigator especially helped coordinate the various, geographically dispersed engineering disciplines resulting in faster decisions throughout the project lifecycle. “The end result is that Bentley Systems can cover the end-to-end processes both in terms of engineering and management,” said Ramadhan.

Working in a connected data environment, 13 multidiscipline BIM engineers collaborated from home, streamlining workflows and increasing productivity to keep the tight project schedule on track.

The connective data environment also improved visualisation and decision-making without everyone needing to be in the same room, important during the global pandemic. Bentley’s BIM technology played a vital role in modular design and construction, which can slowly shift the world of construction from conventional to digital and industrialise construction project delivery.

Getting the job done

Wika completed 95 design revisions and resolved 62 clashes in three days to deliver the modular design in only 10 days, saving US$400,000. The company used synchro 4D to perform construction simulation and manage the construction process, which reduced construction time by four days to complete construction within 16 days, 20% faster than targeted.

Working in a unified BIM platform provided complete insight into planning, costs, scheduling, and construction, improving cost efficiency by 18% while optimising quality. Integrating its modular approach with Bentley’s BIM technology, Wika increased its return on investment by 24% and accelerated hospital operations by two months. The ability to extract accurate material quantities from the 3D models - combined with the sustainability of the modular construction process - contributed to saving up to 3,000 cu m of material waste and 10% of project costs.

“Bentley technology has the capabilities and tools to make effective and efficient modular workflows, so we can optimise project costs and improve efficiency of the design process,” said Rizky Yusuf Ramadhan, BIM coordinator at Wika. “We continue to build more and more modular hospitals using Bentley technology as quickly as possible to save more lives.”

Moving forward, Wika plans to expand BIM application and develop a digital twin for lifecycle management of the modular facility, serving as a benchmark for future developments within the industry.

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SG expands digital plan for environmental services industry https://futureiot.tech/sg-expands-digital-plan-for-environmental-services-industry/ Fri, 23 Apr 2021 01:30:41 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=8621 The refreshed ES IDP have incorporated into its list newer and more advanced technologies such as robotics, augmented and virtual reality as well as blockchain, as their commercial applications are now more mature and readily accessible.

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Singapore continues to fortify the digitisation across various sectors, as the National Environment Agency (NEA) and the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) recently jointly refreshed the Environmental Services Industry Digital Plan (ES IDP).

This latest move follows closely on the heels of the new IDP that charts the digital roadmap for food manufacturers in the city.

The ES IDP, however, has been in place since 2018 – forming part of IMDA’s SMEs Go Digital programme that aims to make going digital simple for SMEs. It includes a three-stage digital roadmap, which charts out the digital solutions that SMEs can adopt at each stage of their growth. Larger enterprises can also use the digital Roadmap to guide their digital journey

Pandemic exacerbates manpower shortage amid demand surge

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has greatly increased the demand for and expectations of environmental services. With manpower challenges across the cleaning, waste management and pest management sub-sectors, Transforming the industry to be more productive is therefore critical to ensure continued delivery of environmental services to provide a clean, liveable and sustainable environment in Singapore.

“The COVID-19 situation has underscored the critical role of the Environmental Services industry in safeguarding public health, and provided an impetus for companies to improve their operations to become more efficient and productive as they experience an increase in demand for their services while facing manpower constraints,” said Dr Amy Khor, senior minister of state for sustainability and the environment.

She pointed out that  adoption of technologies and digital solutions such as cleaning robots and smart toilet systems has not only led to higher productivity, but also enabled companies to upskill their workforce and enhance jobs.

“The refreshed ES IDP, which now includes the pest management sub-sector, is yet another milestone in our efforts to transform the Industry. We encourage companies to tap into the refreshed plan build a future-ready workforce,” she said.

Pest management subsector added to expanded scope

The IDP now covers the pest management sub-sector as well, in addition to cleaning and waste management. New digital solutions for the environmental services (ES) industry have also been added. These enable the  whole industry to look forward to a more employable workforce, such as preparing multi-skilled professionals who can move across various sub-sectors. Businesses can also synergise cleaning, waste management and pest management services to reap greater efficiency and productivity.

Furthermore, the refreshed ES IDP have incorporated into its list newer and more advanced technologies such as robotics, augmented and virtual reality as well as blockchain, as their commercial applications are now more mature and readily accessible.

Some of these solutions are now relevant even for SMEs at an earlier stage of their growth. SMEs can tap on the Productivity Solutions Grant (PSG) for the ES industry to adopt pre-approved digital solutions recommended in the ES IDP.

Using the PSG, eligible companies can be supported with up to 80% of the qualifying cost, capped at S$350,000, until September 30, 2021. Latest statistics shows 1,500 PSG applications have approved for 518 companies, with about S$36 million of the PSG being  committed as of early April.

Continuous upskilling of ES workforce

Since 2019, the NEA has worked with partners to develop short courses for members of the ES workforce to learn more about the use of digital technology in environmental services.

For one, the  “Introduction to Digital Technology in Environment Services” course offered by the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) includes robotics and automation, as well as software and management systems[. Ngee Ann Polytechnic also offers a course on Digitalising Environmental Services. To date, about 200 people have attended both courses.

To ensure that the ES workforce is adequately equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge to adopt digital solutions, companies can refer to the Digital Roadmap on Training in the ES IDP, which includes the type of courses available to equip their employees with the relevant skills and knowledge.

Meanwhile, the Digital Roadmap on Training will also be continuously updated to ensure that the industry’s workforce is adequately prepared with the necessary skills and knowledge to adopt digital solutions, so that they are ready for changes that come with digital transformation

The IDP will be updated over time as the industry progresses and new, more relevant technologies are introduced. NEA will continue to work with partner agencies to champion initiatives to attract and retain local talent, upskill the workforce and accelerate technology adoption. Together with the support of the trade associations, we can build stronger businesses and enhance jobs in the ES industry.

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NCS, DataSpark integration brings more IoT innovation across APAC https://futureiot.tech/ncs-dataspark-integration-brings-more-iot-innovation-across-apac/ Mon, 12 Apr 2021 02:00:18 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=8574 Integration expands NCS’ NEXT service offerings in end-to-end advanced analytics and big data to support its Asia-Pacific growth strategy.

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NCS has recently added mobility intelligence services to its advanced analytics and big data solutions through its recently announced integration with DataSpark, a telco-centric data science and engineering subsidiary of Singtel Group.

A key capability of DataSpark is using mobility data intelligence to help organisations make better-informed business strategy and plans by understanding how people move, where they go, and what they do. This is done by processing large amounts of anonymised mobile, Global Positioning System (GPS), public transport, road network, immigration, and census data.

With a presence in Australia (known as DSpark), Indonesia, Philippines, and Singapore, DataSpark offers a range of solutions ranging from artificial intelligence and machine learning, to bespoke telecommunication data tools.

In 2020, DataSpark successfully gathered anonymised telco-sourced data on changes in unique daily worker volumes within Singapore and Australia’s Central Business Districts (CBD), which provided insights and solutions into the future of workers in CBD offices.

DataSpark will be integrated into NCS NEXT organisation, and it will continue to run independently under NEXT to further accelerate and expand its product and service offerings.

Bringing greater innovations in IoT

Wynthia Goh, head of NEXT Digital at NCS, said that the integration of DataSpark into NCS enables new opportunities for greater innovation and growth in areas like IoT.

“IoT application services can be deployed in a multitude of scenarios by leveraging rich movement data and drawing actionable insights to help clients in wide-ranging solutions including; optimising network coverage, redirecting freight companies’ shipments, managing traffic congestions, enhancing real-time cybersecurity operations, and helping governments enrich their IoT infrastructure,” Goh told FutureIoT.

Indeed, the integration between the two companies will enable enterprises to better harness big data for digital transformation, augment their existing data platforms with geo-spatial data, and transform the data into mobility intelligence to draw deeper customer insights and drive business outcomes.

The mobility data available includes data from IoT devices. Device usage and traffic pattern can be deployed in the following use cases:

  • Managing the distribution and location of IoT devices to optimise coverage
  • Managing device performance or detect breakdown or faulty IoT devices
  • Cybersecurity to detect anomaly behaviour in device usage or traffic patterns against baselines, detect botnet attacks or to identify IoT devices that have been compromised

A win-win partnership

Ng Kuo Pin, chief executive officer of NCS said DataSpark is NCS' trusted digital transformation partner for governments and enterprises in the Asia Pacific region.

“We are committed to helping our clients succeed by harnessing new technologies in big data, advanced analytics and artificial intelligence. Adding DataSpark’s geo-spatial and mobility intelligence services to our already robust end-to-end data capabilities opens up new possibilities for our clients, by enabling them to draw an incredibly detailed understanding of how people and their customers move, identifying unmet needs and growth opportunities,” Ng said.

Shaowei Ying, chief operating officer of DataSpark pointed out that the company’s presence in high-growth markets and unique capabilities in mobility data intelligence are a natural complement to NCS’ growth strategy in Asia Pacific.

“By joining the NCS family, we can expand our digital footprint to reach new clients in a variety of sectors such as healthcare, out-of-home media, retail, tourism, transport, urban planning, and more. With the synergy of NCS’ resources and NCS NEXT teams, we are excited to explore the growth opportunities this integration will bring and will continue to innovate to help our clients make informed business decisions with mobility data and actionable insights,” Ying said.

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AWS launches ML-based equipment diagnostic service https://futureiot.tech/aws-launches-ml-based-equipment-diagnostic-service/ Fri, 09 Apr 2021 02:00:07 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=8572 Amazon Web Services (AWS) today unveiled a new service that uses proprietary machine learning models to help industrial companies perform predictive maintenance on the equipment in their facilities. Called Amazon Lookout for Equipment, the new service ingests sensor data from a customer’s industrial equipment (e.g. pressure, flow rate, RPMs, temperature, and power), and then it […]

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Amazon Web Services (AWS) today unveiled a new service that uses proprietary machine learning models to help industrial companies perform predictive maintenance on the equipment in their facilities.

Called Amazon Lookout for Equipment, the new service ingests sensor data from a customer’s industrial equipment (e.g. pressure, flow rate, RPMs, temperature, and power), and then it trains a unique machine learning model to accurately predict early warning signs of machine failure or suboptimal performance using real-time data streams from the customer’s equipment.

The service is available today in US East (N. Virginia), EU (Ireland), and Asia Pacific (Seoul), with availability in additional regions in the coming months

Avoiding expensive downtime

Industrial companies are constantly working to improve operational efficiency by avoiding unplanned downtime due to equipment failure. Over time, many of these companies have invested heavily in physical sensors, data connectivity, data storage, and dashboards to monitor their equipment health and performance.

To analyse the data from their equipment, most companies typically use simple rules or modelling approaches to identify issues based on past performance. However, the rudimentary nature of these approaches often leads customers to identify issues after it is too late to take action, or receive false alarms based on misdiagnosed issues that require unnecessary and timely inspection. Instead, customers want to detect general operating conditions or failure types (e.g. high temperature due to friction) along with complex equipment failures (e.g. a failing pump indicated by high vibration and RPMs but low flow rates) that can only be derived by modelling the unique relationships between sensors.

“Many industrial and manufacturing companies have heavily invested in physical sensors and other technology with the aim of improving the maintenance of their equipment. But even with this gear in place, companies are not in a position to deploy machine learning models on top of the reams of data due to a lack of resources and the scarcity of data scientists. As a result, they miss out on critical insights and actionable findings that would help them better manage their operations,” said Swami Sivasubramanian, VP Amazon Machine Learning, AWS. “Today, we’re excited to announce the general availability of Amazon Lookout for Equipment, a new service that enables customers to benefit from custom machine learning models that are built for their specific environment to quickly and easily identify abnormal machine behaviour—so that they can take action to avoid the impact and expense of equipment downtime.”

With Amazon Lookout for Equipment, companies can detect equipment abnormalities with speed and precision, quickly diagnose issues, reduce false alerts, and avoid expensive downtime by taking action before machine failures occur. There are no up-front commitments or minimum fees with Amazon Lookout for Equipment, and customers pay for the amount of data ingested, the compute hours used to train a custom model, and the number of inference-hours used.

How it works

Industrial and manufacturing companies can now quickly and easily build a predictive maintenance solution for an entire facility or across multiple locations. To get started, customers upload their sensor data (e.g. pressure, flow rate, RPMs, temperature, and power) to Amazon Simple Storage Service (S3) and provide the relevant S3 bucket location to Amazon Lookout for Equipment. The service will automatically analyse the data, assess normal or healthy patterns, and build a machine learning model that is tailored to the customer’s environment.

Amazon Lookout for Equipment will then use the custom-built machine learning model to analyse incoming sensor data and identify early warning signs of machine failure or malfunction. For each alert, the service will specify which sensors are indicating an issue and measure the magnitude of its impact on the detected event. For example, if Amazon Lookout for Equipment detected an issue on a pump with 50 sensors, the service could show which five sensors indicate an issue on a specific motor, and relate that issue to the motor power current and temperature. This allows customers to identify the issue, diagnose the problem, prioritise needed actions, and perform precision maintenance before issues happen—saving them money and improving productivity by preventing down time. Amazon Lookout for Equipment allows customers to get more value from their existing sensors, and it helps them make timely decisions that can materially improve operational efficiency.

In addition to Amazon Lookout for Equipment, AWS offers industrial and manufacturing customers the broadest range of cloud-to-edge industrial machine learning services, including Amazon Monitron (for predictive maintenance using an end-to-end solution comprised of sensors, gateways, and a machine learning service), Amazon Lookout for Vision (for visual anomaly detection using computer vision models in the cloud), and AWS Panorama (for visual inspection using an Appliance and Software Development Kit that brings computer vision models to on-premises cameras).

Positive response

Amazon Lookout for Equipment is available directly via the AWS console as well through supporting partners in the AWS Partner Network.

Siemens Energy offers products, solutions, and services across the entire energy value chain to support its customers on their way to a more sustainable future – no matter how far along the journey they are. “We work with our customers to improve performance, reliability, and safety through our existing business lines enhanced with digital service solutions. Digitalisation is a key driver for a sustainable energy future,” said Amogh Bhonde, senior vice president digital solutions at Siemens Energy. “With Amazon Lookout for Equipment, we see an opportunity to combine AWS machine learning with Siemens Energy subject matter expertise to give improved visibility into the systems and equipment across the entirety of a customer’s operation. Amazon Lookout for Equipment's automated machine learning workflow makes it easy to build and deploy models across a variety of assets types with no data science knowledge required. Siemens Energy values AWS as a trusted partner accelerating our continued development of the Omnivise suite of digital solutions.”

Cepsa is a global energy and chemical company operating end-to-end in every stage of the oil and gas value chain. Cepsa also manufactures products from raw materials of plant origin and is driving a new strategy to become a reference in the energy transition. "At Cepsa, digital transformation is focused on people. In that regard, our professionals are the engine behind our transformation. With Amazon Lookout for Equipment, we are bringing machine learning insights to the experts that know the equipment best—reliability and maintenance engineers—allowing them to make more informed decisions to drive higher uptime and lower operational costs,” said Alberto Gascón, head of advanced analytics at Cepsa. “Solutions like predictive maintenance for equipment traditionally involve manual and complex data science such as choosing the right algorithms and parameters, but Amazon Lookout for Equipment automates these processes so that engineers can focus on solving the most critical challenges that impact their business."

Embassy of Things (EOT) is the creator of Twin Talk, a secure and scalable ETL++ Data Delivery System designed to tap into the unrealized value hidden within operational data from SCADA systems and historians and enable industrial operating companies to leverage the power of cloud-based data analytics, machine learning, and AI. "Using predictive analytics and anomaly detection for not just one, but across all production sites is the key that enables our customers to achieve the highest level of production optimizations as well as cost and emission reductions. Our Twin Talk System liberates operational data to enable cloud-based, event-driven real-time architectures for Amazon Cloud Services like IoT SiteWise and S3,” said Matt Oberdorfer, CEO of Embassy of Things. “We are leveraging Amazon Lookout for Equipment to our suite of solutions which enables an automated machine learning process that improves the accuracy of detecting the most meaningful insights and enables insights to action faster. Lookout for Equipment is a true game-changer because it puts AI in the hands of maintenance engineers by abstracting away traditionally data-science-heavy steps being scalable effectively across assets."

RoviSys is a Global Operational Technology systems integrator, and a leading independent provider of comprehensive process automation solutions and services. "Machine learning is one of the most promising technologies for industrial customers, and has the potential to provide major value by decreasing maintenance and operational costs,” said Bryan DeBois, director of industrial AI at Rovisys. “RoviSys is working with AWS to integrate Amazon Lookout for Equipment with data from on-premises equipment and infrastructure using AWS IoT services, in order to enable advanced machine learning maintenance solutions at scale. This technology lets our customers leverage existing infrastructure, but unlock even more value from that data quickly and easily."

Seeq is an advanced analytics solution that enables engineers and subject matter experts in process manufacturing organizations to rapidly investigate and share insights from data in historians, IIoT platforms, AWS services, and manufacturing and business systems. “We are pleased to be announcing our work with AWS to develop solutions that deliver diagnostic, monitoring, and predictive analytics powered by big data and machine learning innovations,” said Megan Buntain, director of cloud partnerships at Seeq Corporation. “Using Seeq with Amazon Lookout for Equipment will help organisations turn data into insights that deliver continuous improvement and sustainability objectives.”

TensorIoT is an AWS Advanced Consulting Partner delivering complete end-to-end products and solutions in IoT, data engineering, machine learning, and artificial intelligence. “TensorIOT builds solutions with AWS services to accelerate integration of machine learning in products and processes across industrial operations,” said Charles Burden, vice president of consulting at TensorIoT. “Leveraging Amazon Lookout for Equipment can help reduce the heavy lift of leveraging machine learning by automatically developing, managing, and supporting the continuous improvement of anomaly detection models. This greatly reduces the number of manual touchpoints needed, and allows engineers to turn insights into operational improvements. Simply put, Lookout for Equipment allows companies to innovate faster.”

 

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APAC firms will acquire digital twin capabilities for resilient decision making https://futureiot.tech/apac-firms-will-acquire-digital-twin-capabilities-for-resilient-decision-making/ Tue, 30 Mar 2021 02:00:57 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=8525 Driving a strategy of IT/OT convergence is a priority that more than 90% of industrial organisations have, but in practice the integration is still very difficult.

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Enabling resilient decision making for operations through digital twin capabilities is a key to the future state companies across Asia Pacific will have in place, according to IDC.

In its latest document entitled IDC FutureScape: Worldwide IT/OT Convergence 2021 Predictions — Asia/Pacific (Excluding Japan) Implications to help enterprises in the New Normal, IDC stressed that developing a system that can ingest, analyse, and present decision options rapidly and effectively is required, and being able to do so in a consistent, defined, and accessible framework.

It added that digitised processes and role-based apps like ERP, CRM, APM, and PLM are connected to physical entities representing business processes, assets, products, designs, and so on. The applications are then connected to a digital thread layer that ingests and contextualises the data. A digital twin development platform can take contextualised data to create digital twins for any product, asset, design, process, or operation. The decision-making framework will depend on AI due to the size of the data sets, the complexity of the multivariate relationships in the data, and the speed at which data will be ingested.

IDC’s latest IT/OT predictions highlight the laser focus that the COVID pandemic has placed on the foundations of enterprise and operational data, data governance, connectivity, and enterprise architecture. Companies still have a spaghetti of paper-based processes, spreadsheets, applications, and approaches across operations and the enterprise that limits the flow of data and value across the value chain. Getting an end-to-end approach in place from a process and system perspective for critical operational capabilities such as asset operations, supply chain, and production execution will be a key going forward as they take steps towards putting physical/digital models in place to support decision making going forward. Technologies like cloud and AI particularly have a huge role to play in enabling that integration.

Indeed, with the shift in maturity of integration of IT and OT systems, processes and organisations have become a critical focus, according to IDC.

The technology research firm further pointed out that in 2020 companies in Asia Pacific have been challenged by the requirement to manage their operations remotely, and to enable a level of visibility and integration across the operations and the enterprise well beyond previous expectations. Hence, the ability of operations to consume data insight and enable resilient decision making will become a critical factor of competition differentiation for industry leaders.

“Driving a strategy of IT/OT convergence is a priority that more than 90% of industrial organisations have, but in practice the integration is still very difficult. Companies have expressed that the biggest challenge when utilising data for decision making is the integration of OT systems across siloes, and of those systems with enterprise systems – in particular enterprise resource management systems (ERP),” said Emilie Ditton, associate vice president for Energy and Manufacturing Insights at IDC Asia/Pacific.

Some of the key Future of IT/OT Convergence that will impact operations leaders and technology buyers and suppliers in Asia/Pacific are:

  • By 2026, 40% of A2000 organizations will have invested in a common IoT platform layer that provides access to data collected through various point solutions.
  • By 2024, 50% of industrial organisations will be integrating data from edge OT systems with cloud-based reporting and analytics, moving from single-asset views to sitewide operational awareness.
  • Industrial enterprises that fail to implement an enterprise data governance model enabling the foundation for resilient decision making by 2023 will underperform on profitability by 10%.

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Edge computing: Out with the old, and in with the new https://futureiot.tech/edge-computing-out-with-the-old-and-in-with-the-new/ Wed, 24 Mar 2021 02:00:29 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=8479 As enterprises accelerate investments in digital transformation projects, edge technologies will open up new opportunities to succeed in the marketplace.

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Asia Pacific is set to see the highest growth in global edge computing on the back of accelerated IoT and cloud computing adoption, according to research firm, MarketsandMarkets. Globally the edge computing market is set to grow from US$ 3.6 billion in 2020 to US$ 15.7 billion by 2025, as COVID has spurred rapid digital transformation of industries and sparked a decentralisation of data and technology.

Edge computing is defined loosely as a model that brings computational, data storage and connectivity resources closer to the locations where they’re needed, saving bandwidth and accelerating response times. Edge technologies power millions of IoT applications in industrial, retail, healthcare and smart cities environments, and, prior to 2020, analysts expected an additional bump from virtual reality and 5G in the coming years.

Then the pandemic hit, and the need for edge technologies suddenly accelerated. As millions of workers shifted out of enterprise hubs into more remote locations, they put a strain on networks, creating increased latency and a greater need for computer power, capacity, and storage closer to the new network edge.

Changing roles

It’s not just workers connecting on Zoom occupying this new edge. Across the Asia region, industries and businesses are rethinking the way they operate. Video editors working from home are transmitting huge files, schools are engaging thousands of students in online classes, and physicians are conducting remote health visits where high-res images are posted and circulated. Investing in edge solutions that process data locally and enable more seamless connections avoids having to slog through increasingly overburdened public networks.

Asia will see a strong uptake of edge computing and IoT applications coming into 2021 as a lot of organisations face the pressure to create new ways of working, new ways for customer engagement and new ways of business. This will spark exponential growth in hyper-scale cloud adoption for organisations and increased effort on completing the edge computing and IoT journey. This casts a spotlight on the availability of your services and data which becomes critical in ensuring sustained success.

The proliferation of Big Data and IoT, edge computing will be a key architecture design challenge to solve respect to volume, velocity and variety of data from multiple sources. The end goal is to achieve the highly desirable outcome of data availability, data agility and business acceleration.

The prediction is for a boom in edge-related hardware, software and applications. Analysts are predicting a major growth spurt at the edge, rocketing up 30% a year to US$44.0 billion by 2030.

As enterprises accelerate investments in digital transformation projects, edge technologies will open up new opportunities to succeed in the marketplace. Here are a few areas where they’ll play prominent roles.

Customer service

Customers, of course, can be demanding. They want choices, information, intuitive purchasing options, respect for their privacy and, at times, a little coddling. Businesses can respond better in transactional situations if they can have information and insights available in the moment. This plays right to the strengths of edge applications.

Retailers, for instance, can use edge devices with web caching functions to replicate online customer experiences in the physical world. They can capture customer information, apply insights from shopping patterns, process connections in real time and be ready to serve the customer better at key points of the buying journey.

Outside the store, changeable digital displays can broadcast pop-up sales to attract customers inside. As customers enter, the network connects to their personal devices and access their purchase history. Customers then can request customised coupons or connect to personalised shopper assistance. Inside the store, strategically positioned kiosks and screens display customised promotional offers based on each shopper’s buying patterns.

Sales associates can use digital assistant devices to check updated inventory levels or gather insider product information. Easy-to-use product finder displays can steer customers to the right products based on individual, self-selected preferences.

Security

The proliferation of edge computing applications has significant – and seemingly contradictory – ramifications for security.

On one hand, adding more nodes opens up more places vulnerable to attack. This will force IT security leaders to bolster their defences to ensure that information and applications stored at the edge match the strength their applying inside the data centre itself.

At the same time, edge computing’s decentralised nature brings some security benefits. If an edge device is breached, security teams can easily wall off the endpoint, so the attack doesn’t spread to the whole network. They can also configure their edge models to keep more data at the endpoints and limit the amount of information that gets sent back to home office. That adds an extra layer of security, keeping threats away from the data centre, where more mission-critical resources are stored.

To optimise the security of an edge-enabled system, organisations will need to establish strong governance programs to control the data that’s being generated, processed and transferred from individual sites.

Plus, since IoT devices are tough to secure, it’s important that the edge computing deployment emphasises proper management of the devices themselves. They’ll need to establish policy-driven configuration enforcement and security for computing and storage, paying special attention to encryption of data at rest and in flight.

While edge security isn’t a new concept, the scale of the challenge has grown with the expansion of remote work and on-site IoT-related applications. Solving these edge security issues will be a top priority in 2021 and beyond.

This article was co-authored with Dave Russell, Vice President of Enterprise Strategy and Raymond Goh, Technical Director for Asia & Japan, Veeam Software

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NUS, Johnson Controls unveil S$5M smart building research https://futureiot.tech/nus-johnson-controls-unveil-s5m-smart-building-research/ Mon, 22 Mar 2021 02:00:36 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=8470 The first research project under this collaboration to simplify building data integration for a healthier, more sustainable built environment.

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Six months after opening the OpenBlue Innovation Center, the National University of Singapore (NUS) and Johnson Controls further deepens their over decade-long partnership by launching a S$5-million smart building research programme, with the latter shouldering the financial commitment.

The NUS School of Design and Environment (SDE) will kick off with the first research project in April 2021, which will be led by assistant professor Clayton Miller from its Department of Building. The research will use machine learning to accelerate the conversion of Internet of Things (IoT) data into the BRICK Schema, a standardising model for data labels in buildings.

This open-source schema describes smart buildings and their subsystems in a format that enables software to more easily and quickly connect into a larger number of buildings. With the establishment of a consistent schema across buildings, the industry is better able to understand metadata usage across all building types, to improve overall wellness for its users.

“Our research collaboration with Johnson Controls will contribute to the built environment sector’s need for rapid digitalisation and enhanced collaboration across the entire industry value chain,” said Professor Lam Khee Poh, NUS SDE Dean.

He pointed out that the status quo is that each building speaks its own language when it comes to IoT.

“With this research, Asst Prof Miller’s team seeks to create a type of ‘translation engine’ to convert these individual languages into the BRICK schema. This is a critical piece of enabling technology for Singapore to develop future-ready solutions for sustainable cities in line with Singapore Green Plan 2030,” Lam said.

As it is a labour-intensive process to convert existing meta-data schemas into the BRICK framework, the team intends to set up a machine learning competition to crowdsource solutions to find the most accurate approach to converting each building’s existing labelling methods into the BRICK schema.

Professor Chen Tsuhan, NUS deputy president for research and technology said as Singapore advances its whole-of-nation movement on sustainable development, NUS is ready to seize the plethora of opportunities through digital innovation activities and strategic collaborations with industry to drive the future of urban solutions.

“This collaboration between NUS and Johnson Controls will combine the university’s expertise in the science of cities and sustainability with Johnson Controls’ industry knowledge to co-create people-centric smart building systems to bring about impactful and radical changes to the lives of people in Singapore and the world,” Chen added.

The research will leverage the Johnson Controls OpenBlue Innovation Center housed at SDE, which was launched in September 2020 as a testbed for new breed of customisable, contact-free applications built on the Johnson Controls’ unifying OpenBlue digital technology suite. It will focus primarily on the four SDE buildings, with the possibility to expand the scope to include other buildings across the NUS campus.

“NUS is an important partner in our journey to transform the urban built environment, especially with the focus of ‘build back better’ in the recovery from the long pandemic,” said Alvin Ng, vice president for digital solutions, Asia Pacific at Johnson Controls. “Tapping on the talents from both sides to research on artificial intelligence, sustainability as well as smart experience and wellness, we can innovate and scale from this NUS living laboratory.”

He added: “Singapore’s larger regulatory environment is also conducive for adoption of technologies to ensure our built environment is healthier and more sustainable.”

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Under the hood: Massive IoT scales up data infrastructure https://futureiot.tech/under-the-hood-massive-iot-scales-up-data-infrastructure/ Mon, 22 Mar 2021 00:00:09 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=8461 From churning out one meter value once per month, the NICIGAS meters deliver several data points “every hour every single day of the year”.

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Over the last 12 months, Nippon Gas Company (NICIGAS) has been upgrading its existing meters across Japan by attaching an IoT-based reader called Space Hotaru that would allow remote collection and transmission gas consumption data – in one of the largest smart utilities deployment to date.

In an exclusive interview, FutureIoT spoke with Philippe Chiu, co-founder and chief technology officer of UnaBiz, about the smart meter project in an in-depth interview that covers the impact of COVID-19, the importance of supply chain, challenges around customisation and integration and more.

Singapore-based UnaBiz is the product design and hardware device manufacturer, who together with SORACOM, developed the Space Hotaru from NICIGAS’ original concept.

(Third of three parts)

By the end of this month, UnaBiz expects to complete the deployment 850,000 units of Space Hotaru as it winds down the first phase of the NICIGAS smart meter project.

Once installed, the two-way exchange of data between the IoT-based reader and the NICIGAS systems automatically begins. And the real work around big data gives the Japanese utility company a first-hand knowledge on the demand this steady stream of voluminous information has on its IT infrastructure.

“Previously, it was manual reading, there was no continuous stream of data going into the system. There was zero meters sending data to NICIGAS IT system. They had to scale the entry point of the system, because now there is a hundred of thousands of gas meters reporting in the data. And on that aspect, you have to add resources on the IT side of things,” said Philippe Chiu, co-founder and CTO of UnaBiz.

There is immense pressure on the enterprise network once it begins integrating IoT at scale. Chiu compares it to an “attempt of denial of service where hundreds of thousands of devices are hijacking and trying  to attacking the same target”.

“Massive IoT it is a bit like controlled denial of service because you do have those hundreds of thousands of new devices that have to report to your system, and you have to find a secure and stable way to welcome them, otherwise, the data cannot enter. This is just the network side of things,” Chiu explained.

To ease the IoT integration with NICIGAS’ IT systems, UnaBiz and the other partners worked on standardisation that simplifies the management of the devices and wireless networks.

“It is better to make that life easy so NICIGAS can deal with their internal challenges – rather than having the whole set of challenges, which is a huge mountain to climb,” Chiu said

Dealing with big data

From churning out one meter value once per month, the NICIGAS meters deliver several data points “every hour every single day of the year” according to Chiu.

“There is also a strain on the storage side of things, as previously one meter had one data point for every month. Just last year, we had 1.2 billion data points. What will happen in 2021? That is where the CIO of NICIGAS will have to scale its storage, computing capability. The point I'm trying to make is now we can talk about big data,” he said.

All the data collected from the smart meters are helping NICIGAS to augment and improve services delivered to customers.

“Just for the sake of security or their peace of mind, customers could just take the app, switch down, turn off the gas meter just remotely, with a fraction of the cost. This is really what is game-changing because this existed before NICIGAS had Space Hotaru, but the cost was between 5-10 times higher than the current solution,” Chiu said, adding “If the cost is so high, the consumers have some difficulty accepting the pricing. Thus, cost is an extreme and critical factor in the project. It is happening massively as  really drive the costs down”.

Meanwhile, Chiu said NICIGAS has been made a practice of anonymising gas consumption data and sharing them to the community.

“They have also organised contests with independent developers, among others, regarding prediction models. This  makes sense, because even if you are very qualified, what we're talking about is innovation. They are looking for new and  different angles of analysing the data and expecting that to happen in-house is narrowing the dream,” Chiu said.

He added the demand to ensure the big data present an accurate picture is one of the major factors for the fast deployment of Space Hotaru units.

“The more meters are connected, the more the data set makes sense,” he said.

To date, the Space Hotaru churn rate – the number of devices failing out – is extremely low. And UnaBiz is seeing huge growth in the meters’ live and historical data.

“We have extremely precise dashboard. We are monitoring battery levels, network capacity, hourly reports of the meter, which is volumetric,” Chiu noted. “It's a very interesting because some are increasing, which means that [customers are staying longer inside] the household. Those dashboard are shared with SORACOM and NICIGAS to assist them in the diagnosis. It is really about getting into the maturity of managing such large fleet of device.”

Again, Chiu pointed out the close partnership between NICIGAS, SORACOM and UnaBiz goes all the way down to data sharing.

“It's a one- of-a-kind project in terms of size. I respect data specialists, but I don't believe they have experience in actually dealing with such volume, in terms of actual devices plus their data points. And that's why we're extremely close with SORACOM and NICIGAS because of how things are going, there is no reference in the market,” he explained.

Every abnormal behaviours captured by the devices are analysed and diagnosed.

“Sometimes, we even discovered cables between the readers and the meters are slightly severed in the middle where you can't see it. We had to tear down the plastic wrapping of the cable, observe the copper and realise that the copper has some issues. That’s the daily life of the project managers of the Space Hotaru,” Chiu said.

Indeed, with its experience on massive IoT projects such as the one with NICIGAS, a key learning for UnaBiz is to look beyond the software capabilities of partners, which should already be a given for companies working at this level.

“When  we have to set up that circle of partnership, we no longer evaluate software not because software is not important. But the same way you take a brilliant guy who graduated from Stanford, and you don't test him with math,  you've just expected  him to know math. However, we try partners and collaborators on other scale, such as how would they behave in managing chaos. From supply chain to integration, there are simply too many moving parts [in a massive IoT project].”

Massive IoT: Entryway to big data

Looking forward to the next 12 months, UnaBiz sees unprecedented rise in data volume following massive IoT deployments. With this, the company expects the redefinition of what big data means and signifies.

Philippe Chiu, co-founder and  CTO, Unabiz

“Big data is not about clicks – not   about people watching videos; it’s not just about audience. Big data is either poor static data versus live data, audience on videos, how many people click, etc. So, it's kind of measuring the intense, but this is not the real data.

“You have physical limited data versus a huge data set that is not very reliable – and that has been big data for the past 10 years. I think as massive IoT happens with high-quality actual physical data,  it will challenge the existing data models that are based on very poor data.  I think this is going to be a trend in the next 12 to 24 months,” Chiu said.

He foresees the failure of the current data approach as development is hampered to a slowdown by the lack of good quality data.

“We call it IoT, but what is happening in reality is just data extraction. So, we have more accurate data, more volume of data and what do we do with then,  I think we'd be back into a data time where we try to leverage existing algorithms, figure out they're not actually feeding that type of volume, or we figure out the data are wrong,” he explained.

The emergence of massive IoT and the high-volume data with better accuracy will bring forth a whole new set of services, according to Chiu.

“Massive IoT is the entry door to have big data being useful to common people. That is how I see IoT. Of course, we always have those little projects with researchers that will be able to solve something – but, I don’t see them contributing to massive IoT to change people’s lives,” Chiu said.

 

Related story:

Under the hood: Supply chain essential to massive IoT projects

Under the hood: Integration and device customisation in IoT projects

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K Line ramps up ship communications onboard new car carrier https://futureiot.tech/k-line-ramps-up-ship-communications-onboard-new-car-carrier/ Tue, 16 Mar 2021 02:00:33 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=8439 The vessel is also fitted with advanced digital technologies that is hoped to be installed to the rest of K Line’s fleet in the future.

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Japanese shipping firm K Line has tapped Nokia to deliver a 4G/LTE Field Area Network solution for its latest LNG-fuelled car carrier Century Highway Green, enabling the application of a range of new efficient digital services such as CCTV and high-speed data transfer for remote monitoring of onload/offload work and remote visual inspection of machinery when the vessel is in port in Japan or overseas.

The IP/MPLS-based network will provide K Line with a FAN environment that delivers high-speed, secure, encrypted wireless communications between ship and shore.

According to K Line, satellite communication normally used between ship and shore is estimated to be 10 years behind land communication; and this is one of the causes of delay for ships digitalisation.

And its management plan released last August, the 102-year-old shipping firm  puts ships digitalisation as one of its priorities in its commitment to expand and accelerate safety, environment and quality initiatives.

The Nokia solution installed onboard the company’s new environmentally friendly car carrier is positioned as an DX infrastructure for ship to introduce new advanced digital technologies near future. Through this and other efforts, K Line continue our safe and environment-friendly operation on all its fleets.

“We plan to accelerate the development and utilisation of advanced digital technologies that enable safer, world-class shipping services,” Hiroshi Uchida, head of AI Digitalisation Strategy Group at K Line said. “With the Nokia 4G/LTE network, we will be able to communicate more effectively during berthing, using the same sophisticated technology as available on land. This creates the capability to deliver improved operational performance, skills transfer and safety management.”

The solution comprises the Nokia 7705 SAR-Hm LTE router for on-board installation, as well as the Nokia 7705 SAR-8 for use onshore. This router pairing supports video and data transfer from the ship’s onboard CCTV and IT systems over LTE connections when in port. This FAN solution will enable K Line to closely monitor loading and unloading in real time, and to significantly reduce time needed for large file exchange during port calls.

All data is protected by Nokia’s Network Group Encryption (NGE). This encrypted communication technology protects MPLS services with minimal overhead and ensures a high level of security and quality of service without any degradation of LTE link performance.

The domestic communication lines will be provided by KDDI Corporation and the system integration will be provided by KCCS Mobile Engineering.

Donny Janssens, head of Customer Team, Nokia Enterprise Japan, said: “Through deployment of the field area network, we’re helping ‘K’ LINE not only to enhance operational efficiency and industrial safety but also to advance its digital transformation. This is the first Nokia 4G/LTE FAN deployment in Japan, bringing it to a new market following its successful deployment in mining sites, electric grids and ports worldwide.”

Nokia has deployed mission-critical networks to over 1,500 leading customers in the transport, energy, large enterprise, manufacturing, web-scale, and public sector segments around the globe. It has pioneered the private wireless space with many verticals and now has over 260 large enterprise customers deploying it around the world, of which over 40 incorporate 5G.

Pushing boundaries of DX on maritime fleet

The newly-built Century Highway Green, which was delivered to K Line last week,  is a next-generation environmentally friendly vessel. It is the company’s  first LNG-fuelled car carrier designed for a low environmental impact – an important milestone for achieving the targets set by K LINE Environmental Vision 2050.

The new vessel is expected to reduce:

  • emissions of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas (GHG) by 25% to 30%
  • emissions of sulfuroxides (SOx), which cause air pollution, by almost 100%
  • emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) by 80% to 90% with the use of Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) in addition to the use of LNG fuel, compared to conventional vessels using heavy fuel oil.

The vessel is also fitted with advanced digital technologies that is hoped to be installed to the rest of K Line’s fleet in the future. Besides Nokia’s FAN solution onboard to enhance ship-to-shore communications, the vessel has:

  • expansion of on-board Wi-Fi: In addition to living quarters, efficiency of vessel operations has been improved by installing Wi-Fi on the cargo deck and in the engine room and LNG fuel-related equipment compartment.
  • introduction of wireless communication equipment supporting explosion-proof areas: Explosion-proof LCX wireless communications equipment has been introduced in explosionproof areas to ensure communications.

Furthermore, Century Highway Green is the world’s first newly-built vessel to obtain Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (ClassNK) notation certifying that the ship is adapted for remote surveys.

In February 2021, ClassNK published guidelines for appropriate operation of remote surveys using ICT. The “Guidelines for Remote Surveys” summarises the judgment standards for ensuring reliability equivalent to conventional, witness surveys with transparency in the application of remote surveys. The guidelines also include class notation requirements for the vessel with reliable telecommunications equipment and is adapted for remote surveys.

A remote survey uses digital technology on vessel to remotely perform the inspection surveys of facilities within a vessel that has previously been performed by a class inspector on site. Use of the remote surveys will enable  K LINE to perform inspections without being constrained by location, and also enables surveys to be conducted while lowering the risk of infection of the crew during the COVID-19 pandemic because it is not necessary to visit the vessel.

It is expected that safe operation will be enhanced through the appropriate and timely implementation of surveys.

 

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Hong Kong expands e-Ticketing Pilot Scheme https://futureiot.tech/hong-kong-expands-e-ticketing-pilot-scheme/ Mon, 15 Mar 2021 02:00:41 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=8434 By  digitising the existing manual processes with the use the e-Ticketing App, the city’s police reduces human error, eliminates the difference in handwriting interpretations, improves overall accuracy and streamlines the workflow in backend processing.

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Starting tomorrow, the Hong Kong Police is expanding the  “e-Ticketing Pilot Scheme” to include the issuance of fixed penalty tickets against traffic moving offenses.

The department  will have an encrypted QR code imprinted on newly -issued and renewed driving licenses to facilitate extraction of offenders' data for issuance of tickets.

The e-Ticketing Pilot Scheme was introduced on March 16 last year – with the collaboration of the Transport Department – to  eliminate the previous  handwritten process. The scheme was first rolled out in the police districts of Wan Chai, Tseung Kwan O and Sham Shui Po, and was first applied to fixed penalty tickets against illegal parking. The scheme was subsequently implemented in different police districts by phases, with initially only traffic wardens will use e-Ticketing.

The pilot scheme uses a mobile phone app and portable printer to print fixed penalty tickets.

Traffic wardens use a mobile app  installed in official smart phones to capture the data of offending vehicles, and print fixed penalty tickets with portable printers. An encrypted QR code is imprinted on vehicle licences to facilitate extraction of vehicle data. To issue a ticket, traffic wardens  scan the QR code or just input the registration number manually to extract the particulars of the offending vehicle. The app will then automatically import information such as date, time and the issuing officer's details whilst GPS location will also be generated automatically. The issuing officer can also take photos to capture details of the offence for evidential purpose before printing an e-ticket at scene.

By  digitising the existing manual processes with the use of  the e-Ticketing App, the city’s police reduces human error, eliminates the difference in handwriting interpretations, improves overall accuracy and streamlines the workflow in backend processing.

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AT&T, six others join industry push for 25G PON technology https://futureiot.tech/att-six-others-join-industry-push-for-25g-pon-technology/ Fri, 05 Mar 2021 02:00:19 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=8407 Enterprises’ growing reliance on high-performance applications, including cloud computing big data applications, artificial intelligence and machine learning is a major factor driving the development of 25G PON.

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The 25GS-PON MSA Group  this week added seven new member companies, including AT&T, CommScope, Cortina Access, Feneck, HiLight Semiconductor, Hisense Broadband and Semtech – who now join the 10 founding members of the group as it moves beyond the limitations of the current 10 Gb/s next-generation Passive Optical Network (PON).

Established by Nokia last October, the 25GS_PON MSA Group brings together major operators along with leading system and component vendors, to promote and accelerate the development and deployment of 25 Gigabit Symmetrical Passive Optical Network (25GS-PON) technology.

The group seeks to develop the technical specification, strengthen the eco-system and promote market development of symmetrical 25G PON technology ahead of standards authorisation by the International Telecommunications Union.

Founding members of the group include AOI, Chorus, Chunghwa Telecom, Ciena, MACOM, MaxLinear, NBN Co., Nokia, Sumitomo Electric Industries, and Tibit Communications

According to Sandy Motley, president of fixed networks at Nokia, PONs are used by communication service providers to deliver internet connectivity to their customers using fibre-optic technology. It is the quickest growing access technology worldwide because it is the fastest, greenest and most future proofed.

Sandy Motley, president of fixed networks, Nokia

“Fibre access networks are becoming the unifying infrastructure that underpins the entire telecom industry, connecting everyone to everything including consumers, businesses, smart cities and even 5G cell sites,” Motley said. “To capitalise on these opportunities, PON networks will need to be faster. Today’s most widely deployed PON technology, known as GPON (for Gigabit PON) and XGS-PON (for 10G Symmetrical PON), can already operate at up to 10 Gb/s.”

She pointed out that 25G PON is the next step in the evolution, delivering 25Gb/s of both download and upload speeds. It uses the same principles as current GPON (up to 2.5Gb/s) and XGS-PON technology but with faster speeds.

“While all previous generations of PON were derived from long-haul technologies, 25G PON is using a different approach. It is based on optical technology massively deployed in data centres, which ensures cost-efficiency, short time to market and plenty of capacity,” Motley said.

Meeting the needs of the 5G era

Indeed, 25GS-PON is being touted for meeting the needs of the mobile 5G era and large-scale enterprises, providing communications service providers with the most cost-effective and timely evolution path for PON fibre technology.

There are several performance and efficiency-driven demands propelling the market toward 25GS-PON. The first is for 5G wireless networks, which will require three to ten times greater density than 4G. 25GS-PON is extremely well suited to support xHaul transport for 5G’s increased cell density and capacity requirements. With 25GS-PON, operators can leverage their existing fibre networks to significantly reduce both the cost and time required to bring up 5G services, ultimately delivering better services to consumers.

Another factor driving 25GS-PON is enterprises’ growing reliance on high-performance applications, including cloud computing big data applications, artificial intelligence and machine learning. 25GS-PON can deliver true 10 Gb/s symmetrical services.  Because 25GS-PON leverages mature, high-volume data centre optical technology, it can be implemented quickly and cost efficiently. The first 25GS-PON products have been announced, and analysts anticipate the first trials this year, with deployments in 2022.

Motley said that there are a clear set of use cases for 25G in the near/mid-term.

“It will be used for 5G transport, carrying the mobile traffic from 5G cell sites deeper in the network at 50% lower cost than other transport solutions. It will provide enterprises with access to full 10Gb/s services and it will unlock the potential of fibre to connect everything over a single unified infrastructure. 25G will make converged networks a reality, where mobile and fixed combine for cost efficiency and faster time to market,” she said.

She noted that having the possibility to quickly and easily introduce 25G PON to boost the speeds where needed makes the network more valuable and operators’ position stronger.

“As high bandwidth applications evolve in the future, requiring more bandwidth capacity, 25G will eventually find users within the residential market.”

Perspective of new members

Jeff Heynen, vice president for broadband access and home networking for Dell’Oro Group, said 25G PON’s ability to co-exist with XGS-PON and reuse existing fibre plant makes it extremely attractive to operators around the world.

“The addition of such a wide range of network operators, equipment vendors, and component suppliers to the 25GS-PON MSA is evidence of the technology’s importance for 5G xHaul and enterprise services,” said Heynen.

Spokespersons from new members of the 25GS-PON MSA Group are optimistic about the future of technology.

“We are joining the 25GS-PON MSA Group to lend our global expertise in standards development and PON deployments to the advancement of the 25 Gigabit specification. This evolution of PON is a necessary step in enabling Wireless xHaul as well as serving the growing bandwidth requirements of enterprises and future networks and applications,” said a spokesperson from CommScope.

The media representative from Cortina Access agreed: “We are delighted to join this industry collaboration effort to define and develop the 25G symmetrical PON technology, a next step in the PON evolution. PON technology has been proven to be the most cost-effective solution, not only connecting the residential homes, but also providing the optical transport infrastructure for current and future business applications.”

Feneck noted that 25GS-PON is a natural evolution to the highly successful GPON and XGS-PON access technologies and builds the foundation for converged next-generation access. “Taking an active role in the 25GS-PON MSA will enable Feneck to provide our customers with industry-leading FPGAs supporting the industry’s highest performance access platforms,” a company spokesman said.

Looking ahead

Motley  of Nokia said optical fibre has virtually unlimited capacity potential, and today we are using just a fraction of that potential.

“Operators as well as infrastructure investors, governments, cities and utilities are investing in fibre infrastructure, and it is important for them to know that they will be able to use that investment for many years to come,” she said, adding that new technologies, like 25G PON, unlock more capacity on fibre.

Meanwhile, Nokia is already pushing innovation beyond 25G PON.

“We are involved in 50G standardisation, and we see that 50G is a quantum leap and needs a new generation of laser technologies. It will take 8-10 years to reach the maturity and enable commercial deployments of 50G PON. In February, we have announced an industry-first 100G PON demo with Vodafone, based on Bell Labs innovations. While still far away from commercial availability, 100G PON demo proves the superiority of fibre in delivering ultra-high speeds in converged networks,” Motley said.

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Under the hood: Integration and device customisation in IoT projects https://futureiot.tech/under-the-hood-integration-and-device-customisation-in-iot-projects/ Wed, 03 Mar 2021 03:00:24 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=8393 The need for constant synchronisation of and management of operations is often a point that people fail to consider. We are talking about an actual device being deployed all across hundreds or even thousands of square kilometres.

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Over the last 12 months, Nippon Gas Company (NICIGAS) has been upgrading its existing meters across Japan by attaching an IoT-based reader called Space Hotaru that would allow remote collection and transmission gas consumption data – in one of the largest smart utilities deployment to date.

In an exclusive interview, FutureIoT spoke with Philippe Chiu, co-founder and chief technology officer of UnaBiz, about the smart meter project in an in-depth interview that covers the impact of COVID-19, the importance of supply chain, challenges around customisation and integration and more.

Singapore-based UnaBiz is the product design and hardware device manufacturer, who together with SORACOM, developed the Space Hotaru from NICIGAS’ original concept.

(Second of three parts)

UnaBiz is nearly done with the phase 1 of the NICIGAS smart metre project, with the installation of 850,000 units of Space Hotaru in Japanese household within the month, overcoming the unavoidable delay caused the COVID-19 lockdowns.

Once a device is deployed, it goes live immediately and starts producing data that are fed into NICIGAS systems.

Philippe Chiu, co-founder and CTO, UnaBiz

“The first layer is a hardware layer that is connected to the gas meter and enables access in and out, which means that you can read from the meter and you can send instructions to the meter, which means that it is a network access,” said Philippe Chiu, co-founder and chief technology officer of UnaBiz.

KDDI subsidiary SORACOM, a mobile operator that specialises in IoT, has been enlisted to deliver the software and the network connectivity between the devices and NICIGAS systems.

Integration is crucial to massive IoT projects

Chiu pointed out that the close-knit “triangle of collaboration and partnership” between NICIGAS, SORACOM and UnaBiz was the glue that has kept the smart metre project on a steady course, which was particularly crucial to manage the chaos that ensued with the supply chain disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“To pipe to proper data onto the traditional systems, it's not a complete new solution. It's integrating with what the existing platforms. And this is done commonly between UnaBiz and SORACOM, which has the field knowledge and proper communication to facilitate efficiency between the teams,” said Chiu.

Initially, there were 700,000 units that have to be deployed, and that would mean a very large number per day of installed meters of Space Hotaru. To do that, Chiu emphasised the need for  constant synchronisation of and management of operations.

“It is often a point that people fail to consider. We are talking about an actual device being deployed all across hundreds or even thousands of square kilometres, and you need actual people, and not robots to do this,” he said.

Chiu added that Integration is not just about software side of things – to which people are very used which involves data and others.

“It starts with real life, pure hardware and the actual field integration of that. This has been the heavy work. And it is not just the physical installation, there is a lot of testing tools on the field. Not every field installator has a PhD. So, you have to have extremely optimised, simplified field application and deployment,” he said, adding that a deployment mobile application has been created that is very specialised and dedicated to roll out.

This mobile deployment application is enabling the project team to move fast with installation and to sustain the speed of implementation.

“If we take the pace at which this project has been rolled out and how efficient it was, it would not be fair, not to mention the integration at the hardware layer. Data will come back, but it would probably be the second or third layer after that. But we need to first have the connection. The integration work starts at this point, the whole logistic, operation, synchronisation and management with the field teams of NICIGAS and even their contractors,” Chiu said.

“Deployment operations, which involves hardware, mobile apps, cloud services and others, are extremely important. I believe that in the post-COVID era, the whole logistic industry will have a whole new set of ecosystem and partners managing that chaos,” he added.

Furthermore, Chiu said the integration involves a lot of supply chain work, having all of these devices, reaching the right locations, direct check points, having them connected to the right meters.

“This is a tremendous work, and we can never do that by ourselves, and that is where local presence is absolutely necessary. That is why UnaBiz is very close to SORACOM, and NICIGAS is extremely happy about that,” he said.

No wasted network signal

According to Chiu, the project team deploys a mixed technology solution network-wise, citing that Space Hotaru is actually a family of products – the initial device supports Sigfox 0G low-power network and a new version that supports 4G.

“It is a solution with different types of hardware for different radio protocols. In remote area, we use the LTE-M version which is a lighter version of 4G, or we have Sigfox and 4G combined, depending on the situation,” he said. “We have to optimise how the device communicates, and in simpler words, it means we are not wasting any single bit of the signal.”

Indeed, UnaBiz has completely design from ground up the  network protocols, the way the device dialogues with Sigfox or the 4G. “This know-how is our competitive edge,” Chiu said.

Almost 100% device customisation

UnaBiz designed and developed the Space Hotaru specifically to work and integrate with NICIGAS gas meters.

“ We have customised 98% of the smart reader – the remaining 2%t is the standardisation of the gas metre as established by the Japanese authorities,” Chiu said. “Luckily, the Space Hotaru is not by itself supporting 80 different meters, that has 80 different standards as that would have taken a lot more time. Space Hotaru is matching the gas meter standard, established in Japan.”

Furthermore, UnaBiz optimised the casing and firmware inside Space Hotaru.

“The initial version NICIGAS had had three times more battery capacity compared to the final version. We had to optimise the whole behaviour of the device such that you do not having to purchase such huge batteries to be placed in the device, which is saving cost,” Chiu said.

Also, the company designed the Space Hotaru in a way that would enable NICIGAS to take the data from the device the way it does from any other IT systems.

“If we go deeper and it ends up in the JSON format. In this way, it is easier for them to ingest the data to integrate with the existing system. It would have been a very big difficulty if they had to customise something specific to accept Space Hotaru,” Chiu explained.

He added: “The customisation happens between as close to the meter, all the way to the middleware and then it's standardised and sent properly to NICIGAS. It is similar to the petroleum industry. When you get the crude oil, you can't just put that in your car. You have to transform that oil, optimise it and make it arrive at the right gas station and then it's edible by the cars. That’s why it's customised because all that route did not exist before. The different layers of the hardware, networking and application are completely customised and designed for that.”

Unabiz believes massive IoT projects work best when the IoT hardware is purpose-built.

“Most of the time, the behaviour of the device, the way it's attached, etc. is almost always customised 100%. It is very different from the vision of IoT, where I buy a device, put it on my set, and I can do it by myself.

“We don't believe that massive IoT can happen by off-the-shelf solutions. This might sound cheap and low-cost to do but it is not sustainable. Most of the time, it will face multiple issues and it’s not helping, because – in the end - the top management would see IoT as a failure rather than an opportunity.”

Next: All about data and the future of IoT projects

Related story: Under the hood: Supply chain essential to massive IoT projects

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Microsoft sets up first datacentre region in Indonesia https://futureiot.tech/microsoft-sets-up-first-datacentre-region-in-indonesia/ Mon, 01 Mar 2021 01:30:54 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=8383 With its first local datacentre region, businesses across Indonesia will have access to Microsoft Azure – enabling them to use cloud services and capabilities that span computing, networking, databases, analytics, artificial intelligence, and Internet of Things (IoT).

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Microsoft  will establish its first datacentre region in Indonesia, delivering cloud services locally and the ability its data in country. The announcement made last Thursday is part of the company’s Berdayakan Ekonomi Digital Indonesia initiative, which aims to play a pivotal role in accelerating the country’s transformation into a digital economy.

As part of this major commitment, Microsoft also revealed plans to skill an additional 3 million Indonesians to achieve its goal of empowering over 24 million Indonesians by the end of 2021, through its long-established skills programs designed to create inclusive economic opportunities in the digital era.

Indonesia’s Minister of Communication and Information Johnny G. Plate said the establishment of the local datacentre region as well as Microsoft’s plans to boost its efforts of digitally upskilling local talents will benefits businesses across all sectors.

“We also welcome Microsoft's commitment to increase the capacity of Indonesian digital talent across all skill levels," he added.

As part of the Berdayakan Ekonomi Digital Indonesia initiative, the skills initiative will empower Indonesians in AI, cybersecurity, and data science through a digital literacy curriculum. It develops talent pipelines for high-demand skills, while increasing the employability of Indonesians. In collaboration with four universities and the Ministry of Communications and Information, this  digital upskilling programme extends across backgrounds, including students and teachers, those in mid-career, home makers and people from disadvantaged communities.

Long-term commitment to Indonesian market

According to research from IDC, Microsoft's investment in Indonesia is expected to generate up to USD $6.3 billion in new revenues from the country's ecosystem of local customers and partners. In addition, its cloud-consuming businesses are expected to contribute 60,000 jobs to the local economy, over the next four years.

The technology company has more than 150 employees and 7,000 partners across Indonesia's 17,000 islands - its significant local presence has been actively supporting the country’s startup community and ecosystem.

"We have a long-term commitment to Indonesia's growth. This announcement is our most significant investment in the 26 years we have been established here,” said Jean-Philippe Courtois, executive vice president and president, Microsoft Global Sales, Marketing and Operations.

He noted that from ecommerce to agriculture, Indonesian businesses across all sectors are gaining a digital advantage with the agility, security and scale offered by Microsoft's cloud services.

"We're proud to support Indonesian businesses and governments in their move to the trusted cloud with Microsoft. Over the last 26 years, we have been empowering industries across Indonesia and preparing Indonesians with future ready skills to improve their employability,” said Haris Izmee, president director for Microsoft Indonesia. “The announcement validates our Berdayakan Ekonomi Digital Indonesia initiative, to empower every person and every organisation in Indonesia to achieve more.”

Accelerating digital agility across Indonesia

With the new datacentre region, Indonesia will join Microsoft’s  cloud infrastructure that comprises of over 60 datacentre regions announced to date. Microsoft delivers enterprise-grade data security and privacy. With more than 90 compliance certifications, the company meets a broad range of industry and regulatory entity standards.

With its first local datacentre region, businesses across Indonesia will have access to Microsoft Azure – enabling them to use cloud services and capabilities that span computing, networking, databases, analytics, artificial intelligence, and Internet of Things (IoT).

Microsoft said the new datacentre region will feature Azure Availability Zones, which are unique physical locations equipped with independent power, network and cooling for additional tolerance to datacentre failures – supporting customer needs for high-availability and resiliency in their applications.  Also, the Indonesia datacentre region will also support Microsoft's sustainability goals, including its commitment to shift to 100% supply of renewable energy in Microsoft datacentres by 2025.

Existing enterprise customers such as  Bukalapak, Pertamina, and the Indonesian Ministry of Agriculture have expressed their commitment to using Microsoft Cloud from the new region when it is available.

"Our partnership with Microsoft is transforming e-commerce and operations for merchants in Indonesia. With a trusted local datacentre region, we will help our 6.5 million merchants, 7 million Bukalapak partners and more than 100 million customers achieve business resiliency in the face of the pandemic. Equally, our combined efforts in skilling merchants and our employees will empower the digital economy, improving employability, creating opportunities, and transforming lives," said Rachmat Kaimuddin, CEO of Bukalapak.

"Pertamina and Microsoft have a strong collaboration in accelerating digital transformation and empowering Indonesia's digital economy. I welcome Microsoft's commitment to establish a datacentre region in Indonesia, which will enable every Indonesian business to embrace the digital economy and create disruptive innovation," said Nicke Widyawati, president director, Pertamina.

Indonesia’s Agriculture Minister Syahrul Yasin Limpo lauded Microsoft's commitment to establish a datacentre region in Indonesia,” which will give even more opportunities for joint programs in enhancing the agricultural digital ecosystem”.

“Agriculture is one of Indonesia's critical industries where with the support of real-time, data driven innovation through sensors on the field connected with the cloud as well as providing digital farming capability training for Young Farmers it can make an enormous positive impact on Indonesia's economy," he said.

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Under the hood: Supply chain essential to massive IoT projects https://futureiot.tech/under-the-hood-supply-chain-essential-to-massive-iot-projects/ Tue, 23 Feb 2021 02:00:53 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=8363 Having such volume in tens of thousands at international level, you realise very realistically and concretely the importance of physical logistics and supply chain.

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Over the last 12 months, Nippon Gas Company (NICIGAS) has been upgrading its existing meters across Japan by attaching an IoT-based reader called Space Hotaru that would allow remote collection and transmission gas consumption data – in one of the largest smart utilities deployment to date.

In an exclusive interview, FutureIoT spoke with Philippe Chiu, co-founder and chief technology officer of UnaBiz, about the smart meter project in an in-depth interview that covers the impact of COVID-19, the importance of supply chain, challenges around customisation and integration and more.

Singapore-based UnaBiz is the product design and hardware device manufacturer, who together with SORACOM, developed the Space Hotaru from NICIGAS’ original concept.

(First of three parts)

UnaBiz aims to complete the installation of the first batch of 850,000 units of NICIGAS’ Space Hotaru by March this year.

Checking the real-time dashboard that tracks the deployment process in late January, Philippe Chiu, company co-founder and CTO, said approximately 720,00 units have been connected and even now are already transmitting data back to NICIGAS.

Philippe Chiu, CTO, UnaBiz

“The actual figure is just a figure, but what matters in the end is that it's progressing as planned, which is by itself an achievement. We’re only a hundred thousand units away from our first milestone,” Chiu said.

The NICIGAS project was spurred by the Japanese government’s push for the standardisation and “smartification” of gas meters across the island nation.  In fact, gas meters in the country are designed to automatically switch off when triggered by external events such as earthquakes.

“The issue is that these smart features are in tech, we say local, which means that there is no remote or wireless activation or deactivation of those meters. Thus, you could have meters that have been switched off and without NICIGAS knowing about it,” Chiu said.

In the past, the utility company would heavily rely on manpower to check deactivated meters; and delays would be inevitable as company staff had to  physically go onsite to thoroughly inspect each unit. However, this typical task could be optimised and enhanced using remote access that Space Hotaru seeks to deliver.

A year of  development

It took UnaBiz a full 12 months to finetune the Space Hotaru and get it ready for deployment. According to Chiu, to getting the shape of the device right is only part of the process.

“Just having a device that shape doesn't take a year, but it's all the different phases of testing, validation, reliability testing. The full development started Q1 2019, and production line was ready on Jan 2020,” Chiu said.

He recalled:  “Our prototype was out after two months, from nothing to a lot of ideation and how it would look like etc. The whole project had at least ten different types of shapes and you have 10 different proposals justifying each design. We compress that time and  made a decision in just a little over two months.”

After the design of the device was approved, the team proceeded in the next eight to 10 months  to conduct testings, reliability certifications that includes the factory set up, all the different quality checks involving different aspects of the device.

Grappling supply chain challenge caused by COVID 19

UnaBiz started production of the Space Hotaru in early 2020 with the first trial run conducted before Chinese New Year. Everything was running smoothly with the rate of production and shipping was planned for the rest of 2020.

In early February, the initial impact of the COVID-19 hit on the global scales. Factories closed as governments imposed citywide lockdowns.

Everything planned perfectly became a huge question mark. It is uncertain when everything is going to resume, everything is under lockdown and we're not pushing because it's a health and safety issue. It's dangerous, we're talking about people's lives and that was a huge question mark, which created quite some delay and uncertainty. We have been spending a whole year on R&D, and finally seeing it happening and then you take one of the largest crises worldwide,” Chiu said.

Like most technology companies, UnaBiz has multinational operations that require a highly synchronised supply chain.

While the company is headquartered in Singapore, its R&D and manufacturing partners are located in Taiwan, the port is in Hong Kong, the manufacturing is being done in China and the customer is based in Japan.

“Never underestimate the deployment. Having such volume in tens of thousands at international level, you realise very realistically and concretely the importance of physical logistics and supply chain.

“IoT is really much more than just a bunch of youngsters having great ideas and saying, I'm going to do a lot of things with your data. The fact is so many things can go wrong, with that international way of doing things. You could just ask DHL to do that, but it would be way too expensive for you to manage. The customer won’t pay, so there's no deal. The rollout plan and the supply chain is key in such projects, without that no project for everyone,” Chiu said.

UnaBiz has a fully dedicated supply chain team of roughly 15 people – comprising one quarter of the company headcount – doing the supply chain, buying components and making sure they reach the right points at the right time to avoid delays.

"We do have a second and third layer of factories, some being not in China. Post-COVID and given that we have much more to produce, we definitely need to have alternative locations. I cannot explicitly mention where it is, but it is still in Asia, and it's definitely not in the same country as the main factory, where we did the first batch. It's a very common practice in the industry, which is called multi-sourcing. So, that is in place even for factory," Chiu said.

Getting deployment back on track

The lockdowns of COVID-19 was a huge setback for the deployment schedule, but Unabiz learned how to roll with the punches.

“We gained a lot of maturity from that managing the chaos. We had to know how to deal with that new situation of uncertainty, which is much more complex than Amazon or Lazada, where you click order and you have it the next day,” Chiu said.

UnaBiz experienced a few weeks of delays and it had to recover this lost time to keep deployment on schedule.

“The challenge happened on the production side of things. This is where we are kind of proud of having put the right resources on the right places years ago to have that know-how. This is where the team was challenged. Years ago, people were asking us why we put so much efforts on supply chain, you just call a factory, tell them to manufacture the thing. It can work on other years, but last year was a no go. And this is where we were really happy, as it confirmed the right investment of having that very experienced and agile supply chain team,” Chiu said.

He added: “Obviously, we had some hit and miss and convicted almost two months delay in the whole schedule, which is not so bad given now that we know it was a crazy situation. But in the industry, two months delay is huge.”

UnaBiz credits its strong relationship with NICIGAS for being able to weather this supply chain storm.

“This is why we are not calling NICIGAS a customer, but rather a partner as we're in this together. The challenge was strong, but thankfully our partnership or internal structure was strong enough to recover from that. It took us eight months to catch up on these two missing months. It was definitely not easily, and frankly, if you ask me would we expected to have so much strain on the supply chain, it is clearly no. However, it was a good test. UnaBiz tends to specialise on massive, high volume of connected products, which is why we are facing such kind of issues. A low volume is still fine, but when you order tens or hundreds of thousands, then it's a completely different ballgame,” Chiu said.

To be continued: Value of customisation and integration in massive IoT projects

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HK ITB chief inspects local smart city projects https://futureiot.tech/hk-itb-chief-inspects-local-smart-city-projects/ Mon, 22 Feb 2021 02:00:38 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=8359 The government will continue to work with various sectors and make full use of the city’s research and development results in building a smarter Hong Kong.

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Hong Kong  has a strong base on which to build a smart city, according to Alfred Sit,  the city’s Secretary of Innovation Technology Bureau (ITB).

Sit made the remark last Friday after a round of visits of various smart city projects being implemented across the territory.

He toured the wards, out-patient clinic of pharmacy at the CUHK Medical Centre to understand its smart healthcare, services and management, which include paperless electronic medical record system, a linen management system, and an automated drug dispensing and unit dose packaging system.

As it transforms into a smart hospital, the CUHK Medical Centre has also fitted hospital beds with infotainment panels to enable tele-visits and tele-consultation.

The hospital beds are also equipped with infotainment panels that can facilitate tele-visits and tele-consultations.

“I am pleased that Internet of Things (IoT), mobile information and communications technology and real-time data have enhanced the efficiency of hospital operations and patient-oriented services,” Sit said.

At MetroPlaza in Kwai Fong, the ITB secretary inspected the  smart washroom solution developed by local startup Blutech IoT. The system integrates artificial intelligence and IoT technologies and deploys various smart sensors, smart washroom signage and big data analysis to give precise information to visitors about a washroom's occupancy and waiting time.

At his last stop at the Kwai Chung Customhouse, Sit received a briefing on Smart Customs. With the support of the ITB’s TechConnect (block vote), the city’s Customs and Excise Department started a study on the development of a Cargo Big Data System together with the Logistics & Supply Chain MultiTech R&D Centre.

By using big data analytics and artificial intelligence to strengthen the risk management capability on cargo clearance, it is hoped that smuggling activities could be further combatted and overall effectiveness in law enforcement and trade facilitation would be enhanced.

“The government will continue to work with various sectors and make full use of the city’s research and development results in building a smarter Hong Kong,” Sit said.

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Cisco unveiled IoT integration with AWS cloud service https://futureiot.tech/cisco-unveiled-iot-integration-with-aws-cloud-service/ Fri, 19 Feb 2021 03:00:54 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=8356 Cisco this week unwrapped details of its collaboration with Amazon Web Services (AWS) that would enable companies to move data at scale from across various IoT devices to the cloud, without worrying about converting the data into consistent format. The two companies have agreed to integrate the Cisco Edge Intelligence software and the AWS IoT […]

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Cisco this week unwrapped details of its collaboration with Amazon Web Services (AWS) that would enable companies to move data at scale from across various IoT devices to the cloud, without worrying about converting the data into consistent format.

The two companies have agreed to integrate the Cisco Edge Intelligence software and the AWS IoT Core cloud service, allowing customers to process, communicate with and manage thousands of IoT devices across their industrial network.

“AWS and Cisco customers are looking for ways to easily and securely connect devices to the cloud,” said Michael MacKenzie, general manager, IoT Connectivity and Control, AWS. “Cisco has developed a simple end-to-end solution to collect data from the industrial edge and move it to AWS IoT Core at scale. Instead of spending time on custom integrations, Cisco Edge Intelligence with AWS IoT Core allows customers to move faster and focus on innovating in their core business.”

Solving the conundrum of converting edge data into insights

In a blogpost published last Wednesday, Samuel Pasquier, director of product management, Cisco Industrial IoT Networking Portfolio said the integration solves challenges companies face in extracting, processing and delivering IoT data from the network’s edge to the cloud for analytics, which tends to be too costly especially over cellular networks.

Pasquier pointed out that whether a company is monitoring factory-floor robot vibration, vehicle telemetry, or wind turbine speed for preventive maintenance, to get the right data to the cloud it needs to answer these questions:

  • What data matters and which is irrelevant?
  • How can I transform data from different vendors’ IoT devices so it’s consistent— for example, all temperatures in C0 instead of F0?
  • How can we store data and make it available to other systems and business teams?
  • What happens when we need to scale the process for more devices from more vendors?
  • How can we harness the power of the network between the edge and the cloud to minimise hardware investments?
  • How do we ensure that our data is secure at every stage of the journey?

The answer, Pasquier, said is securely moving the right data to the cloud in a consistent format.

“The new integration makes it simpler to extract, transform, govern, and deliver edge data to AWS. Extracting the right data is simpler because popular machine protocols are built right into Edge Intelligence software, saving you from doing the integration work,” he said.

By using the same interface to transform data and make them consistent, companies can specify – for example – that all temperatures should be expressed in C0 even when some sensors report them in F0.

Defining data governance

Before moving the transformed data to the cloud, Pasquier advised companies should define data governance policies as well as rules about where particular elements of their data can be delivered.

“This protection gives you flexibility not only to keep your data safe but also to define at the granular level what  information goes where. This feature allows you to inform more than one data instance on AWS without compromising control,” Pasquier said.

With governance in place, companies can deliver data to AWS IoT Core with a click. The web-based management interface allows companies to specify continued or scheduled data delivery. Edge Intelligence uses a just-in-time provisioning workflow to seamlessly provision Cisco gateway and associated device certificates into AWS IoT Core Registry.

“Once a gateway is provisioned, you can start sending data to AWS IoT Core. Actions can be performed on the data using Rules for AWS IoT to transform, filter, enrich, and route data in the cloud. This in-turn unlocks a variety of use cases for analytics, reporting, and visualisation for the enterprise,” Pasquier said.

He added that because of this end-to-end integration, data is secured all the way along the journey from the edge to the cloud, using multiple authentication and transport security protocols. Once in the cloud the data is backed by AWS’ comprehensive cloud security, tailored to the requirements of the most security-sensitive organisations.

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Sigfox shifts to the cloud to hasten massive IoT agenda https://futureiot.tech/sigfox-shifts-to-the-cloud-to-hasten-massive-iot-agenda/ Fri, 12 Feb 2021 02:00:58 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=8329 Sigfox’s shift to the cloud will transform many of the applications across the range of industries in which it operates including supply chain and logistics, automotive, postal services and utilities.

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Sigfox yesterday announced its partnership with Google Cloud in a bid to scale its cloud infrastructure and extend its IoT services portfolio. The partnership will enable Sigfox to rapidly accelerate its “Massive IoT” agenda – processing billions of messages each month from objects connected to the internet using data stored in the cloud.

"We chose Google Cloud because we share the same appetite for driving digital transformation through helpful, reliable and sustainable innovation." said Franck Siegel, deputy chief executive officer, Sigfox. “With this partnership, Google Cloud technology will support us in becoming the global leader in ultra-low-cost, ultra-low-power asset visibility and tracking”.

Sigfox is the world’s largest dedicated LPWAN service provider for connecting simple, low-powered, low-cost IoT devices to the Internet. Already deployed in 72 countries, covering more than 1.3 billion people, Sigfox’s 0G network is used for a wide range of IoT use cases from tracking shipping containers and monitoring fire hydrants, to securing buildings and helping farmers monitor irrigation levels.

In recent years due to an explosion in the number of internet-connected devices, Sigfox now processes billions of messages each month (an increase of 145% in 2020) from the millions of objects connected to its network–and the company needed a more scalable, long-term solution.

Google Cloud was chosen as the backbone for Sigfox’s 0G network to bring better scale, increased reliability, and best-of-breed compliance and security to Sigfox’s platform. Google Cloud will also enable faster improvements to Sigfox’s connectivity, geolocation, and other value-added services towards ultra-low-cost and ultra-low-power IoT solutions.

Sigfox’s shift to the cloud will transform many of the applications across the range of industries in which it operates, including supply chain and logistics, automotive, postal services and utilities. This includes the Sigfox auto parts solution which tracks components on their journeys between assembly plants and suppliers with sensor-equipped containers. Or Sigfox’s solutions for utility companies that digitise the data collection of gas consumption meters, retrofitted Network Controlling Units and smart features. Also, shipping companies fit trolley rollers or containers with Sigfox smart trackers to give exact information on location, movement and condition. All of them will be now cloud-enabled, helping provide a scalable and seamless way to manage exponential data growth.

“We are proud to support Sigfox and provide an IoT leader with more reliability and flexibility as the company takes the next steps of its development,” said Samuel Bonamigo, VP Sales, EMEA South, Google Cloud. "Sigfox’s use of Google Cloud technology is the perfect illustration of how we’re helping innovative companies grow and thrive and better serve their customers.”

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TMF picked six finalists for KL smart city challenge https://futureiot.tech/tmf-picked-six-finalists-for-kl-smart-city-challenge/ Tue, 02 Feb 2021 02:00:51 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=8292 Launched in February last year, CATCH is a global call to technology firms for dynamic, intelligent and data-driven solutions that would help the Malaysian capital to transition into a smart city.

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The Toyota Mobility Foundation (TMF) has announced the six finalists of its inaugural City Architecture of Tomorrow Challenge (CATCH), which aims to address the mobility and city planning challenges of Kuala Lumpur.

Launched in February last year, CATCH is a global call to technology firms for dynamic, intelligent and data-driven solutions that would help the Malaysian capital to transition into a smart city.

The six finalists and their competing solutions are:

  • GeoSpock (UK) - Analytics database technology enabling smart city data fusion to power advanced multimodal transport optimisation
  • Hayden AI Technologies (US) - Artificial intelligence powered data platform that helps innovative cities to improve traffic safety and efficiency
  • KERB (MY/AU) - P2P/B2B parking management platform to increase parking supply around transport hubs, track real-time data and optimize commuters' journeys
  • Liftango (AU) - Defeating traffic congestion at the source: Demand-responsive first mile commuter transport in Bandar Sunway
  • Numina (US) - Privacy-first computer vision solution to measure multimodal traffic flows and identify opportunities to improve pedestrian safety
  • RUNWITHIT Synthetics (CA) - Synthetic KL, a live, geospatial, interconnected synthetic modelling environment for designing targeted, impactful mobility solutions

Strong response despite pandemic

Despite the COVID-19 outbreak, the CATCH received over 90 entries from 20+ countries. Entries that went on to the semi-finals obtained an understanding of Kuala Lumpur's mobility issues for their Proof of Concept (PoC) development over a 6-week period. An esteemed panel of 8 judges from various fields of expertise such as government, sustainable mobility, venture capital, technology, and industry virtually assessed the 16 semi-finalists.

After careful consideration and based on the feedback from the judges, TMF identified six teams as Finalists rather than five teams as originally planned. The following six teams are deemed to be best suited to CATCH's problem statement and the five assessment criteria of creativity, feasibility, sustainability, desirability and technicality. The semi-finals was completed last December.

"CATCH was designed to grasp ground breaking innovations, and we were impressed by the ideas of 16 strong semi-finalists who showcased new data driven mobility and city planning focused solutions,” said Pras Ganesh, director of programs at TMF.

He added:  “Though it was very difficult to narrow down the selection, as Toyota Mobility Foundation, we are very excited about the six Finalists and what they can deliver in the Minimum Viable Product (MVP) stage to improve the quality of life of the residents of Kuala Lumpur."

Grant to develop PoCs

The six finalists will be further developing their MVPs, and at this stage each will receive a grant of US$125,000 of financial support to drive testing and implementation of intelligent data-driven, connected solutions, aimed at a more efficient, innovative, secure and sustainable city of Kuala Lumpur.

“"These entries show how amazing such innovations can be produced, and even thrive, when data is readily made available,” said Ir. Dr.Karl Ng, Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC).

Yu Chuan Hock, director of urban transportation of KL City Hall (DBKL)  echoed the same sentiment.

"Kuala Lumpur City Hall is looking forward to a practical and workable solution to be implemented to ease congestion and disperse traffic more effectively,” he said.

TMF will continue to work together with strategic partners including Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL), the MDEC  and its data partners -- Prasarana, MapIT, and Grab -- to support the finalists until the selection of a final winner in April-May 2021. This support includes the financial grant by TMF and incubation and mentorship provided by experts and judges supporting the CATCH program.

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Smart water and wastewater leak detection market to reach nearly US$2B in 2026 https://futureiot.tech/smart-water-and-wastewater-leak-detection-market-to-reach-nearly-us2b-in-2026/ Fri, 29 Jan 2021 01:00:48 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=8284 IoT, machine learning (ML), artificial intelligence (AI), and cloud- or edge-based data analytics platforms are boosting the global market for smart water and wastewater leak detection systems.

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Internet of Things (IoT) sensors, machine learning (ML), artificial intelligence (AI), and cloud- or edge-based data analytics platforms are boosting the global market for smart water and wastewater leak detection systems, according to a recent report by Frost & Sullivan.

By 2026, the market is estimated to garner a revenue of US$1.99 billion from US$1.23 billion in 2020, up at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.4%, the technology research firm predicts.

"The high rate of urbanisation in most developing countries has increased the pressure on existing water and wastewater infrastructure, which has pushed the demand for leak detection solutions, partly to improve asset efficiency and partly to meet water conservation goals," said Paul Hudson, energy & environment research analyst at Frost & Sullivan. "To tap into this growth prospect, leak detection solution providers should integrate their technologies and customize services to meet customers' demands and exploit investments made for the development of Smart Cities and resilient infrastructure."

The report cites the move toward a circular economy and holistic sustainability will present immense growth opportunities for market participants, varying considerably depending on the region:

  • Asia-Pacific: Aerial imagery and in-line probes/robots have a high potential for easy adoption among APAC countries, including India and China, and Southeast Asian countries.
  • Europe: European water utilities are exploring multiple technologies to detect and monitor leaks in pipelines. Water conservation policies and smart city investments are expected to drive the growth of leak detection solutions in Europe.
  • Latin America: Pressure sensor-based leak monitoring and detection solutions have the highest potential because of added benefits like energy efficiency and resource optimization.
  • Middle East and Africa: Smart City investments by GCC countries will drive the growth of leak detection services and software and data analytics solutions.
  • North America: North America is the largest market for smart water leak detection solutions. Leak prediction and prescriptive intelligence are the next steps for solution providers in the region.

Hudson noted that the increasing adoption of cloud-based data analytics, ML and AI is transforming the industry's business model from product-based solutions to leak detection services.

“Further, utilities' emphasis on a 'one-stop solution provider' for leak detection in both their water and wastewater networks is encouraging solution providers to embrace new business models such as technology-as-a-service (TaaS) and leak (or non-revenue water (NRW)) management-as-a-service (LMaaS). TaaS enables service providers to fully control and strategically expand and enhance their technology offerings, whereas LMaaS could help focus on the growth and market penetration of smart solutions such as continual leak monitoring and proactive prevention,” he explained.

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Sensormatic unveils new smart retail platform https://futureiot.tech/sensormatic-unveils-new-smart-retail-platform/ Wed, 27 Jan 2021 02:30:43 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=8271 The new platform incorporates insights from edge devices, such as POS, sensors, EAS, RFID, Computer Vision, and more, capable of delivering AI predictive and prescriptive models to support operations in retail environments from grocery and apparel to home improvement and malls.

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Sensormatic Solutions, the global retail arm of Johnson Controls, has launched an intelligent operating platform geared to help retailers innovate with IoT, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning at scale.

Called Sensormatic IQ, the new platform integrates data from retailers and third party sources to deliver total visibility into operations and shopper insights – all with the help of AI, IoT and machine learning. This combination drives prescriptive, data-driven outcomes for retailers, creating value and growth opportunities as retailers move into the future.

“In today’s hyper-connected world, the customer experience is about how, where, when, and why engagement happens. That’s why our commitment to enabling customers to harness diverse insights to drive positive outcomes and informed business decisions is more important than ever,” said Bjoern Petersen, president, Sensormatic Solutions.

“The launch of Sensormatic IQ reflects our forward-looking business strategy. Through collaborating with our technology partners and leveraging the global reach and scalability of the Google Cloud coupled with smart sensors and advanced analytics, our platform is designed to evolve with the industry and our customer’s needs,” he added.

Petersen said the company’s new open platform represents years of investment and innovation moving to outcome-based operations that meet the shifting needs of retailers.

“The addition of the Sensormatic IQ platform is one more way of providing the foundation for a digital journey that allows retailers to run at an enterprise scale,” Petersen said.

Sensormatic IQ’s flexible, open platform can incorporate insights from edge devices, such as POS, sensors, EAS, RFID, Computer Vision, and more, capable of delivering AI predictive and prescriptive models to support operations in retail environments from grocery and apparel to home improvement and malls.

Daren Ng, general manager, Sensormatic Solutions Loss & Liability, Asia Pacific, is optimistic that the region’s retailers will embrace the new platform.

“Asia Pacific retail took the lead in driving global industry growth prior to the impact of COVID-19, and the region is expected to recover the fastest from the health crisis,” Ng said.

He added: “One thing that has not changed as retailers gear up for recovery is consumers’ expectation for better shopper experiences -- from personalisation and choice to a frictionless buying journey. Sensormatic IQ provides retailers a view across their operation on one platform and with actionable insights that they can use to engage customers in an cost efficient and meaningful way.”

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APACIoT vSummit 2020: Creating better customer experience with Enterprise IoT https://futureiot.tech/apaciot-vsummit-2020-creating-better-customer-experience-with-enterprise-iot/ Fri, 22 Jan 2021 07:00:42 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=8253 FutureIoT: Solace's Sumeet Puri says data does not move as fast as the business, and customers, need it to be to meet the paradigm of instant expectation.

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“From the what to the how” was how Sumeet Puri, chief technology officer and solutions officer at Solace, began his introduction on the topic of “Creating better customer experience with enterprise IoT” with an observation: despite being an important technology trend he was quick to raise what nearly everyone will ask as well – why bother (implementing IoT)?

If you consider that things are working ok, businesses continue to move forward, why indeed change.

The reality, he continued, is that businesses have been disrupted. Customers want better experience. Things need to happen in real-time.

The good news is that organisations are not short on data to help them transact business and do analysis.

The bad news is that the data does not move as fast as the business, and customers, need it to be to meet the paradigm of instant expectation.

He proposed that to unlock its value, data needs to be set in motion as event streams. “As information flows you are able to do interesting things,” he suggested. Citing analysts like Gartner, he commented that the value of data, including events and information, diminishes over time.

“Decisions made closer at the time the data is created have the highest value,” he explained.

The imperative to set data in motion becomes even pronounced in the world of Internet of Things. Devices and sensors are increasingly being adopted into enterprise processes to capture data at the point of creation to enable faster and more accurate information gathering and decision-making.

He cited the case of a supply chain that as it becomes digitized, expectations are for the cost will go down, the business to become more agile and customer experience to improve.

Click the video link here to watch Puri’s full presentation at the APACIoT vSummit.

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HK launches sensor-based smart parking meters https://futureiot.tech/hk-launches-sensor-based-smart-parking-meters/ Tue, 19 Jan 2021 01:30:20 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=8237 The smart parking meters are fitted with sensors that use millimetre wave radar to detect whether roadside parking spaces are occupied and support multiple contactless payment options.

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The first batch of newly installed smart parking meters will start operating tomorrow across Hong Kong as the city’s Transport Department starts phasing out existing ones put in place between 2003 and 2004, which are now nearing the end of the serviceable life.

The smart parking meters are part of the department’s smart mobility initiatives.

Photo shows the Assistant Commissioner for Transport (Management and Paratransit) Patrick Wong (second left); Chief Transport Officer (Transport Facilities Management) of the TD, Ken Wong (first left); Senior Engineer (Transport Services 5) of the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department Eva Wong (first right); and Senior Vice President of Emerging Technologies, Commercial Group of HKT Dennis Wong (second right).

The smart parking meters are fitted with sensors that use  millimetre wave radar to detect whether roadside parking spaces are occupied. The sensors are only capable of detecting the occupancy of parking spaces, and will not collect any personal information, details of vehicle types or vehicle registration numbers.

Real-time information from the smart parking meters will be disseminated through  three channels: the new mobile app called "HKeMeter"; the mobile and web versions of "HKeMobility";  and, the Public Sector Information Portal (data.gov.hk) to assist motorists in finding vacant parking spaces. Providing real-time information to assist motorists in finding vacant parking spaces, these new parking meters reduce the time required locating parking spaces as well as the amount of circulating traffic.

Features of the new parking meters include:

  • Support for multiple payment systems, including the smart card Octopus and contactless credit cards such as Visa payWave, MasterCard Contactless and UnionPay QuickPass; as well as the Faster Payment System; AlipayHK; WeChat Pay; and Union QR
  • Support on-site and remote payment of parking fees through, HKeMeter. The mobile app supports iOS and Android mobile devices, and is available free for download

To date,  44 new parking meters at three locations in Central, Tuen Mun and Clear Water Bay last month as part of the final on-site tests. These meters will be put in service tomorrow.

At present, there are about 18,000 metered parking spaces in Hong Kong with about 9,800 parking meters installed. The Transport Department said these parking meters will be replaced in phases and are expected to be replaced with the smart meter by the first half of 2022. In total, the Transportation Department expects to install about 12,000 smart parking meters.

 

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IoT, AI and edge-computing projects face complex ecosystem https://futureiot.tech/iot-ai-and-edge-computing-projects-face-complex-ecosystem/ Mon, 18 Jan 2021 03:00:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=8232 Being able to stitch together becoming much more cumbersome … Now, we are talking about 20 30 components on a regular basis – it is pretty much a norm.

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Companies keen to deploy technologies such as Internet of things (IoT), artificial technologies and edge computing to further automate their business processes have to contend with an increasingly complex ecosystem of myriad services providers and rapidly evolving technologies, which makes implementation of any project a challenge.

This was  one of the major takeaways during a panel discussion at the recent APAC IoT vSummit organised by FutureIoT.

Dubbed “Powering IoT in the Workplace with AI and Edge Computing”, the panel  was moderated by Pankaj Lunia, supply chain & B2B Collaboration Solutions Leader, IBM and composed of Rajan Upadhyay, Head of Digital Lab, Cyberjaya at DHL; Riza Alaudin Syah, CTO at Indonesia-based Eateroo; Manuel San Miguel, CEO, Ignatica ; and, Atul Babu, SVP & Head of International Business, PCCW Solutions.

Burgeoning ecosystem

Any IoT implementation - the panel unanimously agreed – has a number of moving pieces, the least of which are the connected devices and sensors that collect information. Device manufacturers, who are at the hear of the IoT ecosystem, come out with new devices while rolling out enhancements to existing ones. They now monitor and measure – in ways never seen before – details in minutiae that can be found in a work or industrial environment

Upadhyay of DHL noted that the billions of data the comes through these connected devices are essential in the quest for an intelligent enterprise.

“Everything you’ll see, especially in IoT, is a kind of enabler and they are the channel interface to bring some intelligent automation…. I think that is where you can bring the value. If you see this intelligence,” he said.

He added: “AI is bringing intelligence capabilities and billions of devices are pumping the data into our systems. These systems in the edge nodes are accumulating these data and pushing them to the cloud. What are we going to do with these zettabytes of information? Intelligence is the key and the intelligence you can only bring once you we can share these information. And based on this information you can bring intelligence and effectively use it into your business processes. We can make this world more connected and safer.”

Babu of PCCW Solutions pointed out that IoT devices measuring data is just a starting point in an expanding ecosystem.

“You have the entire ecosystem of edge computing  where telcos are playing a key role,  and they are also at a nascent stage. There is hardly any telco that can claim to have a very solid multi-edge compute. They are still in the initial parts,” he said. The same is true for cloud services providers. They have a role to play and they are also adapting with time. On one side while they may have a very mature public service cloud offerings, how can they modify their services to edge compute, multiple-edge compute, and at the same time new services as well.”

A lot of these new companies are coming together to not just look at what is the advancement, but also help choose – what is the right tool, what are the right IoT devices, what are the right ecosystem components that would come together and it's changing every single day because of technology advancements and  new tasks being added.

“Being able to stitch together becoming much more cumbersome than it was in the past. Earlier, we used to talk about working with three four technology components and that's that about that's about it. Now, we are talking about 20 30 components on a regular basis – it is pretty much a norm.

By the time you finish implementing, you realise these four components are no good anymore and I need to look for new ones,” Babu said.

San Miguel of Ignatica echoed the challenge of putting different components together into a functioning whole.

“How can you actually have the enterprise architecture to stitch them all together with enough rigor and robustness to manage a business model that needs to survive more than a quarter. That is where we see a key challenge but also where a massive opportunity for certain platforms are starting to come up,” he said.

Putting AI to work

Once the connected devices and sensor delivers data, the challenge is sorting them out in a way that makes sense. This is where AI comes in.

For Ignatica, which provides a platform for digital insurance, AI is playing a big role in the development of new business models that are changing the insurance industry. The technology is behind use cases such as telematics, usage-based insurance and parametric insurance, which offer pre-specified pay-outs based upon a trigger event.  (An example of this is a farmers insurance, where if rainfall falls under certain threshold a month, the insured gets automatically compensated.)

“From an AI perspective, once you have access to all these billions and billions of data points coming in on a steady basis – how do you make heads or tails of them? And you start seeing now things like algorithmic underwriting. You have automated claims decision; you can now have dynamic pricing based on changing conditions for different product types,” San Miguel said.

Meanwhile, San Miguel sees more dynamic changes on medical devices and ecosystem place.

“Think about the smart refrigerator where you keep your insulin. It measures when and how much people are actually going in there to actively manage a particular disease or condition. And based on disease management, you're able now to reduce the premiums or to provide wellness treatments”

He added: “You are going to see a shift in insurance from protection and kind of compensation after you saw a loss event into actively managed prevention. And  that's going to happen – not only with humans as we start wearing more and more smart clothing that tells us more about what's happening with our bodies and what we can change – but also across PNCs. You start seeing preventive maintenance regimes across ships. You see it across freight supply lines, where the cost and the optimisation on and therefore the insurance around the supply line for how they're using all these resources that are consumed are drastically impacted by sensor data coming in from IoT; and the ability to have a validated well-managed full provenanced data store that can now drive the machine learning algorithms.

“The challenge that insurers have is not just in getting access to the consistent stream of sensor data for triggering activities, but really having the right validation and full management of the business model,” San Miguel said. “Because one of the challenges that we've seen is having the consistent provenance and well-managed data from a data quality perspective and from a security perspective that you can embed into an intelligently automated business model.”

Smart tech  levels playing field for SMEs and large companies

Syah of Eateroo sees SMEs benefiting from IoT adoption. In Indonesia, where the food-tech startup is based, Syah sees customers deploy face recognition and AI-powered recommendation system.

When I was in Bukalapak ecommerce marketplace, the AI that was first implemented was a recommendation system that was deployed to suggest further purchases.  The AI and ML of the recommendation system were developed inside the app,” he recalled.

He also cited the example of deploying MLs from embedded devices to scan faces for “mass detection”.

“It can be used for example in a commercial kitchen to ensure that every chef is following protocols [in food preparation],” he said.

About simplifying the process of implementing technologies such as IoT, AI and edge computing Babu of PCCW Solutions said all companies face the same scenario no matter their size.

“I think this whole notion of big versus a small is going for a toss. It’s all about fast versus slow. That's why you know you've got a 50-people company coming out of nowhere – such as Whatsapp that takes over 50 billion dollars of revenues of telcos globally. That is the power of speed over being big so whatever we are talking about is true for everyone.”

About ensuring a smooth implementation process, Babu said it eventually comes down to human skills.

“Independent of how advanced the machines you get, eventually somebody's got to put it in the context of business that they are in,” he said. “The contextualisation of that requires some human skills. It's still not as automated as one would want to believe. It cannot be done by one person, it's a combination of skills cross functions and business domain. So, if you're talking about retail, it would certainly require some functional expertise about how the technology can be implemented – something  before sensor and something  after sensor,  something before AI and something after AI.”

He stressed: “It requires huge architectural expertise as well I mentioned earlier. It's about putting things together. I can be given 100 different components, but if I don't know how to put them

together and make the best use of it, it’s no use.”

He also pointed out that cost plays a big role. It has to be cost-effective.

“It has to make business sense. If I am investing 10 dollars, I should  be able to get the return of investment. People are not talking about five to seven years of return of investment, which was norm earlier on, people are talking about if I am investing ten dollars,  can I get it back in three months’ time?  The whole speed context has completely changed.”

Prioritising technologies in an IoT implementation

Asked about how to prioritise from multiple IoT components of a project, Upadhyay said it is not easy since one is faced with a whole ecosystem – of which sensors and devices form a small part.

“Perhaps I can classify this into two spaces: industrial IoT and consumer IoT. It varies a lot from each other. In consumer IoT, we are talking about some household items with basic sensors. With industrial automation, there are many different ways to look into it.”

Overall, what’s important is not only the device, Upadhyay said companies have to look into the network they have established, which is critical. The platform chosen is also critical because it enhances the interface with the channel and bring the effectiveness in their business processes.

“Consider all these three factors. The first thing to identify is what sort of IoT the use case is whether it’s consumer or industrial IoT. Then, the second stage is what network are  you using and how you do computing into it. The third stage will be how to accommodate the information, and how it can bring effectiveness to your business processes.”

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Thailand’s EEC on track with digital innovation hub goal https://futureiot.tech/thailands-eec-on-track-with-digital-innovation-hub-goal/ Wed, 13 Jan 2021 02:30:39 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=8223 Thailand's high-tech Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC), established in May 2018, is the cornerstone for the country’s Industry 4.0 vision to become a fully developed nation by 2035. The 13,000sqkm EEC stretches south and east of Bangkok and covers three provinces with a total population of three million. It aims to be the gateway to Southeast […]

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Thailand's high-tech Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC), established in May 2018, is the cornerstone for the country’s Industry 4.0 vision to become a fully developed nation by 2035.

The 13,000sqkm EEC stretches south and east of Bangkok and covers three provinces with a total population of three million. It aims to be the gateway to Southeast Asia (SEA) and a global digital innovation hub.

Already, the special economic zone is home to the world's 11th largest auto exporting industry, leading global suppliers of hard disc drives and home appliances, a major petrochemical industry and the international tourist resort of Pattaya.

Under the Thailand 4.0 plan, automakers and their supply chains are transitioning to electric vehicle production, the electronics sector is upscaling and petrochemical manufacturers are increasingly adopting less polluting renewable biotechnologies as Thailand embraces the so-called bio-circular-green economy.

Now they are being joined in the EEC by companies specialising in artificial intelligence, robotics, medical devices and biosciences including technologies such as genomics sequencing.

To support the economic activities emerging the EEC, housing will increasingly be available in environmentally and connectivity-friendly smart cities located around scenic Pattaya.

U-Tapao: a smart city “aerotropolis”

In a wide-ranging interview released in the media yesterday to mark its upcoming third anniversary in May, EEC confirmed the THB100 billion (US$3.3 billion) investment to be spent this year on the next phase of construction of the 220km high-speed train connecting Bangkok’s two airports in Suvarnabhumi and Don Muang with EEC’s own airport at U-Tapao.

“5G connectivity combined with the high-speed train would help transform U-Tapao and its surrounding area into Thailand's equivalent of Japan's Narita or South Korea's Incheon – a smart city "aerotropolis" twinned with the nation's capital one hour away at the other end of the train line,” said EEC secretary general Kanit Sangsubhan.

Map of Thailand’s Eastern Economic Corridor, or EEC, showing the main infrastructure projects under development which will further boost the area’s connectivity.

Dr. Sangsubhan revealed that 50% of the EEC will be covered by 5G by next month,  adding that EEC will become the first part of  first part of SEA to offer 5G connectivity.

"The signal is already there, and we are now working with companies and local residents to help offer them the best solution for their individual needs,” he said.

An eye beyond the ASEAN market

Dr. Sangsubhan  pointed out the EEC vision extends far beyond the immediate region. It aims to become a logistics hub and gateway linking the world's two most populous countries, China and India, and the Association of Southeast Asian nations (ASEAN) trading bloc of which Thailand is the second largest economy.

Between them, China, India and the 10 ASEAN states account for some 3.5 billion consumers or almost half the world's population, with the EEC geographically at the crossroads to connect them. The ASEAN countries of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam have a combined population of some 650 million.

“The  EEC already had a close relationship with China's Greater Bay area which includes Hong Kong, the booming technology hub of Shenzhen and other major cities in the economic powerhouse of Guangdong province,” Dr. Sangsubhan said.

He described the EEC's role as a "dry port" for goods and commodities passing through the region.

He estimates that – with the help of a planned "land bridge" to connect the Kingdom's Gulf of Thailand and Indian Ocean, containers shipped through the EEC to India would be able to reach their destination four or five days quicker than using the existing route via Singapore and the heavily congested Malacca Strait. In turn, Thailand's connection with China provides an onward overland link to Europe.

Building infrastructure is key

The total cost of developing the EEC is THB1.7 trillion (about US$60 billion), 80% of which will be funded by the private sector and 20% by the government. About one-third of that will be spent in the next four or five years on completing the high-speed train, the airport and expansion of two sea ports at Laem Chabang and Map Ta Phut.

Following EEC’s public-private partnership model, the high-speed rail is half funded by the government and half by a consortium led by Thailand's CP Group and backed by international investors.

“CP group mobilised a team," Dr Sangsubhan said.  "Construction is from China, technology from Italy and funding from both Japan and China. That is the power of the private sector. What we have achieved is to mobilise the government, the private sector and the local people. This has never happened before, and it is what excites me so."

Stanley Kang, chairman of the Joint Chambers of Commerce in Thailand said it is about location.

“EEC is definitely the right place to be,” he said.  "In the past, the attraction for investors was cheap land and labour. But our future is creativity and innovation and Thailand's advantage is the EEC. There is a big opportunity now and a lot of investment is moving in."

Kang lauded the success of the high-tech corridor to a visionary long-term focus by the Thai government on quality hard and soft infrastructure.

Long before it was rebranded as the EEC, the region was known as the Eastern Seaboard. When the company Kang heads, TIC Group, first opened a factory there in the 1980s, the land was occupied by "cobras and cows" and the road from Bangkok only had two lanes.

"It took you four hours to drive there and overtaking was as dangerous as being on a race track," Kang recalled. "Then, the highway became four lanes, then six lanes and now in parts it is eight-lane. Thailand realised that without good infrastructure you can't get foreign direct investment. You didn't just need a port, you needed an efficient port. You also needed ease of doing business and the government provided that with a one-stop shop for the necessary permits."

 

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UnionBank lauded for bringing smart banking in PH https://futureiot.tech/unionbank-lauded-for-bringing-smart-banking-in-ph/ Wed, 06 Jan 2021 02:30:35 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=8200 The award recognised the bank's initiatives to stay ahead of the demand curve by offering best-in-class, personalised customer experience with robust 24/7 services.

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UnionBank, the first local bank to launch a smart branch in the Philippines using 5G for seamless connectivity with internet of things (IoT)-enabled services, ended 2020 with a bang by garnering recognition for its robust efforts at digitalisation.

Based on its recent analysis of the Philippines' customer experience solutions in the banking industry, Frost & Sullivan last month awarded the bank with the 2020 Philippines Excellence In Customer Experience in ATM Ambience Experience and In Online Customer Experience.

The award recognised the bank's initiatives to stay ahead of the demand curve by offering best-in-class, personalised customer experience with robust 24/7 services.

"UnionBank has ramped up its digitalisation efforts in the past few years. A customisable system, self-service options, and personified robot assistant are among the digital options available to customers, half of whom now transact digitally," said Edurra Talib, senior research analyst at Frost & Sullivan.

Combining 5G and artificial intelligence (AI), UnionBank can better anticipate customers' preferences and behaviours through. This commitment to continuous, data-driven innovation has helped the bank deliver enriched customer experiences,  she added.

UnionBank launched its first smart branch in January last year, partnering with Globe Business, the enterprise arm of Globe Telecom,  to deploye 5G connectivity at its Dasmariñas, Cavite branch – the first of its ARK 2.0 branches - for faster speeds, higher bandwidth, and a more stable internet connection.

Twenty times faster than other networks available, 5G technology  enabled branch employees to connect 32 devices at the same time without sacrificing performance.

“Excellent customer experience will always be an important driver to a company's growth and relevance. This is the very reason why we at UnionBank constantly innovate and improve our services to ensure that we offer nothing but the best to our clients,” said Dennis Omila, executive vice president and chief information officer, said in a media statement following the smart bank launch “Partnering with Globe for its revolutionary 5G network and connectivity is one way we can provide more seamless and efficient operations.”

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PodChats for FutureIoT: WBD101 and hearable trends in 2021 https://futureiot.tech/podchats-for-futureiot-wbd101-and-hearable-trends-in-2021/ Mon, 04 Jan 2021 02:42:34 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=8187 Kow Ping, executive director and co-founder at WBD101, talks about the innovations that are taking place in the hearable space that go beyond communications.

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According to a Gartner report, consumer spending on wearable technology will double by 2021. Apple, for example, is set to debut its first augmented reality headset in 2022 — with the goal of replacing the phone in your pocket with a pair of glasses.

During the COVID-19 crisis, body temperature checks are routinely done in confined public places such as malls, restaurants, markets, factories and offices. The most common places to measure body temperature are the mouth, ear, armpit and rectum.

People hoist their palms or put their foreheads to a scanner for quick reading. But just how accurate is this approach remains a bone of contention. And given how the body’s temperature can change within the day during the onset of an infection, is there a better way to monitor one’s body temperature and be apprised of the changes?

While hearable technology has mostly been associated with auditory applications, other applications including connecting to smart assistants and providing health status are moving mainstream. One company, Hong Kong-based Well Being Digital (WBD101) is using multiple light sources, including infrared, to capture biometric data and convert it to usable information.

According to Kow Ping, executive director and co-founder at WBD101, which makes his company’s approach different are its patented application of multiple sensors.

“When applied at the ear, this technology results in the world’s smallest and most accurate bio-sensing earbuds,” he added.

Research firm, MarketWatch, noted that healthcare applications accounted for the largest share in 2017.  The evolution of technology allows people to measure heart rates and other parameters such as body temperature, blood pressure, pulse oximetry, electrocardiogram (ECG), electroencephalogram signals, and others using various smart hearable devices available in the market.

Companies in this market also started offering new capabilities in hearables to the elderly and other patients. These hearable devices also help manage specific health conditions and disease states.

Ping acknowledged that WBD101 is itself undergoing clinical trials of some of its products in the region, including non-invasive diabetic sensing. It is also continuing R&D efforts to finetune its technology around blood pressure and cholesterol sensing.

Click on the PodChat player above to listen to Ping as he shares his views and understanding of the wearable and hearable technologies and marketplace.

  1. Let’s start off with a 30-second elevator pitch of who is Well Being Digital?
  2. In your view, how has COVID-19 impacted the wearable industry?
  3. Specific to hearable technology, what are the current innovations around it?
  4. Are there any industrial or commercial (not to be confused with the consumer) use cases for hearables today?
  5. Beyond these (#2/#3) applications/use cases, what can we look forward to in terms of ideas being considered in R&D labs?
  6. As a business, what remains a major challenge for hearable tech companies to get traction across a broader marketplace?
  7. What are your expectations for the hearable marketplace in 2021 and beyond?

ResearchAndMarkets forecasts the global hearable market to grow at a CAGR of 11.7% from 2020-2025. The report noted that a hearable is “a remote in-ear computational earpiece. Basically, you have a smaller scale PC that fits in your ear trench and uses remote innovation to supplement and improve your listening knowledge. Numerous hearables will likewise include extra components, for example, heart rate observing.”

Ping commented that consumer awareness remains a key challenge for the industry. WBD101 itself partners with other brands like JBL, Philips, TCL and Hera Leto One, to incorporate its technologies into consumer products.

Sensors in wristbands and earbuds just collect biodata. What you do with this data is where the value is.

“The wristband doesn’t tell you what to do next. Do you speed up or slow down? Should you rest because your blood pressure is going up? We are going beyond just recording those biometric data, we are working on AI to analyse this data and advise you on what to do next,” he elaborated.

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BSNL, SkyIo tout world’s first 5G NB-IoT network over satellite https://futureiot.tech/bsnl-skyio-tout-worlds-first-5g-nb-iot-network-over-satellite/ Thu, 31 Dec 2020 02:00:39 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=8184 Skylo’s new solution is currently being integrated and tested on trucks, commercial vehicles, railways, and fishing vessels in India.

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India’s government-owned telecommunications provider BSNL has formed an alliance with SkyIo to deliver ubiquitous connectivity that would link millions of unconnected machines, sensors and industrial IoT devices across the country.

As part of this latest partnership, SkyIo – which builds end-to-end solutions connecting machine and sensor data via satellite – had developed a new, satellite-based IoT data mobility solution designed especially for the Indian market.

Touted to be the world’s first 5G NB-IoT network over satellite, the new solution will connect with BSNLs satellite- ground infrastructure and provide PAN-India coverage, including Indian seas. Network coverage will span the whole of India, from Kashmir & Ladakh to Kanyakumari, and from Gujarat to the North East, including the Indian seas.

The network is accessible across the sub-continent and is being rolled out with select customers in government and private sectors.

This breakthrough announcement is very timely because it comes during the ongoing Indian Mobile Congress 2020. This new technology supports the Department of Telecom and NITI Aayogs plan of bringing indigenous IoT connectivity to India’s core sectors. Examples of where this technology has already been tested successfully include, Indian Railways, fishing vessels, and enabling connected vehicles across India.

“Our vision is to leverage technology to provide affordable and innovative telecom services and products across customer segments,” said Sh. P. K. Purwar, CMD, BSNL. “With our pan-India presence and Skylo’s new  solution, we now have an unparalleled opportunity to serve previously underserved industries by bringing an affordable and easy way to connect IoT sensors anywhere in India. We are confident that this will lead to tremendous efficiencies and new ‘connected’ business models for players in these industries and with their progress, India's growth story will get a boost.”

Skylo’s new solution is currently being integrated and tested on trucks, commercial vehicles, railways, and fishing vessels in India. Manufactured under the “Make in India” initiative, Skylo has leveraged cellular-grade hardware to communicate over satellite, resulting in highly affordable, easy-to-install rugged hub devices, and an immersive dashboard to be able to access information from remote locations on mobile devices or desktops. Skylo leverages existing satellites to bring reliable connectivity without the need to add new infrastructure in space.

Making Digital India a reality

With their partnership, BSNL and SkyIo are doing their share to advance Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vison of a truly Digital India linking millions of sensors and machines from space to allow business owners to understand, manage, and predict what is happening in order to make smart and timely decisions.

“For centuries, industries including agriculture, railways, and fisheries, have been operating in the physical world and haven’t had the opportunity to take full advantage of modern digital technologies like AI, machine learning, IoT, and space connectivity, regardless of their geography -- until today,” said Skylo CEO and co-founder Parth Trivedi. “With Skylo and BSNL, fishermen, farmers, and truck drivers can access the benefits of an affordable, reliable satellite network and connected sensors, giving them up to the minute information. As a result, they’ll be able to make better decisions, save time and money, radically improve operations, and even save the lives of their workers.”

“Being able to affordably connect IoT devices, vehicles and vessels across the country is a transformative capability for India,” he added.

Whether equipping tractors or fishing boats, train cars or trucks, mining equipment or electrical grids, Skylo connects machines so they can start sharing data through the Skylo Hub. A small, smart, incredibly rugged box, the Skylo Hub reads sensors and transmits data to the Skylo Satellite Network which then sends data where it belongs: into people’s hands. The immersive Skylo Platform provides a visualised experience via mobile and desktop and gives users the ability to take immediate and appropriate action.

The new digital machine connectivity layer will serve as a complement to smartphone-centric mobile and Wi-Fi networks, and covers India’s full geography to bring online new applications for the first time.

Shri Vivek Banzal, director (CFA), BSNL Board, said: “Successful POCs have already been conducted by BSNL and Skylo in India and we will soon approach various user groups before the New Year 2021 begins.”

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Ecolohas builds smart homes in Taiwan with renewable energy https://futureiot.tech/ecolohas-builds-smart-homes-in-taiwan-with-renewable-energy/ Wed, 30 Dec 2020 02:00:42 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=8179 Ecolohas has developed a variety of energy storage systems for different applications and collaborated with governments, industries, academics and R&D institutes.

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Ecolohas Energy Technology is helping Taiwan to build sustainable homes by delivering smart energy storage systems, smart microgrid systems and distributed microgrid energy storage systems that allow people to generate their own power and reduce their electricity bill.

"We aim to develop and provide self-efficient energy solutions to decrease carbon emission, help resolve climate change challenges and create an ecological, energy-saving and eco-friendly world." said Kevin Yang, president, Ecolohas.

Founded in 1998, the company is a social enterprise focusing on distinctive green energy solutions in Taiwan. It has strong technical teams focusing on energy communications and power distribution. Ecolohas invests many research resources in R&D integration, coordination, and management to build energy network, distributed energy and smart microgrid architecture, which effectively fulfil the needs of the general public.

Ecolohas combines solar power, home energy storage, and concentrated energy storage technologies to build microgrid system to substitute utility power. Ecolohas also introduced the hybrid energy storage system- Wolf ZX to Japan's market.

Ecolohas has developed a variety of energy storage systems for different applications and collaborated with governments, industries, academics and R&D institutes. Furthermore, the enterprise has devoted in multiple post disaster reconstruction projects such as the reconstruction of 2009 Typhoon Morakot post solar power community, involved in rescue missions of 2015 Nepal earthquake and relevant 2016 Typhoon Meranti post-disaster reconstruction projects.

With main products such as smart energy storage system, smart microgrid system, and distributed microgrid energy storage system "Battery Ship", the company customise design planning for various energy system.

The smart energy storage systems are designed for home, business and power grid. It is durable, waterproof and dustproof, and could be applied to various scenarios. With the remote monitoring function, consumers could monitor the renewable energy power generation, power consumption and load power storage data anytime and anywhere. In addition, the smart microgrid system consists of three main elements: renewable energy power generation system, independent small-scale energy storage system, and centralized large-scale energy storage system. Moreover, the system integrates battery and energy management systems providing better quality and improvement on efficiency.

 

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IoT adoption to spur growth of big data services through 2024 https://futureiot.tech/iot-adoption-to-spur-growth-of-big-data-services-through-2024/ Thu, 24 Dec 2020 02:07:39 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=8164 Technavio predicts the global big data services market is expected to grow by USD$64.27 billion between 2020 and 2024, accelerating at a CAGR of over 30% during the time period.

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The growth of IoT is helping the growth of the big data services market, according to the latest analysis by global market research firm Technavio.

“Adoption of IoT has increased the need for necessary tools to process the large volume of data and generate actionable insights. Big data analytics help to analyse and also improve data collection of industrial equipment such as turbines and oil refineries. These analytics also help organisations make better business decisions and create new business models, products, and service offerings,” the company said in a media statement.

It predicts the global big data services market is expected to grow by USD$64.27 billion between 2020 and 2024, accelerating at a CAGR of over 30% during the time period.

Technavio traced the growth trajectory of the market in its newly-released report entitled “Big Data Services Market by End user and Geography Forecast and Analysis 2020-2024”, which provides a detailed analysis of the prevalent market forces, trends, and drivers along with competitive benchmarking.

According to Technavio, companies are currently outsourcing their big data analytic projects, which is leading to the growth of the big data services market.

“The implementation of big data technologies with IT systems helps gain information and new insights from unstructured and structured data from numerous sources such as databases, streams, APIs, file systems and other platforms and applications,” the company noted.

It added: “These services also help organisations to gain insights and assist in the understanding of huge volume of complex data, which reduces the time taken for research. Industries such as healthcare, manufacturing, media and entertainment, oil and gas, retail and transportation are increasingly adopting big data services.”

The research firm pointed out the market is fragmented due to the presence of several players. The growth of the players depends on several factors such as market conditions, government support, and industry development.

It identified some of the major market participants, which include Accenture, Atos SE, Datameer, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, HP, IBM, Microsoft, PricewaterhouseCooper and Teradata.

“To survive and succeed in such an intensely competitive market, players must distinguish their product and service offerings through clear and unique value propositions,” the company said. “To make the most of the opportunities, market vendors should focus more on the growth prospects in the fast-growing segments, while maintaining their position in the slow-growing segments”

 

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Singtel picks Ericsson to drive high-end 5G connectivity in SG https://futureiot.tech/singtel-picks-ericsson-to-drive-high-end-5g-connectivity-in-sg/ Tue, 22 Dec 2020 23:30:03 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=8157 With 5G’s ultra-fast speeds and minimal latency, it is expected that mobile networks, together with emerging technologies such as data analytics, artificial intelligence and edge computing, will spur Industry 4.0 applications such as precision robotics and advanced video analytics.

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Singtel has tapped Ericsson to provide its 5G New Radio (NR) standalone and dual-mode 5G core network solutions, including real-time rating and policy control, to operate the telecoms operator’s 3.5Ghz and 28Ghz bands to cover outdoor and indoor 5G connectivity in Singapore. The contract includes the deployment of millimeter wave (mmz specWave) connectivity in hotspots across the city state.

Earlier this month, Singtel has announced that it is tapping on 28 Ghz mmWave – in addition to 3.5Ghz and 2100Mhz frequencies – to boost its rollout of ultra-fast 5G speeds in Singapore.

Delivering massive bandwidth, higher capacity and lower latency, mmWave is an ideal frequency for mobile coverage in manufacturing and industrial plants, maritime ports and airports, as well as dense environments such as concert venues and live sporting events.

For a start, Singtel has switched on mmWave in several locations, including Orchard Road, the Padang area and Marina Bay Sands Expo.

The 5G contract award to Ericsson takes the partnership between the two companies to new levels, as Singapore accelerates its journey towards Industry4.0 to keeps its top position in the global competitiveness ranking.

“We are committed to building a secure, resilient, world class 5G network that will serve as the backbone of Singapore’s digital economy,” said Mark Chong, group chief technology officer at Singtel, said. “We are pleased to be working with Ericsson to deliver innovative applications and transformative customer experience for our consumers and enterprise customers.”

Ericsson’s radio and core solutions will ensure that residents, enterprises, industry and government authorities in Singapore  are among the first in the world to benefit from the highest performance that 5G can offer.

5G-enabled application use cases could include cloud gaming, immersive virtual reality/augmented reality, robot-human collaboration in real-time, autonomous transport, remote healthcare, precision smart manufacturing and smart nation connectivity.

“As a long-standing partner, we are determined to work alongside Singtel to ensure its subscribers and business customers enjoy the best experiences and opportunities that 5G has to offer,” said Martin Wiktorin, head of Ericsson Singapore, Brunei and Philippines.

Meeting demand for advanced mobile connectivity

Singtel has been extending its lead in the rollout of 5G since it was officially granted with a 5G licence by the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA)  in June 2020.

According to Chong, Singtel is progressing in 5G deployment by boosting its capabilities to meet increasing demand for advanced mobile connectivity in the consumer and enterprise sectors.

“mmWave 5G’s super-fast speeds and low latency will bring about a striking change in the way we communicate and work. On the consumer front, we are tapping the power of 5G to transform applications such as cloud gaming and augmented reality. We are also working with enterprise customers in key industries to develop 5G solutions in areas such as autonomous guided vehicles, mixed reality and location-based services.”

Singtel’s 5G network harnesses mmWave through a combination of the latest cellular technologies including Massive MIMO (Multiple input multiple output), carrier aggregation and beam-forming solutions.

Singtel customers with 5G plans can expect to enjoy mobile speeds of up to 3 Gbps speeds when mmWave-enabled handsets arrive in Singapore next year.

To let everyone in Singapore have a taste of true 5G speeds, Singtel will be launching Singtel 5G Experience Zones progressively across the island. These Experience Zones will feature exclusive content that consumers can stream for free over a WiFi connection powered by mmWave 5G.

First mmWave 5G use case

Meanwhile, Singtel has recently deployed the fastest 5G speeds of 3.2Gbps at its pop-up store, UNBOXED. As Singtel’s first 5G use case, UNBOXED is an example of how mmWave 5G can enable innovative business solutions and enhance consumer experiences by offering reliable high-bandwidth connectivity that supports real-time machine communications, artificial intelligence and smart analytics, as well as deliver flexibility and efficiency for store deployment without having to lay fibre cables.

With 5G’s ultra-fast speeds and minimal latency, it is expected that mobile networks, together with emerging technologies such as data analytics, artificial intelligence and edge computing, will spur Industry 4.0 applications such as precision robotics and advanced video analytics.

On the enterprise front, beyond engaging ecosystem partners such as device makers, app developers and vertical solution providers, Singtel is also gearing up to offer dedicated mmWave network solutions to its enterprise customers in the coming months.

 

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Smart tech beats yield of China’s strawberry farmers https://futureiot.tech/smart-tech-beats-yield-of-chinas-strawberry-farmers/ Mon, 21 Dec 2020 01:00:01 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=8148 Four technology teams deployed data analysis, intelligent sensors and greenhouse automation to produce an average of 6.86 kilograms of strawberries.

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Technology beat farmers at growing strawberries during the inaugural Smart Agriculture Competition held over a period of four months in China.

Four technology teams deployed data analysis, intelligent sensors and greenhouse automation to produce an average of 6.86 kilograms of strawberries – 196% above  the 2.32 kilograms average for the three teams of traditional growers. The technologists also outperformed farmers in terms of return on investment by an average of 75.5%, according to the competition organisers.

CyberFarmer.HortiGraph at the prize ceremony of the Smart Agriculture Competition,

Organised jointly by Pinduoduo and the China Agricultural University,  the competition showed potential of using IoT to raise agricultural productivity and increase food security. It is the first cross-disciplinary smart agriculture competition in China hosted by a technology company and university to develop planting methods to raise productivity and yield.  The competition, which ended November 30, also received technical support from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations.

“Technology is the force multiplier that helps both the people who grow the food and the people who eat it,” said Andre Zhu, senior vice president of Pinduoduo. “Investing in agriculture benefits the greatest number of people. We are happy to play the role of matchmaker and enabler.”

Based in Shanghai, Pinduoduo was established in 2015 is an online marketplace focusing on agricultural products. It has since developed an agri-focused technology platform, which was recognised as a pioneer in digital agriculture at the recent 2020 World Digital Agriculture Conference held in Guangzhou. The company’s “cloud-agriculture” model was named as one of the top 10 achievements in digital agriculture in the world.

A bountiful harvest

During the competition, various technology teams battled it out inside an automated greenhouse fitted with temperature and humidity controls. The technologists were more precise at controlling the use of water and nutrients. On the hand, traditional strawberry farmers tapped to join the smart agriculture challenge had to achieve the same tasks by hand and experience.

The winning team, CyberFarmer.HortiGraph – primarily made up of researchers from the China Agricultural University and the National Agriculture Intelligence Equipment Engineering Technical Research Center – employed  knowledge graph technology to collect grower experience, historical cultivation data and strawberry image recognition. This was then combined with water, fertiliser and greenhouse climate models to create an intelligent decision strategy for growing strawberries.

Zhi Duo Mei team leader Cheng Biao at the Smart Agriculture Competition greenhouse.

Meanwhile, one technology team Zhi Duo Mei – comprising of university researchers – has decided at the end of the competition to commercialise its strawberry-planting technology to farming cooperatives after receiving numerous inquiries. Farmers were attracted by the team’s automation technology that showed a more than 60% increase in conventional output.

The new company is named Zhi Duo Mei in honour of the team.

"In agriculture, traditional farmers distrust data scientists, thinking they are flashy yet useless; data scientists also look down on farmers, thinking they are too old-fashioned," said Cheng Biao, team leader of the Zhi Duo Mei team. "Through this competition, we realised the importance of combining both sides' advantages and working together."

Digitising the agriculture value chain

The push into smart agriculture has been part of Pinduoduo’s broader goal of helping China realise the full economic potential of the country’s vast agriculture resources.

One of the first steps in improving productivity is to raise the level of digitization across the value chain, from production to the transportation and sale of food.

Pinduoduo has brought a systems approach to tackling the inter-related issues at various points of the agricultural value chain, committing substantial resources and investments to solve entrenched structural problems in the industry.

Its initiatives include improving downstream market access for farmers and training younger e-commerce talent, revamping midstream logistics infrastructure to reduce waste, lower costs and speed up the delivery of agricultural products. Pinduoduo also works with industry partners and universities

At the end  of 2019, the company has covered almost all agricultural production areas in China, with more than 12 million agrarian producers directly connected to its online marketplace serving more than 700 million consumers. to develop upstream technology to increase the resilience of the food supply chain.

Meanwhile, Pinduoduo will explore promoting the technology developed by the teams in its smart agriculture competition to working farms in China. Through its e-commerce platform,  the company works with farmers from impoverished regions of the country to sell their produce to urban consumers.

“Precision farming technology can help improve the crop on the production end, while agriculture analytics can cut food wastage by reducing mismatches in supply and demand. For the growers, e-commerce allows them to tap on a much larger market than the local wholesaler, freeing them from the constraints of geography,” said Pinduoduo in a statement.

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Industry 4.0 essential to Vietnam as a manufacturing hub https://futureiot.tech/industry-4-0-essential-to-vietnam-as-a-manufacturing-hub/ Wed, 09 Dec 2020 02:00:45 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=8110 The country needs to prepare for the coming Industry 4.0 to stay competitive as a manufacturing hub of Asia.

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Over the last 15 years, Vietnam has emerged  as a strong manufacturing hub in Asia Pacific. In its Competitive Industrial Performance (CIP) Index 2020, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) recorded the country climbed two places in CIP – ranking 38 in 2018  in a global index of 152 countries up from its 41st position in 2017.

The report noted that Vietnam has been in an upward trajectory in terms of CIP since 1990.

Indeed, the report stated that Vietnam is going above world average in nearly but two key performance indicator in terms of competitiveness, particularly  with the country’s manufactured goods accounting nearly 90% of the national exports way ahead of 60% global average.

However, the country’s ranking in terms of the share of medium and high-tech activities in manufacturing has shown signs of a slowdown moving down one notch in by placing 40th in 2018. Its global ranking in terms of the share of medium and high-tech activities in total manufacturing value added index is only climbed a place higher to 31st in 2018.

Keeping industrialisation on track

In September this year, the Vietnamese government issued an action plan implementing Resolution No 23/NQ/TW, which sets out a national industrial policy until 2030, with a vision towards 2045. The law was signed more than two years ago in March 2018.

The action plan is designed to put Vietnam in the top three industrialised economies of the ASEAN, the sub-regional 10-nation economic block of Southeast Asia.

Among the goals set include the following:

  • The industrial sector will account for over 40% of Vietnam’s gross domestic product (GDP) by 2030, with manufacturing and processing industries making up some 30% and manufacturing industry alone accounting for over 20%.
  • The value proportion of high-tech products from processing and manufacturing industries will reach at least 45%t. The average annual growth rate of industrial added value will be over 8.5%, in which that of the processing and manufacturing industries will constitute 10%
  • It also foresees a 7.5% average annual growth rate of labour productivity in the industrial sector
  • The proportion of labour in the industrial and service sectors will surpass 70%, and a number of large-scale, multinational and globally competitive industrial clusters and industrial enterprises will be built.

The action plan stipulates the introduction of policies to develop priority industries, as well as to create favourable environment for business opportunities and talent cultivation – using science and technology to spur industrialisation while keeping an eye on environmental protection and having the ability to adapt to climate change.

Writing in Vietnam Briefing in October, Julia Nguyen  said Vietnam seems well on track to achieve its goal of being among the top three ASEAN countries in 10 years’ time.

“From the period of 2006 to 2016, Vietnam climbed 27 positions in UNIDO CIP Index, which tracks the progress of countries’ manufacturing sector. This significantly narrowed the gap between Vietnam and the top countries in the region: Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, and the Philippines,” she said.

Noting that Resolution No. 23-NQ/TW focuses on three key factors: value-added, exports, and job creation she pointed out industries that can contribute the most these  factors should be prioritised.

“Food, textile and footwear, electronics, and automobile are the industries that have the highest competitive advantage, and can immensely benefit from greater research and development (R&D), technical innovation, SME, and start-up support, among many other possible interventions to help the country attain its goals,” she said.

Vietnam Briefing, first published in 2009, provides insights on business and investment in the country. The website is run and manage by Dezan Shira & Associates, a foreign direct investment consultancy that employs over 300 professionals, including lawyers, accountants, auditors, and business specialists from across the world. Local experts at the firm provide services tailored to the unique challenges facing international businesses in Asia.

Nguyen cited challenges ahead such as dependence on foreign imports that supply nearly 8% of raw materials, spare parts and components needed for production, even while government policies and local manufacturers have stepped up the development of supporting industries for key industries.

Focusing on Industry 4.0

While Nguyen agree that focusing on Vietnam’s “tried and tested” sectors will hasten industrialisation, she said the country also needs to prepare for Industry 4.0 to stay competitive.

“Industry 4.0 introduces technologies such as big data, cloud, Internet of Things (IoT), and many more technologies that promise to optimise production processes so that productivity and profits are increased,” she said.

She observed that the first steps of Vietnam’s “digital revolution” are already underway.

Polices on the development of enabling infrastructure, creative capacities, human resources, and priority sectors and technologies are already in place to achieve the country’s ambitions to be among the top Southeast Asian Nations in the Global Innovation Index (GII) ranking.

In 2019, the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) released the draft national strategy on Industry 4.0 and developed a national program to transform Vietnam into a digital society by the next decade.

“There is a consensus among government, industry players, and intellectuals on the benefits and opportunities of Industry 4.0. Experts stress the importance of having a coherent strategy and the need for collaboration in order to create an ecosystem that supports the creation of advanced technologies.

“Coordination across ministries and between private and public sectors is especially crucial when dealing with the inevitable challenges that will arise with Industry 4.0 adoption, such as labour displacement and cybersecurity issues,” Nguyen said.

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Blutech IoT bags HKICT Awards 2020 grand prize https://futureiot.tech/blutech-iot-bags-hkict-awards-2020-grand-prize/ Mon, 07 Dec 2020 02:30:43 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=8095 The project will have greater room for development and market potential, in addition to practicing the Internet of Everything and technology applications.

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Homegrown startup Blutech IoT bags the award of the year award of the 14th edition of the Hong Kong ICT (HKICT) Awards, besting other grand winners in other seven categories of the annual technology awards spearheaded by the city’s Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (OGCIO).

The virtual awards ceremony was pre-recorded and was aired last Friday.

Hong Kong Financial Secretary Paul Chan with executives of Blutech IoT, grand prize winner of the HKICT Awards 2020

Blutech IoT is this year’s winner of the awards’  ICT startup grand award category for the company’s Smart Washroom AIoT Solution, which deploys wireless and compact-sized door contact sensors and heatmap sensors to detect whether a toilet cubicle is occupied or vacant.

“This start-up company realises the intelligent management and operation functions of toilets. The project has significant value where the implementation of human-centred design improves the quality of life of citizens,” said the judging panel for the ICT startup grand award  category, which is overseen by the Hong Kong Wireless Technology Industry Association (WTIA).

WTIA is among the various industry associations tasked by the OGCIO in handling awards submissions in individual categories.

“The project will have greater room for development and market potential, in addition to practicing the Internet of Everything and technology applications, so that more ideas and solutions on the Internet of Things putting into practice,” the panel added.

Blutech IoT is a B2B company focused on building intelligent AIoT systems for enterprises and shopping malls. Its smart washroom AIoT solution is developed to improve property management efficiency.

“Specifically, the solution is built to monitor the availability, usage rate and hygiene conditions of washrooms. The AI functions are provided for predictive maintenance, route planning and queue time estimation by integrating various smart sensors, low-energy wireless communication technologies, well-designed  digital washroom signages and big data analysis,” the company said in its award submission to WTIA.

The company added that the system has been installed in a several  places around the city.

Pushing on amid tumultuous year

Established in 2006, the HKICT Award is now on its 14th year and is an annual salute to creativity and innovation of the city’s technology sector. Its goal is to cultivate and nurture local ICT talents with an eye on raising Hong Kong’s ICT profile in the international market.

“On the path to building Hong Kong into a smart city, we need more creative talent who are eager to innovate for the local ICT industry to continue to flourish,” said HK GCIO Victor Lam, who served as the chairman of the steering committee of this year’s awards.

He added that technology will be an important engine that steers life and economic activities back on track.

“We will soon announce the Smart City Blueprint 2.0 which comprises many measures that are closely related to the daily life of our citizens, allowing them to enjoy the convenience that will be brought to their daily living by a smart city and the development of innovation and technology. Meanwhile, the ‘iAMSmart’ platform to be launched shortly will also provide citizens with more convenient and efficient digital government services.,” Lam said.

Normally handed out in April, the current COVID-19 pandemic has delayed the judging process and awards presentation, with majority of interactions shifting online. Despite the disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic, HKICT Awards 2020 recorded the highest number of entries at over 1,600.

Hong Kong Financial Secretary Paul, who was handed over the award of the year, said: “The epidemic has catalysed evolution and development in enterprises' business models like remote work and remote business operations. It has driven digital transformation of the entire society at the same time."

“I am inspired by the innovative products and solutions of this year's award winners. I believe the successful implementation of their ideas will profoundly benefit businesses and the community, and further promote Hong Kong as a global leading smart city,” said Professor Simon Ho, the chairman of the Grand Judging Panel.

Below is the complete list of winners of the HKICT Awards 2020:

Award category

(Leading Organiser)

Grand Award winner

(Winning entry)

1.       Digital Entertainment Grand Award

(Hong Kong Digital Entertainment Association)

3MindWave Ltd

(ATV Slam)

2.       FinTech Grand Award

(The Hong Kong Institute of Bankers)

Fano Labs Ltd

(Callinter, an Artificial Intelligence Compliance Assurance System)

3.       ICT Startup Grand Award

(Hong Kong Wireless Technology Industry Association)

Blutech IoT Ltd

(Smart Washroom AIoT Solution)

4.       Smart Business Grand Award

(Hong Kong Computer Society)

Immigration Department, HKSAR Government

(When Technology meets Quality Service: Next Generation Smart Identity Card System)

5.       Smart Living Grand Award

(Hong Kong Information Technology Federation)

Megasoft Ltd

(E-Fill: Drug Refill Management System)

6.       Smart Mobility Grand Award

(GS1 Hong Kong)

Maphive Technology Ltd

(Mapxus Barrier-free Indoor Navigation Platform)

7.       Smart People Grand Award

(The Hong Kong Council of Social Service)

KnitWarm Ltd/Fung Fat Knitting Manufactory Ltd

(KnitWarm)

8.      Student Innovation Grand Award

(The Hong Kong Association for Computer Education)

City University of Hong Kong

(LI Xiao-ting)

(Flexible and Wearable Yarn-Based Strain Sensor)

 

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AWS, BlackBerry to jointly develop smart vehicle data platform https://futureiot.tech/aws-blackberry-to-jointly-develop-smart-vehicle-data-platform/ Fri, 04 Dec 2020 01:30:43 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=8092 With both companies’ joint efforts to develop the platform, automakers will be able to compress the timeline to build, deploy, and monetise new in-vehicle applications and connected services across multiple vehicle brands and models.

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Amazon Web Services  (AWS) and BlackBerry yesterday announced a multi-year, global agreement to develop and market the latter’s  intelligent vehicle data platform that would allow automakers to create responsive in-vehicle services that enhance driver and passenger experiences.

Called IVY, the scalable and cloud-connected software platform,  will allow automakers to provide a consistent and secure way to read vehicle sensor data, normalise it, and create actionable insights from that data both locally in the vehicle and in the cloud.

“AWS and BlackBerry are making it possible for any automaker to continuously reinvent the customer experience and transform vehicles from fixed pieces of technology into systems that can grow and adapt with a user’s needs and preferences,” said Andy Jassy, CEO, AWS. “Through this joint effort with BlackBerry, we will provide automakers with the insights, capabilities, agility, and speed they need to thrive in an increasingly connected world. As automakers seek to race ahead in their digital transformations, BlackBerry IVY empowers them to build their brands and set the standard for connected vehicle services across the automotive industry.”

BlackBerry IVY addresses a critical data access, collection, and management problem in the automotive industry.

Modern cars and trucks are built with thousands of parts from many different suppliers, with each vehicle model comprising a unique set of proprietary hardware and software components. These components, which include an increasing variety of vehicle sensors, produce data in unique and specialised formats.

The highly specific skills required to interact with this data, as well as the challenges of accessing it from within contained vehicle subsystems, limit developers’ abilities to innovate quickly and bring new solutions to market. BlackBerry IVY is aimed at solving for these challenges by applying machine learning to that data to generate predictive insights and inferences, making it possible for automakers to offer in-vehicle experiences that are highly personalised and able to act based on those insights.

In a joint statement both companies said BlackBerry IVY will support multiple vehicle operating systems and multi-cloud deployments to ensure compatibility across vehicle models and brands. The platform will build upon BlackBerry QNX’s capabilities for surfacing and normalising data from automobiles and AWS’s broad portfolio of services, including capabilities for IoT and machine learning.

BlackBerry IVY will run inside a vehicle’s embedded systems, but will be managed and configured remotely from the cloud. As a result, automakers will gain greater visibility into vehicle data, control over who can access it, and edge computing capabilities to optimise how quickly and efficiently the data is processed. With BlackBerry IVY’s integrated capabilities, automakers will be able to deliver new features, functionality, and performance to customers over the lifetime of their cloud-connected vehicles, as well as unlock new revenue streams and business models built on vehicle data.

Mining vehicle data

Both company gave a glimpse of how the platform works to continuously provide useful feedback to automakers by tapping into in-vehicle data gathered by the various sensors.

Using vehicle data, BlackBerry Ivy can recognise driver behaviour and hazardous conditions such as icy roads or heavy traffic and then recommend that a driver enables relevant vehicle safety features such as traction control, lane-keeping assist, or adaptive cruise control. IVY could then provide automakers with feedback on how and when those safety features are used, allowing them to make targeted investments to improve vehicle performance.

Additionally, drivers of electric vehicles could choose to share their car’s battery information with third-party charging networks to proactively reserve a charging connector and tailor charging time according to the driver’s current location and travel plans.

Furthermore, BlackBerry IVY could also provide insights to parents of teenage drivers who may choose to receive customised notifications based on insights from vehicle sensors when the number of passengers in the vehicle changes, when the driver appears to be texting, distracted, or not observing speed limits, or when the vehicle occupancy level rises above the parents’ desired safety threshold. Similarly, parents of infants could receive a reminder to engage the child safety lock when the vehicle detects a child in the rear seat.

Reduce time-to-market new online services

AWS and BlackBerry anticipate  that with their joint efforts to develop the platform, automakers will be able to compress the timeline to build, deploy, and monetise new in-vehicle applications and connected services across multiple vehicle brands and models.

Instead of investing in one-off solutions that conform to the unique engineering of different vehicle models (as they do today), automakers using BlackBerry IVY will be able to leverage different types of data as common building blocks for new services that could work across a range of models.

Automakers will be able to use the platform’s application programming interfaces (APIs) to share data and outputs with their software development teams, giving them the ability to innovate, while also protecting customer privacy and security by controlling whom can access vehicle and app data and at what level of detail.

“Data and connectivity are opening new avenues for innovation in the automotive industry, and BlackBerry and AWS share a common vision to provide automakers and developers with better insights so that they can deliver new services to consumers,” said John Chen, executive chairman and CEO, BlackBerry.

Indeed, BlackBerry IVY will make it easier for automakers to collaborate with a wider pool of developers to accelerate creation of new offerings that deliver improved vehicle performance, reduced costs for maintenance and repairs, and added convenience.

For instance, by analysing real-time performance data, automakers could recognise the first signs of potentially faulty parts, deploy code to identify affected vehicles, notify impacted drivers, and perform targeted recalls. Automakers will be able to remotely deploy and update the software from the platform’s Cloud Console (a web interface for managing BlackBerry IVY) to continuously improve the functionality of the system.

“This software platform promises to bring an era of invention to the in-vehicle experience and help create new applications, services, and opportunities without compromising safety, security, or customer privacy.  We are pleased to expand our relationship with AWS to execute this vision and deliver BlackBerry IVY,” Chen added.

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SG common data infrastructure to close gaps in supply chain ecosystem https://futureiot.tech/sg-common-data-infrastructure-to-close-gaps-in-supply-chain-ecosystem/ Mon, 30 Nov 2020 03:00:02 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=8072 To kick off the initiative, the AFA on Supply Chain Digitalisation has identified two pilot applications to improve finance processes and container flow.

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The disruptions brought by the COVID 19 pandemic have shown gaps in the global supply chain. As a major shipping and logistics hub, Singapore seeks to close these gaps in its supply chain  ecosystem  that would accelerate the city’s digital transformation.

The city recently unveiled plans to pilot a common data infrastructure designed to encourage a more robust supply chain for international trade flows. Companies from both private and public sectors will join the trials that aims to improve data efficiencies in financial processes and container flow.

The initiative is spearheaded by the Alliance for Action (AFA) on Supply Chain Digitalisation, one of the seven industry groups formed in June to seize opportunities amid the global health crisis. The other alliances look after key areas such as robotics, e-commerce, education, construction and real estate, and environmental sustainability.

“A common data infrastructure is part of our drive to put in place digital utilities as baseline infrastructure for the digital economy. Similar to their physical counterparts, digital utilities provide common standards and functionalities to enable data to flow and transactions to be made. Companies and platforms will also be able to build additional services and offerings on top of these open digital utilities. This brings about more value and enhances capability for all industry participants,” Lew Chuen Hong, chief executive, Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), said in a media statement

The AFA on Supply Chain Digitalisation, jointly led by PSA International and Trafigura, engaged with more than 50 supply chain players in the last three month to identify pain points, opportunities and solutions across the entire ecosystem.

It emerged that a reconfiguration of trade flows  has occurred in the wake of COVID-19, exposing vulnerabilities and opportunities for Singapore. Specifically, significant inefficiencies have been identified in physical event, documentation and financial information flows across the value chain. These inefficiencies caused considerable cost and asset underutilisation that all enterprises.

As a result of its consultations, the alliance concluded a common data infrastructure was necessary to resolve pain points in the ecosystem. It added that the common data platform will facilitate data sharing and will enable all businesses l to “plug and play” into the infrastructure easily.

“For Singapore to remain relevant in the growing digital economy, it is laying a common foundational layer with digital utilities that enable businesses to move into the digital domain, build a stronger and more robust supply chain ecosystem for international trade flows, thereby advancing our position as a global supply chain and trading hub,” the AFA said.

According to the alliance, the common data infrastructure will augment existing data sharing systems and platforms by connecting the supply chain end-to-end, creating visibility and transparency, linking importers/exporters, shipping companies and financial institutions. It will provide all companies with access to exchange data in an efficient, trusted and secured way.

Besides  providing timely accessibility to all players across the value chain, the platform will be scalable and will be able to interoperate with local and global data platforms.

Two pilot applications unveiled

The IMDA and other government agencies will work with the AFA on a pilot to develop this common data infrastructure.

Kicking off the initiative, the AFA revealed two pilot applications will be developed to enhance trade finance and container flow.

Financial institutions (FIs) currently have limited visibility over the physical movement of goods in the supply chain, which reduces their ability to address demand from shippers. The common data infrastructure will allow them to provide and access data directly from trusted parties, in order to reconcile trade details with the physical movement of goods. For sellers, digitally tracking the physical movement of their goods throughout the supply chain will improve visibility and traceability across the trade process, allowing them to make better decisions.

On the other hand, logistics players face frequent congestion at container flow nodes, such as depots and warehouses, due to limited end-to-end visibility of container flows. This results in long waiting times and therefore sub-optimal asset utilisation and additional cost.

Through the common data infrastructure, major shipping lines, depot operators, warehouse operators and hauliers can share (with consent) key operational and event data such as container bookings, time slot bookings, job management and other data to enhance end-to-end logistics operations visibility. This will improve planning and asset utilisation, efficiency and productivity, reinforcing Singapore's place as a logistics hub.

Furthermore, the common data infrastructure will reduce dependency on physical documents, improve data flow and builds greater trust across the trading and financial communities.

“During this pilot we are working alongside Singapore banks to access data directly from reliable sources and parties to reconcile trade details with ease and potentially to detect and mitigate trade related fraud,” said Tan Chin Hwee, CEO-Asia Pacific, Trafigura Group.

He added that building a “digital twin” of the physical movement of goods will improve visibility across the trade process, and help stakeholders reduce dependency on physical documents in the long term.

According to Tan Chong Meng, Group CEO, PSA International, Singapore’s ability to rally together multiple stakeholders to bring a common vision of supply chain end-to-end visibility to fruition will set the city apart as a trusted global trade and logistics hub.

“The development of a common data infrastructure is our opportunity to enable large and small businesses to optimise their supply chain flows through Singapore, promote long-term sustainability as a key nodal hub in the global supply chain, and at the same time, support Singapore businesses in expanding their export markets,” he said.

Other companies that are participating in the initiative include DBS, ExxonMobil Asia Pacific and Standard Chartered Bank (Singapore).

“Establishing a common set of digital standards and guidelines around data sharing across trade platforms will be key to achieving enhanced interoperability, secured data flows, and a seamless e-invoicing experience for trade participants,” said  Patrick Lee, CEO, Standard Chartered (Singapore).

Tan Su Shan, group head of institutional banking, DBS, noted that close collaboration among all partners in the trade ecosystem is needed to pave the way to digitalisation of the supply chain. To achieve this, he underscored the need for all industry players “to accept digital data as a trusted medium of exchange and communication”.

“This makes it even more critical today for financial institutions and trading partners to work together in the development of a common data infrastructure to enhance efficiencies and remain competitive in the new normal.”

 

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APAC companies fast track IoT projects amid COVID-19 https://futureiot.tech/apac-companies-fast-track-iot-projects-amid-covid-19/ Tue, 17 Nov 2020 02:30:01 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=8040 Challenges to IoT implementation remain in the region, significantly noting that operational factors trump technology issues as top barriers.

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According to the IoT Spotlight 2020 released last week, almost four in 10 (38%) companies in Asia Pacific are already using IoT. Of this pool of adopters, 82% noted that they are accelerating some IoT projects because of the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects on business. Likewise, almost the same percentage (81%) of companies in the region are launching some IoT projects because of the pandemic.

These are some the key APAC takeaways in the report commissioned by Vodafone Business, as part of a global research that explores the relationship between IoT, business strategy, resiliency and success. The survey was conducted with more than 1,600 respondents across 13 markets, including Singapore, China, South Korea, Japan and India.

“The promise of IoT hasn’t dimmed in Asia-Pacific amid the COVID-19 outbreak. In fact, it’s been accelerated. Thanks to 5G, IoT as a technology has evolved from simple monitoring and sensing, to being able to take active control in real-time,” said Justin Nelson, head of IoT Consulting, Vodafone Asia-Pacific .

He added: “This opens up a new world of possibilities and benefits that businesses here are just as eager, if not more so than their global peers to realise. We are excited to see organisations in APAC kickstarting their IoT journey and gaining the means to create a future ready business.”

As COVID-19 continues to impact economies worldwide, Vodafone Business noted that business leaders must balance initiatives to rein in operating costs with the need to invest in new business models that can drive innovation and build competitive advantage in the new normal.

The report cited the top benefits experienced by APAC companies who have already implemented IoT solutions: 56% of them have seen reduction in operating costs; 50% have cited improved productivity; 37% credited IoT for the creation of new revenue streams, while another 36% have seen improvement of existing revenue streams because of IoT.

Among companies which had experienced reduced costs thanks to IoT, 17% of companies in Singapore reported cost savings of between 40% and 50%. Across Asia-Pacific, half the companies which had experienced reduced costs thanks to IoT reported savings of at least 20% .

Appetite for IoT differs across Asia Pacific

Meanwhile, the study cited different approaches to IoT across the Asia Pacific.

Recognising the benefits of IoT, 82% of adopters in Asia-Pacific are accelerating some IoT projects due to the pandemic.

However, not every country in the region shares the same appetite for IoT. While nearly half (49%) of companies in Singapore and India have already deployed some form of IoT, less than a third (31%) of companies in Japan are doing so. In terms of use cases, 92% of adopters in South Korea say their IoT projects are mission-critical, compared to 54% in Japan.

Indeed, Vodafone Business’ IoT Report 2020 pointed out the challenges to IoT implementation remain in the region, significantly noting that operational factors trump technology issues as top barriers.

“The key barriers to IoT adoption in Asia-Pacific were identified as operational factors such as budgets and financial constraints, as well as a lack of certainty as to how it can help the organisation,” Vodafone Business said.  “To overcome this, 63% of businesses in the region (as compared to 56% globally) consider working with communication service providers to create a stronger business case for IoT projects.”

On the other hand, few were concerned about technical issues, such as complexity of solutions and lack of relevant ‘off the shelf’ products. Less than one in five (19%) of Asia-Pacific respondents noted cybersecurity among the potential barriers to adoption of IoT solutions, compared to just a year ago, when cybersecurity was one of the main barriers to business’ willingness to adopt IoT.

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Sino Group and Ping An launch new PropTech programme https://futureiot.tech/sino-group-and-ping-an-launch-new-proptech-programme/ Mon, 16 Nov 2020 02:00:30 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=8037 Set to kick off in February 2021, the programme called PropXTech will push forward holistic solutions in areas such as geospatial technologies, drones, business process, robotics, smart city, smart home, smart buildings, modelling, data analytics, AR/VR, IoT, big data, machine learning, and sensors.

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Hong Kong-based  developer Sino Group and Ping An Smart City have launched a new  programme to drive PropTech innovation in the Greater Bay Area (GBA) of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau by fostering local technology startup focusing on the real estate industry.

Set to kick off in February 2021, the programme called PropXTech will push forward holistic solutions in areas such as geospatial technologies, drones, business process, robotics, smart city, smart home, smart buildings, modelling, data analytics, AR/VR, IoT, big data, machine learning, and sensors.

PropXTech is a five-month programme to be run by the Ping An Technology Innovation Center team and is expected to mentor four to eight startups with intensive training sessions and workshops. To be called “cohort”, selected companies will be granted access to Sino Group’s innovation ecosystem to develop pilots and proofs-of-concept, as well as test and fine-tune their solutions in a real-world environment.

“At Sino, we believe our path to the future is paved with technology and innovation. By developing a holistic solution, we aim at further improving our service offerings to transform the real estate industry. Together with Ping An Smart City, we look forward to bringing about PropTech innovations,” said David Ng, group associate director of Sino Group.

Sino Group’s core business is developing residential, office, industrial and retail properties for sale and investment. Besides extensive portfolio in Hong Kong, the group has footprints in Mainland China, Singapore and Australia. It has developed more than 220 projects, spanning a total plot ratio area of over 84.6 million sq ft.

Meanwhile, Ping An Smart City is a technology company under the Ping An Group that focuses on the construction of new smart cities. Under the wave of new infrastructure construction, it deploys cutting-edge technologies such as big data, cloud computing, blockchain, and artificial intelligence to optimise governance system, improve business environment and public service.

Ping An integrated smart city solution covers smart living, smart education, smart health commission, smart government affairs and smart transportation among others. To date, Ping An Smart City has launched above 230 programmes, cooperating with more than 115 cities across China and 6 countries and regions along the Belt and Road.

“The “PropXTech” programme symbolises our efforts to assist the real estate and smart city industries in the Greater Bay Area to innovate and digitalise through the application of the latest technologies. With partners like Sino Group, we believe we could contribute to building the next generation of modern cities together,” said Hu Wei, co-president and CTO of Ping An Smart City.

In addition to offering an open platform for participants to explore business scenarios, Proptech companies to be selected for the programme will have hands-on assistance – both face-to-face and remotely – from a slew of people such as the Ping An operations team, global mentors  as wells as a dedicated account manager.

They will also have the opportunity to showcase their achievements, and connect with investors and affiliate partners such as Gobi Partners, a leading Pan-Asian venture capital firm with 12 offices across Asia, to discuss funding prospects.

Criterial for eligibility to join PropXTech are:

  • Market aspirations or major business operations in the Greater Bay Area
  • Scalable products and services
  • Existing customers and implementations in the Greater Bay Area
  • Clear business models
  • Sales, engineering, and operational capacities

Tech startups from the Greater Bay Area has until early January 2021 to apply to become one of the first cohort of PropXTech. Interested parties can send their business plan to bp@propxtech.com.

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NEC to test advanced automotive tech in new Shizuoka facility https://futureiot.tech/nec-to-test-advanced-automotive-tech-in-new-shizuoka-facility/ Wed, 11 Nov 2020 02:30:53 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=8012 The NEC Mobility Test Center combines advanced technologies such as NEC's private 5G, video analytics, and AI/IoT with the technologies and know-how of partner organisations to promote technological development and system verification of next-generation mobility services.

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Newly opened NEC Mobility Test Center in Gotemba City, Shizuoka in central Japan is a testbed for evaluating automated driving technologies that are designed to take transportation, road safety and traffic management to a smarter future.

The demonstration facility will contribute to the creation of safe, secure, and people-friendly cities through infrastructure-coordinated mobility services and the use of data obtained from sensors installed within a city's infrastructure.

“The NEC Mobility Test Center combines advanced technologies such as NEC's private 5G, video analytics, and AI/IoT with the technologies and know-how of partner organisations to promote technological development and system verification of next-generation mobility services, with the aim of creating new value and solving social issues,” said Yuji Onoda, general manager of Cross-Industry Unit, Cross-Industry Business Development Division at NEC Corporation in a statement released over the weekend.

Infrastructure coordination is a system in which vehicles and roadway infrastructure exchange information quickly and accurately through wireless communications in order to prevent accidents, alleviate traffic congestion, provide support for automated driving, and more.

NEC Mobility Center communication map

In the next 12 months, the centre is set to conduct as series of tests that combines private 5G with inter-vehicle and roadside-to-vehicle communications. These are

  • V2V (Vehicle-to-Vehicle): Inter-vehicle communication technology
  • V2I (Vehicle-to-Infrastructure): Communication between vehicles and infrastructure (roadside-to-vehicle)
  • C-V2X (Cellular Vehicle-to-Everything): Communication technology that includes communications between vehicles, roads and pedestrians

The centre is designed with a straight course spanning the length of approximately 100 metres, and is fitted with permanent equipment such as traffic lights, 5G base stations, C-V2X roadside units and AI-edge processors to name a few. It also equipped pedestrian and roadside cameras. There are also  vehicles such as buses and passenger cars, as well as important pedestrian equipment, including electric wheelchairs.

NEC Mobility Test Center course map

The tests that will be conducted at the facility is in line new guidelines given by the Japanese government – the basic specifications of which have been drafted this year – as part of the country’s new  IT strategy. This strategy – outlined in the "Declaration to be the World's most Advanced Digital Nation and the Basic Plan for Promotion of Public-Private Data Utilization” – include the guidelines for new road traffic infrastructure linked with 5G communications standards and traffic lights.

How tests at the centre work

Private 5G is used to acquire and analyse overhead images of intersections with cameras installed on roadside objects. This function notifies vehicles equipped with 5G stations of pedestrian crossings, collision prediction information, and speeding vehicle information. Dangerous vehicles and people in locations that are often blind spots will also be digitised to provide safe and secure driving assistance and conduct experiments that lead to automatic driving.

Among the experiments lined up at the centre include:

  • Traffic Management Experiment - Recognise and analyse passing vehicles and pedestrians from camera images. Along with real-time detection of traffic volume, the source of traffic jam information, the license plate numbers of passing vehicles are also identified at the same time. NEC will also conduct experiments for assisting with traffic management and urban development, such as identifying the number of inflowing vehicles from outside a region and recognising changes in the volume of vehicles and pedestrians in an area depending on the time of day.
  • Road Infrastructure Management Experiment - Acquire and analyse images of road surface conditions with roadside cameras that identify fallen objects, such as trees, and other incidents in real-time. The system will provide valuable alerts to vehicles equipped with 5G stations that an incident has occurred in their vicinity. In the future, NEC will conduct experiments to make use of this technology for road maintenance and understanding of conditions following accidents and disasters.

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Government subsidy spurs early 5G adoption in HK https://futureiot.tech/government-subsidy-spurs-early-5g-adoption-in-hk/ Tue, 10 Nov 2020 02:00:23 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=8000 The scheme provides government subsidy of up to 50% of the costs – subject to a cap of HK$500,00 – of the projects that are directly relevant to the deployment of 5G in the city.

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Under the second round of the Anti-epidemic Fund in May, the Hong Kong SAR government launched the Subsidy Scheme for Encouraging Early Deployment of 5G with the aim to encourage companies both in the private and public sectors to be early adopters of the technology to spur smart city development.

To date, a total of 20 applications have been approved. The scheme provides government subsidy of up to 50% of the costs – subject to a cap of HK$500,00 – of the projects that are directly relevant to the deployment of 5G in the city.

5G is expected to transform the way people live and work with its the ability to provide up to 20 times faster download and upload speeds than 4G, drastically reducing the delay in connection times between devices and wireless networks.

Two local companies that were among the first to be given subsidy under the scheme this week shared the benefits of deploying 5G in their organisations.

Faster streaming videos

Keith Rumjahn, the CEO of a smart fitness product company, said the faster and more stable internet connection of a 5G network is vital to their online fitness classes,  where a customer’s online streaming experience could be affected by the video’s slow buffering.

“As long as you have a 5G SIM card and router, it's guaranteed to have a really fast speed that's stable and low latency, which is very important for our product. Imagine doing a live stream and, all of a sudden, it's buffering. It is not a good experience,” he said.

: Online workout: 5G provides a clear connection for virtual fitness trainers to teach yoga classes online and motivates people to exercise in the comfort of their own home and at their leisure. (Source: https://www.news.gov.hk/)

The online classes are delivered through 4K videos, featuring fitness trainers from around the world who teach people workout routines and exercises. With 5G, customers can see every bit of sweat on the coach's body and that's what makes the experience better.

“If you have experienced high-definition television, once you have watched it, you cannot go back to analogue and I think consumers expect higher quality,” Rumjahn added.

Rumjahn also  pointed out that with 5G, his company now features better artificial intelligence (AI) technology. “In a live class it is not a one-way interaction, but a two-way interaction. We have an AI technology that measures the body's activity and that allows the coach to teach many people at the same time and highlight the people who are doing it wrong.”

He added: “The coach can just give feedback to the people who are doing it wrong. With 5G we can send more data faster and in real time so the coach can give more feedback faster.”

Increased operational efficiency

Jeffrey Chan, an assistant technical engineer for a lift company is also benefitting from the scheme. It uses 5G to carry out real time monitoring by installing sensors in different parts of its lifts to collect data. Once a malfunction is detected, technicians can swiftly be deployed to the site.

Traditionally, the approach to  elevator maintenance is relatively passive. When breakdowns or accidents are reported, technicians visit the site to check and fix the problem .

“The biggest difference with 5G is that it allows us to do predictive maintenance. It has helped out technicians to increase operational efficiency and reduce unplanned down-time. 5G  enables technicians to identify and solve problems before they occurred,” he said.

Continuous monitoring: Sensors are installed in different parts of the lift so that once a malfunction is detected technicians can swiftly be deployed to the site. (Source: https://www.news.gov.hk/)

The company’s  system processes the data in the cloud, which involves artificial intelligence and machine learning. Trend analyses are reported in the mobile app, which issues alerts to technicians of potential breakdowns in the coming days. Subsequently, the company’s technicians are able technicians can prepare the parts before going onsite, thus reducing maintenance time.

“The second part is the remote collaboration between frontline technicians and the technical help desk. When technicians encounter difficulties during maintenance, they will have virtual meetings with our engineers. With the 5G network, minimised latency, real-time sound and video quality are ensured to provide efficient and safe service,” Chan said.

Using the 5G technology, the help desk of a lift engineering company remotely assists a technician with fixing a lift on-site.

Furthermore, the company managing director Henry Cheung added: “I believe the 5G -pilot programme provides an opportunity that (allows us to) use our existing data, the data on elevator failures that our normal technicians are gathering and apply it to the new system. This 5G system would then use the data with AI and the Internet of Things (IoT) technology to improve accuracy rate of predicting elevator failures.”

Meanwhile, the application deadline for Hong Kong’s Subsidy Scheme for Encouraging Early Deployment of 5G  has been extended until May 31, 2021.

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Denso links factories with cloud-native IoT platform https://futureiot.tech/denso-links-factories-with-cloud-native-iot-platform/ Fri, 06 Nov 2020 02:00:56 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=7987 The new factory-IoT platform is touted to be the first in-house development of a cloud-native platform using open-source-software in the automotive supplier industry.

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Automotive industry supplier Denso Corporation has developed a factory-IoT platform to connect production factories worldwide with IT and IoT technologies, based on the concept of "as if under one roof”.

“By connecting factories around the world in the cloud, it strengthens DENSO's global production system, enables factories to respond immediately to production changes based on local demand, and allows production teams to conduct real-time analysis of the movement of workers and operation statuses of different facilities,” the Japan-based company said in a statement.

The US$48.3 billion global mobility supplier develops advanced technology and components for nearly every vehicle make and model on the road today. With manufacturing at its core, Denso invests in its 221 facilities in 35 countries to produce thermal, powertrain, mobility, electrification, & electronic systems, to create jobs that directly change how the world moves. The company has over 170,000 employees across the world.

The new factory-IoT platform is touted to be the first in-house development of a cloud-native platform using open-source-software in the automotive supplier industry. It stores data collected from a variety of equipment at various production sites in a single cloud that can be used freely across Denso’s organisation.

Denso spent roughly two years to develop the platform, focusing on three points:

  • Giving in-house software engineers the ability to keep improving and evolving the platform even after it has been put into operation;
  • Enhancing the company's ability to leverage agile development techniques, which consists of short cycles of development;
  • And, allowing DENSO to share data with internal and external partners as an open platform so that they can work together to improve and develop applications. As a result, DENSO is the first in the automotive supplier industry to develop its own cloud-native Factory-IoT platform instead of using existing services.

The factory-IoT platform was implemented in October last year. Today, it links 130 Denso factories around the world.

“We will promote education to make full use of the platform and develop application developers. DENSO aims to be a manufacturer where employees can work swiftly and collaboratively by accelerating improvements in IT and IoT technologies,” the company said.

In addition, technical engineers in the field can incorporate digital power using their own software into the physical improvement activities accumulated over many years, which will further accelerate gains in efficiency, quality and cost savings. For example, by linking various devices, it is possible to notify the operator of equipment abnormalities and more.

“At the same time, by delivering high-quality products to as many people as possible. Denso is contributing to the realisation of a safe and secure automotive society around the world,” the company said.

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Smart city market to value US$2.46 trillion in five years https://futureiot.tech/smart-city-market-to-value-us2-46-trillion-in-five-years/ Thu, 05 Nov 2020 02:00:47 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=7985 Frost and Sullivan predicts smart city development worldwide will create business opportunities worth US$2.46 trillion by 2025.

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Frost and Sullivan predicts smart city development worldwide will create business opportunities worth US$2.46 trillion by 2025, adding that the uncertainties of the post-pandemic work will compel cites to focus more on developing collaborative, data-driven infrastructure to provide healthcare facilities as well as public security services.

Smart cities' spending on technology in the next six years is expected to grow at a CAGR of 22.7%, reaching US$327 billion by 2025 from US$96 billion in 2019. Technologies like artificial intelligence and big data will be in high demand to combat the pandemic, with growing opportunities for crowd analytics, open data dashboards, and online city services.

"Smart cities will focus on data-driven and connected infrastructure, which will lead to higher adoption of technologies like AI and 5G. They will prioritize more digitalized services and a strong data analytics infrastructure, leading to increased spending toward technology," said Malabika Mandal, visionary innovation group industry analyst at Frost & Sullivan.

The technology research firm further projects that there will be more than 26 smart cities by 2025, with 16 in North America and Europe. Five years after that, more than 70% of global smart city spending will be from the United States, Western Europe, and China by 2030.

Almost all smart cities in the US and Europe have already invested in open-data initiatives during the pandemic; and, they will continue spending on 5G and autonomous and robotic technologies. Meanwhile, China has renewed investments in 5G, smart grids, AI, datacentres, and other smart city-related areas through the "new infrastructure initiative" introduced in 2018.

Growing demand for crowd management and monitoring in smart cities will lead the crowd analytics market to grow by 20%-25% by 2030. It had market revenues of US$748.6 million in 2020. Crowd analytics can be used to access collective real-time data. It can help ensure proper public healthcare services, traffic movement, and security and surveillance services across the smart city.

Archana Vidyasekar, visionary innovation group research director at Frost & Sullivan, said: "Now more than ever, the strategy of being technology-first, optimistic, and focused on 'smart' is critical. While COVID-19 has largely been a health crisis, it has disrupted city ecosystems and infrastructure tremendously. Smart technologies offer innovative solutions that can reverse the damage and bring some respite, if not normalcy. For instance, digital contact tracing can play a critical role in empowering citizens with knowledge of COVID-impacted areas and promote safer urban movement."

Investments in smart initiatives are expected to rise over the next two years. Smart cities have already invested in contact tracing wearables and apps, open data platforms, autonomous drones, and crowd analytics to fight the pandemic. Post-pandemic, investment in smart projects like smart grids, intelligent traffic management, autonomous vehicles, smart lighting, e-governance services and data-enabled public safety and security will gain traction.

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Using IoT to reduce losses from cold storage failures https://futureiot.tech/using-iot-to-reduce-losses-from-cold-storage-failures/ Wed, 04 Nov 2020 02:30:24 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=7971 Carrier customers using the Lynx platform will benefit from end-to-end tracking, real-time alerts, automated processes, and predictive analytics to help them deliver temperature-controlled cargo more efficiently.

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According to the International Institute of Refrigeration, 475 million tons of lost food could be saved each year with proper refrigeration. Sadly, another figure from IQVIA Institute for Human Data Science also showed that failures in temperature-controlled logistics cost the biopharma industry about US$35 billion annually.

Aware of the challenge, Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Carrier Global Corporation have entered a multi-year agreement to co-develop Carrier’s new Lynx digital platform, which aims to transform how food, medicines, vaccines and other perishables goods are moved and monitored globally.

The Lynx platform will combine AWS’s IoT, analytics, and machine learning services with Carrier’s refrigeration and monitoring solutions, extending Carrier’s current digital offerings for managing the temperature-controlled transport and storage of perishables.

Customers using the Lynx platform will benefit from end-to-end tracking, real-time alerts, automated processes, and predictive analytics to help them deliver temperature-controlled cargo more efficiently, in turn decreasing the cost of cold chain operations by optimising resource utilisation and reducing cargo loss and spoilage.

“Carrier and AWS are tackling the complexity and fragmentation of the cold chain to give supply chain customers the transparency, flexibility, and insights they require to reduce risk and deliver food, medicine, and vaccines when and where they’re needed,” said Sarah Cooper, general manager, IoT Solutions at AWS. “This project, which combines Carrier’s cold chain expertise with AWS’s digital experience and unparalleled portfolio of services, highlights how entire industries stand to benefit from digital transformation through increased efficiency, reduced costs, and greater dependability.”

Leveraging AWS IoT services to collect, integrate, organise, and analyse data from Carrier’s large installed base of refrigeration equipment and monitoring solutions, along with sources such as traffic and weather reports, the Lynx platform will provide a comprehensive view of cargo location, temperature conditions, and external events that could impact cold chain operations. This information will feed into a data lake built on Amazon Simple Storage Service (Amazon S3) where Carrier can use AWS machine learning services to identify potential issues that could impact cargo, as well as run sophisticated analytics to develop recommendations for improving outcomes.

For example, by analysing historic and real-time performance data from Carrier’s cloud-connected equipment, the Lynx platform could suggest proactive maintenance to maximize a specific piece of equipment’s availability. Looking ahead, Carrier and AWS plan to introduce a capability for the Lynx platform to provide recommendations related to cargo routing and improved fleet utilisation, adding greater resilience into the cold chain that will help Carrier’s customers to manage costs, schedules, and resources.

The suite of tools will provide Carrier customers worldwide with enhanced visibility, increased connectivity, and actionable intelligence across their cold chain operations to improve outcomes for temperature-sensitive cargo, including food, medicine, and vaccines.

“We are committed to delivering a healthier, safer, and more sustainable cold chain. Through this collaboration with AWS, we are developing a uniquely powerful ecosystem to give our customers greater flexibility, visibility, and intelligence across the cold chain,” said David Appel, president, Carrier Refrigeration. “The Lynx platform will help our customers make faster, data-driven decisions to improve the effectiveness, efficiency, and sustainability of their supply chains. This digital solution will enhance connectivity across the cold chain, decreasing delays for cargo that is critical to global health and well-being, while reducing cargo damage, loss, and unanticipated costs.”

The latest collaboration between two companies builds on Carrier’s selection of AWS as its preferred cloud services provider in February 2020.

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IoT in Taiwan gets a boost with planned Microsoft cloud datacentre region https://futureiot.tech/iot-in-taiwan-gets-a-boost-with-planned-microsoft-cloud-datacentre-region/ Fri, 30 Oct 2020 02:00:06 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=7953 Providing access to scalable, low-latency, and secure cloud services will equip Taiwan's public and private sectors with the latest AI and IoT technologies.

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As part of its “Reimagine Taiwan” initiative, Microsoft this week revealed plans to set up its first cloud datacentre region in Taiwan and a significant investment in local talent and development with the goal to provide digital skilling for over 200,000 people in the city state by 2024.

Furthermore, Microsoft is growing its Taiwan Azure Hardware Systems and Infrastructure engineering group, which will establish Microsoft Taiwan as a hub in Asia for innovation in designing and building advanced cloud software and hardware infrastructure spanning AI, IoT and edge solutions.

"Technology has a critical role to play in supporting economic recovery and opportunity everywhere. We are committed to fostering local innovation to support digital transformation across the public and private sectors in Taiwan. Our new investment reflects our faith in its strong heritage of hardware and software integration,” said Jean-Phillippe Courtois, executive vice president and president, Microsoft global sales, marketing and operations. “With Taiwan's expertise in hardware manufacturing and the new datacentre region, we look forward to greater transformation, advancing what is possible with 5G, AI and IoT capabilities spanning the intelligent cloud and intelligent edge.”

The new investment adds to Microsoft's significant and recent investments in Taiwan, including the IoT Innovation Center, AI Research and Development Center, Startup Accelerator and the IoT Center of Excellence.

This week’s  announcement represents a new commitment in Microsoft's more than 30-year history in Taiwan to fuel new growth that will accelerate digital transformation of Taiwan's public and private sectors, helping customers to reimagine their future by providing access to highly secured enterprise-grade cloud services. In addition, Microsoft's ambitious new skilling plan will help to cultivate and groom tech talent, increasing future employability opportunities for the people of Taiwan.

Over the next four years, Microsoft, its ecosystem and cloud customers together will generate more than $10 billion in new revenue and will add over 30,000 jobs to the Taiwan economy, according to a recent IDC study.

Speeding up digital transformation across  Taiwan

Microsoft will deliver highly secure and scalable cloud services that will help customers to reimagine their businesses and innovate with confidence, adding Taiwan to its global-scale cloud, which now totals 66 cloud regions announced.

Microsoft Azure is an ever-expanding set of cloud services that offers computing, networking, databases, analytics, AI and Internet of Things (IoT) services. At launch, the new region will deliver Microsoft Azure first with Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365 and Power Platform services to follow.

Microsoft 365 productivity cloud provides best-of-breed productivity apps integrated through cloud services, delivered as part of an open platform for business processes. Dynamics 365 and Power Platform are the next generation of intelligent business applications that enable organisations to grow, evolve and transform to meet the needs of customers.

Microsoft will help customers to store data at rest in Taiwan and over 90 compliance certifications to meet a broad range of industry and regulatory entity standards, under Taiwan's executive branch of government, the Executive Yuan.

As part of Microsoft's global commitment to be carbon negative by 2030, the company will shift to 100% supply of renewable energy for its datacentres by 2025. Microsoft is also empowering its ecosystem and supply chain to be more sustainable. To support customer needs for high-availability and resiliency in their applications, the new region will also include Availability Zones, which are unique physical locations of datacentres with independent power, network and cooling for additional tolerance to datacentre failures.

"I'm confident that providing access to scalable, low-latency, and secure cloud services will equip Taiwan's public and private sectors with the latest AI and IoT technologies, while meeting the highest cybersecurity, data residency and compliance standards,” said Ken Sun, general manager of Microsoft Taiwan.

“Building a world-class, enterprise grade cloud marks an important step toward the digitalisation of Taiwan's key industries. Microsoft is committed to fuelling innovation and economic growth in Taiwan as it transforms into the next Asian technology hub,” he added.

Boosting local employment through upskilling

Meanwhile, Microsoft plans to upskill over 200,000 people in Taiwan over the next four years, providing digital skills acquisition programmes for youth, non-profits, startups and enterprises.

This builds on Microsoft's investment in local skilling programs for students, including internship programs, STEM Education, and Coding Angels. Microsoft will continue working with non-profit organizations including the Build the Future, Eden Social Welfare Associate, Taipei Orphan Foundation and Taiwan Fund for Children and Families to reskill social workers.

In collaboration with leading universities, Microsoft plans to upskill business leaders, entrepreneurs, and C-level executives through the AI Business School program. Finally, Microsoft is working with industry associations to launch a series of re-skilling workshops for women, including mothers returning to the workplace.

Positive response from local technology partners

Major Taiwanese technology companies across various sectors, who have collaborated with the technology giant to create customised solutions, are optimistic about Microsoft’s latest plans in the city.

"We excited that Microsoft is establishing a datacentre region in Taiwan, and we look forward to furthering our partnership to help enterprises on their digital transformation path with cloud and smart technologies, fulfilling our mission of breaking barriers between people and technology," said Jason Chen, chairman and CEO of Acer.

Chunghwa Telecom, which closely collaborated  with Microsoft in areas including private enterprise networks, edge computing, smart manufacturing and smart energy, expects the new plans will help Taiwan to stay on top of innovation.

“Azure's advanced cloud services, combined with Chunghwa Telecom's telecommunications and operations expertise, will undoubtedly accelerate innovation across Taiwan's industries and ecosystem, bringing Taiwan's best-in-class solutions to the Asia Pacific region and the world," said Hong-Chan Ma, senior executive vice president, Chunghwa Telecom.

FarEasTone Telecommunications president Chee Ching echoed the same sentiment: “With the local datacentre region, we hope to generate greater momentum for Taiwan's innovation, by creating diverse services suitable for a wide range of industry scenarios, connect Taiwan to the globe, and make it a hub for the world's innovative applications.”

FarEasTone Telecom has a strategic alliance with Microsoft around big data, AI, IoT and telecommunications networks by using Azure's cloud platform to create innovative solutions from the intelligent cloud to the intelligent edge.

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Sino Group deploys smart tech to support green vision https://futureiot.tech/sino-group-deploys-smart-tech-to-support-green-vision/ Mon, 26 Oct 2020 02:00:10 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=7935 Hong Kong-based property developer Sino Group has been proactively using smart technologies to put legs on its sustainability vision.

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In 2018, Sino Group is one of the earliest property developers in Hong Kong to install photovoltaic systems on its premises, with more than 3,000 solar panels already installed to date. Upping the stakes further, the company recently announced a plan to install over 3,200 panels on rooftops and exteriors across 19 properties and three hotels by 2021.

Sino Group estimates that over 8,000,000 kWh of energy will be generated through the photovoltaic system by 2030 from the 2012 level - equivalent to the energy consumption of 1,279 local households for one year. Pilot projects to explore other renewable energy sources that can work within the space limitations of Hong Kong are also underway, such as the group's award-winning in-building hydropower system and rooftop wind turbines.

As an early responder to the air pollution issue, Sino Group has committed to a 30% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 from the 2012 level.

Charting sustainability vision

The plan for additional solar panels on its properties was is part of Sino Group’s newly announced Sustainability Vision 2030 ('SV2030') initiative in support of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs).

Under its SV2030, the Group has set sustainability goals that align with the six key areas of focus under its “Creating Better Lifescapes” vision, and adopt a new 3R Strategy (Renew, Reduce, Redefine) to address Hong Kong's sustainability challenges.

Park Mediterranean, Hong Kong

“Sustainability is integrated in every aspect of operations as we seek to create values for stakeholders and make business a driver of sustainability for a better future,” said Daryl Ng, deputy chairman of Sino Group.

“The Sustainability Vision 2030 – covering crucial areas such as renewable energy, plastic reduction, green building certification and innovative sustainability solutions – is an important blueprint charting the course for 2030 and beyond,” he added as he thanked partners for their staunch support.

Besides the adoption of over 3,200 solar panels to generate renewable energy sources, Sino Group’s new sustainability initiative includes reducing consumption of single-use plastics (SUP) by 50% across all business lines by 2022, and developing green properties – all in a bid to be wellness-centric.

Using smart technologies

Meanwhile, Sino Group has been proactively using smart technologies to put legs on its sustainability vision.

For one, the company has been working closely since September 2019  with local PropTech company Negawatt to leverage big data, Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to enhance the group's energy efficiency levels. The pilot programme at Exchange Tower has achieved an 8% year-on-year reduction in chiller plant energy consumption while maintaining the same level of indoor comfort. The energy saved is equivalent to the annual energy consumption of 37 local households. The system is expected to be deployed at another 13 buildings under the group.

It will again lean on these technologies  to reduce 50% of single-use plastic consumption across all of its business lines by next year, down to its 2017 levels. Since 2018, the company has saved over 1.98 million plastic bottles by installing smart filtered water stations at its malls and hotels. This has translated into carbon emission reduction by around 3,140,000 kg, equivalent to planting 136,539 trees.

“Sino Group is among the first in the industry in setting a plastic reduction target and installing smart filtered water stations at its premises. Currently, the group has the largest network of smart water dispensers in Hong Kong. We are glad to see  its swift execution in contributing to protecting the Earth through reducing the use of plastics,” said Ada Yip, CEO of Urban Spring.

Sino Inno Lab

The company is also incubating its own technologies through its with Sino Inno Lab, which supports and partners with start-ups and inventors. Since 2018, it serves as a sandbox platform for technology companies and start-ups to test out innovative solutions that benefit the industry as a whole. To date, it has already nurtured more than 100 PropTech solutions, connecting more than 400 companies on technology sourcing.

Building new green properties

Furthermore, the company’s sustainability goals encompass its new developments – the largest number of new buildings in Hong Kong that are registered and listed under the WELL v2 project directory.

Vision City, Hong Kong

WELL is the world's first architectural benchmark focused exclusively on human health and wellness to improve sustainability. It identifies 10 concepts of the built environment that make a positive impact on human health and well-being, namely air, water, nourishment, light, movement, thermal comfort, sound, materials, mind and community.

Indeed, the group’s new project in Sai Kung called 133 Portofino was the first residential property in Hong Kong to receive WELL Core v2 pre-certification, followed by St. George's Mansions and the Group's new commercial development at Wong Chuk Hang.

 

 

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EY: IIoT requires telcos beyond being connectivity providers https://futureiot.tech/ey-iiot-requires-telcos-beyond-being-connectivity-providers/ Mon, 28 Sep 2020 02:00:56 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=7808 While 5G opens up many new opportunities for telcos, the industry needs to overcome several challenges before unleashing 5G’s full potential.

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The IoT value chain is evolving and telecommunications operators should expand their role beyond being the connectivity provider, said Sam Wong, managing partner, Asean Markets at Ernst & Young Solutions LLP.

“5G, along with industrial IoT, provides an opportunity for telcos to create unique use cases and solutions that are industry-specific,” he said. “Establishing alliances and partnerships in the ecosystem will be important. Telcos can leverage existing relationships with enterprise and public sector clients, and develop deep understanding of sector issues and requirements to effectively develop the right solutions. Growth in enterprise business is imperative for telcos to realize their 5G vision.”

According to the latest EY report entitled “Top 10 risks in telecommunications 2020”, while different industries are at varying stages of their 5G investment journey, they all need support to realise the opportunities on offer. The risk of ineffective engagement with industry verticals and the public sector ranks seventh, and it is often due to low awareness of the benefits of 5G. Indeed, an earlier EY report stated that 80% of enterprises across verticals want 5G providers to articulate a more coherent 5G vision, underlining the need for clearer dialogue.

Wong  noted that  while 5G opens up many new opportunities for telcos, the industry needs to overcome several challenges before unleashing 5G’s full potential.

He added: “A key issue telcos in Southeast Asia face is the lack of monetisable use cases beyond enhanced mobile broadband, which limits the return on investment. Other challenges to tackle include business transformation, CAPEX and OPEX optimisation, and regulatory issues. Telcos will need to fundamentally evaluate their role in the context of the IoT value chain and ask how they can transform from ‘telecom service provider’ to ‘digital service providers’.”

Maintaining infrastructure resilience

While telcos have largely risen to the challenge of withstanding a surge in network demand during the COVID-19 pandemic, pressure to maintain infrastructure resilience and expand reach emerges as the most pressing sector challenge,” according to the latest EY report,  which combines industry insights and consumer survey data to shortlist the most urgent threats facing today’s telcos.

With initial pandemic lockdowns across the globe triggering traffic spikes of up to 70%, EY analysis across nine countries: Italy, Canada, Romania, Spain, US, UK, Thailand, Greece and India (March 2020),  telcos have successfully assumed an elevated societal role as connectivity providers.

But with 42% of UK consumers stating that telcos should focus resources on maintaining broadband quality and 32% of US consumers citing concerns about home internet reliability, speed and connection EY survey of 2,500 UK households (27 May-1 June 2020) and 3,500 US households (April 2020). since the pandemic began, telcos need to do more to sustain positive customer perception about the service they receive.

Tom Loozen, EY Global Telecommunications Leader, said: “Overall, networks have withstood a sharp increase in home working, entertainment and schooling during the pandemic and telcos have commanded favourable customer opinion as a result. However, revenues are set to decline across most product categories and telcos must not become complacent. The journey to recovery will require new thinking and competencies, shifting the customer promise from speed to reliability, so telcos can thrive in the ‘new normal.’”

Transformation agenda amid geopolitical upheaval

Meanwhile the report cited the inability to scale digitisation initiatives ranks second on the risk radar. The COVID-19 pandemic is accelerating this drive, with 78% of telcos now either re-evaluating or adapting the speed of automation and digital transformation programs. Despite this reappraisal, historical barriers remain – including inadequate skills in analytics and AI.

Failure to mitigate escalating geopolitical and competitive disruption lists ninth in the ranking and is a theme that underpins all of the top 10 risks. With network equipment supply chains increasingly being disrupted by global trade forces, there are concerns that 5G rollouts could be delayed although telcos in Southeast Asia have actually begun accelerating their launch of commercial 5G services. Thailand’s telcos was the first country to offer 5G services in May 2020, followed by Singapore’s telcos in August.

Ranked fifth are risks associated with changing imperatives in privacy, security and trust. Less than half (47%) of UK consumers feel they are in control of their online data, and reports of privacy issues relating to contact tracing apps and video call platforms have heightened concerns during the pandemic. The sector typically underestimates the link between trust and revenue growth, with nearly half (46%) of telcos perceiving cybersecurity as either compliance or crisis-driven rather than as a proactive endeavour.

“Telcos’ relationships with government are deepening, with operators playing a pivotal role in pandemic response and recovery, positioning telecoms’ status as a national strategic asset more so than ever. Making the most of this more intimate relationship will require ongoing focus,” Loozen said.

Other risks listed among the top 10 include: failure to redesign workforce purpose and inclusion (third in the ranking); failure to improve capex efficiency and network returns (fourth); poor management of investor and stakeholder expectations (sixth); inability to adapt to a changing regulatory landscape (eighth); and failure to take advantage of changing market structures (tenth).

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OpenBlue Innovation Center eyes APAC for smart building goals https://futureiot.tech/openblue-innovation-center-eyes-apac-for-smart-building-goals/ Fri, 25 Sep 2020 01:00:26 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=7803 The ultimate goal is to create smart building technologies for the future not only for Singapore but for adoption across Asia Pacific.

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Twelve years after they began the long-term partnership that has seen smart technologies being deployed at University Town (UTown), Johnson Controls and the National University of Singapore  (NUS) last week finally opened its S$50 million Innovation Center, which will make the entire NUS campus a living laboratory for smart building technologies.

“The Johnson Controls OpenBlue Innovation Center embodies our approach towards building dynamic and resilient spaces, injecting new lease of life into the built environment sector,” said Visal Leng, president, building solutions, Asia Pacific, Johnson Controls, said. “Taking an unprecedented holistic and human-centric methodology, we are incorporating people and design perspectives, thus sparking greater innovation within industries and outside traditional boundaries.”

OpenBlue is a suite of connected platform, solutions and services that combines the company’s 135 years of building expertise with cutting-edge digital technology. This open digital platform, when integrated with Johnson Controls core building systems and enhanced by ecosystem partners, connects traditionally separate systems to create new capabilities for safer, more agile, and sustainable space usages.

For this OpenBlue Innovation Center initiative, the smart building specialist has teamed up with NUS and Microsoft as ecosystem partners. They aim to pioneer the use of a common configuration language that bridges core building technology with behavioural, wellness, and spatial data to develop solutions that meet new demands for safety and sustainability in connected spaces.

A net-zero energy building

The 240sqm centre is housed in SDE4, which is Singapore’s first new-build net-zero energy building.  The indoor space is fitted with sensors — including overhead ventilation to measure air flow, and on furniture that provides insights on occupants’ alertness level.

The facility, located within the School of Design and Environment (SDE), at the NUS will be the home for a new breed of customisable, contact-free applications built on Johnson Controls’ unifying technology suite, OpenBlue.

Engineers from the centre and collaborating NUS researchers will collect and analyse data using OpenBlue, leveraging artificial intelligence (AI)  and analytics to obtain a qualitative and quantitative understanding of the interactions between technology, indoor environments, and occupant well-being.

The ecosystem of partners will tap on the intelligence generated from the centre to create evidence-backed solutions for healthier, safer, and connected indoor spaces.

“SDE is thrilled to host the Johnson Controls’ OpenBlue Innovation Center in SDE4 and to facilitate cross-disciplinary research and development initiatives across the entire NUS community,” said Professor Lam Khee Poh, dean of NUS School of Design and Environment. “This partnership strengthens the School’s ‘Well & Green’ vision that emphasises a people-centric integrated design approach that generates sustainable and resilient value propositions in its endeavours.”

By serving as a living laboratory for the OpenBlue Innovation Center’s pioneering solutions, NUS is advancing ongoing efforts to develop a smart, sustainable and safe campus for its staff and students.

This latest collaboration with Johnson Controls also includes joint research and innovation in the areas on built and urban environment, particularly in data analytics, sustainability and operations, as well as people and wellness. There will also be opportunities for collaboration on teaching and internship programmes.

The facility is expected to have more than 100 employees within four years, with strong focus on talent development with NUS at both undergraduate and post-graduate levels

Regional ambition for a future-ready built environment

Johnson Controls established the centre with the blessing from the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB). The ultimate goal is to create smart building technologies for the future not only for Singapore but for adoption across Asia Pacific.

This S$50million initiative is a product of long partnership history between the company and university.

In 2008, Johnson Controls was the appointed partner to implement a converged campus building management solution for NUS UTown. The UTown achieved the Green Mark District Award, the first for NUS, in 2010.

Throughout the last 10 years, Johnson Controls had introduced different technologies to enable the precinct to achieve energy savings of 20%. The latest remote maintenance capability introduced at UTown has also proven to be practical and crucial during the current pandemic conditions.

“NUS and Johnson Controls have collaborated on several campus projects and we are therefore very excited to extend our partnership through these new initiatives which are part of our Smart, Safe and Sustainable Campus strategies,” said Professor Yong Kwet Yew, NUS senior vice president (Campus Infrastructure).

He added: “The opportunity to test Johnson Controls’ novel solutions on our campus and conduct joint research will help advance our ongoing efforts to build smarter, healthier and sustainable work, teaching and learning spaces for our staff, faculty and students.”

 

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NCR and Microsoft team up to keep IoT edge devices running https://futureiot.tech/ncr-and-microsoft-team-up-to-keep-iot-edge-devices-running/ Thu, 17 Sep 2020 01:00:24 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=7758 Through this unique combination, NCR’s retail, restaurant, and banking customers will gain a wall-to-wall IoT monitoring and managed services solution that proactively keeps connected devices running with greater uptime, enhancing their customers’ experiences.

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NCR Corporation, a software and services leader for the retail, restaurant and banking industries, yesterday  announced a collaboration with Microsoft to power NCR Digital Connected Services (DCS).

NCR’s Digital Connected Services Internet of Things (IoT) management software will run on top of Azure IoT AI technology. That means data can be turned into insights faster, and incidents that could potentially impact availability can be identified sooner, increasing uptime.

Through this unique combination, NCR’s retail, restaurant, and banking customers will gain a wall-to-wall IoT monitoring and managed services solution that proactively keeps connected devices running with greater uptime, enhancing their customers’ experiences.

“With Digital Connected Services, our customers gain peace of mind that their mission-critical technologies are always ready and available,” said Dan Campbell, EVP for global sales at NCR Corporation. “We can help global retailers, restaurants and financial institutions protect availability of edge devices and quickly turn massive amounts of data into meaningful insights.”

NCR makes it simple to access these end-to-end technology services, with thousands of service professionals in 160 countries that provide the experience, breadth and global scope customers require.

"By leveraging Microsoft Azure and its AI and IoT capabilities, NCR is helping retailers, restaurants and financial institutions simplify and keep commerce running with Microsoft's trusted, secure and scalable platform,” said Sam George, CVP, Azure IoT at Microsoft Corp.

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Arrow and Platysens develop smart wearable for pro swimmers https://futureiot.tech/arrow-and-platysens-develop-smart-wearable-for-pro-swimmers/ Mon, 14 Sep 2020 02:00:41 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=7729 The smart gadget is designed to capture the motion and force of the swimmer exerted by different parts of the body over time.

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In recent years, the Arrow Electronics’ Open Lab at the Hong Kong Science Park in Shatin has been giving technological help to both budding entrepreneurs and established companies across the Asia Pacific to build prototypes that turn their innovative ideas into reality.

One of them is Platysens, a local startup focused on sports sensors and analysis. Founded by sports enthusiasts six years ago in 2014, the company has availed Arrow Open Lab’s free engineering consultative services to develop a robust wearable designed for swimmers.

"Today the world of sports has been increasingly shaped by technology integration," said CY Wong, founder of Platysens, who himself is a triathlete. "We see there is a unfulfilled demand in the market for robust smart wearables to provide swimmers with accurate and real-time data and analysis.  With the engineering guidance and support by Arrow, we are able to rapidly integrate IoT and sensing technology and shorten our new product introduction cycle."

The company is able to combine algorithm, IoT, and sensing technology to put together a working prototype for its new product SEAL, which is expected to be launched by end of the year.

The smart gadget is designed to capture the motion and force of the swimmer exerted by different parts of the body over time.  Powered by STMicroelectronics MEMS, force sensor, and Nordic Semiconductor Bluetooth low-energy system-on-a-chip, the device transforms physical strokes and force movement into digital data, delivering real-time and accurate actionable insights for swimmers and trainers to understand efficiency and maximise performance.

"We are consistently seeking ways to make it easier for innovators and engineers to create, make and manage the technology of tomorrow," said Jacky Wan, Arrow's vice president of engineering for APAC.  "We are excited to be a trusted technology partner to Platysens and many other technology startups and companies in the region, guiding them through the journey, starting from ideation to proof of concept, design, testing, and mass production."

The global sports technology market is expected to see rapid growth in the coming years as big sports events such as the National Football League, the Major League Baseball and the English Premier League have embraced the use of technology in sports. A recent report published in February predicts that the market will reach US$51,689.7 Mn. by 2027, expanding at a CAGR of 20.4% during the forecast period.

Meanwhile, Platysens is an Incu-Tech program graduate of Hong Kong Science & Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP) in 2017.  Peter Yeung, head of electronic & ICT clusters at the HKSTP lauded the company’s collaboration with Arrow Open Lab.

"HKSTP offers world-class infrastructure and services to help tech companies and startups accelerate their innovation journey to commercial success.  Many of our startups are young engineers and entrepreneurs with great ideas.  The collaboration between Arrow and Platysens is a great example of two companies with different expertise coming together within our ecosystem,” he said.

 

 

 

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New alliance set to deploy enterprise-grade 5G in HK https://futureiot.tech/new-alliance-set-to-deploy-enterprise-grade-5g-in-hk/ Thu, 10 Sep 2020 00:30:41 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=7705 By integrating 5G with mobile edge computing in a private campus network, enterprises in Hong Kong can deploy IoT applications and enable data sharing through 5G connectivity.

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The first locally-developed 5G initiative for the deployment of enterprise-grade 5G technologies was unveiled yesterday in Hong Kong. It aims to create a local ecosystem with a 5G private campus network that runs on an extensive optical fibre network, delivering  a  high bandwidth, ultra-fast speed and ultra-low latency mobile infrastructure.

This mobile infrastructure will enable companies in the city to monitor and control real-time Internet of Things (IoT) applications. By integrating 5G with mobile edge computing in a private campus network, enterprises can also deploy IoT applications and enable data sharing through 5G connectivity.

The initiative was formed through the partnership of Dell Technologies, HGC Global Communications (HGC), SmarTone and VMWare. The four companies are also planning to launch a 5G technology lab in the second half of this year to further navigate and accelerate Hong Kong’s 5G journey.

“5G opens a broad new frontier for businesses and consumers with the power and connectivity of rich mobile services and various broadband options, bringing positive impacts to industries and enterprises, expanding and improving economic activities and enriching our daily lives,” said Danny Tam, vice president, Hong Kong Sales and China Global Account Sales, Dell Technologies.

“With the strong expertise and technological know-how of industry-leading telecom and technology companies – HGC, SmarTone and VMware – we are well positioned to offer enterprise-grade 5G solutions that are the best fit for customers in Hong Kong. Our collaborative efforts and synergy will enhance and stimulate the development of 5G in Hong Kong,” he added.

An ecosystem driving 5G development and innovative applications

With this newly announced 5G initiative, the four companies hopes to nurture a rich ecosystem to support industries and businesses in the deployment and development of 5G technologies with reference use cases across retail, construction, education and healthcare.

5G can help industries transform by leveraging on many other technologies including computing, artificial intelligence, computer vision, IoT devices, machine learning and domain knowledge in vertical sectors ,among others.

In view of the importance of cross-sector collaboration in facilitating creative, successful and commercially valuable 5G applications, the alliance aims to foster cross-industry collaboration on 5G applications for all enterprise sectors.

Combining the expertise of the four companies with solid fibre-based network infrastructure will assist organisations in Hong Kong to simplify IT operations. The combined set of solutions from the respective companies will enable local application developers, technology startups and enterprises with an application development environment that supports edge computing platforms, AI APIs, IoT hardware and software.

This will not only foster the ecosystem but also nurture a wide range of innovative applications. With those applications and the experience gained, a huge data lake in Hong Kong from different sectors will be established and maintained, which can be further utilised by different industries for the next step of innovation including big data analytics, business insight creation, machine learning for better performance of newly-developed AI algorithms, and more.

Joe Cheong, COO, Corporate Business & Enterprise Market at HGC, expressed excitement about playing a significant role in helping Hong Kong’s public and private sectors to meet business challenges with comprehensive 5G solutions.

“Leveraging on HGC’s solid and sizeable local network infrastructure and rich base of local corporate, enterprise and consumer customers, as well as a comprehensive suite of ICT solutions supported by Macroview Telecom, our subsidiary company, we are confident in delivering one-stop, customer centric and sophisticated digital and 5G solutions to customers and assisting them to harness the power of 5G in the new era of digital transformation,” he said.

Stephen Chau, CTO of SmarTone, echoed the same sentiment: “5G unleashes limitless opportunities for enterprises with its ultra-high speed, low latency and massive connectivity. 5G private networks can act as a springboard for organisations to capitalise on 5G for digital transformation with security and privacy, control and flexibility, backed by SmarTone’s powerful 5G network. It can also be tailored for business or industry needs, creating new opportunities that improve operational efficiency and experiences for organizations.”

In May this year, SmarTone successfully launched its widest coverage 5G network with Dynamic Spectrum Sharing (DSS) technology.

“Companies in Hong Kong need to transform their IT systems rapidly to be 5G-ready and create new opportunities in the cloud economy. VMware has over twenty years’ experience in helping companies achieve success with digital transformation, and we are ready to help in the 5G era,” said Franco Lan, general manager of VMware Hong Kong and Macau.

He added: “The VMware Ready for Telco Cloud program has been relied upon by more than 100 telecom operators worldwide to deliver premier services to 800 million subscribers daily. VMware is happy to work together with other industry leaders in Hong Kong, to empower companies to maximise the benefits of 5G.”

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Acronis to secure Airspeeder electric flying car race https://futureiot.tech/acronis-to-secure-airspeeder-electric-flying-car-race/ Wed, 09 Sep 2020 02:00:27 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=7700 Acronis harnesses the power of data to drive performance in elite competition.

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Airspeeder, the world’s first electric flying car racing series, has entered a landmark technical and strategic partnership with Singapore-based cybersecurity firm Acronis.

The racing series, created by performance electric flying car manufacturer Alauda, will receive technical and commercial support from Acronis. The significance of this partnership will be reflected in the placement of the Acronis brand in a prominent position on Airspeeder’s MK4 racing craft.

“We are creating an aerial motorsport driven by innovation. Backing from Acronis, a business with an extraordinary culture of technological success in Formula One and Formula E represents significant affirmation of our vision to accelerate the next great mobility revolution through sporting competition,” said Matt Pearson, Founder, Alauda and Airspeeder

The first Airspeeder GPs planned for 2021. It is founded on the belief that technical development of the flying car mobility revolution will be accelerated in the heat of competition.  It will benefit the wider eVTOL (electrical vertical take-off and landing) sector, an industry backed by giants including Uber, Daimler, Toyota, Hyundai and Airbus.

Widely dubbed as ‘flying electric taxis’ and considered the next great mobility revolution, eVTOL promises to liberate cities and cut journey times with a sustainable flying transport solution. The sector is predicted by Morgan Stanley to be worth US$1.5 trillion dollars by 2040.

Ensuring data security during the Airspeeder race

With the newly inked partnership, Acronis’ cyber protection solutions will ensure the data security for the revolutionary LiDAR and Machine Vision technology that will deliver close but safe racing through the creation of virtual force-fields around each racing craft, named ‘Speeders’. Part of this technology will be delivered by Teknov8, a global provider of cyber security solution that will support Acronis’ partnership with Airspeeder as an Official #CyberFit Delivery Partner.

“Acronis’ place at the leading edge of innovation in data management perfectly aligns with Alauda and Airspeeder’s vision to accelerate a mobility revolution through close sporting competition,” said Jan-Jaap Jager, board advisor and senior vice president at Acronis.

He added: “Our proven, integrated approach to providing easy, efficient, reliable and secure cyber protection for all data, applications and systems, will help Airspeeder to enhance their performance on the air track and in the back office. We look forward to delivering on the promise of a true next generation technical and sporting proposition.”

Acronis’ secure data analysis solutions currently enhance the performance of some of the most celebrated sporting entities in the world including major names in F1 and English Premier League football. Acronis’ strategic and commercial support represents further affirmation of Airspeeder and Alauda’s vision to accelerate the next great mobility revolution through sporting competition. This significant partnership follows the confirmation of major institutional investment in the sport and follows existing support from logistics giant DHL and global money management firm Equals.

Acronis and Teknov8’s commercial, technical and strategic support will therefore hasten the arrival of the eVTOL (electrical vertical take-off and landing) vehicle that promises to provide a long-term clean air solution to city congestion through a zero-emissions aerial transport solution.

Airspeeder is described by global commentators as the ‘Formula One of the skies’, Acronis’ track record in motorsport makes them the perfect technical and strategic partner. The firm’s technical team will manage the streams of live data that will underpin a sport that promises to be the most exciting global sporting and broadcast entity on the planet.

Building a new sports

Alauda expects that elite pilots culled from the world of aviation, motorsports and eSports will participate in Airspeeder, navigating through navigate electrically governed courses above some of the most visually arresting locations in the world.

Electric racing multicopters created by Alauda will fly at speeds of up to 130km/h. Airspeeder GP seasons will be contested by teams who will purchase the original craft and equipment from Alauda, but will be given freedom to set race strategy and recruit pilots from a pool of elite pilot academy graduates. This will create a technologically even playing field, encouraging greater control for teams to dictate strategy. This approach has been compared to the highly successful Formula E racing series.

Success for teams competing in the Airspeeder series is defined by the skill of individual pilots and the teams’ ability to maximise performance from a truly revolutionary technical platform. Key to this will be the collection and interpretation of data. This will be underpinned by Acronis and its world-leading solutions which will ensure the secure and seamless management of data. Key indicators from battery peak performance to pilot biometrics will be available to teams as they plot strategy to gain competitive advantage.

Acronis’ track record in motorsport makes the company  the ideal technical and strategic partner to an event described as “Formula One of the skies”. The firm’s technical team will manage the streams of live data that will underpin a sport that promises to be the most exciting global sporting and broadcast entity on the planet.

Acronis’ data solutions currently ensure the security of the terabytes of data derived from running Formula One cars during testing and racing scenarios. This data is essential to sports like F1 and Airspeeder that require telemetry data to analyse performance and set strategy.

Airspeeder’s team and pilots will benefit from real-time data including analysis of battery and key systems performance. From this information, engineers will be able to define strategy in real time to find competitive advantage in a sport where every team starts with the same technical platform. This will make for the close and equitable racing motorsports fans crave.

Data-driven sporting event

Airspeeder’s will globally stream races and interact with the sport’s fan community across multiple devices and channels. Central to this is equipping Airspeeder with the inherent flexibility to adapt to rapidly shifting requirements of audiences in the way they interact with brands. Acronis’ capability to securely manage global fan and partner data empowers Airspeeder to deliver a next generation multimedia experience.

As a progressive, technologically led sport, Airspeeder is driven by the application of big data. Acronis and Teknov8 will ensure an Airspeeder race or flight will never be compromised and that the terabytes of data shared between Speeders and the technical teams supporting them will remain entirely secure.

Airspeeder will be experienced through global multi-channel streaming. Spectators at live events will be limited to VIPs exclusively invited to experience and amplify the action from luxury pavilions. As they compete, Speeders will utilise cutting-edge LiDAR and Machine Vision technology to ensure close but safe racing, with defined and digitally governed no-fly areas surrounding spectators and officials.

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OREM to deploy AIoT at 82 solar farms in Japan https://futureiot.tech/orem-to-deploy-aiot-at-82-solar-farms-in-japan/ Tue, 08 Sep 2020 02:00:10 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=7690 The deployment will enhance ORIX’s efforts to popularise renewable energy and contribute to Japan’s national goal of increasing its reliance on renewables to 24% of its energy mix by 2030.

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ORIX Renewable Energy Management Corporation (OREM), and Envision Digital have recently agreed to deploy advanced analytics and remote monitoring applications in utility-scale solar farms across 82 sites in Japan.

OREM is a wholly-owned subsidiary of ORIX Corporation, a Japan-based diversified financial services group.

The partnership will involve the deployment of  Envision Digital’s the cloud-based Enlight Solar solutions. By leveraging Ensight Solar’s algorithms, which proactively detects emerging system underperformance and component health issues from raw data and delivers recommendations for corrective action, OREM’s operations and maintenance (O&M) teams can visualise power generation conditions and pre-emptively maintain the long-term efficiency and health of its photovoltaic (PV) assets.

Enlight Solar then overlays real-time remote operational monitoring capabilities across ORIX’s diverse portfolio of distributed PV sites, allowing OREM’s O&M teams to provide immediate recovery support in the event of malfunctions and maximise power generation capacity. Both solutions are powered by , Envision Digital’s AIoT operating system.

“With Envision Digital’s end-to-end solution and expertise, we can provide total customer support – from proposals to implementation to maintenance, which in turn helps our customers optimise energy use and reduce costs,” said Yurita Kazuhisa, chief strategy officer at ORIX Renewable Energy Management Corporation.

“This reinforces our dedication toward expanding renewable energy-based power generation and asset management, supporting the popularisation of renewable energy, and adding value to our communities in Japan,” he added.

By improving energy productivity and operational efficiency, the deployment will enhance ORIX’s efforts to popularise renewable energy and contribute to Japan’s national goal of increasing its reliance on renewables to 24% of its energy mix by 2030.

With one-gigawatt (GW) of solar energy assets, including utility-scale, commercial and industrial, ORIX is the largest solar asset manager in Japan.

It also develops and operates its own rapidly growing fleet of solar farms that currently generate 420 megawatts (MWs) in utility, including the Niigata Yotsugoya Power Plant (55.6 MWs), the Shiriuchi Mega Solar 20M Power Plant (24 MWs), and the Hirono-Cho Mega Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Plant (24.3 MWs). ORIX’s OR Yamaguchi Mine Solar Power Plant (56.4 MWs), for instance, is scheduled to commence operations in October 2021.

“Japan is one of the fastest-growing nations and leaders in the global PV market. As the country strives to achieve 24% renewable energy capacity by 2030, AIoT projects like this, which help to improve the productivity of existing renewable energy assets, are vital,” said Sylvie Ouziel, international president at Envision Digital.

“Over time, the wider adoption of AIoT in the sector will create further network effects and amplify current benefits. This local project, among others, along with our recent expansion of operations with a new office in the Kanagawa prefecture, reinforce our commitment toward empowering a more sustainable future for citizens and businesses in Japan,” she said.

Singapore-based Envision Digital specialises on providing AIoT technology, with more than 500 employees across 12 offices in China, France, Germany, Norway, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

 

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HK's PPE makers to bridge digital divide with smart training course https://futureiot.tech/hks-ppe-makers-to-bridge-digital-divide-with-smart-training-course/ Mon, 07 Sep 2020 02:00:29 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=7685 The course will include an introduction of new technologies to improve production quality under the trend of digital transformation, such as an overview of Industry 4.0, artificial intelligence production monitoring system, remote data collection and analysis of Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) to name a few.

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Sinopharm Tech, the Federation of Hong Kong Industries (FHKI) and the Vocational Training Council (VTC) last week signed a memorandum of understanding to launch the course "Smart Manufacturing Training Programme for Personal Protection Equipment Industry" (SMT Programme).

Otherwise known as the “SMT Programme”, the course will include practical operation know-how on automated mask production lines and mechanical assembly, as well  the introduction of new technologies to improve production quality under the trend of digital transformation, such as an overview of Industry 4.0, artificial intelligence production monitoring system, remote data collection and analysis of Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) to name a few.

With the current COVID-19 pandemic (COVID-2019), the strong demand for personal protection equipment such as masks and has led to the emergence of the local personal protection equipment manufacturing industry in Hong Kong.

However, the large professional talent gap and insufficient technical support in the industry have become major challenges for the industry.

(Front row L-R) Academic Director (Engineering) of VTC Dr Daniel Yan, FHKI Education Committee Chairman Bryant Chan and Sinopharm Tech Chief Technical Consultant Kenny Chan signed the MoU to jointly offer Smart Manufacturing Training Programme for PPE Industry.
(Back row L-R) VTC Deputy Executive Director Dr Eric Liu, FHKI Chairman Dr Daniel Yip and Sinopharm Tech Group CEO Tony Chan.

Sinopharm Tech is pioneer in the local personal protective equipment manufacturing industry in Hong Kong. The company’s practical experience and technical resources can be learned from and be used for reference, by industry participants or potential entrants through the SMT Programme course. This will help accelerate the overall improvement to the management and production excellence of the industry.

Chan Ting, executive director and chief executive officer of Sinopharm Tech, reiterated the company’s commitment to quality by “our product quality into another level” with recent partnerships with world leading melt blown manufacturers, together with its investment in setting up a world-class testing laboratory.

“Quality staff is the most critical contributing factor to high quality product. With the rapid development of mask manufacturing in Hong Kong, the whole industry is lacking experienced workers and machine technicians,” Chan said. “We are very happy to work with VTC and FHKI, to contribute our professional know-how and experiences. We hope more people will understand the potential of the mask manufacturing industry and join Sinopharm or other mask manufacturing companies to fight Covid-19 together."

Through training programmes on production, processing, and quality monitoring, the practitioners will be able to put theory into practice to effectively ensure the efficiency and quality of the manufacturing process. The knowledge from the education chain of smart manufacturing of personal protection equipment manufacturing industry continually benefits the practitioners, while this continuous supply of professional talents to the market will help to further Hong Kong's reindustrialisation.

The SMT Programme is running under the recently launched “Reindustrialisation and Technology Training Programme” (RTTP)  of the Hong Kong SAR Government. While the SMT Programme will be under the RTTP, and the SMT Programme will provide practitioners in the personal protection equipment industry with both theoretical and practical training. In addition, the SMT Programme will also cover Hong Kong "Q-Mark" Scheme and related international standards of testing knowledge and certification.

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NTT revamps technology platform for 2020 Tour de France https://futureiot.tech/ntt-revamps-technology-platform-for-2020-tour-de-france/ Thu, 03 Sep 2020 01:30:25 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=7671 NTT has developed the Virtual Zone Technique that brings together different technologies to deliver its Tour de France services remotely for the first time.

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After a two-month delay caused by COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 Tour de France (TDF) kicked off last weekend on August 29, the first time since the end of World War II that the international cycling event  is not taking place in July.

The three-week  race, which will run through September 20,  features a total of 176 riders spread across 22 teams with 8 riders per team, traversing a distance of nearly 3,500km in various terrains all over the country.

Like many contemporary sporting events, TDF  has embraced digital transformation, delivering real-time live action from the field to technology-savvy cycling fans on the internet, who long abandoned the traditional television to watch the race on their desktops, laptops, phone and  tablets. TDF organiser Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO) has been working with technology partner NTT to deepen fan engagement on the new channels through interactive and immersive experiences that add value to the live broadcast.

NTT has worked with TDF since 2015, initially under its Dimension Data branding. This is second year the company is  appearing as NTT, following a global rebranding.

Five years ago, NTT installed sensors installed under the saddle of every bike in the race, capturing real-time data on speed and GPS location through a moving mesh network to the NTT Cloud.

From the two pieces of information (speed and location) obtained from the tracking device on a bike, NTT generates 60 data points per rider, per second . The company then has just a few minutes to generate engaging data visualisations and animations for the live broadcast and other channels.

Then, NTT pushes 10 to 12 data-driven stories to the live broadcast at every stage, and over stories every day on social media.

With live tracking of riders and providing real-time data for broadcasters, the set of services has grown each year. Highlights include enhanced data analytics, a full Race Center website, the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning to provide greater insight into the race, the use of augmented reality, and the creation of fantasy leagues linked to the race.

Updating the technology platform

Even before the pandemic reared its head, NTT was hard at work upgrading a couple of key elements of the technology platform behind the digital innovations in the annual cycling event, according to Rob Webster, vice president of the Advanced Technology Group for Sport at NTT.

First to get the makeover is the real-time  analytics platform, which processes the data from the bike and makes them sensible.

“Why do we need a real time analytics platform? The dirty secret of the IoT world is that the data is not clean,” Webster said during a recent webcast. “As an example of what we face, we get GPS data from those sensors. GPS data has a margin of error of about 10 to 20 metres around where the sensor really is.  Imagine a bike moving up the Alps and we get a reading for a particular rider in that area between all of the group. Where exactly is that rider?  So, we actually have to constantly monitor where the riders are, who are they riding with and how fast they are going so that we can correct the GPS errors and snap them into the route in the most likely location that they really are. That is why we need to run real-time data processing.”

NTT has built the TDF data analytics platform from the ground up.  This year, it has migrated to an open-source platform, building a containerised solution that can be deployed on a modular basis. Websters gave two reasons for the move.

“Five years ago, open-source was not sufficiently robust to deal with the extremely low latency that we have to deal with. That has changed and we are now able to take advantage of the incredible technology changes that have happened in the open source world.

“The second reason is that we have learned a whole lot in the last five years, and we understood that we don’t only support the tour, but within the tour, different stages are different. Time trials are different to a normal stage. Therefore, it is easier to build the platform in a much more modular basis – reusable functions that can be rearranged in different ways or used in different sequences. How long the riders have been riding for on the normal stage is different to  how long riders have been riding for on a time trial where they work on different start times.”

The next key element of the TDF technology platform to be rejigged is the API layer, which makes the GPS, speed and other reference data available. NTT retired its own inhouse API solution in favour of using a set of PaaS services from Microsoft Azure.

“While the API layer has to be robust, there isn’t anything that we are doing with the API that is truly unique to us. So, rather than build our own API, we shifted to using a set of PaaS services from Azure. It is a matter of configuring the API technologies that Microsoft has  built on the Azure platform, but we do not need to invest a whole lot of time in building our own unique API. There is no value there,” Webster explained.

The API layer was initially built to support the Race Center website and app, which provides live tracking of the race. It grew over the years to support new applications such as the commentators app.

“It was designed to support specific applications.  This year, we have shifted - coming  at it from an information architecture point of view. It radically simplify the number and complexity of the endpoints. And that has paid huge dividends in terms of supporting all the consumers from the website and applications and things. We’ve got far fewer endpoints that we need to manage, and they are far easier for the third-party developers or even internal developers, other organisations that are using these APIs. It is a much cleaner model for us to use,” Webster said.

The Race Center website is another area that has a significant technology change this year. It was originally intended as a desktop app albeit it’s mobile enabled. However, noting that usage statics over the last five years showed a strong growth towards mobile, NTT has revamped the website into a mobile-first solution.

“This year we focused on delivering a mobile first solution, but also aligning it more tightly with ASO’s digital strategy.  So now the Race Center is much closer in terms of look and feel, and in how it is embedded, its architecture and its functions with the other ASO race websites that they run. I am really hoping the ASO provides a more seamless and consistent experience for fans,” Webster said.

Meanwhile, one the new digital enhancements introduced to the TDF this years is the Augmented Reality Data (AR) app.

In addition to the live race footage, the app will provide selected users with a unique way of viewing and interacting with live race data and the amazing landscapes of the Tour de France. For the first time this will allow fans to appreciate the scale of the event in 3D from their home. With an unprecedented view from the sky, they will see the riders among the mountains, valleys, rivers and lakes, and have access to interactive live data on the race while feeling like they’re actually viewing the race from a helicopter.

Creating the Virtual Zone Technique

NTT decided not to send a team to France to man the NTT control centre, which is basically  a large truck positioned at the finish line of each stage  and keeps an eye on all technology operations.

Instead, the company developed the Virtual Zone Technique that brings together different technologies to deliver its Tour de France services remotely for the first time.

A total of 70 NTT employees across five continents are manning this virtual control centre with the help of a global team of experts and partners. This will keep staff safe while supporting the running of the race and providing an enhanced experience for fans.

“We came up the idea of using all our digital and collaboration platforms to create a Virtual Zone Technique, so people sitting in Melbourne or Johannesburg would have the same level of access to the data, videos and conversations they were used to in the physical Zone Technique,” said Peter Gray, SVP Advanced Technology Group – Sports at NTT.

The Zone Technique is the technology environment that supports everything NTT  does at the Tour de France, from gathering and analysing live-tracking data to creating data visualizations and stories that are published on various platforms and as part of the live broadcast.

“Remote execution has given us the opportunity to bring together a lot of services that weren’t together before – video streams from the end of the race, data monitoring, and an observability platform that allows the team to view everything through one portal, for example,” Gray said.

 

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Subscription-based IoT services launched in the UAE https://futureiot.tech/subscription-based-iot-services-launched-in-the-uae/ Thu, 27 Aug 2020 03:00:42 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=7630 The partnership will empower customers to freely design, build, deploy and upgrade IoT applications with agility and flexibility, combining cloud, on-premise and edge deployment models.

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In line with UAEs vision to fast track digital transformation, Software AG and du, from Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company (EITC), recently signed a partnership to provide a subscription-based licensing model for IoT services to its business customers.

The strategic collaboration enables the two companies to address complex IoT implementations for organisations in UAE. These businesses will benefit from rapid application development features, reduced time to deployment and out-of the-box IoT analytics and dashboards to see the complete picture of their IoT data.

Furthermore, in line with new collaboration, du and Software AG will launch a new IoT academy and an experience centre in the coming months. The opening is part of the drive to accelerate the adoption of IoT in the country while also staying abreast on IoT innovation methodologies, best practices and applications as the ecosystem continues to evolve.

“As du steadfastly drives its transformation agenda, this is a significant move to scale du’s offering, drive innovation across UAE and seize opportunities in new growth areas. Software AG’s global expertise to build new functionalities for telcos through IoT adoption fits perfectly with our strategy to deliver comprehensive IoT solutions for the UAE market,” said  Farid Faraidooni, deputy CEO – Enterprise Solutions, EITC

He added that the move will bolster UAE’s IoT adoption across SMEs, large organisations and the government, which will enhance UAE’s position as a regional innovation hub.

The partnership establishes du as the leading IoT provider for the UAE market, powered by Software AG’s Cumulocity IoT.

The partnership will empower customers to freely design, build, deploy and upgrade IoT applications with agility and flexibility, combining cloud, on-premise and edge deployment models. A scalable architecture offers quick time to market for IoT applications.  The platform will drive IoT across key industries of government, healthcare, utilities, manufacturing, transport and automotive.

Companies  will be able to track assets and improve logistics or gather data from smart city applications to make peoples’ lives easier. They can also improve service for their customers by automating manual functions, from meter readings to security measures.

“IoT services can help organisations to not only achieve greater insights into their business, but also to build their digital resilience. Data is the heartbeat of a business today, so the task of gathering, analysing and acting upon it should be a top priority,” said Philippe La Fornara, President EMEA, Software AG.

He added: “Our collaboration with du is a manifestation of the new approach of telcos as providers of IoT services for a fully connected future; a model gaining prominence globally. With du as our strategic telco partner, we aim to play a role in UAE’s 2021 vision through a range of competitive IoT solutions. We welcome du to Software AG’s IoT ecosystem.”

 

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RICOH HK’s new centre harness the power of IoT https://futureiot.tech/ricoh-hks-new-centre-harness-the-power-of-iot/ Wed, 26 Aug 2020 03:00:23 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=7622 With IoT technology in place, smart sensors facilitate workplace management, including lighting system, temperature and air quality control.

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In response to working in the "new normal" post-pandemic world, RICOH Hong Kong has established its Network Operations Center in mid-June this year, which aims to build and operate a secure cloud computing, monitoring and control centre for a smart workplace.

With the spread of "Work From Home culture", cloud computing, IoT devices and distributed ICT applications technology is now highly relevant across multiple types of environments.

"Remote working, automation of operational process, video conferencing and the like have become the new normal whilst we work under the constant threat of the pandemic. With the increasing popularity IoT applications, all of the changes show that the market for smart offices is continuing to expand,” said Aaron Yim, managing director of RICOH Hong Kong.

“As the companies' business operating partner, RICOH Hong Kong launched a new Network Operations Center to break the old tradition with innovative office concepts and provide customers with integrated support. And to meet the needs of enterprises for improving efficiency, reducing costs, optimizing customer experience and rapid business changes,” he added.

Furthermore, as cyberattacks have become more sophisticated, the company has geared its new facility as one-stop-shop for advanced cybersecurity, offering Security Workshops, Design & Construction Validation, and Assessment & Analysis of Current Threats & Vulnerabilities.

By making this available to enterprise customers, security standards can be continuously upheld and updated, and they will be provided with full support in the form of optimised security countermeasures in the face of ever-evolving cyber-attacks.

According to Yim, enterprises can now safely optimise their business remote deployments and business continuity plans through the use of cloud network integration which RICOH Hong Kong is innovating sympathetic solutions built around the "3 Smarts"; Smart Workplace, Smart Process and Smart Technology.

Shift towards the “IoT SMART Workplace”

Faced with the New Normal, many companies are reconsidering how they invest in office layouts and resulting access to technological devices, according to Yim.

“We recognises the necessity of having a more flexible workplace, including an effective space utilisation plan, technological support and functionality in use,” he said. “First and foremost, this helps companies address the complicated issue of reopening offices. Safeguarding workplace hygiene as well as the health and wellness of employees and visitors are the top concerns of businesses in the post-pandemic age. For example, facility management teams are seeking alternative ways of organising and running operations to keep them going.”

They must also consider how maintaining physical distancing can be prioritised when creating functional workspaces, he added.

“While helping to keep operations manageable, introducing more Smart devices improves workflows, such as with RICOH's cloud-based Interactive Collaboration Board and integrated tasks such as video conferencing, document printing, etc,” Yim said.

“With IoT technology in place, Smart sensors facilitate workplace management, including lighting system, temperature and air quality control. Sensors are also able to identify health condition indicators of staff members, and data collected from the sensors can be sent to a central database or used to issue priority alerts,” he said.

The company pointed out that information from the sensors can then be used for further analysis, appropriate device control, or to drive business organisational planning and strategies.

The application of these smart technologies not only enhances energy efficiency but also creates a secure digital workplace in which employees can thrive, through supportive, appropriate and intelligent workspace design powered by RICOH Hong Kong.

 

 

 

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Eliminate IoT-generated data silos today https://futureiot.tech/eliminate-iot-generated-data-silos-today/ Tue, 25 Aug 2020 03:27:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=7593 This IBM white paper to learn how you can tame the massive data that IoT is creating regardless of whether it is stored across servers, within the IoT sensors and devices, or on the cloud.

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Gartner warns that across the enterprise, employees are blindly building a bottomless lake of data, and, in many cases, a corporate mantra of “save everything, just in case” is encouraging the behaviour.

Internet of Things (IoT) present new data sources that will further add to the already massive amounts of data that are being created in the digital economy. IDC projects that the amount of data created by these connected IoT devices will see a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 28.7% over the 2018-2025 forecast period, generating 79.4 zettabytes (ZB) of data in 2025.

The right business decisions are made with accurate insights which come from a clear complete picture of your data.

What if you have access to data regardless of source, source type or location?

What if you can have a single view of the data without moving it from individual data sets, enterprise data lakes and warehouses?

What if you can apply governance, make connections, extract insights and take action at speeds of up to 430% than previously possible?

All of this is possible with data virtualisation – an innovation Gartner believes will be used by 35% of organisations in 2020.

The analyst says data virtualization is attracting renewed interest as organisations recognise its potential for a growing range of use cases. Most of these opportunities involve augmenting the physically integrated data structures and providing consistent service-oriented approaches for applications and business services to access data. In rendering data resources useful regardless of how they are deployed or where they reside, this technology reads data in place.

Click here to learn how you can tame the massive data that IoT is creating regardless of whether it is stored across servers, within the IoT sensors and devices, or on the cloud.

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NEC loops in Red Hat for Narita Airport’s One ID initiative https://futureiot.tech/nec-loops-in-red-hat-for-narita-airports-one-id-initiative/ Thu, 20 Aug 2020 02:55:34 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=7569 One ID covers the entire passenger experience within an airport, from check-in to boarding, and uses Red Hat OpenShift to provide the massive scale and flexibility required to handle peak passenger volume at Narita.

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In the last 12 months, Japan’s Narita International Airport has been hard at work on its existing project to deploy systems for its “One ID” initiative, which aims to revolutionise the check-in to boarding experience.

One ID uses facial recognition technology, essentially correlating passengers’ facial data with their boarding pass and passport which traditionally have to be presented at various stages of the check-in and boarding process.  By taking passengers’ facial data, they will no longer be asked for these two documents as presently required across the end-to-end passenger experience.

The initiative will relieve departing passengers from repetitive processes to board a flight and Narita Airport anticipates benefits in less queuing. Moreover, the advanced facial recognition system, it is expected to improve the passenger authentication accuracy and enable improvements in aviation and airport infrastructure security. One ID will also improve staff productivity by reducing time spent on manual ID checks.

The system requires a facial photo of a passenger to be registered when they initially check-in at an airport service desk or self-service kiosk at Narita Airport. From there, the passenger is able to move more rapidly through the airport, including screening, baggage storage and the boarding gate without having to show a boarding pass or passport. Biometric scanners at each phase of the travel process are able to confirm the individual’s identity, helping to improve traffic flow through the airport and the overall travel experience.

NEC Corporation has been tapped to help Narita Airport in the One ID project, which extends biometric technology to provide a solution tailored to the growing need for “fast travel” in the airline industry.

Analysing the types of data collected by solutions such as One ID requires extensive computing power backed by a flexible, scalable infrastructure that can support usage spikes at peak travel times. As such, NEC has chosen Red Hat OpenShift as the foundation for the project. Red Hat OpenShift will provide the massive scale and flexibility required to handle peak passenger volume at Narita.

“Next-generation technologies must be built on a platform that can deliver stable, production-ready innovation. With Red Hat OpenShift, NEC has the enterprise-grade backbone for One ID which can scale as needed to support high traveller traffic and provide tools, services and flexibility to fuel advances in the traveller experience,” said Ashesh Badani, senior vice president, Cloud Platforms, Red Hat.

The industry’s most comprehensive enterprise Kubernetes platform, Red Hat OpenShift, provides NEC with cloud-native architecture as well as operational agility, future-ready developer services and integration with extended hardware and software systems.

“By combining NEC's biometric scanning technology with Red Hat’s OpenShift, we have built an agile and highly scalable platform for the future utilising open, robust and flexible container services. As a result, travellers will be able to proceed quickly at the airport. In the future, we will promote the deployment of this solution at airports in Japan, internationally and throughout a wide variety of industries,” said Toshifumi Yoshizaki, senior vice president, NEC Corporation.

One ID is expected to go live at Narita International Airport's 1st and 2nd passenger terminals in the near future. Following the introduction of One ID at Narita Airport, NEC aims to continue rolling out advanced solutions in cooperation with domestic and international airports throughout the world.

 

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Smart city challenge in Kuala Lumpur yields 16 semi-finalists https://futureiot.tech/smart-city-challenge-in-kuala-lumpur-yields-16-semi-finalists/ Mon, 17 Aug 2020 01:00:49 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=7556 Each semi-finalist receives a grant of up to US$5,000 to develop their ideas into proofs of concept (POC), and each will have access to datasets from CATCH’s public and private agency partners in order to identify daily mobility challenges in Kuala Lumpur.

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The Toyota Mobility Foundation  (TMF) has announced the 16 companies from across the world that have made it to the semi-finals of its inaugural City Architecture for Tomorrow Challenge (CATCH), a competition that call for dynamic, intelligent and data-driven solutions to address mobility and city planning challenges in Kuala Lumpur.

"We are thrilled to announce world-class ideas that represent the data-driven future of sustainable and efficient city planning and mobility. We look forward to working with these semi-finalists to advance their ideas towards realistic and beneficial proofs of concept,” said Pras Ganesh, program director of TMF.

The TMF was established in August 2014 to support the development of a more mobile society. The foundation aims to support strong and equitable mobility systems, using Toyota's expertise in technology, safety, and the environment. It works in partnership with universities, government, non-profit organisations, research institutions and other organisations to address mobility issues around the world.

Solutions to date have aimed at resolving urban transportation problems, expanding the deployment of multi-modal mobility, and developing solutions for future generations.

The 16 semi-finalists in the inaugural CATCH competition come from different countries, including Australia, Brazil, Malaysia, Singapore, the UK and the US.  They are as follows:

During the application period for CATCH, which ended 30th June 2020, more than 90 global teams submitted their innovative, deep tech ideas to reimagine city planning through the effective usage of data. After careful consideration, TMF has identified 16 teams as semi-finalists,  that best suited to CATCH's problem statement and the five assessment criteria of creativity, desirability, feasibility, sustainability and technicality.

These teams will be asked to further develop their ideas into proofs of concept (POC) and at this stage will each receive a grant of up to US$5,000 for financial support. Furthermore, they will have access to datasets from public and private agency partners to CATCH which will help them identify daily mobility challenges in Kuala Lumpur.

TMF will continue to work together with strategic partners including Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL), the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) and its data partners to support the semi-finalists to enhance their ideas until the selection of finalists in October, through financial grant support, mobility data, and mentorship provided by experts and judges supporting this program.

Through CATCH, TMF hopes to unlock human-centric, data-driven innovations to further 'Mobility for All' for residents of Kuala Lumpur.

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Tokyu Hands trialled unmanned smart retail pilot https://futureiot.tech/tokyu-hands-trialled-unmanned-smart-retail-pilot/ Tue, 11 Aug 2020 01:49:10 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=7541 The solution provides customers with guest guidance using interactive monitors and displays to facilitate touchless customer transactions.

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Japanese lifestyle retailer Tokyu Hands has trialled an unmanned concept store at Scramble Square in Shibuya with the  help of NTT DATA and Cyberlink, a pioneer in AI and facial recognition technologies.

Japan’s retail sector has been facing expansion difficulties caused by  the significant decline of the labour force. This challenge is exacerbated by the restrictions on physical interaction in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The unmanned concept store collected live customer data to demonstrate how retail stores that are both employee-less and touchless can thrive.

The smart retail project  was tested for real-word application from June 1 to June 15, 2020. The integrated solution combines remote serving services, digital information monitors and the use of anonymised AI data analytics to drive a stronger self-service customer experience.

Cyberlink’s FaceMe facial recognition engine  supported the pilot programme by identifying the age, gender and facial emotion data of customers inside the retail environment to assist in measuring the effectiveness of  the project.

Integrated and interactive customer experience

The solution provides customers with guest guidance using interactive monitors and displays to facilitate touchless customer transactions. Sales consultants at the Shinjuku office use virtual avatars to offer brand instructions and product recommendations.  With this, the retailer was able optimise the specialised product knowledge  of sales consultants by giving them the flexibility to serve in different store locations despite of the geographical limitations.

In-store cameras use FaceMe to identify age, gender and emotional data, combining with NTT Data’s voice-to-text technology, the collected data can be used in the future to further improvement of customer service quality, product development and estimate the return of investment of promotional events.

The pilot project provides a proof-of-concept on the FaceMe AI facial recognition engine's ease of integration and powerful capabilities.

FaceMe‘s edge-based architecture offers fast and efficient processing with higher accuracy and speed than other cloud-based solutions. It supports more than 10 operating systems, including Windows, Android, iOS, and various Linux distributions such as Ubuntu x86, Ubuntu ARM, RedHat, CentOS, Yocto, Debian and JetPack.

It can run on low-power CPUs to enable facial recognition on cost-effective IoT/AIoT devices and the ability to integrate with high-end servers, workstations, and personal computers equipped with a GPU, providing highly efficient performance.

 

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HK pushes for smart manufacturing with new funding scheme https://futureiot.tech/hk-pushes-for-smart-manufacturing-with-new-funding-scheme/ Thu, 06 Aug 2020 00:00:15 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=7526 Projects to be considered under the scheme must contain significant elements of smart manufacturing, including IoT, real-time data, application of data analytics and advanced human-machine interfaces, artificial intelligence/machine learning/deep learning, automation and robotics, and sensors and actuators among others

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The Innovation and Technology Commission (ITC) of Hong Kong last week launched the HK$2-billion Re-industrialisation Funding Scheme (RFS)  to subsidise manufacturers to set up new smart production lines in Hong Kong.

The scheme aimed to re-industrialise Hong Kong is managed under the city’s Innovation Technology Fund.

“The aim is to encourage manufacturers to develop advanced manufacturing industries in Hong Kong that are based on smart production with a view to identifying new growth points for the local economy," a spokesman for the Commission said in a statement.

Companies incorporated in Hong Kong under the Companies Ordinance (Cap. 622) are eligible to apply. The Government will provide funding on a 1 (Government): 2 (company) matching basis. The funding ceiling is one-third of the total project cost or HK$15 million, whichever is lower. The approved funding will be disbursed upon completion of the project.

The ITC has outlined the criteria for a project to be eligible for funding subsidy under the scheme.  For one, the significant portion of the production line should fulfil the "smart manufacturing" criteria, i.e. the integrated and intelligent use of "smart" technologies such as Internet of Things, real-time data, application of data analytics and advanced human-machine interfaces, artificial intelligence/machine learning/deep learning, automation and robotics, sensors and actuators, etc. in the production process.

The scope of funding covers expenses directly related to the establishment of the new smart production line in Hong Kong, including the costs of procurement, installation and commissioning of the machinery, equipment or apparatus, as well as fees for engaging technical consultants for the design and setting up of the production line concerned (testing and staff training costs inclusive).

To ensure that the funded projects bring substantive economic benefits to Hong Kong for a reasonable period – unless with prior written approval from the Government, the production line funded under the RFS cannot be transferred to other parties or to any place outside Hong Kong within five years after project completion if the relevant RFS funding amount is HK$5 million or above, or within three years after project completion if the relevant RFS funding amount is below HK$5 million.

The government has set up the Re-industrialisation Funding Scheme Vetting Committee to vet eligible applications. The Committee is chaired by Jimmy Kwok Chun-wah with members from the industrial and commercial sector, the innovation and technology sector, the professional services sector, academia and relevant government departments and public bodies

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IDC: Storage of IoT data will be vital to business success https://futureiot.tech/idc-storage-of-iot-data-will-be-vital-to-business-success/ Tue, 04 Aug 2020 02:00:38 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=7512 IDC estimates data generated from connected IoT devices to be 79.4 ZB by 2025

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As Internet of Things (IoT) becomes widespread, storage of data collected from connected devices becomes very vital for enterprises seeking to gain operational and business insights from them to create new business opportunities, according to IDC.

The IT research firm predicts that by 2025 there will be 55.9B connected devices worldwide, 75% of which will be connected to an IoT platform.

IDC estimates data generated from connected IoT devices to be 79.4 ZB by 2025, growing from 13.6 ZB in 2019. Most of this data arises from security and video surveillance, but Industrial IoT applications will also take a significant portion of this data.

“While IoT is becoming an acceptable term across various application areas, managing and archiving of the data generated from the connected devices is a critical success factor for the industries,” said Abhishek Mukherjee, senior market analyst for telecommunications and IoT at IDC Asia/Pacific.

This is the major takeaway from IDC’s latest report entitled Business Models for the Long-Term Storage of Internet of Things Use Case Data, which shows how generated data expanded across a multitude of IoT devices – deployed across various industry verticals – and how their respective use cases can be managed and archived.

“Based on the criticality of data to the application/use-case, redundancy, and granularity of information generated from the connected devices, decision towards level of compression and timelines for storage are decided and implementing the security and governance policies around the storage,” Mukherjee said.

Based on the assets across different use cases of IoT, IDC has designed a model which considers the level of redundancy and need for short-term or long-term storage. It is projected that Permanent storage requirements for 4K video data will reach 26,680 exabytes across connected assets in Asia/Pacific* by 2025, growing at a 5-year compound annual growth rate of 23.2%.

Meanwhile, other key highlights of the report are:

  • Application area, asset type, use-cases, and level/ frequency of access and redundancy in the data are key consideration areas for selecting the appropriate storage solution for long-term and short-term storage of data.
  • While technical aspects translate to the adequate storage requirements, the report also emphasises upon how Governance, Risk and Compliance policies are implemented in these storage solutions for long term storage of the data.

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Samsung and Microsoft ink smart home and proptech alliance https://futureiot.tech/samsung-and-microsoft-ink-smart-home-and-proptech-alliance/ Wed, 15 Jul 2020 02:00:05 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=7428 This new strategic alliance, with pilots currently under development, brings together the power of Microsoft’s Azure IoT platform and productivity cloud services with Samsung’s smart devices and SmartThings platform, to help optimise building operations, equipment maintenance and energy management among others.

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Samsung Electronics and Microsoft yesterday entered a global collaboration combining smart appliances and digital cloud technologies, aimed at improving building operations and maintenance, along with creating better experiences for both service technicians and residents.

This new strategic alliance, with pilots currently under development, brings together the power of Microsoft’s Azure IoT platform and productivity cloud services with Samsung’s smart devices and SmartThings platform, to help optimise building operations, equipment maintenance, energy management, asset performance, and new tenant experiences for commercial, hospitality and residential buildings as well as mixed-use developments.

The companies will leverage Samsung’s smart home appliances, HVAC systems and smart TVs integrated with SmartThings, together with Microsoft’s Azure Digital Twins technology and Microsoft Dynamics 365 Field Service, to improve building maintenance and management by aggregating and analysing IoT data from building systems and connected appliances. For example, with this new capability building managers can not only create an integrated dashboard for handling building issues in real time but potentially before failure, saving time and resources.

“We believe collaboration with a key partner like Microsoft is essential for innovation, as the company shares our vision of inspiring the world to shape the future by innovating in technology and products,” said Chanwoo Park, corporate vice president heading up the IoT Biz Group at Samsung.

He added: “Providing building owners and operators with a robust and powerful set of tools to help them optimize their building costs and equipment, including the management of Samsung’s connected appliances and other devices, is paramount to our long-term alliance. Together with Microsoft, we are helping to solve real challenges faced by our customers by creating secure integrated insight and digital solutions that keep properties functioning sustainably and efficiently while providing better experiences for residents.”

Reduced service calls and enhanced productivity

Microsoft’s Azure IoT platform is able to process data messaging from millions of building sensors and devices and then use machine learning and AI to help building managers and operators determine what issues should be addressed in what order, and then link to Dynamics 365 Field Service to determine who is the right person, with the right skills, in the right location to resolve the issue. This helps to reduce service calls while also improving the productivity of service technicians who can now troubleshoot multiple issues on a single visit and, if needed, get remote assistance through the Microsoft Teams application.

This collaboration with Samsung extends this capability to include Samsung smart appliances, HVAC systems and TVs, with plans to expand into digital signage equipment. The alliance also covers Samsung mobile devices, including the XCover Pro mobile phone, to create improved experiences for frontline workers involved in handling building issues. Additionally, Samsung plans to offer SmartThings mobile development tools to enable builders to craft custom, tailored connected living experiences for their end users.

The collaboration will leverage data from Samsung’s range of smart refrigerators, washing machines, vacuums, air purifiers, ovens and other devices connected through the intelligent SmartThings platform. Such data integration allows building operators to monitor nearly all devices in real time, identify issues and take appropriate measures before real damage happens, should a problem occur.

“With Azure Digital Twins, we can create comprehensive digital models of entire environments and a living digital replica of real-world things, places, business processes and people to help customers gain insights that drive better products, optimisation of operations, cost reduction and breakthrough customer experiences. This collaboration with Samsung opens up new opportunities for further innovation in the real estate development and property management industries,” said Sam George, corporate vice president, Azure IoT, Microsoft. “Together, we’ll bring the best of Microsoft’s trusted, easy-to-use and secure Azure IoT platform, Azure Digital Twins and Dynamics 365 Field Service technology with Samsung’s expertise in connected devices and appliances to streamline building operations and maintenance.”

Worldwide alliance

In addition to bringing new capabilities to the real estate and property management world, the companies have aligned their worldwide marketing, partner and sales programs to deliver these new integrated solutions for their customers, including facilities management companies and real estate developers.

The National University of Singapore (NUS) will serve as a pilot for solutions pioneered under this alliance between Samsung and Microsoft as part of the university’s ongoing efforts to create a smart, safe and sustainable campus for students and staff.

“NUS is very excited to work with Microsoft and Samsung in piloting smart building management solutions on our campus,” said Professor Yong Kwet Yew, senior vice president of Campus Infrastructure at NUS. “The experience gained from this trial could help us transform the way we maintain our buildings with predictive maintenance, enable better user experiences and create a smart campus ecosystem, and it has potential to scale up at the national level.”

Likewise, Oxford Properties, one of the largest real estate companies in North America with operations in Europe and Australia, says this new alliance has the potential to add high value for customers.

“We are excited about the collaboration of Microsoft’s Digital Twins technology and Samsung’s range of connected devices, and the potential of these instruments to deliver meaningful new insights across the commercial real estate value-chain,” said Dean Hopkins, chief operating officer, Oxford Properties. “Investing in digital twins sets a foundation to unlock future opportunities. We are working with thought leaders around the world to advance the intelligence of our buildings and see enormous potential to positively impact building operations, asset management and customer experiences. Microsoft and Samsung coming together to accelerate the value that digital twins are bringing to the commercial real estate ecosystem is a great step forward.”

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AWS eyes industrial customers with new managed IoT service https://futureiot.tech/aws-eyes-industrial-customers-with-new-managed-iot-service/ Mon, 13 Jul 2020 02:00:24 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=7414 Customers can use SiteWise to monitor operations across facilities, quickly compute industrial performance metrics, create applications that analyse industrial equipment data to prevent costly equipment issues, and reduce gaps in production.

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Industrial companies like manufacturers, energy utilities, and food processors want to utilize their equipment data to drive faster and better-informed decisions, but much of this data cannot easily be collected, processed, or monitored.

Extracting data from thousands of sensors and equipment across different locations is time-consuming and expensive because sensor data is often stored locally in specialised servers that lack a common data format, and retrieving the data and placing it in a format useful for cross-site analysis requires significant developer resources and expertise.

Once developers have a data collection pipeline to aggregate data across different pieces of equipment, they still have to attach context, such as the equipment type, facility location, and relationship to other equipment. Customers then have to write custom applications to calculate and compare performance metrics across multiple facilities to drive operational insights.

To address this major challenge, Amazon Web Services  (AWS) last Thursday unveiled the general availability of AWS IoT SiteWise, a managed service that collects data from the plant floor, structures and labels the data, and generates real-time key performance indicators (KPIs) and metrics to help industrial customers make better, data-driven decisions.

Customers can use SiteWise to monitor operations across facilities, quickly compute industrial performance metrics, create applications that analyse industrial equipment data to prevent costly equipment issues, and reduce gaps in production. This allows customers to collect data consistently across devices, identify issues with remote monitoring more quickly, and improve multi-site processes with centralised data.

SiteWise makes it easier to collect data from the plant floor, structure and label the data, and generate real-time metrics. Customers begin by modelling their industrial equipment, processes, and facilities by adding context (e.g. equipment type and facility location) to the collected data, and defining common industrial performance metrics (e.g. overall equipment effectiveness and uptime) on top of the data using SiteWise’s built-in library of mathematical functions.

Once a customer’s environment is modelled and their data ingested into AWS, the service automatically computes the metrics at the interval defined by the customer (e.g. report uptime every hour). All uploaded data and computed metrics are sent to a fully managed time series database, which is uniquely designed to store and retrieve time-stamped data with low latency, making it significantly easier for customers to analyse equipment performance over time. From within the SiteWise console, customers can also create custom web applications (without any coding) to visualise key metrics across end-user devices in near real-time. These portable web applications can help customers monitor equipment performance on any web-enabled desktop, tablet, or phone to spot anomalies, helping them reduce waste, make faster decisions, and optimize their plant performance.

“Industrial customers tell us that getting their data into the cloud and using it to understand their operational performance is the biggest opportunity they see when evaluating IoT solutions,” said Dirk Didascalou, vice president of IoT, AWS. “With SiteWise, industrial customers can now use the power of AWS to collect, organise, and monitor their industrial equipment data at scale. SiteWise will help industrial customers move beyond data collection and enable them to visualise and monitor all their equipment, so they can focus on their main job of optimising their operations.”

In addition to using software running on an edge device, SiteWise provides interfaces for collecting data from modern industrial applications through MQ Telemetry Transport (MQTT) messages or its Application Programming Interface (APIs). SiteWise is available today in the US East (N. Virginia), US West (Oregon), Europe (Frankfurt), and Europe (Ireland) AWS regions, with additional regions coming soon.

Early adopters onboard

Already, several industrial customers have started using AWS’s new managed IoT service.

German-based Volkswagen Group is developing the Volkswagen Industrial Cloud to further improve the efficiency of its manufacturing and logistics processes.

“Machine data generally has no context when extracted from a machine. To make the data useful, it requires the addition of context through enrichment with other data, labelling, filtering and transforming that data before analysing”, said Dr. Roy Sauer, Director Enterprise & Platform Architecture, Volkswagen Group. “With SiteWise we are able to easily ingest manufacturing shop floor data into the cloud, model and organise those different machine assets within our plants, and then visualise operational data from our cylinder production line in a web application."

Bayer Crop Science uses SiteWise in working towards its goal of providing food for over nine billion people by 2050.

“We are constantly striving to optimise yield not only in the crop fields but also in our production plants”, said Peri Subrahmanya, IoT product lead, Bayer Crop Science. “Visibility of operational metrics across our crop processing sites is critical in helping us identify production bottlenecks and then take corrective actions to increase productivity. Using SiteWise across nine corn production plants in North America, we collect data from the plant floor, and then measure and analyse Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) of our machinery in near real-time to identify production inefficiencies. With SiteWise we are now able to onboard a crop site in less than a few hours instead of a few weeks, which is critical in allowing us to scale the use of SiteWise to other crop sites like soy, in a cost-effective manner."

Bayer Crop Science is a division of Bayer AG that provides products and services to enable sustainable agriculture for farmers.

Likewise, Pentair, a global provider of water filtration systems to breweries, fish farms, and other industrial and commercial customers, is now using SiteWise.

"To optimise filter maintenance windows and maintain production uptime for our Beer Membrane Filtration system, we are building machine learning models to predict the next filter cleaning cycle." says Rama Budampati, senior director, Smart Products & IoT, Pentair.

He added: "To support this predictive maintenance application, we created our own industrial asset management system, however we needed a more flexible data ingestion and data modelling capability that allowed us to quickly adjust data models for our different systems, and test new operational metrics in near real time and over historical data. With SiteWise, we are able to run a digital twin of several of our beer membrane filters, creating virtual representations of the different elements of our assets, which expanded our ability to model the machine behaviour much closer to reality.

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Johnson Controls to set up S$50M innovation lab in Singapore https://futureiot.tech/johnson-controls-to-set-up-s50m-innovation-lab-in-singapore/ Fri, 03 Jul 2020 02:00:12 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=7391 Scheduled to open by the end of September, the lab is expected to have more than 100 employees within four years. The investment is part of Johnson Controls' commitment to spearhead the creation and adoption of disruptive solutions for the built environment industry.

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Johnson Controls will set up a innovation lab to pioneer a new branch of digital technology that blends building, spatial and behavioural data with analytics and machine learning.

The S$50-million facility has the support of the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB) and is set to open at the end of September. The lab is expected to have more than 100 employees within four years.

The investment is part of Johnson Controls' commitment to spearhead the creation and adoption of disruptive solutions for the built environment industry. The lab will take on a multi-pronged strategy that covers research, collaboration, commercialisation and implementation.

One of its four approaches forming partnerships with key local research organisations to leverage Johnson Controls' deep domain expertise in building technologies (such as heating ventilation, air-condition, lights, and security) to accelerate innovation in software engineering and product development. Key areas include edge devices, Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI).

"Urban living needs a reboot in the wake of a global pandemic. We see a renewed urgency to strengthen the resilience of our community and an opportunity to enhance sustainability. This innovation lab has a unique focus on the intersection of technology, people and space, creating new value for organisations and end users,” Alvin Ng, vice president for digital solutions - Asia Pacific, Johnson Controls, said.

The resulting slew of customisable, autonomous or voice-activated solutions will meet the expectant growth for contactless applications, following societal adoption of safety and social-distancing measures as the post-pandemic norm. Property owners, facilities managers, business users and building occupants are among the target groups expected to benefit.

Tan Kong Hwee, executive vice president, EDB, said: "Johnson Controls' decision to set up its innovation lab in Singapore underscores Singapore's attractiveness as a location for companies to develop and commercialize new digital solutions for the global market. We welcome Johnson Controls' approach of partnering with the vibrant ecosystem in Singapore even as it plans to build a substantial development team in Singapore. We look forward to the impactful solutions that Johnson Controls will create, and the exciting job opportunities for Singaporeans in areas such as software engineering, data science and cybersecurity."

Meanwhile, the other three key approaches of the new lab include:

  • Working with property developers and building owners to create "cognitive buildings" or thinking buildings that can understand, or even predict, occupants' preferred ambient settings and recognize space usage patterns. Such innovation will improve energy usage, increase the commercial attractiveness of the property, and enhance its environmental, social and governance (ESG) metrics. This is done through collaboratively developing solutions that apply advanced algorithms to a mash of data sets collected from Johnson Controls' open platform of building solutions, consumer wearables, networked devices, location data and Johnson Controls Digital Twin.
  • Building an ecosystem comprising lifestyle, fitness and smart furniture datapoints. The data can be used for designing business and personal spaces. For example, a workplace with flexible furniture can be configured into "pods" for private videoconferencing or extended to become "conversation lounges" for small group collaboration. Building occupants can also benefit from timed artificial lighting that mimics the changing natural lights throughout the day.
  • Engaging with professional bodies to deliver the new applications that impact the sustainability and resilience of local properties, as well as setting the standards for delivery of professional services in this field.

"We are excited to partner with EDB and plug into the vibrant ecosystem in Singapore. As a pure-play intelligent buildings solutions provider, our depth of assets, resources, domain knowledge give us insights on the way forward for the built environment. This new innovation facility in Singapore will play a pre-eminent role in reshaping how we approach intelligent built environment technologies, and to attract like-minded talents who are eager to make a difference in Singapore and beyond," said Visal Leng, vice president and president, Building Solutions, Asia Pacific, Johnson Controls.

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Hitachi and Microsoft push for Industry 4.0 in new alliance https://futureiot.tech/hitachi-and-microsoft-push-for-industry-4-0-in-new-alliance/ Mon, 29 Jun 2020 01:00:33 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=7361 Hitachi will integrate its industry-leading solutions, such as  Lumada, and its IoT-ready industrial controllers HX Series, with the Microsoft cloud platforms. The first solutions will be available in Thailand in July 2020.

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Hitachi  and Microsoft forged last Thursday a multi-year strategic alliance to meet the growing demand for predictive maintenance and process automation in the manufacturing and logistics industries across Southeast Asia, Japan and North America.

As part of the agreement, Hitachi will integrate its industry-leading solutions, such as  Lumada, and its IoT-ready industrial controllers HX Series, with the Microsoft cloud platform, leveraging Azure, Dynamics 365 and Microsoft 365 to help businesses increase their workforce productivity and operational efficiency. Lumada provides advanced digital solutions, services and technologies to turn data into insights to drive digital innovation.

The first solutions will be available in Thailand within the next few weeks of July.

“We are delighted to expand our partnership with Microsoft and combine our OT, IT and products excellence to provide manufacturing and logistics companies with digital solutions. We use Lumada to provide total seamless solutions to solve challenges by connecting cyberspaces with physical spaces. Through this collaboration with Microsoft, we will be able to accelerate our customers’ digital transformation and continue to deliver social, environmental and economic value,” said Jun Abe, vice president and executive officer, CEO of Industry & Distribution Business Unit at Hitachi.

The two companies will also work together to support skilling initiatives that empower businesses to grow their digital capabilities and unlock new business opportunities.

Through this collaboration, Hitachi will provide solutions in the following three areas:

  • Increase manufacturing productivity: Using Hitachi Digital Supply Chain as well as Azure IoT to analyse 4M data collected from manufacturing sites for the visualization and analysis of production processes to optimize factory operations and increase productivity.
  • Optimise logistics with data analytics: Increasing the logistics efficiency and reducing operational costs by analysing traffic congestion, storage locations and delivery locations, and enabling smart routing to save miles and deliver faster through advanced digital technologies such as Azure Maps and Hitachi Digital Solution for Logistics/Delivery Optimisation Service.

An image of a logistics optimisation and operational efficiency tool built with Hitachi Digital Solution for Logistics/Delivery Optimisation Service

  • Predictive maintenance and remote assist: Enabling predictive maintenance, real-time remote assistance and remote training scenarios for first-line workers, leveraging HoloLens 2 and Dynamics 365 Remote Assist as well as other smart devices.

“Building resilient and flexible digital supply chains is critical to grow a business and meet customer needs in today’s fast-changing environments. By expanding our collaboration with Hitachi, we’ll unlock new opportunities for manufacturing and logistics companies as they strive to lead in their industries and pioneer with a data-driven mindset and digital capabilities,” said Çağlayan Arkan, vice president  for manufacturing at Microsoft.

Going forward, Hitachi intends to extend the rollout to North America and Japan. Microsoft and Hitachi plan to expand the scope of the collaboration to additional industries. Hitachi and Microsoft will also explore options to integrate Lumada and Azure into an industry data platform to deliver added value to mutual customers.

 

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ADC Consortium to boost APAC IoT connections with new submarine cable https://futureiot.tech/adc-consortium-to-boost-apac-iot-connections-with-new-submarine-cable/ Mon, 22 Jun 2020 01:30:43 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=7328 ADC’s high capacity allows it to support increasingly bandwidth-intensive applications which are being driven by technological advancements in 5G, the cloud, the internet-of-things and artificial Intelligence.

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The Asia Direct Cable (ADC) Consortium is building a new submarine cable that among other things will boost IoT connections across Asia Pacific.

The ADC is a global consortium comprised of leading communications and technology companies, including China Telecom, China Unicom, CAT, PLDT Inc., Singtel, SoftBank Corp., Tata Communications and Viettel.

ADC Consortium founding member China Telecom Global (CTG) said the high-performance submarine cable will China Mainland and Hong Kong SAR), Japan, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Expected to be completed by the fourth quarter of 2022, the 9,400km-long ADC cable will feature multiple pairs of high capacity optical fibres and is designed to carry more than 140Tbps of traffic, enabling high capacity transmission of data across the East and Southeast Asian regions.

ADC’s high capacity allows it to support increasingly bandwidth-intensive applications which are being driven by technological advancements in 5G, the cloud, the internet-of-things and artificial Intelligence. This will further boost the expansion of communications networks in the region.

According to Donald Tan, executive vice president, CTG, with the company’s abundant experience and resources in the Asia region, it is well-poised to be part of the ADC to facilitate such an impactful project to uplift its global connectivity.

“The ADC project is part of a strategic blueprint of China Telecom and will play a critical role in enabling our Asian network infrastructure to adapt to the ever-growing demands of connectivity and provide better network diversity,” he said.

“The ADC consortium has brought together a rich suite of knowledge from leading partners in the region under one roof to build this next-generation submarine cable system, and I believe that by doing such, we will be creating enormous value and contributing to reinforced global connectivity in order to bring the world closer together.”

CTG is a wholly-owned subsidiary of China Telecom established in 2012 and headquartered in Hong Kong. It has branches and affiliates in 42 countries and markets, 200 overseas PoPs, and more than 55.4Tbps capacities in international connectivity bandwidth and intercontinental capacity.

Targeting carriers, multinational corporations and overseas Chinese clients, CTG provides customised and cost-effective integrated communications solutions and diversified telecom services to cater to their global business needs. Its services include internet direct access, internet transit, data services, broadband, unified communications, internet data centre, cloud computing, ICT services, fixed and mobile voice and value-added services, multi-domestic MVNO and global IoT connectivity service, professional services, industry solutions, telecom operation consultancy and service outsourcing.

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Airport Authority taps Solace to develop IoT platform at HKIA https://futureiot.tech/airport-authority-taps-solace-to-develop-iot-platform-at-hkia/ Thu, 18 Jun 2020 02:00:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=7319 With Solace's technology, HKIA will optimise data from IoT devices to support initiatives such as real-time equipment location tracking, and predictive maintenance on assets and buildings for different airport business units.

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The Airport Authority of Hong Kong has tapped Solace, an enabler of real-time event-driven data streaming, to develop the Internet of Things (IoT) platform for Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA).

The adoption of Solace's event broker technology is envisioned to enable critical real-time data flow between the airport's connected devices and vehicles, preparing HKIA for the full integration of its physical and digital operations.

With Solace's technology, HKIA will optimise data from IoT devices to support initiatives such as real-time equipment location tracking, and predictive maintenance on assets and buildings for different airport business units. By enabling the collection, filtration, and flow of real-time information between IoT devices and back-end systems, Solace will help HKIA manage assets more effectively, improving airport operation efficiency and enhancing passenger services.

Andy Bien, chief information officer, Airport Authority Hong Kong, said: "A secure, scalable messaging backbone will play a critical role in revolutionising our operations and the overall passenger services, reinforcing our commitment to provide a pleasant and unique airport experience to our passengers as a world-class airport."

As an international and regional aviation hub, HKIA connects 220 destinations around the world, including 50 mainland cities. In 2019, HKIA handled 71.5 million passengers.

According to David Fung, co-founder of E Tag Solution and Services, the systems integrator overseeing the implementation of HKIA's IoT platform, the ease of deployment that makes Solace’s technology fast to deploy makes it “an ideal solution to fulfil the HKIA’s real-time IoT data movement needs”.

"Transforming legacy software into individual microservices is a mammoth task that is extremely resource-intensive," Fung said.

E Tag is the professional partner for customers looking for an enriched digital experience. Established in 2014, E Tag has particular strengths in providing a Solace-enabled event-driven architecture. Their services range from software development to design of business processes decoupling. They are currently focusing on Internet Of Things (IoT) solutions, Solace PubSub+ Event Broker deployment, and BIM data integration services.

Sumeet Puri, chief technology solutions officer at  Solace, expressed enthusiastic support of HKIA's real-time digital transformation goals “at a time when customers are increasingly demanding real-time responsiveness and hyper-personalised services”.

“Connected devices can expand the possibilities for new experiences and business models, but only if complemented with an event-driven approach that ensures low-latency and high-volume IoT message brokering,” he said.

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Rockwell Automation and PTC simplify OT/IT integration https://futureiot.tech/rockwell-automation-and-ptc-simplify-ot-it-integration/ Mon, 15 Jun 2020 00:37:59 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=7309 Two companies team to deliver integration capabilities to simplify OT/IT integration for the most critical OT data sources to bring the connected enterprise to life for customers.

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Rockwell Automation and PTC  are making strategic enhancements to the FactoryTalk InnovationSuite, powered by PTC to serve the needs of a very fast growing, dynamic industrial digital transformation market. Launched in 2018, the FactoryTalk InnovationSuite, powered by PTC has seen rapid customer adoption, helping achieve significant improvements in operational efficiency, reduction in unplanned downtime and improved quality.

The latest enhancements centre around improved OT/IT integration, enabling customers to contextualise real-time operational data from critical sources such as plant floor devices, control platforms, and time series-based Historians and Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES).

“At the core of achieving strong financial results through digital transformation is the ability to turn data into actionable insights. These new capabilities will allow customers to achieve faster time to value and increased ROI’s,” said Arvind Rao, director,  product management for information systems at Rockwell Automation. “We’re very pleased to achieve yet another milestone in this joint innovation journey with PTC and be recognised as leaders in modular and integrated capabilities spanning Industrial IoT, analytics, MES, and augmented reality.”

By automatically integrating the contextualised data and underlying data models into Industrial IoT/Analytics platforms like the PTC ThingWorx platform, companies are able to simplify, automate, and accelerate OT/IT convergence.

These integration capabilities reduce the data cleansing, aggregation and contextualization work by up to 80%, which accelerates digital transformation deployment. This approach also maintains, enriches and propagates OT data models into IT systems. These data models and the underlying information can then be leveraged in developing richer analytic insights and predictive outcomes at the enterprise level.

“We’re delighted with the deeper integration capabilities of the FactoryTalk InnovationSuite, powered by PTC, but more importantly how we’re applying the technology to high value digital use cases that unlock double digit impact for our customers,” said Howard Heppelmann, divisional vice president and general manager, connected operations at PTC. “We look forward to continuing our strategic relationship with Rockwell Automation to help customers accelerate and simplify their connected enterprise journey.”

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Toshiba Data seeks coupling physical and cyber data https://futureiot.tech/toshiba-data-seeks-coupling-physical-and-cyber-data/ Fri, 29 May 2020 02:00:55 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=7244 With its offerings and involvement in point-of-sales (POS) systems, industrial machinery and social infrastructure, Toshiba Data Corporation can transcribe the data from the physical world, feed it into cyberspace, and then combine the new data with already existing cyber data to create something of value.

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Toshiba Data Corporation believes that the amount of data created from the physical world — things like factory equipment and transportation systems — will far exceed the data created in the cyber business.

The newly launched company, a part of the Toshiba Group which was set up in February,  is aiming to create new value by combining physical and cyber data. Specifically, with its offerings and involvement in point-of-sales (POS) systems, industrial machinery and social infrastructure, Toshiba Data Corporation can transcribe the data from the physical world, feed it into cyberspace, and then combine the new data with already existing cyber data to create something of value.

“When data is processed, organised and presented in a given context, it becomes meaningful information that can improve our daily lives,” said Taro Shimada, CEO and representative director, Toshiba Data Corporation.

From Data 1.0 to Data 2.0

According to IDC, the volume of data will grow more than five time between 2018 to 2025, reaching an estimated 175ZB during this seven-year period.

Tshiba Data believes the explosion of physical data from IoT systems in various settings from manufacturing to transportation will be largely responsible to this huge data growth.

The company is focused on aggregating behavioural data of consumers in the physical world, and with their permission or after anonymising the data, give value created back to the consumer. Various service providers could provide different customer offerings according to the data gathered.

“An example is the 'Smart Receipt' developed by Toshiba TEC Corporation, a Smart Receipt system that digitizes paper receipts that customers would receive when they make payments at stores. Depending on how it is applied, it could even be used as a tool for regional vitalisation,” Shimada said.

Toshiba Data is mulling over delivering management support to medical institutions. By collaborating with other providers, Toshiba aims to help medical institutions to analyse patients' data and identify various pre-symptomatic diseases for health monitoring purposes. Overcoming challenges, Toshiba Data is committed to create an ecosystem where everyone can reap the benefits of data.

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5G integration in IIoT systems hastens Industry 4.0 goal https://futureiot.tech/5g-integration-in-iiot-systems-hastens-industry-4-0-goal/ https://futureiot.tech/5g-integration-in-iiot-systems-hastens-industry-4-0-goal/#comments Thu, 28 May 2020 02:00:33 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=7240 High-speed, high-volume data transfer facilitated by 5G will enhance industrial operations in connected factories.

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The integration of 5G in IIoT systems will accelerate the realisation of Industry 4.0 with high-speed, low-latency, and large-volume data transfer, according to Frost & Sullivan.

While the application of 5G-enabled IIoT is currently limited to quality inspections, supply chain management, and generic machine control, key system manufacturers are actively exploring other areas in industrial operations where the benefits of 5G connectivity can be leveraged for process optimisation and increased automation.

"Incorporating 5G in IIoT devices will enable low latency, increase data throughput, and reduce operation time, thus leading to improved overall process productivity," said Mogana Tashiani, Frost & Sullivan technical insights research analyst. "Apart from enhancing the automation of industrial operations and control, 5G-enabled IIoT devices can also minimise the complexity of supply chain networks and warehouse management, helping businesses to efficiently operate in dynamic business environments."

The research firm made this assessment in its  latest analysis entitled “Role of 5G Communication Revolutionising Industrial Internet of Things”.

Tashiani also pointed out that 5G will play a key role in ensuring the sustainability of businesses in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The low latency will aid in managing the high traffic to e-commerce by improving network accessibility at a faster pace, accelerating online purchases and order placements.

“Furthermore, 5G-integrated IIoT devices have the potential to disrupt traditional on-site job functions through remote working and virtual meetings. COVID-19 has led to a massive shift to remote working to maintain business operations on par with on-site job operations,” he said.

Key sectors that can leverage the growth opportunities from 5G-integrated IIoT include:

  • Banks, Financial Services, and Insurance: The BFSI sector deals with millions of transactions every day and most of them are mundane and repetitive. 5G-integrated IoT devices and systems allow transactions to be completed and recorded at a faster pace, increasing accuracy by reducing human errors in the process, thus improving the overall productivity of the system.
  • Retail: Businesses in the retail sector can automate in-store transactions with 5G-ready radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags, which can be attached to items or shopping carts to facilitate autonomous check-out in brick-and-mortar stores, leading to unmanned/cashier-less stores.
  • Automotive: 5G facilitates data transfer among AI algorithms, sensors, and mechanical parts to navigate self-driving or autonomous vehicles. In addition, 5G-enabled vehicles establish a connected system in which real-time data transferring and receiving can be achieved conveniently and effectively. Apart from vehicle-to-vehicle communication, interaction with traffic system is possible with 5G technology, which enables data transmission beforehand to achieve practical navigation for certain road conditions.

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SK Telecom and OMRON Electronics Korea build 5G robot https://futureiot.tech/sk-telecom-and-omron-electronics-korea-build-5g-robot/ Wed, 27 May 2020 02:00:38 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=7230 Tapping technologies, including 5G, AI, autonomous driving and IoT, the robot carries out diverse activities such as contactless temperature screenings for visitors and disinfection of the building.

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SK Telecom and Omron Electronics Korea have jointly developed a  5G-powered autonomous robot to enable a systematic and efficient response against the coronavirus (COVID-19).

Tapping technologies, including 5G, AI, autonomous driving and IoT, the robot carries out diverse activities such as contactless temperature screenings for visitors and disinfection of the building.

Designed with mobility in mind

The robot is designed to detect and automatically moves towards incoming visitors to check their body temperatures using a thermal imaging camera. In case the measured temperature is 37.5°C (99.5°F) or higher, it sets off an alarm and _alerts the control centre. Based on this data transmitted over 5G network in real time, SK Telecom will be able to take necessary measures like prohibiting people with suspicious symptoms from entering the building, among others.

Furthermore, equipped with UV lamps and two automatic floor disinfectant sprayers, the robot automatically disinfects the building. It can achieve 99.9 percent disinfection of 33 square meters of surface areas in just 10 minutes.

“We are seeking ways to help relieve the unprecedented situation brought by the coronavirus,” said Choi Nag-hun, vice president and head of industrial data business unit of SK Telecom. "We will continue to introduce diverse services fit for the non-face-to-face era by leveraging our ICT including 5G and AI.”

Kim Young-ho, president of Omron Electronics Korea, echoed the same sentiment.

“The 5G autonomous robot is an innovative case where cutting-edge technologies have been applied to overcome the crisis caused by the coronavirus,” he said. “The collaboration between Omron Electronics Korea and SK Telecom will serve as a great example showing how businesses can contribute to resolving social issues.”

Both companies plan to deploy the 5G-powered robot at their headquarters first and will officially launch the device in Korea this year and in global markets next year.

Using data analytics

The 5G robot has SK Telecom’s self-developed AI-based video analysis solution built into it, enabling it to identify places where people are gathered and then move to the location to play a message stressing the importance of social distancing. It will also identify people who are not wearing face masks and request them to wear one.

Moreover, SK Telecom will ensure greater efficiency in both operation and management of the robot through the application of its big data analytics solution Metatron.

Metatron will analyse the robot’s component management data collected via IoT sensors to check the real-time status of the robot and perform predictive maintenance.

 

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DHL adapts mobile-first approach in new online platform https://futureiot.tech/dhl-adapts-mobile-first-approach-in-new-online-platform/ Fri, 22 May 2020 02:00:52 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=7213 The platform merges existing online services like myDHLi Quote + Book and myDHLi Analytics with new services and features, and it can be accessed in all devices with a browser including tablets and smartphones.

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DHL Global Forwarding has launched myDHLi, a fully integrated online platform for its freight forwarding customers. The platform merges existing online services like myDHLi Quote + Book and myDHLi Analytics with new services and features, and it can be accessed in all devices with a browser including tablets and smartphones.

The launch begins with a pilot phase including selected customers from five continents (North America, Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa). myDHLi is being rolled out in waves to ensure a smooth region-by-region transition. Interested customers can register for onboarding to myDHLi. Regular updates based on customer feedback will be shared. The previous customer portal, DHLi, will be available until the myDHLi roll-out is complete.

Mobile-first approach

The designers adapted a mobile-first approach for seamless use on all devices. Built-in popular social media features like follow and share functions simplify communication along the supply chain by enabling customers to exchange information with colleagues, customers and suppliers. Furthermore, data can be easily analysed and exported or directly integrated to own systems, based on a suite of APIs.

"Despite accelerating digitalisation and super-fast connectivity customers have a need for reduced complexity. And that is exactly what our tool does," says Tim Scharwath, CEO DHL Global Forwarding, Freight. "We have created a one-stop customer portal that is tailored to the needs of our customers. By combining services like online quotation and booking with shipment tracking, document accessibility, and data analyses we are creating not only 360-degrees visibility, but also have laid the foundation for customers to manage their logistics -- anytime and anywhere.”

He added: “We strongly believe that digitalisation bears the potential to ease and improve the daily business of shippers and freight forwarders simultaneously. This is even truer during unpredictable and challenging times such as those we are currently facing with COVID-19, and which might now act as an accelerator for digitising the industry. That is what digitalisation means to us and why we made it a cornerstone of our strategy 2025."

myDHLi's highly intuitive user interface makes it easy to use and ensures that customers have all relevant information at hand. Reflecting already well-established social media functions like follow and share, relevant information can be easily accessed across organisations and trading partners. Completely transparent management of freight rates, offers, transport modes, carbon emissions, and all other relevant shipment data is readily available with just a few clicks and can be displayed in detailed analyses and reports. One of the most unique aspects is the benefit of full visibility and control over all shipping and transport modes, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Developed completely in-house, the platform’s new tracking service uses end-to-end information to make shipments across air and ocean visible nearly in real-time. This gives users complete control -- from pick-up to final delivery.

The service also offers raw data Excel extracts. Another new feature is myDHLi Documents, which offers quick and easy access to downloadable shipment documents. All documents -- quotes, commercial invoice, packing list, house bill, invoice, proof of delivery, etc. -- are stored in one place.

myDHLi features a modular build-up. Users can individualize their portal by selecting the specific services they want. Thanks to the single sign-on registration process, all services are available from the beginning. No additional registration or sign-in processes are needed. myDHLi is free of charge for all DHL Global Forwarding customers.

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Singapore 5G smart manufacturing trials to begin in June https://futureiot.tech/singapore-5g-smart-manufacturing-trials-to-begin-in-june/ Fri, 08 May 2020 03:00:29 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=7148 Aimed at developing insights and showcase benefits of 5G in Industry 4.0, the trials will be an innovation model that allows for development, testing and benchmarking of 5G-enabled solutions that can be applied across various industries.

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IBM, MI and Samsung – together with the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) – are gearing up to start the 5G smart manufacturing trials in June, focusing on use cases around artificial intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), augmented reality (AR), enhanced video analytics and preventive maintenance.

The collaboration among the three companies was announced last Wednesday,  in conjunction of IBM’s new edge computing services for the 5G era that were revealed this week at the Think Digital conference . The news of the tie-up also came a week after Singapore granted two nationwide 5G networks  to Singtel and a joint venture between StarHub and M1.

The trials, which will benefit from SG$40 million fund to build the 5G ecosystem, will begin next month at the IBM Industry 4.0 Studio in Changi Business Park, with commercial rollout planned for the end of the year.

IBM will and test Industry 4.0 use cases  deploying AI, IoT, edge and augmented reality technologies, with  network architecture built on IBM systems using open solutions infrastructure from Red Hat.  Samsung will serve as network and mobile solution provider and M1 as telco provider.

Building a 5G network framework

Together, the three companies will establish a 5G network framework and, allowing the solutions and the 5G framework know-how to be rolled out from Singapore and commercialised in other countries.

As industry regulator, will share applications and learnings from the trials with local enterprises and small in the manufacturing industry as well as other participants in the local 5G ecosystem.

IMDA chief executive Tan Kiat How noted that the manufacturing sector is a key one for Singapore, contributing nearly 21%  of Singapore’s gross domestic product (GDP) last year.

“For us to sustain our global competitiveness in this space, it’s about leveraging technology to enable new business models and innovation, and this partnership is a step in that direction,” said Mr Tan.

Industry 4.0 transformation for Singapore

The trials aim to develop insights and showcase benefits of 5G in Industry 4.0  It will be an innovation model that allows for development, testing and benchmarking of 5G-enabled solutions that can be applied across various industries.

Both IBM and Samsung will evaluate successful solutions developed during the project for possible use in their operations in a broad range of markets and sectors.

“We want to complement Singapore’s Smart Nation and Digital Economy efforts and empower enterprises and industry players with a robust and versatile 5G launch-pad through this trial.,” said Martin Chee, managing director, IBM Singapore. “This will allow businesses to leverage digital technologies to create next-generation solutions and be responsive to rapidly changing market and 5G adoption in Singapore.”

He added: “With support from IMDA and our strategic partners Samsung and M1, this collaboration will seed Singapore’s 5G capabilities and strengthen its position as a leading industrial innovation hub, and move us closer in fulfilling our Industry 4.0 vision.”

Singapore 5G license holder M1 is keen to deliver use cases to market – particularly in the consumer, government and enterprise sectors – as soon as the ecosystem matures.

“Through this partnership, we hope to strengthen our in-house engineering capabilities in harnessing state-of—the-art 5G standalone (SA) technology for enabling hyper-connectivity, end-to-end network slicing, ultra-low latency, highly reliable and secured communications,” said Denis Seek, chief technical officer, M1.

Commenting on the partnership, KC Choi, executive vice president and global head of  B2B business at Samsung Electronics, said: “Singapore has long been a leader in fostering innovation, and this 5G Industry 4.0 program is yet another validation of their technology leadership. By combining Samsung's end-to-end 5G Standalone (SA) network platform -- including phones and devices at the edge, we are witnessing ground breaking new Industry 4.0 capabilities for enterprise clients.”

Apart from providing a strong foundation for Industry IoT and automation, 5G would also reduce the cost of processing by shifting the load from the edge device to centralised systems. This reduces the requirement and cost for edge device thus making the application more cost effective

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AIoT to boost operational efficiency at Malaysian solar farm https://futureiot.tech/aiot-to-boost-operational-efficiency-at-malaysian-solar-farm/ Wed, 06 May 2020 02:00:11 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=7117 Powered by Envision Digital’s AIoT operating system, the applications will strengthen TRe’s ability to actively contribute to the growth and use of renewable energy sources across the company’s portfolio of energy assets.

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TNB Renewables (TRe) is working with Envision Digital International to deploy big data analytics applications in its large-scale solar (LSS) farm in Sepang, Selangor in Malaysia.

The 50 megawatts (MW) solar farm is one of the largest in the country with 238,140 solar panels generating more than 110,000 megawatt-hour (MWh) of energy in its first year of operation in 2019.

The project  will involve the deployment of its cloud-based digital analytics applications. Powered by Envision Digital’s AIoT operating system, EnOSTM, the applications will strengthen TRe’s ability to actively contribute to the growth and use of renewable energy sources across the company’s portfolio of energy assets.

“We constantly seek innovative technology solutions that will help accelerate our growth in the renewable energy sector. The solar farm in Sepang is our first large scale solar project in Malaysia.  By adopting cloud-based solutions, we can monitor and analyse the solar farm’s performance remotely and achieve better returns on investment,” Mohd Yusrizal, managing director of TRE, said.

“We are also committed to adopting innovative solutions in building up our capability towards becoming a leading RE asset developer and asset manager within Malaysia and the region,” he added.

 

A bird's eyeview of TNB Renewables' solar farm in Sepang, Selangor in Malaysia

The end-to-end solution will help TRe’s operations team to have quick, real-time access to the farm’s operation status, generation performance, power output, and accurate power forecasts. This will improve operational and maintenance efficiency, and ensure TRe can manage grid supply and demand effectively.

“As Malaysia strives to achieve 20% renewable energy capacity by 2025, projects such as this, which help improve the productivity of existing renewable energy assets through the application of AIoT technology are vital. Wider adoption of AIoT in the renewable energy sector can hopefully in time amplify the benefits of this,” said Sylvie Ouziel, international president, Envision Digital.

She added: “We are delighted to strengthen our relationship with TNB Renewables on this project and to be playing a role in building a more sustainable energy sector and future for all Malaysians.”

The project is part of a broader partnership between both organisations to collaborate on multiple initiatives revolving around new energy and digital transformation. Eventually, TRe will build a digital renewable energy platform leveraging Envision’s EnOSTM AloT operating system, to connect various renewables assets and applications, such as biogas, biomass and mini hydro. The platform will not only provide asset operation and performance visibility to TRe, but also allow the integration and synergised operation among various renewable energies.

TRE is   a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tenaga Nasional Berhad,  the national electricity utility of Malaysia.

 

 

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Startups boost smart ports initiative in Singapore https://futureiot.tech/startups-boost-smart-ports-initiative-in-singapore/ Tue, 05 May 2020 02:00:19 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=7110 The winners will be working with maritime corporates on pilot projects focusing on technologies such as artificial intelligence, virtual and augmented reality (V/AR), blockchain, robotics and wearables.

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The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) has awarded SG$600,000 in funding to 12 startups that have participated in the Smart Port Challenge (SPC) 2019. Each startup received SG$50,000, which will enable the recipient to conduct prototype development and test-bed their near market-ready solutions.

“Although the global COVID-19 situation has caused widespread disruption, we push ahead with innovation in the maritime sector. Singapore continues to support the use of emerging technologies to transform the maritime industry, uplift the way companies do their business and strengthen our resilience as a maritime nation,” said Quah Ley Hoon, chief executive of MPA.

“These grants represent MPA’s commitment to supporting innovation as part of Singapore’s Sea Transport Industry Transformation Map, and we are heartened by the results we’ve seen to date from previous grant recipients,” she added.

Growing Singapore’s maritime innovation

The SPC 2019 is a competition spearheaded by  PIER71, an initiative founded by MPA and NUS Singapore through NUS Enterprise, which aims to grow Singapore’s maritime innovation ecosystem. PIER71 designs and delivers programmes to uncover opportunities within the industry and supports entrepreneurs from ideation to acceleration of their ventures. It provides access to various markets, demand drivers, technology solution providers, investors and more.

PIER71 stands for Port Innovation Ecosystem Reimagined at BLOCK71

Over the next 12 months, the winners of SPC 2019 will be working on pilot projects in collaboration with PIER71’s maritime corporate partners, who will provide subject matter expertise, test data, as well as a platform to test-bed their solutions. Their grant applications were assessed based on the viability of their solutions in addressing maritime challenges. Focusing on technologies such as artificial intelligence, virtual and augmented reality (V/AR), blockchain, robotics and wearables.

“Start-ups addressing innovation opportunities created through Smart Port Challenge are bringing solutions to real problems faced by the maritime industry. By leveraging the extensive pool of talent from the university, the global network of resources from NUS Enterprise, as well as industry partnerships through MPA, PIER71 is playing a pivotal role in bridging the gap between innovation and market needs,” Professor Freddy Boey, NUS deputy president (Innovation and Enterprise), said.

Working with maritime industry players

Upon the successful completion of the pilot projects, the maritime corporates working with the winning SPC startups will be adopting the final products/solutions.

Indeed, eight out of 13 of the previous grant recipients from SPC 2018 have completed their pilot projects, with the remaining five nearing completion. Ship Supplies Direct, a start-up focusing on improving marine logistics and supply chain, has reported up to 30% reduction in delivery costs and up to three hours less waiting time per delivery through their pilot project with PSA International. Aeras Medical, a startup with experience in the healthcare industry, also completed a three-month onboard trial with OMC Shipping. Their vital signs monitoring solution was used to monitor and manage crew health remotely, and achieved high adherence rate among the crew.

Regional shipping company Teekay is one of the companies working with SPC 2019 winners.

“The use of Kanda’s VR solution to simulate a safety procedure known as Lock Out Tag Out, will allow our crew to undergo training in a virtual tanker which is essentially a digital twin of the one they work on, without endangering their lives or damaging any equipment,” said Ron Fong, regional IT Manager of Teekay said.

He added: “We’re also working with Cerekon to explore a remote support system, that will enable our onboard engineers to use voice-activated head-mounted wearables to safely and more efficiently conduct equipment maintenance.”

Kanda is creating virtual and augmented reality platforms, coupled with machine learning to address the high costs associated with hiring and training within the maritime industry. Using a photorealistic digital twin of an entire tanker, Kanda is building a virtual reality training session that allows crew members to move around the simulated tanker. Kanda has also created a unique technique that uses machine learning and situational judgment to validate how well a candidate’s response correlates to performance as part of the recruitment process.

On the other hand, as a smart wearables solution provider, Cerekon’s AI-based, “Voice-driven Handsfree Inspection & Remote Support System”, enables field personnel to conduct inspections, capture issues, conduct audits, diagnose problems and train staff, without the use of handheld devices or paper based systems. By wearing the specially designed wearables, personnel can safely conduct audits, identify leakages/cracks, access digital checklists, auto-generate job reports, by using simple human voice commands and live stream their work to seek remote assistance, without the need for bulky devices, leaving their hands free to carry tools/equipment or hold on-to hand rails for safety.

The other SPC 2019 winners are:

  1. ABEJA - One of the first start-ups specialising in Machine Learning (ML) and Deep Learning (DL) in Asia, the company, has deployed over 200 Artificial Intelligence (AI) projects across various industries and specialises in implementing computer vision solutions. For the maritime industry, ABEJA is using video analytics and deep learning to automate many routine tasks that are manual and tedious. With improved operations, companies can help their employees achieve greater productivity and focus on higher-level endeavours. Backed by investors including Google, Nvidia, Salesforce, ABEJA was the only Japanese start-up to be commended by CB Insights (AI 100: The Artificial Intelligence Start-ups Redefining Industries).
  2. ASA Development - Through a decade of refinement and testing, the company has created the Contego Productivity Platform, a tool that has helped many organisations improve their operational efficiency, through standardisation of process and centralisation of data from remote sites. Contego Audit has helped many offshore and maritime companies make sense of previously fragmented processes. Contego Document Management has enabled organisations to mobilise management systems, so all company information is at the fingertips of the people who need it the most. ASA’s team is dedicated to making the maritime industry more efficient through the use of tools that make life easier.
  3. C-LOG - The company is pioneering data collaboration in the maritime industry by making inter-organisational sharing of crew documentation easier and faster while respecting the data privacy of the seafarer. Addressing a challenge to develop a crew-centric platform that supports self-management and career development within the maritime industry, C-LOG is creating a solution that digitises current paper-based processes by leveraging blockchain and artificial intelligence (AI). This would save the maritime industry between 30-50% of costs related to handling crew documentation.
  4. Dravam - Dravam’s innovative fuel quality monitoring solution is an early detection system, scanning the entire bunker transfer for contaminants and currently providing near real-time information about the fuel quality. Installed seamlessly onto a vessel, this patented solution increases efficiency and assurance of bunkering operations, and addresses the industry’s need for faster fuel quality testing. With Singapore being the world’s first port to implement mass flow metering, to ensure quantity of bunker, the implementation of enhanced quality monitoring will enable Singapore port to ensure “Q&Q” (Quantity and Quality) of the bunker fuel.
  5. KoiReader Technologies - Checking and cross-referencing financial and declaration documentation is a labour-intensive process in the maritime industry. KoiReader has developed an innovative machine learning visual recognition system that extracts contextual data from documents (image and text) and enters it into legacy and ERP systems as actionable operational data. This improves the accuracy of filling up logistics data for regulatory clearance, brings down the cost of document processing from US$2.50 to less than few cents per page, and reduces operational risks such as those associated with mis-declaration of dangerous goods.
  6. Marified - Building on the success and traction its parent company, Edufied, had gain with its blockchain-based storage and verification solution for the education industry, Marified has created a digital wallet that secures a seafarer’s certifications against forgery and is accessible from anywhere in the world. This could reduce the administrative loads of Flag States, port clearance authorities, ship owners, ship management companies and training centres by 90-97%. The use of blockchain technology also reduces the risks associated with hacking of current digital solutions.
  7. Megapixel - A massive amount of communication goes on as part of daily vessel operations. However, the absence of a system to track and tag real-time and past information makes the retrieval of historical data difficult and time consuming. Harnessing its rich development experience, Megapixel has developed a solution called Globarius which has already been successful in the construction industry and is being adapted for the maritime industry to provide port/terminal operators with a knowledge repository, using progress tracking tools to collect, organise and report data.
  8. Newton Services Research (local entity of Delvify) - Delvify builds and runs predictive AI models for businesses. Using state-of-the-art, built in-house Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools including computer vision, natural language processing and automated speech recognition we help maritime enterprises clean, categorise and analyse their data to optimise operational processes. We take data such as past customer actions, combine it with third party data to create a forecasting and decision-making platform to recommend actions to vessel operators looking to optimise roll-pools, pricing and loadings.
  9. Performance Rotors - In-hull ship inspections are both time-consuming and risky due to confined spaces, heights, lack of oxygen or presence of toxic or flammable gasses. By bringing their confined drone technology with AI defect identification and non-destructive testing (NDT) to the maritime industry, Performance Rotors can help to minimise such risks and costs. Their method uses NDT technology in addition to video, to allow for detailed inspection, digitalisation, data science and management, which leads to easier comparison of results for better prediction and maintenance programme formulation.
  10. Tropical Renewable Energy Engineering (TREE) - TREE supports Singapore’s green port initiative by providing novel and innovative solutions towards Digital twin based marine asset health monitoring with real-time capability. TREE’s underwater drone-based solution aims to minimise downtime of marine assets by providing early information on potential failures of marine assets, to take timely preventive actions much faster than conventional maintenance methods. TREE also specialises in resource mapping and environmental impact of water bodies and coastal locations using novel sensor integrated surficial robots that provides vital information such as seabed bathymetry, water quality and tidal flow and wave conditions.

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China’s Geespace all set to launch IoT satellites this year https://futureiot.tech/chinas-geespace-all-set-to-launch-iot-satellites-this-year/ Thu, 30 Apr 2020 01:00:27 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=7098 The new IoT satellites are  part of OmniCloud, a new satellite-based AI cloud platform that was developed by GeeSpace, that will support Geely Holding’s autonomous vehicle initiatives as well as intelligent manufacturing, unmanned drone flight, urban management, and other applications.

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China-based Geespace said this week that its first two IoT satellites will undergo final validation testing in June before being shipped to the company’s Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center for launch into low-orbit. Currently, both satellites have been successfully produced and verified with all performance metrics meeting design specifications ahead of further environmental testing.

This development arrives two years after Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, the Chinese automotive giant behind Lotus and Volvo, entered the aerospace industry with the establishment  of Geespace under the Geely Technology Group in 2018.

The development of autonomous vehicles is on top of Zhejiang Geely Holding Group's agenda.

Geespace satellites represent Geely’s support and investment in new infrastructure. This new satellite network is aimed at supporting the company’s autonomous vehicle initiatives, and  it will also support future mobility, intelligent manufacturing, unmanned drone flight, urban management, and other applications.

Satellite-based AI cloud platform

The new satellites are designed to provide users with high-precision centimetre-accurate positioning services. They are also part of OmniCloud, a new satellite-based AI cloud platform that was developed by GeeSpace.

OmniCloud is an open platform that utilises satellite network data to provide support for satellite-based products and services. Via the use of OmniCloud, urban traffic management can be made more efficient through services such as high-precision positioning data for vehicles, artificial intelligence, public transportation fleet management, ride-hailing and ride-sharing management.

Geespace's OmniCloud platform

OmniCloud will be rolled out simultaneously with the launch of the IoT satellites in the second half of 2020.

For the development of autonomous drive, OmniCloud will be able to monitor surroundings through the use of fully connected infrastructure and vehicles, allowing it to assist with AI decision making to support safe and highly autonomous driving. In the industrial sector, OmniCloud can provide support with the help of sensors on manufacturing equipment, allowing operators to remotely monitor, control, and maintain equipment anytime and anywhere.

City Traffic Management as illustrated by Geespace

In as early as 2010, Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Chairman, Li Shufu laid out his vision for the future of Geely Holding’s transition towards being a technology-driven company with social innovation at its core.

“With our feet on the ground, we should always keep an eye on the wider universe. We should protect the environment on earth and push for sustainable development here, but at the same time we should also look to develop in the stars as well,” he said.

 

 

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EasyCare and KaHa forge ehealth pact in SG https://futureiot.tech/easycare-and-kaha-a-forge-ehealth-pact-in-sg/ Tue, 28 Apr 2020 02:00:59 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=7074 Both companies have collaborated to deliver the iDOCWATCH wearable with its corresponding mobile app IDOC Easy Track, which will be made available as part of EasyCare services – specifically in between the annual and  annual chronic disease screening for corporate clients.

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Singapore-based IoT solutions company KaHa has partnered with medical solutions provider EasyCare through the latter’s iDOC Clinic to implement healthcare technologies in the primary care setting.

Both companies have collaborated to deliver the iDOCWATCH wearable with its corresponding mobile app IDOC Easy Track, which will be made available as part of EasyCare services – specifically in between the annual and  annual chronic disease screening for corporate clients.  The device will first be released for non-clinical use for example health promotion, fitness tracking and health coaching.

The iDOCWATCH will be available from May 2020 at  the online retail platform iDOC ePharmacy iDOC Clinics in Hougang and Jurong West.  The iDOC Remote Monitoring Dashboard will be rolled out in phases starting with non-clinical uses such as with gyms, health coaches and fitness instructors before deployment for research and clinical use.

The wearable is designed for continuous monitoring of the user’s health by collecting and analysing essential health data that are sent to the iDOC Remote Monitoring Dashboard. The app  provides a comprehensive visualisation of the individual's health markers and other critical data, empowering users to stay on top of their own health from practically anywhere.

As part of its services, EasyCare conducts annual or biannual chronic disease screening for corporate clients. In between screenings, the iDOCWATCH together with mobile app iDOC Easy Track, will be made available to individuals to enable continuous monitoring of their health by collecting and analysing essential health data from the user to be sent to the iDOC Remote Monitoring Dashboard, which aims to improve health and fitness amongst users. The app also provides a comprehensive visualisation of the individual's health markers and other critical data, empowering users to stay on top of their own health from practically anywhere

"Our partnership with KaHa is an important first step to lead our fitness and healthcare ecosystem venturing into remote monitoring technologies. This remote monitoring solution leverages a natural synergy between our services and wearable technology,” said Dr. Poh Pei Ghim, chief operating O0fficer of EasyCare. “iDOC will be able to upgrade its AI and data analytics capabilities with the additional input from wearables. I would be keen to share our current anonymised data to interested medical professionals, assist in reproducing the data, and advance the uptake and implementation of medical wearables in the healthcare setting locally."

Powered by KaHa’s IoT platform

The iDOC Remote Monitoring Solution consists of the iDOCWATCH, iDOC Easy Track and the iDOC Remote Monitoring Dashboard, and is powered by COVE, KaHa's proprietary IoT platform. The solution encourages health awareness, enabling individuals to take greater control of their health choices in a way suitable for them. For iDOC and its partners, this solution gives health and fitness advisors the ability to make informed choices when formulating treatment plans and early intervention.

With the iDOC Remote Monitoring Dashboard, a health or fitness advisor will at a glance, have the requisite information about the user's health, including activity level, sleep quality, blood pressure, heart rate and more. Specific health parameters and thresholds can be set for individual users, and the health or fitness advisor will receive alerts and notifications when a user exceeds a prescribed threshold, such as a custom-set blood pressure level individualised to the selected user.

“Extending our platform to the healthcare space was a natural evolution for KaHa, and telemedicine is an emerging space that is hugely exciting, as it brings unparalleled levels of convenience and solutions to both patients and doctors. Using AI and data-driven decision making, wearable tech stands to play a pivotal role in healthcare management. Wearable tech in healthcare can also support and protect healthcare workers in the ongoing battle against COVID-19,” said Pawan Gandhi, founder and CEO of KaHa.

Embracing technology in healthcare will benefit patients and healthcare workers. The iDOC Remote Monitoring Solution can bring a bevy of benefits including efficiency and safety by reducing contact in times of an infectious disease outbreak. It can potentially serve as a first line of screening for the public, help reduce the risk to healthcare providers and enable doctors and nurses to prioritise patients requiring critical care.

Not only is it expected to radically improve preventive healthcare management, the iDOC Remote Monitoring Solution will in the future, allow doctors to access information that may otherwise be unavailable, such as blood pressure and heart rate trending and variability.  Health information can provide more useful insights into a patient's state of health, as compared to data collected in a controlled and clinical setting. It may also eliminate the incidence of 'white coat syndrome', a phenomenon observed in clinical settings where patients exhibit blood pressure readings that are higher than normal due to anxiety.

As an end-to-end IoT platform company with a multitude of smart wearable devices filling an array of use cases, KaHa will in the near future integrate more of their devices into the iDOC Remote Monitoring Solution, including a smart fitness t-shirt, an electrocardiogram (ECG) fitness tracker and a body temperature monitoring fitness tracker.

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3 ways SD-WAN helps you win in the 5G age of IoT https://futureiot.tech/3-ways-sd-wan-helps-you-win-in-the-5g-age-of-iot/ Wed, 22 Apr 2020 02:00:48 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=7038 One of the foundational components of SD-WAN is its centralised management platform capable of simplifying the control of networks supporting IoT.

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The Internet of Things (IoT) has been around for a while, but this technology continues to drive transformation in the digital sphere. In fact, GlobalData predicts that the marketplace for IoT will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 22.4% to reach a total of US$96 billion in the APAC region by 2023. The fifth generation of cellular mobile communications is set to form the dynamic ecosystem in which IoT will operate. By providing faster and more reliable connectivity, 5G networks will bring IoT’s capabilities to the next level.

Though APAC is set to lead 5G technology adoption globally, the integration of 5G-enabled IoT technology might not be smooth sailing for enterprises. To cope with the rapidly evolving needs of their traffic networks and unlock the power of IoT, businesses are increasingly leveraging software-defined wide area network, or SD-WAN, for a pragmatic approach. SD-WAN is an evolution of wide area networking that supports applications hosted in multiple locations, over any type of network and through any type of service provider connection. Here are three ways SD-WAN will play a critical role in helping enterprises build their IoT infrastructure in a 5G society:

Heightened security

Data security issues are certainly top of mind for businesses as security breaches become increasingly costly. A study by Ovum emphasised the need for APAC services providers to beef up security infrastructure to meet demands of IoT and 5G, which involves securing IoT traffic end-to-end for data to be protected from threats.

With 5G enabling applications to operate within different virtualised environments, SD-WAN prevents unauthorised access of sensitive information in two ways: path isolation and security controls. Path isolation allows enterprises to corral traffic while security controls permit or deny traffic based on specific criteria. Combined, these methods of separation and enforcement result in an effective enterprise segmentation technique that reduces the risk of the IoT device traffic being exposed to security breaches.

Simplified management

One of the foundational components of SD-WAN is its centralised management platform capable of simplifying the control of networks supporting IoT. Traditionally, setting up new devices would entail manual configuration of the devices at each location.

Through the deployment of automation, SD-WAN allows new IoT devices to be added to the network without the need for reprogramming software and cuts down operational requirements. By using a pre-configured template, businesses can quickly make changes to network traffic regardless of the number of edge locations—all through a single management dashboard. This will be key for organisations in keeping up with a consumer landscape that’s going to change at an even quicker rate with the arrival of 5G.

Scalability and reliability

IoT devices are a means of collecting and transmitting raw data that organisations rely on to better understand their customers. While it’s early days, it was reported that the average customer data usage in South Korea on 5G was 24GB in June 2019, 2.6 times higher than the average 4G usage in the same period—a trend that’s likely to repeat across the region. This incoming surge in data will pose a challenge for businesses with major strains being applied on traditional network infrastructure and in turn affect application performance and user experience.

Modern SD-WAN solutions circumvent this issue as they provide a network topology that can be scaled up or down based on the unique level of application needs. On top of its flexibility, SD-WAN frameworks provide low-latency and reliable connectivity to multiple cloud service providers. In other words, SD-WAN can meet expanded enterprise-scale requirements without compromising quality of connection despite the increase in number of connected devices and data sources.

The inevitable arrival of 5G will cause a massive increase in new connected devices, and the enterprise network will be distributed across an even greater area. To adapt to these new requirements, SD-WAN will play a larger role and become the standard technology for networking in time to come.

For organisations to stay ahead of the curve in an extremely competitive region, the only way forward is to begin exploring SD-WAN options and working with the right experts to design a custom architecture that helps them achieve their business objectives. With 2020 expected to be the year 5G goes mainstream, the best organisations have already assessed the essential items for their IoT transformation story and selected suitable SD-WAN solutions to ensure they don’t lose their competitive edge.

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Smarter IoT apps developed for China’s quarantine scenarios https://futureiot.tech/smarter-iot-apps-developed-for-chinas-quarantine-scenarios/ Tue, 21 Apr 2020 03:00:25 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=7025 Semtech integrated its LoRA-based IoT devices with cloud-based platforms to enable new applications such as smart doorkeeper for efficient building monitoring.

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With the current COVID-19 outbreak in China and worldwide, the task of monitoring and managing quarantined and isolated personnel remains a critical challenge. Health services employees, including disease control and prevention teams, are increasingly leveraging smarter applications based on IoT to provide efficient, high quality care to their communities.

Traditional quarantine methods, including camera usage, door sealing and locking, are limited in effectiveness and typically unable to effectively monitor the status of building exits and entrances. Additionally, these methods require frequent manual inspection, which increases labour costs and exposes maintenance workers to contact with isolated persons. LoRa-based solutions bring real-time insight into quarantined buildings and replace manual processes.

To help China’s quarantine measures, Semtech Corporation, together with several of its leading customers, including CIAAIoT, EasyLinkin, IOCA, RisingHF, and Winext Technology, have integrated Semtech’s LoRa devices and the LoRaWAN protocol with cloud-based platforms developed by Alibaba Cloud and Tencent Cloud, to deploy smarter Internet of Things (IoT)-based monitoring applications for residents in quarantine scenarios.

These solutions provide healthcare workers with data and insight into community health, allowing more optimised workflows for the distribution of efficient healthcare services during the ongoing Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.

"Smarter technologies and IoT applications play an important role in providing high quality health services during COVID-19. Semtech’s LoRa devices and LoRaWAN protocol provide an easy to use and deploy solution to quickly connect systems and provide optimised, effective healthcare in communities,” said Mike Wong, vice president of China sales for Semtech.

CIAAIoT and EasyLinkin integrated LoRa-based magnetic door sensors with Alibaba Cloud's Cloud-based application development platform and services to create a “smart doorkeeper” solution for efficient building monitoring. IOCA, RisingHF, Winext Technology, and other leading LoRa-based device manufacturers collaborated with Tencent Cloud to leverage its LoRa-based door sensors in a new cloud-based door seal monitoring solution.

These products have successfully been deployed into the residential communities of China’s Hubei province, as well as Chengdu, Hangzhou, Nanjing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Zhengzhou.

Both Alibaba Cloud and Tencent Cloud’s Cloud-based monitoring solutions are comprised of a LoRa-based gateway and connected door sensor, and immediately begin the transmission of accurate door use data upon deployment. These LoRa-based applications offer the following features:

  • Simple and easy installation, connecting instantly to a network
  • LoRaWAN-based connectivity with long range transmission and deep signal penetration
  • Low power consumption
  • Consistent and reliable 24/7 remote operation, management and maintenance
  • Real-time reporting of building access changes, reducing the need for manual inspection and increasing management efficiency
  • Simple integration with temperature and humidity sensors, smoke and fire alarms, as well as other smart building applications

Data collected from the LoRa-based solutions is easily viewable on Alibaba Cloud or Tencent Cloud’s cloud-based platforms for trend analysis and insight into quarantine effectiveness, as well as enabling the optimisation of personnel management. In addition to quarantine monitoring, Alibaba Cloud and Tencent Cloud’s solutions offer the capabilities to deploy in shopping mall security, hospital patient care, child safety protection, and other scenarios to monitor the status of door and window use in real time.

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HKATG eyes smart city dev’t with satellite launch https://futureiot.tech/hkatg-eyes-smart-city-devt-with-satellite-launch/ Mon, 20 Apr 2020 03:00:13 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=7006 The project involves flying a low-orbit, high-frequency satellite over the GBA for the collection of ecological data that would accelerate its smart city development.

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Hong Kong Aerospace Technology Group (HKATG) has launched its first starlink project in Hong Kong with an eye fixed on helping build smart cities across Hong Kong, Guangdong and Macau.

Called the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) Golden Bauhinia Satellite Constellation, the project involves flying a low-orbit, high-frequency satellite over the GBA for the collection of ecological data that would accelerate its smart city development.

The Golden Bauhinia satellite constellation has a space resolution of 3 meters to Earth Observation, with a spectral range between 400nm and 1000nm. Its orbit can cover the entire Greater Bay Area once every two days, which is an area of up to 56,000 sqkm.

According to HKATG, its satellite constellations can revisit every 30 minutes to obtain up-to-date information. Coupled with the high-resolution CMOS sensor camera ground pixel resolution 2m@500km, the single image ground width is better than 54km.

Satellite spur growth of IoT connections

According to recent figures from ABI Research, satellites will play an important role in the growth of IoT deployments, particularly in application verticals, such as agriculture and asset tracking, that are dealing with the unreliability of terrestrial infrastructures.

The researcher predicts that by 2024, satellites will enable 24 million IoT connections globally.

“Terrestrial cellular networks only cover 20% of the Earth’s surface, while satellite networks can cover the entire surface of the globe, from pole to pole,” said Harriet Sumnall, research analyst at ABI Research. "The expansion of the satellite constellations that are currently in orbit and those due to take place will allow for connectivity to be more global. While the market using satellite connection is still immature, it shows great opportunities for growth.”

The application segments that are expected to see significant growth include agriculture, asset tracking, maritime tracking, and aviation tracking. However, these are burdened by the lack of terrestrial infrastructures available within their location.

Indeed, current use cases include Australian farmers who deployed rain gauges that use a satellite network to transmit remote rainfall data. South Australian satellite communications company Myriota and Queensland AgTech business Goanna Ag have partnered to develop the ‘everywhere’ solution that they say will unlock the power of remote monitoring at a price and scale never seen before. Myriota’s direct-to-orbit satellite network for the Internet of Things (IoT) means data from the devices can be transmitted in remote areas without internet or mobile phone coverage.

Putting HK in the aerospace race

Officially opened in 2019, HKATG is the first aerospace business group in Hong Kong, which focuses satellite remote sensing, satellite manufacturing, satellite navigation, satellite communications and satellite remote sensing ground receiving stations. It is also the first Hong Kong-based member of the International Astronautical Federation.

The "Golden Bauhinia" project aims to launch 165 low-orbit, high-frequency satellites in 2020 covering the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao GBA and serve the world's fastest-growing urban centres. HKATG is planning to another satellite launch in June in China.

Using mobile target monitoring, space AI and dynamic change monitoring, the "Golden Bauhinia Constellation" aims to achieve commercial application and development of communications, navigation, and remote sensing systems with global 24-hour online tracking and the ability to re-visit key areas in under 30 minutes.

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Polysense develops LoRa-based temperature scanners https://futureiot.tech/polysense-develops-lora-based-temperature-scanners/ Tue, 14 Apr 2020 01:30:05 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=6986 The body temperature scanners use embedded sensors based on LoRaWan protocol to communicate temperature data to Cloud-based applications for trend analysis.

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Polysense Technologies, an enterprise Internet of Things (IoT) solutions provider for fibre and wireless sensing,  has developed series of smart human body temperature monitoring products based on Semtech Coporation’s LoRa devices. Real-time data from the temperature sensors enables healthcare workers to efficiently screen individuals with a high temperature. The solution has recently shipped to Italy to help with its Coronavirus (COVID-19) response efforts.

“With the new infrared LoRa-based temperature sensors, cities are able to provide better health monitoring and services to communities. Health officials will be able to monitor people’s temperature and if needed, escalate to provide immediate healthcare to individuals who are in need,” said Alex Wu, president of Polysense.

Based in Silicon Valley, Polysense has operational and R&D presence in China, including Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.

The global community is increasingly turning to Internet of Things (IoT) technologies to help countries and cities provide better community services to its population. IoT solutions with flexible, long range capabilities allow the healthcare industry to develop applications that optimize hospital, patient care and public health workflows through reliable and accurate data monitoring.

Polysense offers its new LoRa-based human temperature monitoring products in two variants. A wireless sensor for individual use, the WxS x800-IRTM, which leverages thermal sensing technologies and embedded LoRa devices to consistently monitor patient temperature in real time. The sensor utilises connectivity based on the LoRaWAN protocol to communicate temperature data to Cloud-based applications for trend analysis. Alerts are pushed to mobile devices if temperature thresholds are exceeded, allowing the patient to limit exposure to others and seek medical attention. Polysense’s WxS x810-IRTMS is a standalone thermal meter for use in public spaces. This product enables public health officials to efficiently and reliably monitor populations on public transportation, at airports, railway stations, schools, shopping centres, and large building entrances. Deployment of the WxS x810-IRTMS takes place in less than five minutes, allowing immediate temperature screening and enhanced public safety.

“LoRa devices accelerate product development and enable the deployment of solutions to quickly address customers’ needs. Polysense’s thermal temperature monitoring applications serve as an example of how LoRa-based IoT solutions can provide immediate insights that help communities and healthcare providers better address the Covid-19 crisis,” said Marc Pegulu, vice president of IoT for Semtech’s Wireless and Sensing Products Group.

Polysense’s LoRa-enabled WxS x800-IRTM and WxS x810-IRTMS are in production and available to order immediately, with the government of Italy recently purchasing five kits to aid in its COVID-19 containment efforts.

 

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5G operators need network analytics to plumb IoT potential https://futureiot.tech/5g-operators-need-network-analytics-to-plumb-iot-potential/ Wed, 08 Apr 2020 01:30:08 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=6963 With intelligence powered by analytics,  telco carriers in APAC can forge alliances with IoT vendors and engage in upselling opportunities more effective IoT plans to enterprise customers.

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Telco carriers in Asia Pacific are targeting the enterprise segment for their 5G networks that are currently being rolled out across the region, in anticipation of new applications around IoT aimed at further digitising various business operations.

Luis Rezende, vice president for insights, Niotmerics

“5G will bring faster speeds, lower latencies and allow for a higher number of devices to simultaneously connect to mobile networks for every square kilometre. While it is not fully clear yet what type of applications those three technical advantages will enable for consumers, many enterprises already envision the new use cases they can implement with them. This is the perception that mobile operators have currently formed based on their market responses,” Luis Rezende, vice president for insights at Niometrics, told FutureIoT.

Niometrics is a network analytics company based in Singapore.

“It is not surprising that enterprises presently have a more clear-cut view of how to leverage 5G. They are direct beneficiaries of the IoT, which can help to digitalise and streamline more of their industrial, logistical and operational activities,” he added. “And many new IoT applications depend, in turn, on the three technical advantages that 5G will bring. Higher density of devices per square kilometre and lower latency are particularly critical to several IoT deployments currently sought after by the enterprise sector (such as industrial plant monitoring, smart cities, fleet management etc.)”

The telco carriers’ intention to primarily target the enterprise segment to quickly monetise on their 5G investments is one of the key insights from a latest study conducted by IDC on behalf of Niometrics.

Entitled “Analytics and AI powering carriers’ 5G transformation”, the study was conducted online last year among 25 mobile network operators in Asia Pacific excluding Japan. Its goal was to understand how these carriers are preparing for 5G – framing the benefits and costs of launching it.

The study also wanted to gauge how ready they were to become active enablers of the use cases that the 5G technology will support, instead of just providing connectivity for other players to build upon.

Finding ways to recoup their 5G investment is a priority for APAC carriers in light of the hefty investment needed to bring their infrastructure up to scratch. The study showed that mobile operators in  the region will spend an estimated US$160 billion in 5G until 2023.

“This means that 31% of their total CAPEX will go to 5G. This implies an increase in CAPEX expenditure of roughly 50%, for a sector that has been for years fighting with reducing margins and profitability. Finding ways to monetise those investments will be, therefore, indispensable for telcos to stay healthy,” Rezende said.

Analytics is essential to effective 5G deployment

The study also revealed that effective 5G deployment will require analytics that can make sense of all data being transported in their networks, in order to inform the design of the more complex 5G network structure and also to give telcos new roles that go beyond pure connectivity.

According to the study, the carriers’ existing capabilities to analyse data are not detailed and fast enough to create a true edge, and their internal organizations still can’t make the most out of the data available for them to explore.

“Their ambition is set, but their capabilities are not fully in place yet. Roughly 60% of the mobile operators considered analytics as a top priority to drive 5G, but the two  top use cases they currently explore for analytics are in accelerating back-office processes and monetizing data. Both of which are necessary, but not sufficient to make them ready to cope with the demands of a 5G-enabled IoT landscape,” said Rezende.

He stressed that carriers must start channelling their analytics capabilities to areas like network design optimisation, enterprise service assurance and cybersecurity in order to become genuinely ready to drive IoT in APAC and act as more than connectivity providers for it.

“Some of our telco clients are already deploying our IoT-focused solutions with those goals in mind. One of them is giving their enterprise customers access to real-time dashboards showing what is the status of all IoT devices from those enterprises: how they are performing, where they are, what type of usage they are making etc. With this information, their enterprise customers can closely monitor the health of all their devices and make sure no vital function gets disrupted by unforeseen performance deteriorations.”

He added: “Another one of our telco clients is partnering with local authorities to feed them anonymised reports on how different IoT verticals are gaining traction in the country. The types of applications observed, in which regions, with what intensity etc. This is driving that country’s decisions on how to stimulate specific economic clusters to adopt broader IoT use cases.

“That same solution is also enabling the same telco to understand the IoT ecosystem on their network – offering an all-in-one workspace to detect, monitor and analyse all IoT devices connected to it. ‘Unclassified’ objects and behaviours on the network are detected, identified and profiled. With this type of intelligence, our client can forge alliances with IoT vendors and engage in upselling opportunities/implement more effective IoT plans ahead of the competition to their enterprise clients.”

Intelligence will tame complexity of 5G architecture

According to Rezende, analytics generates the intelligence for 5G networks to be optimally designed and operated. Their new architectures will make them substantially more complex than existing 4G ones, and that complexity can only be tamed with intelligence that shows operators where, how and why they must shore up their 5G services.

“Our software comes into play exactly on the need to generate that intelligence. We provide our customers with hyper-granular insights that enable them to extract deeper value from the data flowing through their networks. And we can compute larger volumes of data more quickly, allowing true real-time data distillation quite simply as processes are faster and more accurate.

“Software-defined network (SDN) and network-function virtualization (NFV) are part of the problem. While, on the one hand, they make 5G possible and give it innovative capabilities (such as edge-computing, which stands for placing servers closer to end-user devices to reduce the latency of communication between them), they are a source of complexity too. Orchestrating and bringing together all that novelty in a way that delivers the best results with the smallest amount of CAPEX can only be obtained through the use of intelligence and analytics,” Rezende said.

As a network analytics company, Niometrics  builds carrier-scale technologies for the telecommunications industry. The company help carriers to design their 5G networks more intelligently to make the most out of each dollar invested in their 5G network CAPEX). The Niometrics platform closely monitor the overall performance of any IoT device base and provide mission-critical assurance for its performance.

“We help our telco clients uncover new knowledge and insights distilled from users’ digital breadcrumbs that were invisible before. Since 2009, we have grown to partner with some of the largest telco providers in the world and analyse a combined base of over 500 million subscribers who consume and exchange over 60 PB of data daily,” Rezende said.

Analytics aids in IoT security

With analytics built into the 5G network, carriers are able to help enterprise to protect their IoT devices internal and external risks.

The Niometrics platform also feeds an overarching line of defence against cyber threats on IoT devices, by monitoring in real-time network traffic events that seem harmless when taken in isolation but that, when analysed alongside other data traffic patterns, indicate pernicious IoT-wide attacks.

Furthermore, the company is collaborating with public agencies by generating visibility on how distinct IoT use cases are evolving in the economy.

“With that knowledge, governments can drive better regulatory policies, track laggard verticals that need additional support and coordinate a more cohesive strategy to incentivise the larger IoT landscape. This is particularly important for the dissemination of Smart Cities (which contribute directly to at least four of the UN Nations Sustainable Development Goals. GSMA estimates that an at-scale deployment of smart technology can generate more than €350 million per year of direct and indirect value for a city of 1.5 million people),” said Rezende.

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Incheon International Airport upgrades airfield guidance system https://futureiot.tech/incheon-international-airport-upgrades-airfield-guidance-system/ Tue, 07 Apr 2020 03:00:46 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=6960 Under high-traffic conditions, reliable guidance systems such as those installed by Honeywell are critical to the pilots manoeuvring around our congested airfield and taxiways

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Incheon International Airport (ICN) is upgrading its airfield control and monitoring systems to enhance passenger service and streamline airport operation. The upgrade is the fourth phase of an ongoing improvement project aimed at enabling safer and faster travel.

The work is underway and expected to be completed by October 2022.

Fourth runway requires new guidance system

Recent construction of the airport’s fourth runway and expansion of its northern remote apron have increased flight capacity per hour from 90 to 107 flights, and the opening of Terminal 2 has allowed ICN to accommodate 18 million passengers and 50 million tons of cargo per year.

In parallel, increased air traffic has created demand for a new guidance system – one that allows pilots to easily navigate ICN’s complex runways, taxiways and other airfield surfaces. For this purpose, Honeywell has been tapped for the task of upgrading the system.

Honeywell is installing its Airfield Ground Lighting Control and Monitoring System (AGLCMS) and Advanced Surface Movement Guidance and Control System (A-SMGCS) technologies to promote safer navigation through enhanced controllability under most traffic or visibility conditions, while enhancing overall operational efficiency.

“With more than 380,000 flights managed yearly, Incheon International Airport is one of the highest-trafficked gateways to Southeast Asia,” said Chang-Jun Lee, director, Aeronautical Ground Light Team, Incheon International Airport. “Under high-traffic conditions, reliable guidance systems such as those installed by Honeywell are critical to the pilots manoeuvring around our congested airfield and taxiways. Put simply, this technology helps keep operations running smooth and helps make sure people are safe.”

Safe aircraft navigation

Honeywell A-SMGCS is a modular system serving different functions to help aircraft navigate safe routes. The new system designates a route for each aircraft or vehicle within the airfield’s movement area based on information from other airport systems, helping to effectively address ICN’s high-traffic conditions.

While the system works to assign the most efficient route, manual intervention is always possible when needed. A-SMGCS also helps to provide clear instruction to pilots and vehicle operators, allowing them to easily follow assigned routes – indicating which areas are restricted or unavailable for use.

Follow the greens

ICN is among the first airports to adopt “follow the greens” – an intelligent guidance procedure functioning alongside A-SMGCS technology – to help improve capacity and safety. These systems use taxiway lighting to efficiently direct crews and aircrafts, only activating segments of taxiway lighting that are needed, leaving others switched off. This protocol helps improve the safety of runway traffic by distributing aircrafts more evenly across taxiways and addressing potential conflicts sooner rather than later. This work is expected to be completed in April this year.

“Our goal is to help Incheon deliver safer, faster travel for passengers while simplifying complex tasks for those in control,” said Sonja Strand, vice president and general manager, Honeywell Global Airports. “The Incheon team takes a proactive effort to see that its infrastructure can keep up with air traffic flight capacity. Over the past 23 years, we’ve helped the Incheon team improve its operations and experiences to be one of Southeast Asia’s most critical travel hubs.”

Incheon International Airport serves as a flagship project in Honeywell’s Iconic Buildings campaign, highlighting the airport’s efforts in air safety and optimising operations. The campaign features some of the world’s most symbolic and widely-recognised buildings that use Honeywell technologies to perform critical day-to-day functions.

 

 

 

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Indian Railways raised production efficiency by 20% via machine monitoring https://futureiot.tech/indian-railways-raised-production-efficiency-by-20-via-machine-monitoring/ Mon, 06 Apr 2020 01:30:46 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=6948 Since implementation, 9% increase in machine utilisation has been achieved immediately after deployment.

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Indian Railways has reaped a 20% increase of production efficiency by deploying  a real-time machine monitoring and manufacturing data collection system at its 10 factories and workshops in different regions of India.

The system was developed by Finnish-Russian firm Zyfra, which focuses on industrial digitalisation technologies for machinery, metallurgy, mining and oil & gas. Its solutions portfolio includes predictive analytics and data analysis, tech processes optimisation, automatic dispatch systems, autonomous dump trucks and teleoperated equipment.

Launched in September 2019, Indian Railways started using Zyfra’s MDCplus system – collecting overall data from all types of machines and monitor energy consumption, which results in substantial increase in machine utilisation and energy saving. Zyfra deployed the system, trained personnel, and is now providing technical support.

Since implementation, 9% increase in machine utilisation has been achieved immediately after deployment. Further productivity growth was generated thanks to reducing unplanned downtime.

The system allows identification and classification of downtime reasons, assisting operators in the performance of production tasks, notifying specialists and production departments regarding accidents and unplanned downtime and compiling analytical reports on the operation of equipment and production efficiency.

Commenting on its project with India Railways, Pavel Rastopshin, managing director of Zyfra, said: “India has become the key foreign market for Zyfra with more than 500 CNC machines connected to its MDCplus system in 2019. By 2021, the company is looking at more than 2,000 MDCplus installations in India.

He added: “This year, we have devoted a lot of time to research and development. We have introduced a powerful new solution for predictive analytics which can even predict a machine or tool breakage. This solution will help our clients make discrete manufacturing more efficient.”

Indian Railways, the premier transport organisation of India, is the largest rail network in Asia and the world’s second largest under one management. It runs around 11,000 trains daily, of which 7,000 are passenger trains

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DEWA of Dubai employs AI robots for customer queries https://futureiot.tech/dewa-of-dubai-employs-ai-robots-for-customer-queries/ Tue, 31 Mar 2020 02:06:36 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=6925 Rammas is available round the clock to answer written queries and audio chat in both Arabic and English.

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Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA)  said that its AI-powered virtual employee called Rammas has responded to over 1.2 million queries in 2019. This supports DEWA’s strategy to employ AI in all its operations and services.

Rammas is available round the clock to answer written queries and audio chat in both Arabic and English. It is available on DEWA’s smart app, website, Facebook page, Amazon’s Alexa, Google Home, robots, and DEWA’ WhatsApp verified account on 046019999.

“We are committed to enriching our customers’ experience through smart services that save their time and efforts using the latest disruptive technologies and AI tools. This supports the Dubai 10X initiative, which mandates the Government of Dubai to be a global leader that is 10 years ahead of all other cities through government innovation and the reformation of traditional work mechanisms. It also supports the Smart Dubai initiative to make Dubai the smartest and happiest city in the world,” said HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, managing director and CEO of DEWA.

Al Tayer emphasised that all DEWA’s services are available on its smart app and website. He urged customers to complete their transactions through the various smart channels that DEWA provides.

Marwan bin Haidar, Executive Vice President of Innovation and the Future at DEWA, said that Rammas has responded to over 3.1 million queries since its inception in 2017. He noted that Rammas can help customers complete several transactions, such as paying bills, follow-up on requests to get electricity and water services, and job queries, among others.

Rammas learns and understands customers’ needs, while analysing these enquiries based on available data to accurately answer and streamline transactions with ease. The advanced version of Rammas offers new features, including a happiness index, a customer experience survey, a glossary of terms, as well as an advanced interactive menu.

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Toshiba develops sensor-based structural monitoring system https://futureiot.tech/toshiba-develops-sensor-based-structural-monitoring-system/ Thu, 26 Mar 2020 01:30:37 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=6904 According to official estimates, about 25% of bridges over 2 metre in length have passed the 50-year mark in 2018, with this number of the percentage going up to 63% by 2033.

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The economic boom of post-war Japan after World War II produced much of the infrastructure – roads, bridges and high-rise buildings to name a few – still used today.

But now, the country is faced with the challenge of monitoring the structural integrity of all these physical assets, many of them have deteriorated significantly. According to official estimates, about 25% of bridges over 2 metre in length have passed the 50-year mark in 2018, with this number of the percentage going up to 63% by 2033.

The structural degradation has caused tragic accidents—most recently, approximately 130 meters worth of concrete panels on the roof of an expressway tunnel collapsed, resulting to multiple deaths in 2012.

Confounding the problem is an aging population that leads to a shortage of skilled workers who can conduct the structural monitoring of Japan’s vast infrastructure.

As structural monitoring of existing facilities has become a national imperative, Toshiba has developed a new  system for structural health monitoring. The system deploys sensors that help visualise the interior health of structures and allows for efficient and comprehensive inspections.

“After the tunnel collapsed, a law was tightened to have regular inspections of bridges every five years. However, the conventional inspection methods have relied on direct visual checks and hammer tests, where a worker hits the bridge with a hammer and checks its condition by the sound it makes. This made it difficult to distinguish condition when there was above a certain level of deterioration, with no discernible changes in the surface and the sound,” said  Kazuo Watabe, chief research scientist of the Mechanical Systems Laboratory at Toshiba’s R&D Center.

Detecting hidden internal damage

Toshiba’s new structural health monitoring system was developed as part of “Robot and Sensor System Development Project for Infrastructure Maintenance and Disaster Survey” under the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO).  The company conducted its research in collaboration with Professor Tomoki Shiotani of Kyoto University.

Overview of AE measurement for bridges

The most significant aspect of Toshiba's structural health monitoring system is the brand-new sensing technology, which allows the system to visualize damage on the inside of the concrete, in areas where workers cannot see directly, and determine the level of deterioration. This technology provides the opportunity to prioritise bridges that needs urgent maintenance, and helps better the use of limited labour and budget.

Takashi Usui, research scientist at Mechanical Systems Laboratory of Toshiba’s R&D Center,  said that we took advantage of multiple resources within Toshiba in developing this sensing technology.

The new sensing technology is elastic waves, a wave emitted by miniscule forms of damage in structures. The vibrations induced when a vehicle drives on the bridge causes several dozen to several hundred kHz worth of elastic waves to be emitted from cracks in the structures. The sensor measures these waves from where it is attached to the deck of the bridge, using a test called AE Method.

“AE sensors themselves have actually been used in different areas, but not many comprehensive systems are implemented in multiple areas. We were able to create an entire measurement system with AE sensors, including a system that processes the received signals, and quantifies degree of deterioration by the frequency and arrival times of the elastic waves. And I’m sure we were only able to do that because of the resources available to us at Toshiba,” says Usui.

Toshiba sees potential in applying the AE method to roads, buildings, and even large-scale industrial machinery.

Unexpected benefit

Meanwhile, Toshiba discovered an unexpected benefit of the system in the verification tests they’ve been conducting.

“We were able to gain some unexpected data from a guerrilla rainstorm (a sudden, intense rainstorm) that occurred during our test. Generally, in a system that uses elastic waves, rain is considered noise, and verifiers want to avoid it as much as possible. But in this case, we found that the impact of the raindrops hitting the road caused elastic waves to be emitted, and that the calculated distribution of the raindrops reflects the position of cracks in the interior of the bridge deck,” said Watabe.

Verification of analytical results through actual samples of the bridge deck

This means that they could, potentially reduce the amount of time required for the sensing process using something like a sprinkler truck instead of a guerrilla rainstorm. In this happy coincidence, they had managed to acquire several days’ worth of data (of cars running back and forth on the bridge) in about 10 minutes of guerrilla rainstorm. What’s more, this had opened up previously unexplored possibilities for this system of structural health monitoring. If there was heavy rain, they could make use of every raindrop to sense deterioration, even in areas with less traffic.

“Looking even further, I’d say we may be able to apply the same kind of monitoring to roads, buildings, and even large-scale industrial machinery in the future. This issue of structural deterioration is going to occur in a variety of fields, and we’re confident that we’ll be able to come up with many different ways to implement this system,” said Usui.

For now, Toshiba will carry out verification tests, gather data, and improving system reliability, with an aim to reduce labour and cost for the maintenance of social infrastructure.

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Everbridge adds IoT module to its CEM platform https://futureiot.tech/everbridge-adds-iot-module-to-its-cem-platform/ Mon, 23 Mar 2020 02:00:12 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=6883 New IoT capabilities automate process of mitigating a wide variety of critical events such as coronavirus (COVID-19) to protect people, operations and supply chain.

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Everbridge, a leading provider of  critical event management (CEM) systems, has unveiled new CEM capabilities across the Internet of Things (IoT) for corporate, government and healthcare organisations to protect their people, assets, operations, supply chain and brand from critical events such as coronavirus (COVID-19).

The IoT extension module that will also leverage the intellectual property from recent technology acquisitions of Connexient and CNL Software. As a result, organisations will be able to gather a broader range of situational intelligence and automate targeted responses throughout their entire safety, security, and operational continuum – from across a global footprint to within campuses and facilities.

With the number of IoT devices expected to approach 75 billion by 2025, the Everbridge CEM platform enables organisations to use vast amounts of electronic data, including IoT sensors, to digitally transform how they manage the safety and security of their employees, customers, patients, first responders, residents, and visitors, as well as the resiliency of their operations and supply chain. CEM for IoT extends the number of use cases for the Everbridge platform within the broader critical event management market, complementing the company’s existing offerings for supply chain and wearable devices.

Helping people cope with COVID 19 pandemic

Companies, governments and healthcare organisations use CEM to mitigate risks from coronavirus with several million COVID-19 related communications deployed by Everbridge in recent weeks. The expansion of CEM for IoT enhances coronavirus-related use cases to better protect people, operations, supply chain and brand. For example, the Everbridge ecosystem supports over 1,500 healthcare entities including the top pharmaceutical, biomedical and medical device and manufacturing companies, as well as the largest healthcare systems (overseeing more than 25 percent of all hospital beds in the U.S.), managed care organisations, pharmacies, and statewide health alert networks (HANs), including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). CEM for IoT improves the ability to coordinate first responders and other critical healthcare resources such as intensive care unit (ICU) beds, respirators, expert medical staff, etc., based on real-time data on the broader impact of COVID-19.

Everbridge’s IoT initiative employs the same CEM framework currently being used by industry leaders from aircraft manufacturing, financial services, entertainment & media, high tech, healthcare, hospitality, retail, pharmaceuticals, the federal government, and other sectors. The Everbridge CEM framework includes aggregating tens of thousands of data sources to identify threats; determining the relevance of a threat to an organisation’s people, facilities, assets, supply chain and reputation based on their dynamic locations; automatically initiating and orchestrating an enterprise-wide response plan using the organization’s policies and procedures and monitoring execution of that plan; while analysing cycle times and results to identify bottlenecks and improve future performance.

New acquisitions rounds out IoT capabilities

The acquisitions of Connexient and CNL Software augment the IoT capabilities of the Everbridge CEM Platform bringing the total number of out-of-the-box integrations to over 225. Integrations include numerous healthcare systems, indoor positioning, digital wayfinding, building management, access control, intruder detection, video management, and many more. Everbridge solutions secure major events, cities, states, military installations, government buildings, universities, airports, corporate campuses, and healthcare facilities, providing instrumental functionality to Safe City and Smart Building use cases across multiple critical events including coronavirus.

“The CEM platform monitors threat data streams continuously, alerts stakeholders when there is a relevant issue, and automatically orchestrates a coordinated response—it is always on,” said Imad Mouline CTO of Everbridge.

Everbridge has experience with early implementations of Safe City and Smart Building programs in both the public safety and corporate space. According to IHS Markit, the global Safe City market will reach US$35.8 billion in 2024. Brand Essence Market Research forecasts the overall Smart Building market will grow to US$59 billion in 2025. The utilisation of a network of connected devices, or IoT, will make up a portion of both markets.

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China Mobile and Nokia deploy landslide alert system https://futureiot.tech/china-mobile-and-nokia-deploy-landslide-alert-system/ Mon, 23 Mar 2020 01:00:59 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=6880  

Deployed on the G75 Lanzhou–Haikou Expressway, the system has already undergone extensive trials during which it successfully prevented adverse impact to road users following a landslip in March 2019.

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China Mobile/CMCC Guangxi, in partnership with Nokia, is deploying a landslide monitoring and early warning system in one of the main highways in Guangxi province.

Deployed on the G75 Lanzhou–Haikou Expressway, the system has already undergone extensive trials during which it successfully prevented adverse impact to road users following a landslip in March 2019. The pilot project was listed among 30 excellent recommendation cases in 2019 by the Chinese Safety Committee of the Ministry of Transportation.

“Immediately upon deployment, the Nokia IoT solution demonstrated the value it can deliver. As a leading operator, we are highly committed to enhancing expressway safety for all road users with 5G technology and this project is a major step forward in that goal,” said Yang Jirong, enterprise applications expert at CMCC Guangxi.

The highway slope monitoring network  is capable of assessing geological and environmental parameters in real time to accurately predict and prevent possible disasters.

Using the system, expressway management receives real-time reports on changes in ground conditions and incline stability across highway slopes. Upon indications of a potential landslide, the system immediately notifies highway management personnel by SMS or phone call, enabling appropriate action to be taken. A 4G eye-camera deployed on the highway slope simultaneously monitors landslide status for staff members.

The landslide monitoring and alarm system is based on the Nokia IMPACT IoT platform, comprising end-to-end Nokia hardware (Edge+ gateway and sensor nodes) and software.

The implementation of expressway slope safety evaluation, using monitoring and early warning systems, is one of the main objectives of the China  Ministry of Transport’s 13th Five Year Plan, and will make a major contribution to road safety.

“This is an outstanding example of the benefits the Internet of Things can deliver to improve public safety. Nokia is working with the world's leading manufacturers to develop high-precision sensors and algorithms for industrial applications that can deliver all the cost-competitive benefits of easily deployed, low-power, wide-area network technology,” said  Cheng Gang, executive vice president of Nokia Shanghai Bell.

He added: “We’re pleased that our system showed its worth during trials. At Nokia we believe that with the advent of 5G we can apply our IoT, analytics and wireless expertise to even more solutions that enhance levels of citizen care, well-being and security.”

The Nokia IMPACT IoT platform is designed to offer a secure, standards-based, simplified platform on which to build and scale new IoT services. The main components of the deployed solution include device management, data collection and analysis, rule engine, alarm management and statistical report & analytics.

 

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Accenture to run “digital factory” for Changi International Airport https://futureiot.tech/accenture-to-run-digital-factory-for-changi-international-airport/ Mon, 09 Mar 2020 01:30:57 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=6752 DIVA leverages the latest innovative technologies and capabilities — including artificial intelligence (AI), digital marketing, big data/analytics, predictive maintenance and the internet of things (IoT).

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Changi Airport Group (CAG) has tapped Accenture to establish and operate a “digital factory” as the world’s seventh busiest airport continuously re-invent the  passenger experience and transform operations.

“Picture a start-up environment where employees begin by thinking about what the customer wants and work backwards from there — experimenting rapidly to develop innovative products and services,” said Fabio Vacirca, the market unit group lead responsible for managing Accenture’s business across Australia and New Zealand, South East Asia, India, Africa and the Middle East.

Known as DIVA — for digital, innovation, ventures and analytics, the factory is designed to help CAG develop, experiment and launch new digital products and services — from conceptualisation to market launch, using new ways of working.

Staffed with professionals from both CAG and Accenture, DIVA leverages the latest innovative technologies and capabilities — including artificial intelligence (AI), digital marketing, big data / analytics, predictive maintenance and the internet of things (IoT).

Managed like a factory, DIVA focuses on delivering business outcomes at scale, with lines of production, predictable delivery schedules and quality controls. This model uses and enables new ways of working — with design thinking, rapid prototyping and experimentation at the core.

“DIVA is enabling CAG to re-evaluate how the airport operates and develop digital solutions to ensure that it remains a world-class leader,” Vacirca added.

AI-powered virtual assistant

As part of its work creating and managing DIVA, Accenture has helped CAG develop an AI-powered virtual assistant for airport operations, a predictive maintenance solution for engineering, and next-generation commercial digital marketing campaigns, powered by Accenture Applied Intelligence solutions and accelerators.

“By establishing DIVA with Accenture, we hope to continue to foster a culture of innovation and experimentation, by injecting new ways of working within our organization,” said Jeffrey Loke, a senior vice president at CAG. “DIVA is helping CAG implement digital innovations, at speed and at scale, at the enterprise level, serving all CAG departments, including commercial, operations, engineering, IT, and corporate marketing & communications.”

Aligned to Singapore’s Smart Nation vision, DIVA reflects CAG’s efforts to keep pace with the ongoing disruption of business operations and an important milestone not just for CAG, but for Singapore. DIVA is the first such capability that Accenture developed in ASEAN.

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Microsoft and Cisco simplify data management of IoT networks https://futureiot.tech/microsoft-and-cisco-simplify-data-management-of-iot-networks/ Thu, 05 Mar 2020 00:30:19 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=6739 One of the outcomes of this partnership will be to offer customers a pre-integrated IoT edge-to-cloud application solution.

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Microsoft and Cisco have announced that they are integrating their cloud and IoT services in a bid to ease the management of IoT devices. This mean tying together the recently released Cisco Edge Intelligence with Microsoft’s Azure IoT Hub to make transferring data from edge devices to applications in the Azure cloud simpler.

The announcement was made by two companies in a respective blogpost published last Wednesday.

“By enabling Azure IoT with Cisco IoT network devices infrastructure, IT, and operations teams can quickly take advantage of a wide variety of hardware and easily scalable telemetry collection from connected assets, to kickstart their Azure IoT application development,” wrote Tony Shakib, IoT business acceleration leader at Microsoft Azure.

He added: “Our customers can now augment their existing Cisco networks with Azure IoT ready gateways across multiple industries and use cases, without compromising the ability to implement data control and security that both Microsoft and Cisco are known for.”

Citing that Gartner’s prediction that 75% of enterprise data will be generated at the edge by 2025, Shakib pointed out that the ability to manage vast amounts of data near the edge will mean infrastructure and operations teams are required to manage more advanced data workloads, while keeping pace with business needs.

Marriage made in cloud heaven

According to Shakib, using software-based intelligence pre-loaded onto Cisco IoT network devices, telemetry data pipelines from industry-standard protocols like OPC-Unified Architecture (OPC-UA) and Modbus can be easily established using a friendly UI directly into Azure IoT Hub.

Services like Microsoft Azure Stream Analytics, Microsoft Azure Machine Learning, and Microsoft Azure Notification Hub services can be used to quickly build IoT applications for the enterprise. “Additional telemetry processing is also supported by Cisco through local scripts developed in Microsoft Visual Studio, where filtered data can also be uploaded directly into Azure IoT Hub. This collaboration provides customers with a fully integrated solution that will give access to powerful design tools, global connectivity, advance analytics, and cognitive services for analysing IoT data,” said Shakib.

Securing transmission of IoT edge data

Last January, Cisco released its Cisco Edge Intelligence software to simplify the extraction of IoT data at the network edge. The software runs on Cisco’s IoT packages and gathers data from connected devices to create logical flows from the edge into private, public or third-party clouds – in this case Microsoft Azure IoT Hub which will direct communication between IoT devices and applications.

“One of the outcomes of this partnership will be to offer customers a pre-integrated IoT edge-to-cloud application solution. Customers will be able to integrate their IoT devices through Cisco Edge Intelligence to Azure IoT Hub with a click of a button,” said Vikas Butaney, vice president of product development, IoT Business Group at Cisco in his own blogpost.

“Both Cisco and Microsoft have made it simpler, faster and more secure to send intelligent IoT edge data to enterprise-class applications. Customers will be able to drive their artificial intelligence, analytics, machine learning, and business intelligence applications to support a better digital transformation,” he added.

Already, customers in a variety of industry verticals are taking advantage of the Microsoft and Cisco partnership as they deploy more IoT solutions at the edge of the network.

For one, voestalpine, a manufacturer of high-quality steel, is benefiting from this integration in several ways. Cisco Edge Intelligence is being used to extract and transform typical factory floor data into valuable plant management information with seamless integration with Azure IoT service. To improve operations, voestalpine is using Cisco Edge Intelligence to ensure that IoT data is segmented and accessed by the right plant vendors while at the same time feeding its corporate systems on the centralised Azure cloud.

“At voestalpine, we are going through a digital journey to rethink and innovate manufacturing processes to bring increased operational efficiency. We face challenges to consistently and securely extract data from these machines and deliver the right data to our analytics applications,” said Stefan Pöchtrager, enterprise architect, voestalpine AG.

He added: “We are validating Cisco’s next-generation edge data software, Cisco Edge Intelligence, along with Azure IoT services for our cloud software development. Cisco’s out-of-the box edge solution with Azure IoT services helps us accelerate our digital journey.”

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Water utilities operators set sights on IIoT https://futureiot.tech/water-utilities-operators-set-sights-on-iiot/ Wed, 04 Mar 2020 01:30:41 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=6736 Digital transformation solutions supporting the holistic transformation of utilities into a smart infrastructure find high uptake, finds Frost & Sullivan.

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Water and wastewater utilities are actively exploring Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) solutions to converge various aspects of their assets so they can holistically manage them and transition from a conventional to smart infrastructure.

Driven by the demand for smart solutions such as smart water meters, smart online water sensors, and smart non-revenue water (NRW) leak management, the global smart water grid market is expected to reach US$22.2 billion in 2020.

"Water and wastewater utilities are widely adopting data analytics platforms as analytics-driven intelligence is gradually becoming a key requirement for ensuring regulatory compliance and economic sustainability," said Paul Hudson, industry analyst, Sustainability at Frost & Sullivan. "By combining Artificial Intelligence (AI) with data analytics, technology companies have developed solutions that can learn from various events and provide customised preventive measures. The predictive and prescriptive intelligence not only improves the resilience of the infrastructure but also minimises the damage to the environment."

Frost & Sullivan's recent analysis, “Impact of IIoT on the Global Water & Wastewater Industry”, examines the application potential of digital transformation and IoT in the water sector. It analyses current trends and recommends strategies for long-term growth across regions. The study covers IIoT in water and wastewater utilities and networks, customer demand management, and treatment.

"Utilities that are embracing IIoT-based digital transformation are likely to adopt a modular approach that can be scaled over a period to cover the entire asset," noted Hudson. "As every utility has a unique set of challenges, smart solutions need to be first customized and then integrated into a single platform. Eventually, there will be a continual focus on upgrading software solutions and expanding their capabilities to include even climatic factors and climate change goals."

In addition to investing in advanced IIoT sensors and data analytics platforms, smart water treatment or management product/solution providers will find growth opportunities by:

Modifying their product lines to suit conventional infrastructure instead of merely focusing on new build/installation projects.

  • Modularising their offerings and providing asset management and business intelligence as separate customised modules. This will allow them to focus on providing value to maintain and maximise the data generated by their product/solution.
  • Partnering with holistic data analytics solutions providers, which can effectively maximise the asset management and intelligence capabilities.
  • Engaging in M&A with large engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) and operation & maintenance (O&M) companies, which can help with market penetration in both the new build and existing project base.

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Cloud vendors jostling for share of IoT analytics https://futureiot.tech/cloud-vendors-jostling-for-share-of-iot-analytics/ Mon, 02 Mar 2020 01:00:50 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=6712 Enterprise’s transition to the cloud will drive cloud supplier data and analytics revenues to US$56 billion by 2026

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ABI Research says cloud vendors are investing in the data and analytics services space as they attempt to get on board the IoT value chain. The researcher forecasts that cloud suppliers will grow their share of IoT data and analytics management revenues from US$6 billion in 2019 to US$56 billion in 2026.

Cloud vendor’s revenues come primarily from streaming, storage, and the orchestration of data. Analytics services across cloud vendors, on the other hand, are less differentiated, as reflected in pre-built templates such as AWS Sagemaker and Microsoft Azure Notebooks which leverage the open source Jupyter project.

Considering that many cloud vendors are in the early stages of analytics investment, cloud vendors are relying on their partners for addressing more specific advanced analytics and vertical market needs.

“The overall approach shown by cloud suppliers in their analytics services reflects the dilemma they face in the complex IoT partnership ecosystem,” said Kateryna Dubrova, research analyst at ABI Research. She questioned whether these ISPs will depend on partners for analytics services or build their own analytics services that compete with pureplay analytics vendors.

Interestingly, streaming is the one analytics technology that all cloud vendors are building into their solution portfolios to blend data management with near-real-time analytics on streamed IoT data. AWS, Microsoft, Google, IBM, and Oracle, for example, are promoting their proprietary streaming solutions to differentiate, accelerate time-to-market, and win over customers.

In contrast, companies like Cloudera, Teradata, and C3.ai are introducing streaming analytics services heavily reliant on open source technology, such as Spark and Flink.

However, by focusing on data management and streaming technologies, cloud vendors are ceding the advanced analytics market to other suppliers. Hence, the advanced analytics market is an excellent example of the “coopetition” in the IoT ecosystem, where cloud vendors are partnering with advanced analytics suppliers.

This coopetition enables them to promote an end-to-end IoT technology stack, for example Azure and AWS have partnered with Seeq to leverage its advance analytics capabilities.

At the same time, other vendors, such as Oracle, Cisco, and Huawei, are pushing intelligence and analytics closer to the devices, expanding their edge portfolio. Such divergent analytics strategies represent the reality and challenges for serving a very diverse IoT ecosystem with IoT analytics services.

“Ultimately, businesses are moving to an analytics-driven business model which will require both infrastructure and services for continuous intelligence. Cloud vendor strategies need to align with this reality to take advantage of analytics value and revenues that will transition to predictive and prescriptive solutions,” Dubrova concluded.

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Odakyu Electric Railway conducts AI-based safety trials https://futureiot.tech/odakyu-electric-railway-conducts-ai-based-safety-trials/ Thu, 20 Feb 2020 02:07:57 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=6618 Network connected cameras are one of  the most prolific sources of IoT data that can provide valuable insights to help promote high safety standards.

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Committed to advancing innovative technology to make the Odakyu Line the safest rail company in Japan, Odakyu Electric Railway is carrying out trials of Nokia’s SpaceTime scene analytics to identify ways of enhancing rail crossing safety.

With testing underway at Tamagawa Gakuenmae No.8 railroad crossing in Machida City, Tokyo, Nokia’s scene analytics can detect abnormal events by applying machine-learning based artificial intelligence to available camera images. Trials will be conducted from February 14 into March.

“Odakyu Electric Railway is renowned for being an early adopter of new technology and this trial illustrates the role that AI can play in delivering enhanced levels of vigilance,” said John Harrington, head of Nokia Japan. “This is a critical milestone for Nokia to help contribute not only to railway safety improvement but also to decrease operational costs and enhance performance.”

One of the leading private railway operators in Japan, Odakyu Electric Railway currently has 229 crossing points across 120.5 kilometres of rail track, with 137 radar systems for object detection.

Nokia SpaceTime scene analytics, which was developed by Nokia Bell Labs, is also capable of providing real-time alerts for unauthorized entry into remote facilities. It can detect and alert supervisors when personnel or equipment access unsafe locations in industrial settings or when heavy machinery is out of position creating a potential hazard.

Analysing available image feeds generated by conventional railroad crossing cameras, scene analytics identifies potential issues in real-time. Running on edge computing resources, it can also greatly reduce required bandwidth at remote sites, which may have limited connectivity.

“Network connected cameras are one of  the most prolific sources of IoT data that can provide valuable insights to help promote high safety standards,” said Harrington. “By running machine learning analytics on camera feeds, and sending solely relevant scenes and events to operators, the full benefits of video surveillance can be realised in a wide variety of settings – with rail crossings a particularly relevant use case.”

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Tata Motors and Tata Elxsi develop cloud-based IoT platform https://futureiot.tech/tata-motors-and-tata-elxsi-develop-cloud-based-iot-platform/ Wed, 19 Feb 2020 03:00:53 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=6604 Tata Motors has teamed up with Tata Elxsi in developing their unified Connected Vehicle Platform that powers the Nexon EV range of electric cars.

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Tata Motors has teamed up with Tata Elxsi in developing their unified Connected Vehicle Platform that powers the Nexon EV range of electric cars.

The two companies have  developed a cloud-based IoT platform which provides Tata Motors with a common standard technology stack that delivers the scalability and high performance required to support the entire range of electric, commercial and passenger vehicles.

"In line with our objective of offering differentiated products based on our CESS philosophy (Connected, Electrified, Safe & Shared), we are delighted to have partnered with Tata Elxsi which not only allowed us to take the decision of developing a native platform for the Connected Vehicle Program, but also helped us to jump start and meet the critical product launch timeline,” said Rajendra Petkar, president and CTO, Tata Motors.

Tata Elxsi works with leading OEMs and suppliers in the automotive and transportation industries for R&D, design and product engineering services. It brings together domain experience across connected infotainment, autonomous driving, telematics, powertrain, body and chassis electronics, AI, Analytics and IoT.

Petkar said that Tata Elxsi brings strong automotive electronics experience, coupled with an excellent understanding of cloud-based applications, data governance and world class user experience capabilities.

“The collaboration between the two teams has been outstanding and will continue to ensure a wonderful customer experience," Petkar said.

Tata Motors is in the process of offering the connected vehicle feature as a key differentiator to most of its BS6 range of passenger and commercial vehicles. Nexon EV, 'India's own Electric SUV', is the very first application enabled vehicle, with a number of connected vehicle features.

This unified cloud native approach will enable data and analytics synergies for Tata Motors, across product development, customer use cases, dealerships, allied businesses and service networks, enabling innovations in customer experience, offerings, services and business models.

"We are delighted to partner with Tata Motors in the Connected Vehicle Program, to help unify and synergise data through a common digital services platform enabling completely new services, innovative business models and enhanced customer experience. We are proud to be a strategic ecosystem partner to Tata Motors in their vision for the future of mobility that is Connected, Electric, Safe and Shared," said Manoj Raghavan, managing director and CEO, Tata Elxsi.

 

 

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Smart devices help HK fight against new coronavirus https://futureiot.tech/smart-devices-help-hk-fight-against-new-coronavirus/ Fri, 14 Feb 2020 01:00:36 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=6578 Researchers from HKUST and PolyU have created automated diagnostic devices that can detect up to 40 pathogens for infectious respiratory diseases within one hour.

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Technology is being use in the forefront to fight  for the control and prevention of the coronavirus that now has Greater China firmly in its grip. Early detection of people infected of the novel coronavirus has become an imminent challenge around the world as the epidemic continues to develop.

In Hong Kong, researchers at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) and The Polytechnic University of Hong Kong (PolyU) have developed an automated diagnostic machine that can pathogens for infectious respiratory diseases.

Detection in 40 minutes

A team of researchers from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) recently invented the  portable 2019-nCoV detection device.  With the latest microfluidic chip technology, the device can detect the virus in just 40 minutes from sampling to testing, compared to the currently-used polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technology which takes between 1.5 to 3 hours.

PCR Nucleic Acid Analyser developed by HKUST

PCR technology is a molecular biotechnology used to amplify specific DNA fragments for the extraction of viral RNA, and the speed of temperature change is the key that determines the efficiency of the DNA’s amplification process, meaning the faster the temperature rises, the shorter the device can come up with a test result.

Unlike conventional large-scale PCR devices which use semiconductor to heat up testing samples, the team led by Prof. WEN Weijia from HKUST’s Department of Physics developed a novel silicon-based micro-heater module for the purpose. The micro-heater, which has lower thermal mass and a better thermal conductivity, could speed up temperature rises to around 30℃ per second from an average of 4-5℃ per second in conventional PCR devices, greatly reducing the detection time.

The detection device uses standard rapid testing tools such as those used for influenza: a quick screen is used to take a sample of the nasal cavity, which is then put into the analyser to determine the result.  Measuring just 33cm long, 32cm wide and 16cm high, the equipment set is light and portable, which is suitable for rapid on-site testing in places such as centres for disease control and prevention, customs, entry-exit inspection and quarantine departments, as well as nursing homes for the elderly.  Each device is equipped with a microfluidic portable PCR analyser, a pre-processing instrument, a bioassay chip and the novel coronavirus nucleic acid detection kits. It can test up to 8 samples simultaneously.

Leveraging on Shenzhen Shineway Technology – a biotechnology startup company co-founded by Prof. Wen and his doctoral graduate Dr. GAO Yibo, the team started this research immediately after obtaining the new coronavirus sequence on January 20 and came up with the testing kit within a week.

The new device is already in use by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP) in Shenzhen and Guangzhou, while two more sets were being delivered to the CDCP in Hubei and Nansha.  The device has obtained international CE certification (EU standard) and is qualified for export to all European Union (EU) countries as well as Hong Kong.

Detect up to 40 pathogens in one single test

Similarly, the researchers from PolyU have created what claims to be the world's most comprehensive automated multiplex diagnostic system, which includes a fully automated machine and a multiplex full-screening panel for the point-of-care genetic testing (POCT) of respiratory infectious diseases, including the 2019-nCoV.

The automated multiplex diagnostic system invented by PolyU and HKU

"Early and accurate detection of pathogens could contribute to effective and efficient disease control and management, and prevent spreading of any contagious pathogens. It benefits the patients as well because timely therapy can then be applied to prevent complications. The existing challenge is that we lack full panel POCT technologies for early and on-site diagnosis, which should ideally be capable of differentiating between different pathogens at the same time. This newly-developed system could be a practical solution," said PolyU Professor Terence Lau Lok-ting, director of Innovation and Technology Development and adjunct professor at the Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology.

Professor Lau has overseen this latest project with the support of HKU Professor Yuen Kwok-yung. Through collaborative efforts, their team has spent the past four years to develop the device. The research team has received indispensable support from a local biotechnology company Avalon Biomedical Management for this project.

In the past year, the team has optimised  it and conducted trials on different clinical samples. In the midst of the 2019-nCoV outbreak, the team has also conducted tests on clinical samples using the device.

In one single test and within approximately one hour, the device can identify 30 to 40 pathogens including seasonal influenza viruses, such as influenza A subtypes H1, H2 and H3, avian influenza viruses H5, H7 and H9, human respiratory syncytial virus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV), Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) and 2019-nCoV.

"This fully automated, quantitative rapid diagnostic platform possesses a proprietary technology which overcomes limitations of existing technologies by ensuring sensitivity – and hence significantly enhancing the reliability of test results. Most importantly, our innovation can substantially reduce the cost of the microfluidic cartridge manufacturing thus making it feasible for wide adoption. It is ready for mass-scale production," said Professor Lau.

Leveraging the current polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technology, the system is fully automated from sample nucleic acid extraction and amplification, to signal detection and analysis. The System adopts patent-pending microfluidic and biochemical technologies that achieve ultra-sensitive detection (down to 5 gene copies) and simultaneous differentiation of various pathogens with extremely high specificity. It is also user-friendly, with manual handling not being required throughout the testing process.

"The device's versatility and capability will provide for comprehensive monitoring during disease outbreaks or routine surveillance,” said Professor Yuen. “It will become a crucial technology for ensuring the effective control of infectious diseases, medical diagnosis, and treatment."

Smart wristbands monitor potential

Meanwhile the Hong Kong Government has deployed smart wristbands to monitor city residents quarantined inside their homes. The government distributed a total of 500 smart wristbands initially, with an additional 1,000 to be produced in the coming days, if needed.

Victor Lam, Government CIO, Hong Kong Government SAR

Government Chief Information Officer Victor Lam explained how the smart device works, saying the wristbands are used in conjunction with smartphones and given to people who had been to Wuhan in the past 14 days and need to quarantine at home as a result.

“This smart wristband will work together with the smartphone. So, a signal will be sent, basically exchanged, between the smartphone and the smart wristband.”

Lam said that the smart technology is designed to send an alert if quarantined individuals attempt to leave their homes.

“If the smartphone is disconnected, then an alert will be immediately sent to the Department of Health and Police for follow up,” he added. “And if the wristband is broken, an alert will also be immediately sent to the Department of Health and Police for follow. So, they work as a pair basically.”

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Manufacturers’ call to action: Invest in insights to enhance decision-making https://futureiot.tech/invest-insights-enhance-decision-making/ Wed, 12 Feb 2020 01:00:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=6564 Machine learning is one of the main ways in which manufacturers can use data to their advantage and achieve continued automation and growth.

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Machine learning is one of the main ways in which manufacturers can use data to their advantage and achieve continued automation and growth.

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Smart vision: Opening eyes to new sustainable practices in Singapore https://futureiot.tech/smart-vision-opening-eyes-to-new-sustainable-practices-in-singapore/ Tue, 11 Feb 2020 02:30:35 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=6561 With a plethora of smart building management solutions in the market, video stands out as a multi-faceted tool that goes beyond security to provide smart metrics for intelligent workplace management.

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Video technologies are often associated with the idea of security, leaving little to the imagination of what can be done beyond that space. In fact, one might never think it could have a part to play in sustainable strategies. However, that is set to change — with the advent of data analytics, AI and IoT — you would be surprised how much value video can add to ongoing conversations surrounding sustainability and the environment. A common misconception is that sustainability initiatives require dramatic overhauls of existing solutions and adopting costly, cutting-edge alternatives instead. In fact, smart video technologies can provide sweet reprieve — proving both easy and affordable to implement, while providing effective results.

Environmental conservation

Firstly, video technology can be effectively utilised to impact environmental conservation efforts. Beyond enabling the forecasting of weather, observation of coastal patterns and pollution tracking, video networking solutions have proven particularly useful in observing surroundings too delicate or dangerous for humans to monitor. Halfway around the world, this can already be seen with video technology used to track polar bear movements in Canada, which helps them maintain a safe distance from nearby cities.

Closer to home, an Australian rainforest observatory had sought to study an osprey’s nest, which was perched atop the forest canopy. To enable researchers to observe the birds and happenings surrounding the nest, researchers mounted cameras in precarious positions, which then provided remote and round-the-clock tracking on a consolidated video management platform. With these intuitive video management systems, researchers were also able to quickly download and monitor the osprey camera output from various remote research facilities.

In Singapore, this could be applied in a similar capacity, aiding the research and conservation of endangered local wildlife, or even the inspection of trees. And it’s not just stationary camera systems that provide this support; video drones also present an exciting option in enabling real-time visibility over wide expanses of land or water. Singapore’s NParks, for instance, is currently exploring drone use as part of its smart roadmap to improve efficiency in its environmental conservation and management efforts. The Forest Fire Detection and Monitoring Systems prototype will see an installation of cameras in forested areas to enable continuous, real-time monitoring and the early detection (and prevention) of forest fires.

Corporate sustainability

Beyond equipping organisations in their efforts to save the environment, video technologies, such as video analytics, can play a crucial role in sustainability strategies today – these include monitoring energy consumption and wastage and even suggesting ways in which energy-saving technologies may be applied. Such reduced energy emissions can directly correspond with significant savings in energy spend.

Video can empower everyday businesses to adopt sustainable business practices. Research continues to prove that doing one’s part for the environment and prioritizing profitability do not have to be mutually exclusive — Singapore’s Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat had recently advocated on embracing sustainability in corporate mandates, as they actually do make ‘good business sense’. Furthermore, as Singapore realises its Smart Nation ideals, smart building solutions become increasingly pertinent considerations for business leaders. With a plethora of smart building management solutions in the market, video stands out as a multi-faceted tool that goes beyond security to provide smart metrics for intelligent workplace management.

For starters, having an AI-powered camera network within offices provides operations managers with data on key areas of traffic and footfall. This then translates to actionable insight on how office spaces and resources can be used to maximise work productivity. With IoT-backed capabilities, organisations will be able to monitor and act on common areas that are at capacity or when shared resources need to be replenished. Furthermore, these solutions can automate the adjustment of air conditioning and ventilation systems based on how populated spaces are, as well as adjust lighting requirements based on how much natural light enters the office.

Think about that for a second — simply consider the office lights, air-conditioning and digital appliances left on and charging throughout the night. This can account for a hefty percentage of your average business’ energy bills; money that could then be rechanneled into the business.

Although Singapore firms are well ahead of other countries in their smart building implementations, a simple way to effectively boost corporate sustainability efforts may lie in greater adoption of intelligent energy solutions such as these. In short, it remains a win-win situation.

Adopting video technology solutions empowers organisations to better identify opportunities to embrace sustainable business efforts, circumvent existing problem areas in wastage management and save operational costs in the long run; exemplifying how businesses can do their part for the environment, while ensuring profitability.

In a time where the technology space is saturated and existing solutions are constantly drowned out by emerging ones each day, it remains evident that there continues to be plenty of applications of video technology in enhancing our lives and environment.

There remains much more that Singapore can do for sustainability and leveraging video solutions can serve to further propel those efforts. So perhaps what sustainability requires isn’t necessarily a redo, as much as it is a rethinking and resolve in our approach. Innovation gives us a leg up in tackling today’s increasingly complex challenges, but a simple solution can already be found in video technologies.

 

 

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FutureIoT QuickTakes: 5G – not the universal connectivity for IoT https://futureiot.tech/futureiot-quicktakes-5g-not-the-universal-connectivity-for-iot/ Wed, 05 Feb 2020 01:00:44 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=6451 Eric Hui, director of IoT business development at Equinix Asia-Pacific, cautions 5G, on its own, may not necessarily bring about the zero-latency experience users might be clamouring for.

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Eric Hui, director of IoT business development at Equinix Asia-Pacific, cautions 5G, on its own, may not necessarily bring about the zero-latency experience users might be clamouring for.

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CIO’s guide to securing IoT https://futureiot.tech/cios-guide-to-securing-iot/ Wed, 05 Feb 2020 01:00:12 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=6525 [...] Accessing FutureIoT Premium Content Welcome! To access Premium content and more, please login below. Not a Premium member yet? Register now for a free account! Username or Email Password  Remember Me Forgot Password Alternatively,

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O&G sector to fuel growth of IIoT-based monitoring systems https://futureiot.tech/og-sector-to-fuel-growth-of-iiot-based-monitoring-systems/ Mon, 03 Feb 2020 02:30:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=6492 End-user emphasis on reduced downtime will create huge demand for real-time monitoring solutions, finds Frost & Sullivan.

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Regulatory requirements and the need to minimise unexpected downtime, loss from leakages, and workplace accidents are driving the demand for Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT)-based monitoring solutions across different streams of the oil & gas industry.

According to Frost & Sullivan, vendors in response to market demand will offer end-to-end IIoT-based monitoring solutions that increase the ease of purchase and deployment and enable seamless operation.

"Innovative pricing models such as subscription-based pricing, pay per connected device, and pay-as-you-grow services enabled by IIoT are likely to promote the rapid adoption of monitoring solutions," said Krishna Raman, research analyst for industrial at Frost & Sullivan. "These models reduce the end-users' CAPEX required to implement them."

Entitled “Digitization of Oil and Gas—Understanding the Impact of IIoT-based Monitoring”, the latest report from the tech research firm analyses the industry trends in the upstream, midstream, and downstream oil & gas sectors. The study covers the geographic segments of North America, EMEA and Russia, Latin America, and Asia-Pacific.

The company predicts that there will be greater growth opportunities for IIoT solution vendors that:

  • Develop non-intrusive sensors offering benefits and retrofit them in existing pipeline structures.
  • Provide self-powered sensors, which are based on energy-harvesting technologies.
  • Partner with machine learning solution providers to create an end-to-end solution and analyse data obtained from sensors in geographically dispersed locations.
  • Market and install proof-of-concept solutions at end-user sites to demonstrate ROI.

"The midstream sector is expected to experience the highest growth in investments," said Raman. "Growth of the United States gas power plants segment and increased emphasis on gas exports will boost investment in pipelines, especially real-time pipeline monitoring solutions and natural gas liquefaction terminals. This demand for real-time monitoring will be further driven by end-users' desire for zero asset downtime and fool-proof personnel safety."

 

 

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Next-gen smart building solutions to grow over US$2-B by 2026 https://futureiot.tech/next-gen-smart-building-solutions-to-grow-over-us2-b-by-2026/ Thu, 30 Jan 2020 03:00:32 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=6475 Newer applications target untapped building automation opportunities while improving building value among all stakeholders.

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While the automated building market is not new for commercial buildings, it has traditionally focused on four conventional sectors: HVAC, lighting, access control, and fire and life safety. Now, new emerging applications in space management, environmental monitoring, asset management, and cleanliness & hygiene management are being offered as either standalone solutions or to augment existing building automation systems for improved building sustainability.

Together, these new solutions will grow at 32% CAGR over the next 8 years to create US$2 billion in software and services revenues by 2026, according to a new report from global tech market advisory firm, ABI Research.

Space management solutions are being created and engineered with a variety of sensors, including contact, motion, and occupancy. Typically implemented into office buildings, new space management solutions are becoming more useful in significantly larger commercial buildings, such as airports or stadiums.

“Occupancy and motion sensors can be used to help improve the speed in which travellers can manoeuvre themselves through the airport. Real-time insights mean that managers can deploy staff as needed to relevant areas of the building,” explains Harriet Sumnall, research analyst at ABI Research

Environmental monitoring consists of sensors that are monitoring noise levels, air quality, and natural lighting systems. These solutions enable the ability to see real-time conditions of areas within buildings and monitor the conditions in each room to improve overall occupant wellness and comfort. Saint-Gobain, manufacturer of high-performance materials, in 2018, created a subsidiary Kandu to offer turnkey IoT service for companies to enhance the quality of their workspaces.

Other smart building solutions on the rise

ABI Research listed down newer smart building solutions emerging in the market in their latest report entitled “Smart Buildings 2.0: Building Automation”.

Asset management solutions are becoming increasingly important within specific commercial buildings, especially healthcare entities. The use of asset management solutions helps hospitals improve their inventory management, lower operational costs, and automate the clinical inventory processes.  American Zebra Technologies Corporation offers solutions that track assets specifically made for hospitals using of RFID technology.

Cleanliness and hygiene management is a newer solution for the smart building market. Georgia Pacific (GP) and Kimberly Clarke offer intelligent systems to run restrooms more efficiently. For example, GP’s restocking solutions use sensors that send alerts when soap and paper dispensers are running low. “Their biggest value comes from reduction in labour costs through cleaning optimisation and higher customer satisfaction by reducing stock-outs,” says Sumnall.

The current HVAC, lighting, access control, and fire and life safety solutions combine to create the core applications of Building Management Systems (BMS) offered by market leaders, Honeywell, Schneider Electric, Signify, and Siemens. However, as the smart building market evolves, the ecosystem is no longer limited to the traditional BMS vendors. Now it includes the OEMs of consumables and construction materials adding complementary IoT solutions.

Sumnall said: “The more important competitive dynamic to recognise is that newer suppliers, most with wireless solution offerings, can more easily sell into the untapped market of older and smaller buildings.  This won’t necessarily change the focus of the traditional BMS vendors however their competitiveness will be greatly diminished if their systems are not interoperable with solutions from these newer suppliers.  In this more complex supplier market with more applications, interoperability will be what differentiates all market participants.”

 

 

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NTT Group to hold smart city POC in Cyberjaya https://futureiot.tech/ntt-group-to-hold-smart-city-poc-in-cyberjaya/ Thu, 30 Jan 2020 02:00:37 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=6472 Based on the results of the PoC, NTT Group will promote the deployment of smart city solutions to Cyberjaya and other cities in Malaysia, as well as to ASEAN countries.

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NTT Group said it will conduct one of the first Asian smart city proof of concept (PoC) in the Cyberjaya area of Malaysia next month, in cooperation with local stakeholders.

The month-long POC between February and March this year is part of the  Japanese Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications’ FY 2019 project "Research on Smart City Model for Solving Social Problems in Malaysia".

Japan and Malaysia have a close bilateral relationship through the Look East policy started by Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad in 1981. Since that time, there have been high expectations that Japanese companies will use technologies and know-how cultivated globally, to help solve social issues and contribute to  Malaysia’s economic development.

Piloting smart city concepts in Cyberjaya

NTT Group will perform the smart city POC with local partners Cyberview, which will help in the implementation of the field test, stakeholder coordination and business model development, and Allo, which will be tasked to provision the optical fibre needed by the infrastructure.

Meanwhile, as the centre of the country’s Multimedia Super Corridor, the city of Cyberjaya has been chosen as the test area for the smart city concept.

Through this PoC, NTT Group aims to establish a sustainable business model while verifying the possibility of solving social issues in Asia, utilising the technologies and know-how accumulated in the smart city field in the United States.

Addressing road congestions

According to the company, one of the societal issues that it would like to address during the smart city POC is the perennial road congestions plaguing Malaysian streets. The company aims to find solution to the problem by collecting data and using vehicle information.

During the field test based on the vehicle monitoring solution that has been provided in the City of Las Vegas since February 2019, NTT Group will customise and provide similar solution to support the needs of local stakeholders. Specifically, by installing cameras at the intersection with the highest traffic volume in Cyberjaya, and analysing traffic volume and vehicle information, NTT Group aims to reduce traffic congestion, detect stolen vehicles, and support the creation of businesses in the neighbourhood.

Based on the results of the field tests, NTT Group will verify several points through discussions with stakeholders. These are:

  • Challenges and feasibility of smart city solutions deployed in Coty of Las Vegas in terms of system construction and operational aspects in Malaysia
  • Possibility of business model development using the technology (Application Examples: Public Safety, Smart Infrastructure, Commercial Use)
  • Possibility of deployment to ASEAN countries (Reflecting market trends, legal systems, and local stakeholders' needs)

Based on the results of the PoC, NTT Group said it will promote the deployment of smart city solutions to Cyberjaya and other cities in Malaysia, as well as to ASEAN countries, with the aim of improving people's living conditions, improving urban sustainability, and realising a smart society.

 

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Malaysia 5G use cases to boost IoT adoption https://futureiot.tech/malaysia-5g-use-cases-to-boost-iot-adoption/ Wed, 29 Jan 2020 04:00:32 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=6465 The 5G technology is also enabling the country’s smart city use case. It  is an Integrated Command Centre equipped with advanced security features for real-time surveillance large scale monitoring by local authorities and backed up by analytics, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet-of -Things (IoT) and data-driven insights.

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Adoption of Internet of Things (IoT) in Malaysia is set to grow as the country embarks on various 5G use cases around the country.

With 5G-enabled precision farming, for example, the agriculture industry stands to reap the amount currently lost to imports. According to the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission,  the smart agriculture use case features an AI-driven automation platform that allows predictive growth modelling. Remote global monitoring and control, thus, making farming possible anywhere.

The 5G technology is also enabling the country’s smart city use case. It  is an Integrated Command Centre equipped with advanced security features for real-time surveillance large scale monitoring by local authorities and backed up by analytics, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet-of -Things (IoT) and data-driven insights.

YB Gobind Singh Deo, Malaysia Minister of Communications and Multimedia,  said 5G will allow the country to produce and manufacture more high-quality goods and services while further benefiting the people with better products and services.

"Recognising its potential, the government of Malaysia through the MCMC is leading the way by proactively taking the necessary steps to develop this new and emerging ecosystem," the Minister said during his opening remark at the first  5G Malaysia International Conference held recently in Langkawi.

The conference delved into 5G potential as a catalyst for sustainable development goals, digital inclusivity and  the global roadmap for the technology among others.

Malaysia is set to add USD 3.12 billion (RM 12.7 billion) to its GDP by 2025 with the implementation of 5G with 39,000 new jobs

The site of the conference is positioning itself as the first 5G island in the world, with 35 of the 5G use cases in Malaysia being based there. These use cases are collectively known as the Langkawi Trials, which comprised of a third of all of Malaysia 5G use cases. There are another 72 5G use cases involving nine  industry verticals at 56 live sites across the country, with a total investment of USD 35.16 million (RM 143 million) from industry players.

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Global smart waste bin market to reach US$5.42 billion in 2025 https://futureiot.tech/global-smart-waste-bin-market-to-reach-us5-42-billion-in-2025/ Mon, 27 Jan 2020 02:30:26 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=6432 Smart waste management through the installation of smart waste bins is expected to improve the efficiency of waste collection, transportation, and recycling of waste.

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Smart waste management through the installation of smart waste bins is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 64.1% to touch US$5.42 billion in 2025, according to a latest research from Frost & Sullivan. The global smart waste bin market currently has an estimated value of US$278.8.

"Innovative treatment technologies, such as self-sorting bins, solar-powered compactors, and recyclable eWaste bins, are becoming viable solutions and hold great business potential," said Deepthi Kumar Sugumar, senior research analyst, Energy & Environment at Frost & Sullivan.

He added: "Cities will increasingly refurbish traditional bins by affixing sensors on them to convert them into smart bins. Emerging markets such as India, China, and Australia are especially proving strong markets for technology firms."

Smart waste management through the installation of smart waste bins is expected to improve the efficiency of waste collection, transportation, and recycling of waste. As sensor-enabled bins communicate the level of waste in them, they can reduce the number of trips haulers need to make, lowering costs and greenhouse gas emissions.

Getting business models right

Entitled “Growth Opportunities in the Global Internet of Bins Market, Forecast to 2025”,  the Frost & Sullivan study examines new business models and disruptive technologies and solutions in the market.

It also forecasts the revenue shares of semi-underground containers, four-wheeled and front-end loaders, litter bins, underground containers, smart compactors, bins for commercial buildings, and other containers in the geographic regions of Europe, the Americas, Asia-Pacific (APAC), and the Middle East and Africa (MEA).

"Europe is a pioneer in smart waste management with about 72% of the market share. This strong growth is due to financial constraints of cities and the need for alternatives to reduce waste collection costs," noted Sugumar. "Other factors include a circular economy, collection and recycling targets, and government initiatives. Companies looking to tap opportunities in medium and smaller cities will aim to develop affordable and innovative Internet of Things solutions that can be customized to their needs."

To gain a competitive edge in the market, the technology research firm said smart bin companies need to make the most of the growth opportunities presented by:

  • Providing value-added services like cleaning and maintenance, on-site waste audits, and partnering with other solution providers to develop a complete smart waste infrastructure package.
  • Adopting performance-based financial business models to encourage capital investments.
  • Expanding in regions that are rapidly urbanising and generating a high volume of waste.
  • Partnering with solution providers for effective design, installation, and distribution of smart devices.
  • Offering accessories such as CCTV cameras for security, LED displays screening waste data, different sensors for events like tilt and fire, and remote configuration for customers.
  • Developing different product lines, especially for enhancing the entire value chain. For instance, Big Data platform providers can also present basic-level sensors and image recognition technologies.
  • Launching new platforms that can manage the data generated by any connected smart bin device and convey information about the usage and performance of the device.

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ABI Research: 5 challenges holding back IoT in the O&G industry https://futureiot.tech/abi-research-5-challenges-holding-back-iot-in-the-og-industry/ Tue, 21 Jan 2020 00:00:39 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=6417 From an IoT perspective, the O&G industry’s approach to maintenance is slowly moving from reactive to preventive by leveraging a proactive approach to predictive analytics.

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The oil and gas (O&G) industry is one of the first verticals to embrace Internet of Things (IoT) technologies in digital transformation.

With aging equipment and legacy infrastructure that were constructed decades ago with non-regular updates, potential breakdowns and major spills have become a real worry in the industry. Thus, while the integration of modern monitoring and advanced IoT technologies is not easy and cheap given the legacy environment, the O&G industry is biting the bullet.

“From an IoT perspective, the O&G industry’s approach to maintenance is slowly moving from reactive to preventive by leveraging a proactive approach to predictive analytics,” said Kateryna Dubrova, M2M, IoT & IoE analyst at ABI Research.

She noted that unpredictable oil prices and geopolitical conditions are causing greater adoption of monitoring and maintenance technologies. The priority is clear: cut operating costs and optimise maintenance to reduce expenses.

“The preventive maintenance approach that requires inspection and maintenance at regular intervals is considered practical. However, the ultimate question is whether the multibillion contract with IoT service providers can exist in the real world. So far, the technology has failed to ‘prevent’ complete machinery breakdowns,” Dubrova said.

The reality is that in 2019 alone, there were approximately 2,000 oil spill incidents and that since the Deepwater Horizon event in April 2010, statistics indicate more than 610,488 tons of fuel have been spilled globally.

Industrial challenges for business intelligence in O&G

Considering the current industry dynamic and rapid IoT transformation for top O&G players, ABI Research looked at the business intelligence and analytics challenges. Why do they seem to only promise Returns on Investment (ROIs)?

Challenge 1. Big Data: The O&G industry is a continuous processing industry consistently producing commodities—meaning that it generates a vast amount of information every second. The industry is transitioning its flow of information from sensors, detecting such elements as temperature, pressure, fluid viscosity, the presence of foreign substances, and seismic activity. First and foremost, technological advancement in the big data domain is still in its incumbent stage—and specifically in the IoT domain. Second, giant oil suppliers seem to turn to big data solutions to look for “all the answers” while big data solutions at the current historical conjunction are still predominantly concerned with ingestion and storage capabilities over advanced analytics.

Challenge 2. Advanced Analytics and Artificial Intelligence: Integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and advanced-analytics automating functions is still far in a horizon—this is just the reality. It is possible to apply AI-generated actionable insight into batch (non–real time) data processing and produce valuable analytics. However, a closer look at the predictive maintenance and O&G type of infrastructure reveals that real-time AI application does not exist yet. While top oil players market themselves as pro-tech, with predictive analytics being the key to their investment, consulting firms and the hiring of a few experts is not making the technology work and subsequently not making a difference in preventive measures.

Challenge 3. Capturing and Localizing Leaks: The current technologies for leak detection and prediction of such incidents is based on the known locations of reporting sensor nodes. The scalability of the pipeline leakage detection sensor network can constitute an utterly separate challenge since it would include a full-scale coverage of the pipeline network, which is enormous. In this case, the leak detection mechanism tool sets intertwined with various localization techniques can address the concerns, if only they were not transmitted as batches of data. In this regard, localization techniques with satisfactory performance will be a welcome addition to the leak detection mechanism toolbox. Conventional sensor-based monitoring is not able to deal with these types of problems, while a streaming analytics engine can.

Challenge 4. Expectations and Capabilities Gap: Following the previously acknowledged challenges, ABI Research has concluded that one of the biggest downfalls and challenges of IoT analytics in O&G is the c-suite expectations and capabilities gap. There is a trend for managers to not see a quick ROI from IoT analytics or to not see any business value at all since they are looking for a “saving on reduced downtime” rather than an investment in precaution. Across the IoT industry there is a misconception of what analytics entails and how the c-suite would use the insights coming from connected devices. The reality of the market is that the automating processes of data readability, filtering, cleansing, enrichment, and so on is at the early stages. There is arguably a need for technology advancement and democratization since teaching an operator complex data science is not always possible and is unrealistic. Hence, the expansion of IoT analytics efficiency is available, while the capabilities to accomplish it is not.

Challenge 5. Auditing of Data-Driven Decision Making: Concerns grow over the auditing of the already-made decisions, which are the subject of Machine Learning (ML) and sophisticated algorithms. Building AI and ML algorithms is a complex process, and currently there is no auditing trail for decision making or scrutiny over the parameters that are driving ML tool sets. There is a need for auditing and due-diligence procedures to construct and understand the AI decision outcome, as this is currently lacking. The debate centres on whether the oil company or operating or transporting company is responsible for leakage and whether this also extends toward technology providers. Table 1 shows that major oil companies are using technology vendors for predictive analytics and other IoT solutions. However, when it comes to accidents, those vendors are not included in the scrutiny and the conversation about responsibility.

A look into the future

Looking 10 years ahead, Dubrova predicted that the O&G industry can expect a long patch of digital transformation, tightening standards, and embracement of corporate social and environmental responsibility.

“The reality is that predictive maintenance is not entirely addressing preventable accidents and mistakes,” she said.  “Therefore, it needs a new perspective and evaluation of future capital expenditure to address aging facilities, digital modernization, and the analytics for oil wells. ABI Research believes that the future uptake in the industry will be IoT streaming analytics technologies.”

She noted that the modernisation and rapid upgrade in cloud-based, real-time-analytics IoT technologies alongside the rise of operational technology such as digital twin is raising the possibility of improving preventive maintenance and increasing reliability of monitoring tools and techniques.

The following types of solutions, therefore, have the potential for enabling better capabilities to predictive and prescriptive analytics before equipment failure:

  • Real-time ingestion and analytics from the sensor alongside cross-reference and comparison with newly generated technical data
  • Comprehensive-time windowing libraries
  • Ingestion, processing, and storage of real-time and historical sensor data at the edge, in the fog, and in the cloud
  • Pattern recognition of normal and errant behaviour across various types of equipment in the real-time for provision of warning systems.

The third generation of streaming technologies from the IoT domain will allow remote monitoring to reduce the risk of human mistake (and loss of lives) and provide the ability to analyse continuous streams of events producing analytics of high speed, real-time sensor data streams that can handle over 100 million data points per second.

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Haier gets its second “lighthouse” for advanced manufacturing https://futureiot.tech/haier-gets-its-second-lighthouse-for-advanced-manufacturing/ Fri, 17 Jan 2020 01:30:16 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=6401 Haier's Shenyang Interconnected Refrigerator Factory, also the first factory applying with interconnected ecosystem, was chosen for its user-centric, flexible mass customisation model.

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For the second consecutive year, one of Haier factories has joined the ranks of the Global Lighthouse Network of advanced manufacturing leaders who are now integrating the technologies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR).

Formed in 2017 by the World Economic Forum  in collaboration with McKinsey & Company, the Global Lighthouse Networks identifies factories worldwide that have deployed latest advancements in technologies such as artificial intelligence and Internet of Things (IoT) to enhance the efficiency of their production facilities.

The Shenyang Interconnected Refrigerator Factory of Haier, China's largest consumer electronics and home appliance producer, has been selected as one of 18 new factories to join the ranks of these lighthouses in 2019.

Haier’s Qingdao Central-AC (CAC) Interconnected Factory was the first to be recognised by WEF in September 2018.

Use cases for intelligent manufacturing

Called "lighthouses" due to their innovative and world-leading position, these factories are selected by the WEF based on the successful deployment of 4IR technologies to realise intelligent manufacturing, with demonstrated benefits on an operational, financial, and environmental level.

Cutting-edge technologies include artificial intelligence, big data analytics, IoT and 3D printing. Moreover, half of the new lighthouses are end-to-end factories, meaning that they are driving value beyond the manufacturing phase alone to create impact along the entire value chain. Both of Haier's lighthouses are end-to-end factories.

"Haier's Shenyang Interconnected Refrigerator Factory, also the first factory applying with interconnected ecosystem, was chosen for its user-centric, flexible mass customisation model, which is empowered by its independently-developed and scalable COSMOPlat platform, the world's largest mass customisation solutions platform," said Tingyi Hou, principal at Haier Shenyang Interconnected Factory.

Accumulated from intelligent manufacturing experience of 15 interconnected factories across China, Haier Smart Home comes up with 328 manufacturing standards, 87 steps methodology, and 56 handbooks to substantiate its proprietary COSMOPlat with cloudification for further automation and intelligent manufacturing level up among 122 factories.

Innovative manufacturing model

Compared to traditional manufacturing models, COSMOPlat digitally integrates the entire factory process and supply chain, leveraging big data, cloud computing, and IoT. It connects suppliers and consumers, enabling customers to communicate their preferences directly to the factory. Not only does this make customers participants in the transparent design and production process, but it also allows for product customisation according to consumer demands and even different or unique requests.

Customisation have resulted in products manufactured with higher precision according to actual customer requirements, which not only achieves greater efficiency but also opens up more possibilities for users.

An automated and intelligent production line and a digital information system seamlessly implement the entire process, improving direct labour productivity by 28%.

As a member of the WEF Global Lighthouse Network, Haier is actively sharing its experiences in industrial transformation, to aid the upgrading of the global manufacturing industry. It has already spearheaded the Hannover Proposal of Global Lighthouses which seeks to set and implement industry norms across standards, technology, security, talent and more.

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Singaporean researchers developed microsensor implants https://futureiot.tech/singaporean-researchers-developed-microsensor-implants/ Mon, 23 Dec 2019 03:30:41 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=6230 The team created a new wireless reader that is so sensitive to the smallest changes in a sensor’s readings.

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Researchers at the National University of Singapore (NUS) have developed a new wireless reader that is so sensitive to minute changes in a sensor’s readings that it enables the creation of sub-millimetre microsensors, tiny enough to be injected under the skin.

“We hope that our breakthrough will be a trailblazer for the future of minimally invasive health monitoring solutions where patients are immediately alerted whenever their physiological conditions such as heart rate and blood glucose cross a critical threshold,” said Professor John Ho. who led the team of NUS researchers from the university’s the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the NUS Faculty of Engineering and the NUS Institute for Health Innovation and Technology

The advanced wireless technology developed by Assistant Professor John Ho (left) and doctoral student Dong Zhenya (right) can sense implantable microsensors.

Tiny subcutaneous implants that can continuously measure a person’s blood glucose, heart rate and other physiological conditions are a Holy Grail of modern medicine.

Current efforts to make these microsensors small have been largely hampered by technology limitations. These sensors are too small to be powered by a battery, so they require a sensor reader to be placed near them to constantly detect signals such as chemical or pressure changes using magnetic fields. For a reader to make sense of the signals, the sensor must be large enough to create a strong signal in the reader. So far, researchers have not been able to create viable microsensors below 1 millimetre.

Dream to reality

The NUS team made the quantum leap in this area by devising a new way of measuring the signal, by calibrating the wireless reader to work at an exceptional point.

This is a special state where the reader becomes extremely sensitive to nearby objects. The result is that the new reader is so sensitive – three times more sensitive than existing readers – that it can even read the tiny signals emitted by the sub-millimetre microsensors.

The team developed a working prototype of the reader that can read a microsensor that is 0.9 millimetres in diameter while implanted underneath the skin using a syringe. In lab experiments, the reader was able to monitor the rate of breathing and heart rate by detecting subtle movements of the battery-free microsensor.

It took two years of research by the team, from February 2017 to January 2019, to develop this innovative microsensor. The team’s achievement was published in August 2019 in the scientific journal Nature Electronics.

“Now that we have proven the viability of our reader, the next step is to develop a suite of passive (battery-free) microsensors that can monitor various physiological parameters such as glucose, bioelectrical activity and blood chemistry,” Ho said.

 

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Committee says HK smart lampposts should be camera-free https://futureiot.tech/committee-says-hk-smart-lampposts-should-be-camera-free/ Fri, 13 Dec 2019 01:30:50 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=6189 The committee is proposing other technology solutions to replace cameras over privacy concerns.

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Hong Kong will be looking for  other technology solutions to replace cameras on smart lampposts, citing privacy concerns aired by the public. The consensus was reached this week during the fifth meeting of The Multi-functional Smart Lampposts Technical Advisory Ad Hoc Committee.

Government Chief Information Officer Victor Lam, who is also the convenor of the committee, said, they have been doing a detailed review of the functions and technologies deployed in the smart lampposts in the past few months.

“We have  unanimously agreed that replacement technology solutions for cameras, such as LIDAR and thermal detectors, should be adopted to enlist wider community support for smart lampposts as well as smart city development,” Lam said.

Members of the committee received briefings from officers of the Environmental Protection Department, the Lands Department and the Transport Department on replacement technology solutions to individual applications on smart lampposts, together with their related privacy protection measures.

The Hong Kong Government started installing the smart lampposts across the city this year, totally about 50 by the end of June. However, many of these newly-installed lampposts have sustained heavy damages, after being targeted for fear of surveillance amidst the protests that rocked Hong Kong for six months now.

Nevertheless, the committee agreed that the government should continue with the smart lamppost project after taking out the cameras, particularly given the rollout of 5G mobile service in the near future.

"To avoid lagging behind, Hong Kong must catch up at full steam in smart city development. We will also continue to open up city data collected by smart lampposts to drive smart city development," Lam said.

The original design of smart lampposts included panoramic cameras which aim to collect real-time traffic data and traffic snapshot images, and surveillance cameras which aim to monitor traffic conditions and tackle illegal dumping of construction waste.

The committee proposed that each and every new smart device to be installed on smart lampposts in future should go through a third-party review and assessment to ensure compliance with international privacy and security standards (ISO 27000 series).

It also advised the government should enhance public education and promotion on smart lampposts. It added that the government will only commence installation of new devices after consulting relevant stakeholders, including the Legislative Council and concerned District Councils.

The Multi-functional Smart Lampposts pilot scheme is a three-year programme in which some 400 smart lampposts will be installed in phases in four districts with higher pedestrian and traffic flow, namely Central/Admiralty, Causeway Bay/Wan Chai, Tsim Sha Tsui and Kwun Tong/Kai Tak Development Area, with a view to promoting smart city development in Hong Kong and supporting 5G mobile network implementation.

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IoT-enabled self-service coffee coming soon in Southeast Asia https://futureiot.tech/iot-enabled-self-service-coffee-coming-soon-in-southeast-asia/ Wed, 11 Dec 2019 03:36:54 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=6182 NVGI’s venture into the self-service IoT-enabled barista machines also provides valuable analytic information that helps in understanding the patterns of both online and offline consumer behaviour.

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Singapore-based Noble Vici Group (NVGI) plans to develop smart IoT-enabled barista coffee machines, as the company accelerates the growth of their IoT and e-commerce business in Southeast Asia.

"We aim to be the fastest player to deploy these self-service machines in Asia," said Sir Eldee Tang, CEO of NVGI.

Called V-MORE Xpress, the smart IoT-enabled barista coffee machine is aimed at bridging the mass adoption of users and merchants for V-MORE e-commerce platform.

NVGI has teamed up with Barista Uno to offer barista-styled coffee from the IoT-enabled barista machines. Barista Uno offers roasted coffee sourced from Java, supplying quality whole beans to the barista and specialty coffee shops. V-MORE Xpress, through its IoT monitoring infrastructure, will be able to monitor the consumption of each machine to ensure operating uptime.

V-MORE Xpress delivers an effortless payment through major cashless e-Wallet providers to facilitate and simplify the public users' experience in making transactions; enabling coffee drinkers to purchase a vast selection of high-quality products and services through the digital payment within their e-Wallet. By adopting digital payments in sync with the IoT-enabled barista machines, it not only provides a hassle-free payment but also creates better customer experience.

One of the key breakthroughs offered by NVGI's IoT ecosystem is the ability to bridge the gap between online and offline commerce with its unique real-time analytic data collection through its IoT platform.

The IoT-enabled barista machines not only offer barista quality coffee to users, but also connect online users to the machines; accessing the benefits of an O2O (offline to online) platform via V-MORE Xpress.

Rapid development

NVGI has been developing its own ecosystem from e-commerce to IoT infrastructure, while tapping on its internal resources and capital. It has recently raised an undisclosed amount of Series A funding, which it will  invest to expedite installation of smart IoT-enabled barista machines in the next 18 months across Southeast Asia.

“We are targeting to get listed to the mainboard in the US near the end of 2020. We intend to further strengthen the mix of the management team in preparation for the future prospect ahead,” Tang said.

NVGI's bold venture into the self-service IoT-enabled barista machines also provides valuable analytic information that helps in understanding the patterns of both online and offline consumer behaviour. Bridging offline and online redefines the retail experience, bringing even the unbanked consumers closer to digital space.

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Five essential requirements for IoT2.0 success https://futureiot.tech/five-essential-requirements-for-iot2-0-success/ Mon, 09 Dec 2019 04:00:48 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=6170 Enterprises face many challenges, including integration of the IoT infrastructure with existing systems, understanding unfamiliar data formats, and communication protocols as well as implementing new technologies across the IoT continuum.

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Smart devices, powered by the hyper-connected Internet of Things (IoT), are becoming ever more prevalent and pervasive in our lives, and the trend will only continue. Every industry is seeking ways to use device-enabled insights to improve the lives of their customers, and the health of machines. With a growing number of devices, the opportunities to use IoT to reshape industries and societies are also increasing.

Yet many organisations are facing challenges in their IoT journey. A Cisco survey reveals that only 26% of the surveyed companies consider their IoT initiatives a success, with a majority saying they were more complicated or took longer than expected. Sixty percent of the top IT executives polled by Cognizant’s Centre for the Future of Work said IoT will add tremendous complexity to their IT infrastructure in areas such as networking, integration and data analysis.

In reaping the benefits of IoT, enterprises face many challenges, including integration of the IoT infrastructure with existing systems, understanding unfamiliar data formats, and communication protocols as well as implementing new technologies across the IoT continuum. Navigating these challenges requires careful planning, domain knowledge, and rigorous implementation. In order to make the IoT initiatives a success, there are five essential requirements for processes and practices that organisations should consider:

  1. Edge computing/analytics

Edge computing, a technology that is expected to grow at a high 40% rate in Asia Pacific by 2023, captures and analyses data on distributed devices positioned at the edge of a network. It involves both local sensors that gather data and edge gateways that process it. Edge computing enables data analysis close to where it is captured, resulting in faster response to changing conditions. In fact, an edge-processing system can respond in a few milliseconds, compared with a cloud system, which could take more than 100 milliseconds.

Before considering edge computing, organisations should, firstly, fully assess lifetime device costs at the planning stage, factoring in the operational overhead expenses, such as monitoring, upgrades, and power requirement. Secondly, they need to create policies to secure devices with appropriate firewalls and hardened operating systems, and encrypt data at rest and in transit. Lastly, organisations should assess which analyses are most time-critical for their business and perform them at the edge to allow immediate action.

  1. Data ingestion and stream processing

Six out of 10 IT executives say collecting, storing, integrating  and analysing real-time data from endpoint devices is a key  barrier to a successful IoT implementation. Organisations should put processes in place to gather data from multiple devices and sensors, and transform it for use by cloud-based analytic platforms. Data ingestion refers to device telemetry data being imported and converted into a format usable by cloud-based IoT services. It helps to normalise the data into a common data model that is easier to analyse by business applications and users. Data ingestion also comes handy when organisations have to ensure that ingested data is stored in compliance with government or industry regulations, such as European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation or Personal Data Protection Act in Singapore.

  1. Security and device management

With rapid proliferation of IoT sensors, and growing complexity and volume of data exchanges, it is imperative for organisations to strengthen their adoption and enforcement of highly evolved security practices and procedures. The scale of investments, talent as well as thought leadership around security would need to dramatically increase as IoT implementations grow in scale and start becoming the backbone of day-to-day operations in organisations.

Businesses need to ensure their IoT devices are provisioned securely, communicate efficiently, and can be updated with accelerated and agile approaches. Device management covers the hardware, software, and the processes that ensure devices are properly registered, managed, secured, and upgraded.

Required functions include device configuration, security, command dispatching, operational control, remote monitoring, and troubleshooting. The organisation will need to account for these functions, even if the cloud provider doesn’t offer the required device management components. Comprehensive device management enables connected devices to easily and securely communicate with other devices and cloud platforms, while helping the enterprise reliably scale to billions of connected devices and trillions of messages.

  1. Cold path and advanced analytics

Currently, large-scale processing can include loads greater than 100,000 events per second. With the adoption of cold path processing, large amounts of data are analysed by advanced algorithms after the data is stored on the cloud platform.

Such analysis can uncover trends or corrective actions needed to improve the business or customer experience. Unlike streaming analytics (hot path) that apply relatively simple rules to data in real time for short-term actions (detecting fraud, security breaches, or critical component failures), cold path processing involves more sophisticated big data analytics, such as machine learning and AI, being applied to provide deeper insights.

To drive the most insights from data, organisations should consider using a complex event processing framework that combines data from multiple sources, such as enterprise applications and IoT devices, to dynamically define and process analytical rules by inferring meaning from complex situations. It is also important to aggregate data before than during analysis to improve processing speed. Usage of data lakes, which store data in their native format, can also help consolidate data and allow easier access. Organisations should also consider creating dedicated data services to make it easier for users to access data on demand.

  1. Enterprise integration with business systems

IoT insights need to be delivered to enterprise systems and receive reference metadata in order to interpret device data. Integration with business applications and enterprise systems enables the sharing of raw and processed data, as well as analysis-driven insights.

With deep enterprise integration, the IoT architecture can deliver benefits such as improved efficiencies, reduced costs, increased sales, heightened customer satisfaction, and the ability to create and lead new markets. To share data and insights, businesses need mechanisms such as application programming interface (API) gateways, service buses and custom connectors.

Every IoT implementation will be distinct, depending on each business’s requirements, expected outcomes, levels of IoT and data skills, and technology infrastructure maturity. In all cases, however, these five requirements are essential to ensuring a successful IoT implementation, with minimal cost and delay. Each enterprise must conduct a rigorous needs assessment, and carefully plan its roadmap to deliver a flexible, secure, and scalable IoT solution. To help guide the implementation, organisations should also consider using pre-built solutions, reference architectures, and blueprints from experienced technology service providers.

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Zebra Technologies' new WMS increases productivity by 24% https://futureiot.tech/zebra-technologies-new-wms-increases-productivity-by-24/ Wed, 04 Dec 2019 02:00:50 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=6139 The company also unveiled a new wearable, the new RS5100 wireless ring scanner, which provides mobile workers with an ultra-light hands-free scanning option for increased productivity in industrial environments.

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Zebra Technologies yesterday announced its new WMS (warehouse management system) offering, which increases worker productivity by 24% by enabling a single worker simultaneously picks multiple orders, allowing businesses to dramatically increase order fulfillment times.

Called FulfillmentEdge, the new solution transforms existing WMS by enabling real-time dynamic workflows and routing mobile workers for picking, packing and put-away — without costly and risky upgrades or backend changes.

“The on-demand economy is placing pressure on warehouse operations to quickly fulfill more orders than ever before, requiring a highly productive and efficient workforce,” said Joe White, senior vice president of Enterprise Mobile Computing, Zebra Technologies.

FulfillmentEdge integrates existing real-time WMS data with real-time location information, providing visibility into the location of workers, inventory and material handling assets. The solution then analyses the information and creates real-time workflows delivered as electronic tasks that can contain visual directions to the next pick location and photos of the item to ensure picking accuracy.

Zebra Technologies is optimistic that the new solutions caters to an urgent market demand.

According to the company’s recent 2024 Warehousing Vision Study, IT and operational decision makers are already taking steps to upgrade their facilities and WMS platforms. Findings show that 54% of surveyed organisations plan to implement full-featured WMS and mobile worker execution systems by 2024.

Upgrading wearables

Together with the new WMS offer, Zebra Technologies also introduced the new single-finger RS5100 wireless ring scanner, providing mobile workers with an ultra-light hands-free scanning option for increased productivity in industrial environments.

The rugged, single-finger RS5100 Bluetooth ring scanner improves worker productivity by freeing up workers’ hands for inventory management, picking, packing and sorting applications in industrial environments.

Zebra Technologies’ smallest and lightest ring scanner offers a long battery life and features a single-sided- or double-trigger to enable workers to use gloves or bare hands for all-day comfort. It also supports NFC tap-to-pair with most Zebra enterprise-class Bluetooth-enabled mobile devices and offers high-performance 1D/2D omnidirectional scanning to maximize worker productivity.

The company is similarly confident that this new wearable will find its niche in companies’ WMS solution pipeline based on the 2024 Warehousing Vision Study. The study showed that 62% of companies plan to add or upgrade to wearable computers, such as smart watches, smart glasses or hip-mounted devices.

Zebra Technologies’ first enterprise-class, head-mounted display is lightweight for hands-free and heads-up, directed-action workflows that increase task efficiency and accuracy by overlaying contextual information such as shelf location and layout, pick quantity, remaining picks and bin sorting information within each worker’s field of vision.

The rugged, monocular HD4000 head-mounted display is an optional accessory for select mobile computers capable of running the FulfillmentEdge solution. It tethers via USB, providing all-day power and increased productivity to warehouse, manufacturing and field service workers who can benefit from hands-free, directed-action workflows.

“Our intuitive FulfillmentEdge software and optional HD4000 head-mounted display provide mobile workers with clear, step-by-step instructions that reduce training time by 90% to allow near-instant onboarding while decision makers benefit from the real-time insights and analytics that enable better data-driven decisions,” said White.

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Sigfox and Amadeus develop asset-tracking solution https://futureiot.tech/sigfox-and-amadeus-develop-asset-tracking-solution/ Thu, 28 Nov 2019 02:30:28 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=6119 Through reusable tags placed on luggage, proximity sensors installed across airports and Sigfox global coverage, airlines will be able to monitor luggage, accurately tracking its location and detecting anomalies.

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IoT service provider Sigfox and travel platform provider Amadeus have entered into a strategic partnership that aims to help efficient asset-tracking at airports and airline facilities.

After a year-long collaboration investigating business opportunities within the travel industry, both companies came out with the jointly developed PinPoint, an asset-tracking solution, which will be made available next year.

The announcement was made at Sigfox Connect 2019 in Singapore last week.

“Sigfox technology is unique in its ability to track objects seamlessly across the globe, and at such a low cost. Combining Amadeus expertise and partners’ network in travel with Sigfox technology, we can enable luggage tracking at a price which is within what consumers are ready to pay for, and thus bring peace of mind to billions of travellers.” Marion Mesnage, head of research for innovation and ecosystems at Amadeus.

The solution will be initially targeted for airports and airlines with trackers optimally designed - connected and communicating through the Sigfox 0G global network and managed through the PinPoint platform.

It leverages Sigfox IoT expertise and unique 0G network while harnessing Amadeus trusted relationships within the travel industry to reduce costs for airlines and airports, deliver higher operational efficiency, generate ancillary revenues, and increase customer satisfaction.

Reducing the cost of asset tracking

Every year, airports and airlines handle billions of pieces of luggage and high-value assets which are often lost, damaged or delayed leading to high financial losses for the whole value chain, a lack of operational efficiency, and increasing dissatisfaction for travellers.

Meanwhile, existing tracking technologies require expensive infrastructure updates, such as gates and readers and provide limited interoperability and geolocation capabilities. In parallel, regulation is increasingly demanding, especially the new IATA Resolution 753 on luggage tracking which imposes stricter tracking and increased visibility requirements to reduce luggage loss rates.

With this in mind, PinPoint aims to provide a new journey for travel industry assets through reusable, cost and energy-efficient, and globally connected trackers that offer airports and airlines access to real-time information about the location of luggage and high value assets, such as spare-parts, landing gear, Unit Load Devices (ULD) and much more.

Deploying reusable tags

Through reusable tags placed on luggage, proximity sensors installed across airports and Sigfox global coverage, airlines will be able to monitor luggage, accurately tracking its location and detecting anomalies. For high-value assets such as ULDs, airlines will be able to use this technology to collect data, enabling ULDs to report any movement, so optimizing ULD management and significantly reducing the risk of loss.

Sigfox Bubble technology, an innovative beaconing solution enabling proximity detection, will also be developed and deployed in collaboration with Sigfox new partner Alps Alpine, one of the world’s foremost manufacturers of electronics components. By managing the emission power, Sigfox Cloud adapts the range of the Bubble, from less than one meter to a few tens of meters, improving the accuracy of the device’s location. Thus, when entering a Bubble cell, Sigfox devices and associated assets share their identification to the cloud providing a highly accurate location for each asset.

Eyeing a joint venture

The alliance between Sigfox and Amadeus, which aims in time to become a joint venture, is the starting point of a new journey that could revolutionize the travel industry.

Although airports and airlines are the main targets initially, in the future, both companies hope to reach out to new sectors like hospitality to offer end-to-end tracking solutions that will cover the full traveller journey.

“We are delighted to strengthen our partnership with Amadeus and share our combined expertise to create real digital transformation of the travel sector,” said Raouti Chehih, chief adoption officer at Sigfox. “Our strategic alliance named PinPoint will not only help to improve the travel experience, but this will also change completely the game for an industry looking for decades for THE technology able to save costs while improving efficiency and quality of services.”

 

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IoT-based devices took spotlight at gerontech event in HK https://futureiot.tech/iot-based-devices-took-spotlight-at-gerontech-event-in-hk/ Mon, 25 Nov 2019 06:00:29 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=6105 Consistent with the event theme of “Tech-empowered Healthy Ageing”, they exhibited innovations, incorporating various technologies such as internet of things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), sensor and big data analytics, which have been responsible in boosting the quality of elderly care, in-home support, treatment and rehabilitation services.

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At last week’s Gerontech and Innovation Expo cum Summit (GIES) 2019, Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP) hosted the largest pavilion, where 29 of its resident companies displayed cross-disciplinary innovations and solutions ranging from assistive equipment, predictive applications, early diagnostics devices, smart wearables to health monitoring platforms.

Co-hosted by the HKSAR Government and the Hong Kong Council of Social Service, and co-organised by HKSTP for the third consecutive year, GIES is the only Gerontech fair in Hong Kong that promotes the application of innovative technologies and ideas to enhance the quality of life for the elderly.

Consistent with the event theme of “Tech-empowered Healthy Ageing”, they exhibited innovations, incorporating various technologies such as internet of things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), sensor and big data analytics, which have been responsible in boosting the quality of elderly care, in-home support, treatment and rehabilitation services.

In light of the fast-ageing population and increase in the demand for public healthcare services, Healthy Ageing is one of HKSTP’s core technology focus areas.

By co-organising GIES, HKSTP strives to provide a platform for Park companies to engage in intimate dialogue and collaboration with stakeholders in the ecosystem, in pursuit of new business opportunities and partnership.

At present, over a hundred of Park companies work in tandem to develop practical healthcare applications and solutions, in a bid to make Hong Kong an elderly-friendly city.

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Innovative tech crucial to Asia’s sustainable food supply https://futureiot.tech/innovative-tech-crucial-to-asias-sustainable-food-supply/ Mon, 25 Nov 2019 04:30:12 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=6102 Asia needs innovation and technology to transform its Agri-Food system into one that is ecologically and economically sustainable.

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With the advent of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, technologies such as big data, robotics, blockchain and the Internet of Things (IoT) will revolutionise traditional farming practices for the better, introducing new food and agricultural solutions.

Indeed, technology is a critical enabler in meeting shifting demands, which will require significant investments across the agri-food industry, according to the recently released “The Asia Food Challenge Report: Harvesting the Future”.

From the development of alternative meat-based proteins, to high-tech plant factories that deliver a 400-fold increase over traditional methods, to modern aquaculture that will significantly reduce fish mortality and pollution levels to improve output especially for small scale farmers, there is great potential to explore these technologically-driven innovations.

"Asia needs innovation and technology to transform its Agri-Food system into one that is ecologically and economically sustainable. Only through working together with shared responsibility and acting now can Asia feed itself while preserving the planet for future generations,” said Ping Chew, head of RaboResearch for food and agribusiness – Asia at Rabobank.

Rabobank was one of three collaborators, which included PwC and Temasek, who put the 63-page report together.  It was launched last week in conjunction with this year's Asia-Pacific Agri-Food Innovation Week in Singapore.

“Innovating for sustainability can also bring about value creation, and there are huge opportunities shifting into a more sustainable model that can tackle waste and supply chain inefficiency, produce higher yields, create platforms to connect, and introduce new products and processes,” Chew said.

Lagging behind investments in innovation

The report however revealed that investment in Asia's agri-food sector is lagging behind other regions, particularly North America and Western Europe, due in part to the sheer diversity of countries, their varying levels of economic development, and regulatory systems.

To overcome these challenges, greater collaboration and shared responsibility between the public and private sectors in the region must be established. This involves stronger backing from governments in terms of policies and legislations that support new technologies and innovations, as well as the formation of corporate venture capital teams and incubators.

Anuj Maheshwari, managing director of Agribusiness at Temasek, said: "A fundamental change is required across the entire food supply chain in Asia to enable and sustain the region's food security. We see immense opportunities for start-ups, businesses and governments to work together in creating innovative solutions that can transform our global food systems.”

“Sustainability is a key focus for us at Temasek, and we remain committed to deploying our capital purposefully across the whole Agri-Food value chain, as we invest for a better, smarter and more sustainable world,” he added.

The report recommended the establishment of agri-food innovation centres to bring together relevant market players in the ecosystem, such as Tel Aviv, St Louis, San Francisco and Rotterdam. These hubs or gateways would involve the public sector fostering a suitable environment for startups, corporations and investors, with the private sector a critical driving force.

It added that several Asian cities, such as Beijing, Hong Kong, Mumbai, Singapore and Tokyo, also have the potential to become Agri-Food innovation hubs.

Key criteria for success, including positive regulatory environments for startups and investment, technical expertise, talent, and a strong pool of investors, can be found in these cities. For one,  Singapore has already set in motion a range of government policies and initiatives to tackle food insecurity and develop itself into an agri-food innovation hub. The city’s Singapore Food Agency has also set a goal to produce 30% of the country's nutritional needs by 2030 by adopting new solutions and technologies to grow more with less.

Building a sustainable food supply for Asia

As countries around the world grapple with food shortage and the effects of climate change, the report addresses the challenges and opportunities that Asia's Agri-Food industry face. The region is urbanising rapidly and by 2030, it will be home to approximately 250 million more people who have a growing appetite for healthy food that is sustainably and ethically sourced.

The report estimates that cumulative investment of US$800 billion above existing levels over the next 10 years will be needed to grow Asia's food and agriculture industry to a sustainable size, in order for Asia to feed itself.

The majority of these investments – around US$550 billion – will enable key requirements around sustainability, safety, health and convenience. The remaining US$250 billion will drive increased quantities of food to feed Asia's growing population.

“Asia faces a crossroads. On the one hand, current lack of investment, and the slow development and use of technology across the food & agriculture supply chain has held us back and left us dependent on others,” said Richard Skinner, Asia Pacific deals strategy & operations leader, PwC Singapore.

“On the other, we can reverse that by being at the forefront of technological innovation, disruption and use, transforming the industry and bringing benefits to the consumer, returns to corporates & investors and value adding jobs across Asia,” Skinner said.

Together, the investments will unlock market growth of around 7% per year, with the region more than doubling its total spend on food to over US$8 trillion by 2030. This presents a huge opportunity for corporations and investors to invest in Asia's Agri-Food industry by placing a stronger focus on promising high-impact innovations.

 

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NICIGAS to connect 850,000 gas meters in smart makeover https://futureiot.tech/nicigas-to-connect-85000-gas-meters-in-smart-makeover/ Thu, 21 Nov 2019 01:30:10 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=6086 The new smart reader addresses a key issue that the gas industry commonly faces: collecting data in a cost-effective way to allow for real-time insights.

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Nippon Gas Co.  (NICIGAS) is now retrofitting its existing gas meters across Japan with a smart makeover. The IoT-based reader called SPACE HOTARU is targeted to be fully in place by the end of the company’s fiscal year 2020. It is claimed to be one of the largest deployments of smart utilities to date, with 850,000 gas meters to be upgraded.

Developed by UnaBiz and SORACOM from NICIGAS’ original concept, the SPACE HOTARU is a reader that is easily retrofitted onto existing gas meters to enable "smart" features. The Network Controlling Unit (NCU) collects and transmits gas consumption data to NICIGAS' IoT data platform, "NICIGAS Stream", via Sigfox's Japan-wide 0G wireless network allowing the gas valve to be controlled remotely. The NCU is energy-efficient and is expected to last more than 10 years on internal batteries.

Chart from NICIGAS

"With more precise gas consumption data, we can better analyse our demand and supply and turn them into actionable insights for our logistics and distribution channels to achieve maximum resource efficiency. In addition, it will enable us to propose optimal energy usage plans to our existing and potential customers," a NICIGAS spokesperson said.

The Japanese gas company is an integrated energy retailer and supplies LPG, city gas and electricity to more than 1.5 million customers in the country’s Kanto region. In Japan, the electricity and city gas retail market were fully deregulated in 2016 and 2017, respectively and every player needs to provide newly added-value and higher quality of services, to their customers, in order to differentiate from their competitors.

Making real-time gas metering a reality

The new smart reader addresses a key issue that the gas industry commonly faces: collecting data in a cost-effective way to allow for real-time insights.

Since the adoption of the reader, meter data that used to be read manually by agents once a month is now collected by the NCU on an hourly basis, and sent to NICIGAS Stream daily. Collected data is used to visualise and predict the amount of gas remaining in households, allowing timelier replacement of gas cylinders and improving the quality of service to its consumers.

In addition, the NCU also reports on meter related incidents. In the event of an earthquake, the gas valve is programmed to auto-close, bringing convenience and real-time security to the properties.

NICIGAS expects that the NCU project will give the company a technology lead in both the shifting Japanese consumer market and the global energy front.

NICIGAS plans to offer SPACE HOTARU and the integrated system supported by NICIGAS Stream to other gas retailers and other energy retailers.

Strong technology collaboration

The SPACE HOTARU was made possible through the strong collaboration among NICIGAS, SORACOM, UnaBiz, Sigfox, and Kyocera Communication Systems. The solution runs on the 0G network operated by Kyocera Communication Systems, a subsidiary of Kyocera Corporation.

"The combined expertise of SORACOM and UnaBiz in software and hardware development respectively has helped us bring our idea to mass production quickly,” said a NICIGAS spokesperson. “The team's competence and dedication were the key success factors in developing this durable and cost-efficient smart gas meter, and their speed to market is simply unparalleled."

Ludovic Le Moan, CEO and co-founder of Sigfox, said: "It's really exciting to get this project turning to mass deployment thanks to this collaboration. Sigfox is on the way to exceed its target of 15 million objects connected to our network thanks to the increasing maturity of our market. This project demonstrates the amazing potential of industries to connect their assets for higher revenues and margins."

Tapping the possibilities of IoT

Tasked with designing and manufacturing NICIGAS' hardware solution, UnaBiz points to how effective and affordable IoT solutions can be, going well beyond the utilities sector, in logistics and facilities management, for example, allowing companies to optimise on the digitalization of their processes.

"We want to design high-quality, economical and sustainable solutions that can help companies and industries optimise their processes and grow sustainably. Getting connected doesn't always have to mean having to completely rehaul assets. It is important that businesses, consumers and the environment all win in this process," said Henri Bong, CEO and co-founder of UnaBiz.

His view is shared by Ken Tamagawa, CEO and co-founder of SORACOM, which provides the platform that connects devices in sectors that range from agriculture, energy and construction to consumer electronics, manufacturing and real estate.

"NICIGAS represents a prime example of the benefits that a smart IoT connectivity platform brings to large-scale deployments. The combination of IoT technology and cloud capability lets businesses connect devices quickly, affordably, and securely anywhere in the world, while increasing efficiency, sustainability, and customer satisfaction," he said.

 

 

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Singaporean healthtech firm: 11 years lost on smart devices https://futureiot.tech/singaporean-healthtech-firm-11-years-lost-on-smart-devices/ Wed, 20 Nov 2019 03:00:59 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=6080 The Web-based Plano Time Machine monitors the amount of time a person spends on his smart devices.

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The amount of time that people now spent online have been a cause of worry for many who felt we are wasting our life away. According to the Digital 2019 report that came out earlier this year, people spend an average of six hours and 42 minutes each day online, spending nearly a third of their time daily on the internet, mostly on mobile devices.

Singaporean healthtech firm Plano Pte Ltd has launched this month the Plano Time Machine, web-based platform that helps monitor the amount spent online and aims to educate people on the personal costs incurred due to their excessive device use behaviour.

It is an online experience which uses the latest scientific research and in-built algorithms to inform each user of the time they stand to lose over the course of their life and what they are trading in exchange for being on their phone or tablet.

"I've always been fascinated by the concept of time. Time Machine is a product of turning my fascination into a powerful tool to help us answer one of life's most vital questions – How will I spend the time I have left?" said Plano's COO Kevin Tay. "While this may be an uncomfortable question and a good wake-up call for some, it nudges us to internalize the consequences and the required actions to better manage our screen time."

Within only days of its soft launch, the platform went viral with over 3,000 site visits. For the thousands of users from 43 countries worldwide including Singapore, US, UK, Australia and India, the revelations have been alarming.

According to Plano, the average 21-year-old loses  a total of 11 years on smart devices. On average, Singaporeans spend close to 15 years (8 hours a day), or 33% of their entire lives on their devices. The average screen time in India on the other hand is 9 years (6 hours a day), that is 21% of their lifetimes on their devices.

The company said recent evidence suggests that too much screen time significantly increases the risk of anxiety and depression, serious eye conditions including myopia, and a range of potentially fatal systemic illnesses including cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer.

Time Machine is now available for the public to use and find out their personal statistics as well as the daily adjustments they can make to reduce the number of years lost to their devices.

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Maritime 5G will hasten IoT adoption in shipping industry https://futureiot.tech/maritime-5g-will-hasten-iot-adoption-in-shipping-industry/ Tue, 19 Nov 2019 02:30:46 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=6076 The digital evolution is shaping the maritime future in multiple aspects – both onshore and offshore – and shipping organisations are facing pressure to operate more efficiently and profitably.

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As the next big leap in mobile and wireless communications, 5G is expected to open up infinite possibilities in maritime communication.

Real-life applications include the introduction of smart drones for real-time monitoring, ship-shore communication for vessel traffic management and just-in-time operations. Furthermore, maritime 5G will also facilitate the adoption of autonomous vessels with low latency connectivity for remote operation and hasten the use of Internet-of-Things sensors during search-and-rescue for real-time communications and accurate positioning.

“Autonomous shipping and ocean digitalisation drive the needs of maritime communication. Though currently in its experimental and commercialisation stages, maritime 5G will play an important role for the remote control of autonomous ships in the future,” said Kun Yang, founder, Super Radio AS.

Yang is the board chairman and project administrator of “LTE, WIFI and 5G Massive MIMO Communications in Maritime Propagation Environments” (MAMIME), the world’s first maritime 5G communication project that is funded by the Norwegian Research Council.

The project aims to develop optimised LTE and WIFI systems, and research dedicated to 5G solutions for the maritime applications. In addition, Super Radio AS is the Pre-5G test solution provider for the small-version Yara-birkeland autonomous ship, which is regarded as the world’s first fully electric and autonomous container ship.

Autonomous shipping will be one of three main topics in the upcoming Asia Pacific Maritime (APM) conference scheduled from March 18 to March 20, 2020. Returning for its 16th edition, the conference will gather 50 industry top minds for a three-day, in-depth discussion on what the maritime industry could look like in 10 years.

Aside from maritime 5G, key solutions making waves across the industry, such as digitalisation standards and remote pilotage will be examined.

Yang will be spearheading the session on “Understanding 5G Connectivity and What is Means for Maritime Communications”, where industry experts will examine and discuss the latest developments and potential benefits of 5G for the maritime industry.

Digitalisation is reshaping the shipping industry

The digital evolution is shaping the maritime future in multiple aspects – both onshore and offshore – and shipping organisations are facing pressure to operate more efficiently and profitably while catering to the increasingly sophisticated customer demands.

As with any change, digitalisation was initially met with scepticism. But this has given way to a building digital momentum, in view of the many strategic business benefits to be reaped – from operational efficiency improvements and cost reductions, to environmental performance enhancements.

“Shipping carries around 90% of world trade, making it the blood life of the global economy. Amid challenges posed by shifts in economic activity and tightening regulations, the maritime industry continues to seek means to answer the imperative call to digitalisation,” said Yeow Hui Leng, group project director of APM. “In the face of a changing landscape, APM 2020 will present an opportunity for delegates to glean important insights from industry leaders and explore partnerships to navigate for success.”

Digitalisation standardisation for greater collaboration

Meanwhile, even as automation and other technological innovations can benefit the industry by easing strenuous tasks and streamlining workflow, lack of standardisation remains one hurdle to industry-wide digitalisation.

Improving efficiency in a digitalised maritime industry is one of the main movements that APM 2020 conference will deliberate at the panel session titled “Enabling Digitalisation through Standardisation & Collaboration”.

Standardisation is key to improving data flow and enhancing interoperability and synergy.

“Digitalisation presents many opportunities and advantages for industry players, but it can only reach its full potential when data flows are seamless,” said Kenneth Lim, chief technology officer, Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA).

He added that MPA has embarked on initiatives such as the ‘digitalOCEANS’ concept to foster Open or Common Exchange And Network Standardisation and allow digital platforms of port authorities, supply chain companies, terminal operators, marine services companies, and ships to interoperate.

Morten Lind-Olsen, CEO, Dualog agreed that there is a growing focus on utilisation of consolidated data for both business and compliance purposes.

“Data needs to be standardised when generated for more efficient collection, processing and analysis, to deliver the value of timely decision- making. This focus is increasing day by day and certainly requires more digitally integrated ships,” Lind-Olsen said. “The shipping industry has the advantage and tradition of trading within global established regulations and legislations.”

Remote Pilotage: Going beyond the experimental phase

Furthermore in the technology front, unmanned vessels have also been top of mind for shippers. These game-changers could mean that ships can spend much more time at sea than human-controlled ones. Such innovation enables increased productivity, reduces reliance on human resources and is less prone to human error.

Sanna Sonninen, pilotage director of Finnpilot Pilotage, said: “Technology and solutions for commercially viable concepts of autonomous ships and remote control of ship operations have been developed and tested by various organisations. Though these are excellent showcases, public sentiment on the autonomous shipping development, the various levels of autonomy or remote operation is often mixed.”

She pointed out that when trying to find feasible solutions for remote pilotage, it is important to understand the difference between an autonomous ship, remote operated ship and remote piloted ship.

“To understand how the complex task of piloting a ship could be successfully accomplished without the pilot being physically onboard and operating as a part of bridge team, one must analyse the different functions of pilotage. Such issues must be solved and analysed before these remote pilotage experiments become a reality,” she said.

Sonninen will be delivering a presentation on “Developing a Comprehensive Remote and Autonomous Pilotage System” during the conference.

Amid a flurry of discussion on various technological innovations, the APM 2020 exhibition and conference will facilitate connections with decision-makers and industry observers to sharpen understanding about global maritime trends and movements.

Held in conjunction with the conference is the APM exhibition, one of Asia’s largest marketplace showcasing a complete overview of the vessel sectors. The biennial trade exhibition is expected to host over 1,500 international exhibitors and 15,000 visitors, across six halls spread over two levels.

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IoT and emerging tech spur appetite for collaboration in CV OEMs https://futureiot.tech/iot-and-emerging-tech-spur-appetite-for-collaboration-in-cv-oems/ Thu, 14 Nov 2019 02:00:21 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=6043 AI, telematics, Big Data analytics are creating opportunities for greater autonomy in CVs, finds Frost & Sullivan.

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Commercial vehicle original equipment manufacturers (CV OEMs) and Tier-1 suppliers are expected to increase investments in disruptive technologies with demonstrated ability to decrease supply chain complexity and increase efficiency.

This is the key finding by a new report by Frost & Sullivan, which analyses the trends and challenges in the supply chain logistics industry and their implications on CVs.

The research firm pointed out that transportation, which is at the core of supply chain logistics, is undergoing a transformation with the help of technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT) and telematics, data analytics, and blockchain.

The growing need to bring these technologies to the market quickly to grab the first-mover advantage is resulting in a series of collaborations and M&As with technology providers.

"The rapidly rising use of telematics and IoT in CVs is generating vast data sets, which need to be utilized effectively through Big Data analytics," said Vineeth Purushotham, research analyst for mobility at Frost & Sullivan.

"Meanwhile, this convergence of technologies is prompting OEMs to develop innovative business models such as digital freight brokerage services and Truck-as-a-Service. There will also be greater OEM focus on truck leasing, financing, used truck sales, and tractor-trailer integration,” he added.

Emerging tech sparks new business  models

Entitled “Global Supply Chain Logistics Trends and Challenges and Their Implications on CVs, 2018–2025”,   the report presents the key mega trends that will influence the global freight transportation industry as well as the new business models.

It also examines the major technology companies and start-ups entering and investing in the industry and studies the implications of key technological disruptions on stakeholders.

"Urban restrictions and emission regulations across the globe are enabling last-mile delivery innovations that will increase the uptake of electric CVs," noted Purushotham. "Medium- and heavy-duty CV OEMs such as Volvo, Scania, and Daimler are investing heavily in innovations in electric/fuel cell powertrains. Light CV manufacturers, on the other hand, are collaborating and partnering with technology companies and logistics providers on urban delivery innovations."

Digitisation of the supply chain is helping OEMs tackle key issues of complexity and increased service requirements. For enhanced customer value and growth opportunities, Frost & Sullivan predicts that CV OEMs and logistics service providers will look to:

  • Develop a connected supply chain ecosystem.
  • Focus on the less than truckload (LTL) mode of transportation with the emergence of online digital platforms and connected devices.
  • Shift toward demand-driven logistics models, outsourcing, and one-stop solutions.
  • Improve telematics and redesign the body and cabin with the rise of autonomous vehicles.
  • Employ delivery bots to solve the last-mile delivery challenge, as they are more cost-effective and have fewer regulatory mandates.
  • Develop agile urban truckswith increased manoeuvrability.

 

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Making connections count with IoT https://futureiot.tech/making-connections-count-with-iot/ Mon, 11 Nov 2019 01:00:57 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=5993 [...] Accessing FutureIoT Premium Content Welcome! To access Premium content and more, please login below. Not a Premium member yet? Register now for a free account! Username or Email Password  Remember Me Forgot Password Alternatively,

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Interconnection bandwidth in APAC will grow at 56% CAGR by 2022 https://futureiot.tech/interconnection-bandwidth-in-apac-will-grow-at-56-cagr-by-2022/ Tue, 22 Oct 2019 03:00:06 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=5847 The latest Global Interconnection Index (GXI) published by Equinix said  interconnection bandwidth in Asia Pacific will grow at 56% CAGR by 2022.

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The growing adoption of technologies such as IoT, virtual and augmented reality as well as 5G in Asia Pacific is putting a lot of pressure on the demand for interconnection bandwidth, and service providers are responding well to the challenge by making more capacity available to enterprise customers.

According to the latest Global Interconnection Index (GXI), an annual study published by Equinix, interconnection bandwidth in the region is expected to grow at 56% CAGR to exceed 3,825 Tbps by 2022, contributiong 29% of the global capacity.

Among industries, Cloud and IT services is expected to consume the most interconnection bandwidth, reaching 914 Tbps in Asia-Pacific, which is forecast to outpace growth (50% CAGR) of clouds in all other regions. Hong Kong is expected to see the second fastest interconnection bandwidth growth in the region, increasing at 55% CAGR from 2018 to 2022.

In addition, a separate independent survey commissioned by Equinix of more than 2,450 global senior IT professionals, including more than 100 senior IT professionals in Hong Kong, shows that 60% of Hong Kong organisations are currently expanding into new regions, countries or metros, and 66% of them plan to use virtual connections to support their expansions.

“People, software and machines are creating and consuming data faster and in all the places where we work, play, and live,” said Rick Villars, research vice president – data center & cloud, IDC.

He added: “The significant increase in data created, aggregated and analysed in these new locations is contributing to a major shift away from deploying IT in traditional corporate datacenters. Enterprises need access to robust, modern datacenter facilities near the edge locations where businesses want to deploy dedicated infrastructure and interconnect to the increasing number of clouds, customers and partners that are at the core of digital transformation efforts.”

Fertile ground for technological development

According to Jeremy Deutsch, president of Asia Pacific at Equinix, the region has become a fertile ground for technological development.

“We are excited to see the proliferation of 5G, IoT, VR and AR provide the impetus for the enormous growth of interconnection bandwidth in the region,” he said. “Being interconnected has never been so important for enterprises seeking to keep up with customer expectations which often require massive volumes of data to be processed and analysed at the edge, within a matter of seconds.”
“That is why Equinix continues to be committed to staying ahead of evolving customer needs and supporting them in accelerating their digital transformation journey,” Deutsch added.

Below are some of the key findings of the GXI study:

The ability to exchange large volumes of data through interconnection is essential to compete in the digital economy

  • The Equinix survey found that almost half of global IT decision-makers (46% in Hong Kong) believe interconnection is a key facilitator of digital transformation, and nearly half of all global IT decision-makers (45% in Hong Kong) believe interconnection can help their business to gain competitive advantage within the marketplace.

Distance is the biggest performance killer for digital business

  • Deploying direct, private connections at the edge propels both application performance and user experience.
  • According to the Equinix survey, more than one-third of global IT decision-makers (40% in Asia-Pacific and 50% in Hong Kong) are using interconnection to increase speed of connectivity.

Leading businesses are gaining competitive advantage using a combination of key interconnection deployment models

  • Interconnecting to multiple network providers across multiple edge locations is the most prominent use case for interconnection bandwidth and is expected to grow 4x by 2022.
  • Interconnecting to multiple clouds and IT services across multiple edge locations and cloud regions represents the next largest and fastest use of interconnection bandwidth and is predicted to grow 13x by 2022.
  • Interconnecting to digital business partners for financial services, content and digital media and supply chain integration makes up the remainder of interconnection bandwidth use cases and is forecasted to grow 5x by 2022.

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Canon delivers cloud-based video analytics service in SG https://futureiot.tech/canon-delivers-cloud-based-video-analytics-service-in-sg/ Mon, 14 Oct 2019 02:00:16 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=5777 Agent Vi's AI-powered video analytics SaaS provides enhanced surveillance and security to Singapore customers.

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Canon Singapore announced last Friday a partnership with video analytics solutions provider Agent Video Intelligence (Agent VI) to launch the first AI-powered cloud-based video analytics service in the Lion City.

Canon’s enterprise customers in Singapore are the first and only in Asia to experience innoVi, Agent Vi’s cutting-edge AI-powered video analytics Software as a Service (SaaS) on their existing surveillance cameras. The service is offered on a monthly subscription basis, saving customers from investing in any upfront capital costs or having to purchase dedicated equipment.

​​​​​​​“We are always looking for ways to help our customers improve and streamline their processes, and are delighted that this partnership with Agent Vi enables us to be the first to introduce cloud-based video analytics to Singapore,” said Edwin Teoh, head of marketing for Singapore operations at Canon Singapore.

The partnership with Agent Vi will enhance Canon’s suite of network visual solutions, offering businesses seamless connectivity with maximum productivity and reduced costs.

“Singapore’s Smart Nation initiative encourages businesses to harness the power of AI, data analytics and cloud computing as transformative business tools, and this offering cements our commitment to helping companies as they move forward in these areas,” Teoh said.

Bolstering security with video analytics

innoVi is a centrally-managed video analytics solution powered by cutting-edge deep Learning technology that enables unparalleled detection accuracy. Its algorithms actively and continuously learn how to categorise objects with precision, allowing innoVi to distinguish between people, vehicles and static objects.

innoVi is able to transform any ONVIF / RTSP fixed IP camera into an intelligent video device, uncovering otherwise hidden incidents, insights and information.

​​​​​​​Itsik Kattan, CEO of Agent Vi, said: "The strategic partnership with Canon Singapore will allow Canon's customers to effortlessly benefit from a centrally hosted video analytics SaaS solution, to enhance their security, safety and operational needs, with no upfront capital costs."

​​​​​​​Being fully automated, the solution minimises the need for 24-hour monitoring and eliminates the chance of human error. The product is designed to meet the needs of companies requiring video analytics with a simple and easy-to-maintain setup such as hotels, condominium security and healthcare facilities. Subscription to the service starts at only S$137 per month with no upfront costs.

"We are proud to harness our innovative solutions to Canon's forward-thinking strategy and jointly bring to market a unique solution that will serve thousands of new customers in Singapore and expand from there to additional regions served by Canon," ​​​Kattan said.

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The business value of data movement https://futureiot.tech/the-business-value-of-data-movement/ Fri, 11 Oct 2019 02:38:21 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=5750 A transaction is a series of events. Every time a credit card is swiped, you execute a series of events triggered by data at each point of the chain. At the heart of each transaction is data.

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A transaction is a series of events. Every time a credit card is swiped, you execute a series of events triggered by data at each point of the chain. At the heart of each transaction is data.

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Ericsson completes smart transformation of its Nanjing factory https://futureiot.tech/ericsson-completes-smart-transformation-of-its-nanjing-factory/ Tue, 08 Oct 2019 09:00:05 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=5721 Every step of production has been modernised, with cellular IoT, Industry 4.0 and AI tools and technologies have been implemented.

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Ericsson has completed last month the 18-month upgrade of its manufacturing facility in Nanjing China. The project, which costs an estimated 500 million Swedish kroner, has seen the company modernise every step of the production process at its Nanjing factory in preparation for the introduction and rapid deployments of 5G in China.

The project includes the first modular-designed automatic assembly line for 5G radios, which will enable Ericsson to produce the latest 5G radios in the capacity needed for the Chinese market.

An upgraded automatic packing line, which supports both 4G and 5G products, has been up running from the second quarter of 2019.

“Our customers in China will benefit through the technology leadership, speed and capacity advantages that our automated smart factory will give us,” Fredrik Jejdling, executive vice president and head of business area networks at Ericsson, said in a statement.

He pointed out that the completion of smart factory in Nanjing is another important milestone in Ericsson’s global supply readiness for 5G.

“Our factory in Nanjing is a great example of how our next-generation technology is changing the future of manufacturing for the better,” Jejdling said.

Making Industry 4.0 a reality

According to Ericsson, the resulting automated factory stands among the most advanced manufacturing facilities in the industry.

The company produces 5G and 4G radio technology products at the factory, most of which support communication service providers in the Chinese market to increase network capacity, roll-out 5G, and make Industry 4.0 a reality.

Ericsson has also modernised 5G testing equipment to be more efficient and very flexible across the product portfolio. In addition to contributing to high product quality, this also means that products can be introduced to the market faster.

Competence and ways of working with analytics, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning tools have also benefited from the investment. AI is now used to recognize components in the production line, increasing efficiency, accuracy and quality.

State-of-the-art cellular IoT technologies in the Nanjing factory enable an automated alert system for immediate attention of critical issues and faults. Implemented at 45 work stations, it enables increased efficiency and speed of the production system.

“As a global company, we have gained insights from testing and applying 5G technology for industries and now we are bringing the learnings into our own factories, which will benefit the whole ecosystem,” Jejdling said.

The Nanjing factory is part of Ericsson’s global supply chain set up and this news follows the previous announcements on Ericsson digitalising its factory in Estonia and establishing a smart factory in the US.

Ericsson’s global supply chain strategy is to ensure the company works close to customers through its European, Asian and American operations, and secures fast and agile deliveries to meet customer requirements.

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New Samsung Innovation Campus offers courses on IoT https://futureiot.tech/new-samsung-innovation-campus-offers-courses-on-iot/ Mon, 07 Oct 2019 02:00:21 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=5708 The skills at the core of SIC curriculum are rooted in technologies which are keys to the Fourth Industrial Revolution, including AI, IoT, big data, cloud platforms and mobile platforms.

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Samsung Electronics has launched the Samsung Electronics Campus (SIC)  its latest global citizenship program for young adults. The new program offers IT education to help young adults around the globe gain academic and professional skills useful for the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

The skills at the core of SIC curriculum are rooted in technologies which are keys to the Fourth Industrial Revolution, including artificial intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), big data, cloud platforms and mobile platforms.

Additional programs have also been established to help the participants build their skills in creativity, communication and teamwork for future employment.

“Samsung Innovation Campus aims to empower a generation of problem solvers by equipping them with future-proof skills and giving them practical understanding of the technologies that will shape their future and enrich sustainable growth of the world,” said Seonghee Kang, SIC program manager at Corporate Citizenship Office, Samsung Electronics.

Now running in Russia from October 1, SIC will gradually expand to Vietnam, Spain, Indonesia, Chile, Thailand, and other countries in the near future. It will provide tailored curriculums in different countries and work closely with local schools and NGOs in order to operate these programs effectively and ensure the experiences offered by the courses are uniquely customized for the local participants.

Through SIC, Samsung Electronics hopes to give young people the opportunity to enhance their employment prospects and gain a practical education in technologies through both classroom learning and online-based courses. SIC is eyeing for these online courses can lead to official certifications by next year.

Russia has been chosen as first market to launched SIC because earlier Samsung IT education programs – such as the Samsung IT Academy and Samsung IT School – have been well-received in the country.

Samsung Electronics have been helping educate young people all over the world through programs such as the Samsung Junior SW Academy and the Samsung SW Academy for Youth.

The Samsung Tech Institute, which has been running since 2013, is providing valuable experience for over 110,000 young people in more than 30 countries. The institute, which has evolved and grown, is now being  re-launched as  the SIC as part of the company’s new corporate citizenship vision.

 

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AVEVA: Industrial sector needs to step up digital transformation https://futureiot.tech/aveva-industrial-sector-needs-to-step-up-digital-transformation/ Tue, 01 Oct 2019 02:30:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=5629 Citing ARC Research, AVEVA pointed out only 5% to 8% of industrial process manufacturers are ready for digital transformation today

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AVEVA urged the industrial sector to accelerate their digital transformation journey to reap the benefits in productivity and operational efficiency.

“It’s never been easier to begin a digital transformation program, as cheap access to cloud computing, great connectivity, a merged edge and enterprise combined with analytics and machine learning, means that the ability to digitally drive productivity improvements into the industrial world is now unprecedented,” said Craig Hayman, CEO of AVEVA, during a media briefing during its recently concluded annual customer conference in Singapore

He pointed out that while the finance, insurance, health and retail sectors have rapidly harnessed the Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence and big data to meet the changing needs of their customers, the industrial world has been slower in adopting new technologies.

“Leaders driving the next wave of transformation know they must move quickly.  We are work to partner with these organisations on their digital journey, helping them accelerate the use of digital technology, realize the value of a digital twin and build a digital team,” Hayman said.

Industry sector lags in digital transformation

In a session during the conference, ARC Advisory Group (ARC) cited its recent research of 157 process manufacturers that found that there were still barriers in organisational accountability, culture and employee change management that impeded transformation.

According to research conducted by ARC, although more than 80% of industrial process manufacturers are piloting advanced technology, only 5% to 8% of them are ready for digital transformation today.

The main barriers to adoption, according to ARC, are organisational makeup and scalability of use cases and users while the biggest driver of digital transformation in the industrial sector is the need to address the business consequences of unplanned downtime.

“Despite the transformational road not being a straight path, digital transformation is a key driver of change that opens new opportunities for companies to grow and create value,” said Craig Resnick, vice president at ARC Advisory Group.

He added: “The key to successful digitalisation is an agile, digital-savvy leadership that sets forth a strategic vision for organisations, and effectively infuses a digital mindset across the entire workforce.”

Three steps towards digital transformation for the industrial sector

According to AVEVA, the benefits of digital transformation in the industrial sector are many. Among them are: improved asset health that will result in a reduction in unplanned downtime and better asset performance; and enhanced incident prediction capabilities that have the power to lower operational risk and protect worker safety.

Furthermore, cognitive learning can deliver digitised intelligence resulting in knowledge and experience being freely available throughout the organisation.

Hayman has outlined three key steps to accelerating the organisational digital transformational journey:

  • Firstly, he urged organisations to ‘snap in’ a unified operating center to visualise the industrial data they already had.
  • Secondly, organisations need to use data to free up the OPEX or operating budget, build a knowledge graph about an asset as well as use machine learning and artificial intelligence to predict when it will fail before it fails. This process called Asset Performance Management or APM, is a hot area that has moved very quickly with a lot of innovation.
  • Finally, organisations should use their data to remove risk bringing simulation into engineering design and using the cloud to eliminate legacy workflows.

“Over time, these three steps combine into an end-to-end digital twin, that spans from an organisation’s original engineering data through to operational performance and maintenance work,” commented Hayman. “By leveraging the integrated data and analytical capabilities of the individual digital twin, companies can embark on true digitalisation to optimise their asset’s lifecycle. This process begins with the initial capital investments right through to the operating phase of a modern plant, refinery, or smart city.”

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AI and IoT monitor Citarum River reforestation in real time https://futureiot.tech/ai-and-iot-monitor-citarum-river-reforestation-in-real-time/ Wed, 25 Sep 2019 02:00:53 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=5583 Indonesian farmer Dedi is worried the future does not bode well for the small patch of rice paddies that he has been tending for 28 years. Located upstream of the renowned Citarum River on the island of Java, his farm – not to mention his family and his community – relies on the 297-km waterway […]

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Indonesian farmer Dedi is worried the future does not bode well for the small patch of rice paddies that he has been tending for 28 years. Located upstream of the renowned Citarum River on the island of Java, his farm – not to mention his family and his community – relies on the 297-km waterway to sustain his livelihood.

“People here depend on the Citarum for their everyday needs,” he says. “But the water quality is changing. It causes health issues, especially for the skin, like itching.”

The river runs down West Java’s cloud-shrouded highlands near Mount Wayang and winds north to the sea, just east of Jakarta – Indonesia’s desperately overcrowded capital.

For years, unchecked toxic run-off from textile plants and other factories along its banks have poisoned the river.

Nearly 60% of its fish species appear to have died out, and lead levels have been measured at 1,000 times above U.S. safety standards.

Tagging and replanting trees around Citarum River.

In December last year, a massive rehabilitation program begun to save Citarum River. And people behind the program hope that new technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and Internet of Things (IoT) can help bring it to life again.

Race against time

The Citarum river system is one of the worst-hit victims of Indonesian’s urbanisation and industrialisation. It has been choked with garbage and industrial waste for years, making it one of the world’s most polluted rivers. Swaths of lush jungle, essential to the health of the river basin’s tropical ecosystem, have been cut down and replaced by poorly managed plantation farming.

But even its degraded state, the river remains crucial to today’s Indonesia. Its three dams supply water to almost 20 million people in the West Java province and more than 10 million in Jakarta.

Around 104,000 acres of farmland, 3,000 factories and several hydroelectric plants rely on its water.

With so much at stake, recently re-elected President Joko Widodo has ordered a massive clean-up, with the aim of making water from the Citarum safe to drink by 2025.

Tree management system support reforestation efforts

Besides ordering thousands of troops to clear garbage in and around the river system, the rehabilitation program includes replanting of trees.

More trees will help filter runoff that makes its way into the river and reduce carbon in the air. Today, residents and environmentalists are using digital solutions to measure, monitor and support its progress.

One of these solutions is a tree management system developed by local technology startup Jejak.in. The system uses IoT and AI to collect and analyse ecological data. The solution supports and maintains a database consisting of more than 15,000 tree species.

According to Arfan Arlanda, CEO and founder of Jejak.in, the tree management solution developed for the Citarum River rehabilitation program has a variety of features and functions.

Arfan Arlanda, CEO and founder of Jejak.in

“It has image mapping and identification abilities which include data sampling with QR, IoT sensors and the mobile application. In addition, it has a remote sensing feature that obtains data using satellite imagery and an aerial map function that extracts data using drones,” he said.

Arlanda pointed out that IoT technology is deployed specifically to fulfil several requirements.

“IoT is useful for the calculation of height and trunk diameter of the trees. IoT is also used in the soil sensors to collect data from the area of restoration. The data collected by the sensors mentioned above is used to monitor the progress of the restoration program and identify if further actions are required to ensure the success of the project,” he said.

He added: “Restoring forests around the catchment area is a natural way to boost the river’s water quality.”

Jejak.in specialises in developing systems that support reforestation and conservation programs. For the Citarum River rehabilitation, the startup is one of the key collaborators in the project spearheaded by packaged drinking water company Danone-AQUA.

Karyanto Wibowo, director for sustainable development, Danone Indonesia

Danone-AQUA also worked together with Nawatech, a Microsoft partner to develop Jejak.in, while the World Agroforestry (ICRAF) also shared its experience, industry knowledge and provided its scientific methodologies to support the project.

“It took an estimated 3 months to prepare for the Citarum River restoration initiative and it was implemented in December 2018,” said Karyanto Wibowo, director for sustainable development at Danone Indonesia.

Jejak.in solution for the Citarum River project runs in the cloud on Microsoft Azure. It sends information on carbon absorption to forest managers and government regulators.

“With machine learning, it is able to predict and calculate the environmental impact of tree planting such as carbon absorption within an area and share information on carbon absorption with forest managers and government regulators,” said Arlanda. “Its machine learning capabilities allow it to process imagery data and identify both land cover area and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI).

The solution also features an intuitive reporting dashboard that presents real-time information and analysis of reforestation efforts.

“Jejak.in’s solution allows Danone-AQUA to plan, conduct and monitor their restoration and conversation programs successfully,” said Wibowo. “It also enables us to make informed decisions driven by data. Moving forward, the solution is being improved, considering feedback gathered by the Danone-AQUA team, ICRAF as well as the local NGO partners.”

Smartphone chatbot

Meanwhile, the data from the tree management system can be accessed by the local communities via a user-friendly AI-powered smartphone chatbot named Jaki.

“The data and analysis are always up-to-date. It makes the data collection process measurable, well-reported, and verified,” Arlanda said. “The technology is still under development and is not limited to anyone who wants to contribute and monitor.”

Danone-AQUA has been delivering healthy hydration to millions of Indonesians since it was founded in 1973.

With an estimated two-thirds of the nation’s 269 million citizens still lacking easy access to safe drinking water, supporting the clean-up of the Citarum and the reforestation of its catchment has become a signature sustainability project for the company.

Its partnership with Jejak.in is also helping its production facilities produce zero net carbon emissions.

Monitoring reduction in carbon emissions,

Under Danone-AQUA’s corporate social responsibility initiative, every new tree planted in the Mount Wayang area is marked with a QR code medallion made from used water bottles. The codes can be read with a smartphone, making it easy to monitor the amount of carbon being reduced as each tree grows.

Local authorities and Danone-AQUA expect the reforestation around Mount Wayang will mitigate the dangers of floods and landslides.

“The Citarum case is unique because many people, even those who live miles away in Jakarta, depend on the river,” Wibowo said.

 

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AI and IoT are the keys to smarter lifts and escalators https://futureiot.tech/ai-and-iot-are-the-keys-to-smarter-lifts-and-escalators/ Mon, 23 Sep 2019 04:00:34 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=5558 Alex Berkling, EVP-APAC at KONE discussed the future of smart elevators and escalators and the big role of AI and IoT in their evolution.

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Elevators and escalators have been the key enabler in the vertical development essential to the urbanization of the world’s cities from the time they were introduced in the late 1800s.

Axel Berkling, executive vice president for Asia Pacific, KONE.

“They are in fact our urban workhorses and play an essential role in moving us through cities,” said Axel Berkling, executive vice president for Asia-Pacific at KONE, in an exclusive interview with FutureIoT. “We are using elevators and escalators in our daily commute to work, to move between floors at our workplace and shopping and in some cases, a mode of transport to save time of walking from point to point.”

Indeed, one example of this is the Central – Mid Levels escalator in Hong Kong, considered as the world’s longest outdoor escalator, with a length of over 800 metres, to transport residents from their homes in Mid-Levels to their offices in Central financial district.

The design of elevators and escalators likewise has evolved over the years.

Elevators can now be hoisted with carbon fibre ropes instead of conventional steel ropes, which are more eco-friendly and durable than its predecessors; and, and the can now travel at fast speeds while consuming up to 90% less electricity than the ones made nearly 30 years ago.

Escalators, on the hand, offer more design choices with the advent of arched- and spiral-shaped varieties. In fact, KONE installed the world’s first arched escalators in Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, Germany – providing users an experience of travelling in an “endless” escalator. These escalators were specially designed for this project and is over 80 metres long and 21.43 metres tall.

Transformative impact of IoT and AI

Over the last decade, advances in AI and IoT have changed elevators and escalators beyond their mechanical function of getting people travel up high-rises with speed and comfort. They have become more intelligent, connecting to the cloud where the data they collect are analysed and stored.

For several years now, KONE has been using IBM’s Watson IoT Platform and Predictive Maintenance Insights as part of its KONE 24/7 Connected Services offering. This allows building operators and maintenance providers such as KONE to tailor the maintenance specific to each individual elevator and escalator where it can detect potential problems even before the maintenance crew visits the site.

The interior of a KONE smart elevator.

FutureIoT talked at length with Berkling to discuss the key role both technologies play in the evolution of the industry.

How does an elevator/escalator qualify as smart?

AB: Having excellent elevators, escalators and their related solutions are no longer enough in the age of smart buildings. The right technologies must be put in place that enable smooth, safe and efficient people flow. Smart elevators and escalators are intelligent machines that can generate data, identify problems and make decisions on maintenance issues and operational patterns in real-time based on IoT and artificial intelligence.

Out 24/7 Connected Services leverages IoT-based monitoring technology to our elevators and escalators to predict maintenance issues in real-time and integrate destination control systems to our elevators. IBM Watson IoT Platform can monitor elevator performance based on set parameters and data can be sent to a cloud in real-time. Also, KONE 24/7 Connected Services can identify peak periods of elevator usage and

Furthermore, application programming interfaces (API) can be developed to create solutions within an integrated ecosystem. KONE has released most of its APIs in public domain to facilitate integration and installation for both its developers and partners. For example, one of our partners have developed an app that enables residents to use tablets as a virtual receptionist when the host is not at home. Using the app, guests can call the host and an elevator will be sent remotely to pick up the guests.

Where is IoT being applied in elevator/escalator design/operation?

AB: One of the keys uses of IoT in the elevator and escalator industry is in predictive maintenance. Maintenance can be disruptive to the movement of people within buildings, especially at times of unexpected breakdowns. IoT enables elevator and escalators to share their performance data and predict maintenance issues quickly without the need of a human technician to visit the site itself.

Our technicians are now able to analyse and accurately identify problems before visiting the elevator/ escalator site. Previously, our technicians have to make multiple trips to the site to detect and identify problems which was time consuming. With KONE 24/7 Connected Services, our technicians know what exactly the problem is remotely, and they just need to spend their time on-site to resolve the issue.

Where is Artificial Intelligence being applied in elevator/escalator design/operation?

AB: Artificial intelligence is helping operators better anticipate problems and manage the flow of traffic for elevators and escalators throughout the lifecycle of their equipment based on data collected from daily usage. In the case of KONE, it does not only synthesise incoming data but also allows our technicians to predict and suggest resolutions to detect potential problems before they manifest. This data is shared in real-time from elevators and escalators to both our maintenance teams and our customers in which both parties are able to predict and solve potential problems based on the data transmitted.

As more data is collected and stored in the cloud, artificial intelligence will be able to make better decisions and determine when should maintenance be carried out and what action should technicians take to resolve the problem. They also have access to all the information they require before going down on-site where they traditionally have to make multiple visits. First, to identify the problem and then to make the necessary repairs. With the use of artificial intelligence to identify has helped to reduce the downtime of elevators/ escalators in the long-term as technicians can identify the potential problem beforehand and fix it in a single visit.

In the medium term, we hope to gather more data from equipment operations and through artificial intelligence, we can better analyse the data to make better business and operational decisions. With these data, we aim to reduce the number of breakdowns, energy usage while ensuring that elevators arrive on time to bring them quicker to their destination.

What will the elevator/escalator of 2020/2030 look like?

AB: In the age of smart buildings, elevators and escalators of the 2020s and 2030s will be able to have a mind of their own. What we see in science fiction movies is finally becoming a reality.

Elevators and escalators are able to talk by sending messages through their server. For example, our 24/7 Connected Services enables elevators and escalators to send messages to the servers. This forms part of the smart building ecosystem as smart buildings require smart machines for it to properly function.

Using our mobile devices to call for elevators and bring us to our homes will become commonplace. We will be able to call an elevator with our smartphone or the elevator can recognise our typical journey simply by facial recognition. Furthermore, leveraging artificial intelligence and machine learning, residents’ travel patterns can be recognised by the system. The next generation elevator will be able to determine the time they leave and return to their homes, floor they are on as well as determining if elevator doors can be kept open longer for elderly people.

In fact, we have already rolled out our smart home solution, KONE Residential Flow, in select markets and are continuously improvising to provide the best possible user experience. A similar smart office building solution has been introduced in some markets as well. Moving forward, we will introduce these solutions to the market to provide a smarter live, work and play experience.

Furthermore, having third-party systems and applications integrated into elevators and escalators will become the way of life in the future. We are already seeing that in action in some industries and this will become more prevalent in the next two decades. At Hotel Jen Orchard Gateway in Singapore, robots are being used to deliver in-room dining and amenities to guests by using elevators. I foresee this become commonplace in the near future where we have to consider the implications on smooth, safe and efficient people/ resource flow within buildings.

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Google: HK smart city reality better than perception https://futureiot.tech/google-hk-smart-city-reality-better-than-perception/ Wed, 18 Sep 2019 02:30:19 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=5517 This is the first time over the whitepaper series where noticeable improvements in digital adoption were observed across all four key sectors of the local economy

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The perception that Hong Kong is a smart city actually improved in the last 12 months in spite of the latest poll commissioned by Google that showed only a third or an estimated 30% of residents – the same percentage as 2018 – share the same belief.

“Between 2017 and 2018, Hong Kong ranked sixth in the corporations’ mind about where we were from a smart perspective. We were behind other cities like Shenzhen and Shanghai. Now we only lag behind Tokyo and Singapore.” said Leonie Valentine, managing director for sales and operations at Google Hong Kong.

“In the business world, 44% of corporations and 39% of small-and medium business (SMBs) now consider Hong Kong to be a smart city – an increase of more than 15% and 12% from 2018. Yes, the relative positioning of Hong Kong against other cities is stilled ranked fourth – there is no change but the perception of Hong Kong to be a smarter city has actually improved,” said Valentine during a press briefing held in the city.

The poll was conducted by Ipsos on behalf of Google Hong Kong for the latter’s Smarter Digital City (SDC) Whitepaper, the third and final edition of which was released last Monday. The SDC Whitepaper tracked the progress of digitisation in Hong Kong across four key business verticals – travel, retail, finance and living.

Source: Smarter Digital City 3.0

According to Google Hong Kong, this is the first time over the whitepaper series where noticeable improvements in digital adoption were observed across all four key sectors of the local economy.

“This final research report shows that Hong Kong’s digitalisation is progressing well over the past three years,” said Valentine. “However, more effort is needed to communicate the value of digital applications and how digitalisation can improve overall quality of life for Hongkongers. It is also important for all stakeholders – policymakers, corporates, SMBs and consumers – to bring an open mindset and actively collaborate to drive innovations that will be beneficial for all.”

Valentine further pointed out the need to bridge the gap between perception and reality about the city’s smart city standing in people’s minds.

“Promoting the awareness and tangible benefits of technology applications and initiatives in people’s everyday life can help build a receptive community that is eager to adopt new technology,” she said.

Business sector stepping up the smart city plate

The business sector, however, are not blind to the growing digital adoption in the city. The SDC whitepaper said 89% of corporates in Hong Kong will increase digitalization investments over the next two years. Of these companies, 30% are considering to implement initiatives related to machine learning and AI, a jump of over 14% compared to last year.

And SMBs in the city have fence-sitting and are now playing catch-up, according to Valentine.

“There are more ways for SMBs to be digital in Hong Kong. We actually see an increase in POS terminals, accepting contactless payments and mobile payments. We see more competition in the payment industry,” she said. “Twelve months ago, I couldn’t pay for a taxi with a credit card in Hong Kong. Today, I can use the HK taxi app. So, we are being exposed to these everyday useful things and that also increased the perception of our SMB clients.

Talent shortage a major barrier

The SDC whitepaper showed that lack of skilled workforce continues to be a major barrier to the city’s smart city and digital transformation, with 64% of corporates finding it difficult to employ talents with STEM expertise.

However, Valentine believes that the shortage in digital talent is also a matter of perception.

“The perception is Hong Kong does not produce graduates in STEM. Actually, this perception is not fact,” she said. “If have a look at Hong Kong Census data, the number of undergraduate students is somewhere around 22,000 a year through the university grant scheme, roughly 23% to 24% of all HK graduates are STEM students.”

“We are actually producing a lot of kids who have the ability to learn digital. They have the foundational skills – the conceptual stuff that actually matters. So, we do have a ready pool of kids coming through university, who could be trained and retrained to acquire digital skillsets. They are much closer to that than thinking about how we actually have to train for AI and ML (machine learning) from the very young age. They might be tricky to find because they are introverted, but they are really doing cool stuff in Hong Kong.” Valentine said.

Furthermore, the silver lining on the horizon is that 81% of Hong Kong residents are willing to learn and acquire new digital skills for the smart future. App development (41%), machine learning and AI (40%) and data analytics (37%) remains to be the top three digital initiatives that Hongkongers want to learn.

Meanwhile, Google Hong Kong has been doing its share in helping build a smart workforce. To date, over 1,000 primary and secondary school students have participated in Google’s fundamental coding program called CS First. The company also has been promoting ML and AI applications in Hong Kong through its advanced education program such as Google Cloud Certified Program and Explore ML program. It has also brought in its digital marketing curriculum called Digital Garage to Hong Kong, which has trained 20,000 people in the last two years.

“The appetite for learning is there. We only need to connect that desire to opportunities to learn those skills. And they create a much healthier ecosystem where we have the jobs here for Hongkongers. Because that is where we can see relative improvements in terms of the standard of living and relative improvements in terms of liveability of the city as well,” Valentine said.

Providing on-the-job training

She added that organisations must also do their part in providing on-the-job training for new recruits who may not have the full digital capabilities needed for their position.

“Companies should be able to say – ‘we will hire you for your innate ability and your potential. We don’t mind that you don’t have the exactly the right discipline for that job. We will train you’. We need more of that mindset in Hong Kong of looking at raw talent and potential regardless of which institution you came from,” Valentine said.

“We want smarts. We want kids who can really change things. There is an onus on organisations to invest in training their employees and make sure they reach their full potential.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Nokia, NTT DOCOMO and OMRON bring 5G to smart factory trial https://futureiot.tech/nokia-ntt-docomo-and-omron-bring-5g-to-smart-factory-trial/ Thu, 12 Sep 2019 01:30:41 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=5479 Trial follows increasing demand for wireless communications at manufacturing sites driven by the need for stable connectivity between IoT devices.

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Nokia, NTT DOCOMO and OMRON Corporation this week have agreed to conduct joint field trials using 5G at their plants and other production sites. As part of the trial, Nokia will provide the enabling 5G technology and OMRON the factory automation equipment while NTT DOCOMO will run the 5G trial.

The three companies aim to significantly enhance productivity at future manufacturing plants. The trial follows the increasing demand for wireless communications at manufacturing sites driven by the need for stable connectivity between IoT devices, including those embedded in machine controls.

As background noise from machines and the movement of people have the potential to interfere with wireless communications, the trial will aim to verify the reliability and stability of 5G technology deployed by conducting radio wave measurements and transmission experiments.

“This trial will allow us to address some of the biggest challenges facing manufacturers today”, said John Harrington, president and CEO, Nokia Japan. “While consumers will experience faster, more immediate mobile communications, it is manufacturers that are set to benefit the most from 5G. The stable, lower-latency and higher throughput wireless connections that come with 5G allow them to truly embrace the IoT. Production lines will be more flexible and adaptable, and productivity on the factory floor can be more easily improved. We are dedicated to helping manufacturers enable this Industry 4.0 vision.”

Layout-free production lines

During the trials, DOCOMO, OMRON and Nokia aim to prove the feasibility of using 5G connectivity to create layout-free production lines using Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs)--robots that are able to act autonomously in complex and changing environments--as well as the feasibility of human-machine collaboration inside manufacturing plants.

An image of a layout-free production line. (Photo from OMRON)

As the demand for parts diversifies and production cycles become shorter, production lines need to be rapidly reconfigured whenever there are changes to components.

By using AMRs to create production lines with flexible layouts, it is expected manufacturers will be able to quickly and flexibly build these and change their layout in line with fluctuations in demand.

“We are delighted to collaborate with Nokia and OMRON in the co-creation of innovative 5G services for the manufacturing sector,” said Takehiro Nakamura, senior vice president and general manager of 5G Laboratories, NTT DOCOMO.

NTT DOCOMO has conducted multiple trials creating 5G use cases with a variety of partners. According to Nakamura, factory automation has emerged as one of the most interesting and challenging fields to explore.

“We are confident we will be able to prove the feasibility of layout-free factory production lines with Autonomous Mobile Robots and person-machine collaboration, thanks to Nokia’s expertise in 5G infrastructure and OMRON’s manufacturing technology know-how,” he said.

The three companies aim to enhance productivity within plants by having AMRs automatically convey components to the exact spot they are required on the basis of communication with production line equipment.

Real-time coaching using AI/IoT

The trials will also address the shortage of skilled workers at manufacturing sites by leveraging l 5G connectivity for real-time coaching using AI/IoT.

Production line technicians will be monitored with dedicated cameras, with the system giving feedback on their performance based on an analysis of their movements transmitted to servers using 5G communication. This will help improve their training by detecting and analysing the differences of motion between more skilled and less skilled personnel.

“We are pleased to start this experiment with Nokia and DOCOMO, aiming to bring 5G onto the real manufacturing floor”, said Shinji Fukui, executive officer and senior general Manager, Technology Development Division HQ, Industrial Automation Company, OMRON Corporation. “We believe this collaboration will enable us to create innovative solutions with 5G to address issues in the manufacturing industries.”

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TIBCO and APU to arm students with data analytics and IoT skills https://futureiot.tech/tibco-and-apu-to-arm-students-with-data-analytics-and-iot-skills/ Wed, 11 Sep 2019 02:00:38 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=5449 APU and TIBCO will focus on IoT technologies to show the students real-life scenarios where industries can leverage data in real time to make informed decisions that improve business results.

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TIBCO Software yesterday announced an enhanced collaboration with Malaysia’s Asia Pacific University of Technology and Innovation (APU).

In its mission to expand data analytics capabilities and knowledge of Internet of Things (IoT) applications, APU will include TIBCO Spotfire in its teaching and research efforts, educating students how to use connected intelligence insights for engineering and business decisions.

TIBCO and APU will engage undergraduate students of the School of Computing and Technology, as well as those in the Mechatronic Engineering program from the School of Engineering. Aiming to teach and carry out research for data analytics in a more visual manner for IoT applications, the organizations' objective is to equip students with key data skillsets essential for their future careers.

"We have seen strong growth in Malaysia's initiative to encourage the digital transformation of businesses," said Erich Gerber, senior vice president, APJ and EMEA, TIBCO. "This collaboration with APU will increase the students' awareness of how significant data analytics and IoT skills are in Malaysia. With the help of TIBCO Spotfire, we believe that we can support the strong demand for data analytics and IoT skills in the region."

APU students will train with TIBCO solutions to ensure that they have the competencies and skillsets required to meet industry needs in application and solution innovation. Additionally, APU and TIBCO will focus on IoT technologies to show the students real-life scenarios where industries can leverage data in real time to make informed decisions that improve business results.

"Digital technology is playing a major role in Malaysia's digital journey, but growth is held up by a wide gap in data and technology skills. Close collaboration between educational institutions and leaders in data analytics is essential in imparting expertise," said Dr. Ir. Ts Vinesh Thiruchelvam, deputy vice-chancellor and chief innovation officer, APU. "Together with TIBCO, APU will train and empower a pool of talented and skilled graduates in the data analytics space, in turn allowing businesses to change how customers experience a product or service."

Both organisations aim to provide students with hands-on opportunities to practice concepts using selected TIBCO tools to deepen their knowledge of advanced data analytics. Students will be offered opportunities to learn through guest lectures, seminars, networking sessions, and relevant training modules with industry experts.

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SLAM to power autonomous factory robots https://futureiot.tech/slam-to-power-autonomous-factory-robots/ Mon, 02 Sep 2019 08:11:15 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=5354 Will SLAM software signal arrival of autonomous mobile robots and end era of automated guided vehicles?

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First introduced in 1953, automated guided vehicles (AGVs) are used in factories and warehouses to streamline processes, increase production, reduce inventory counting time, and fight shrinkage. These robots use marked wires on the floor or a combination of radio waves, vision cameras, magnets, or lasers for navigation. They are most often used in industrial applications to transport heavy materials around a large industrial building, such as a factory or warehouse.

Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs) are the next evolution of AGVs designed to be more independent than AGVs. AMRs can optimize their paths and processes on the factory floor, react to unexpected situations, and navigate around obstacles. To coordinate factory activities and avoid collisions between AMRs, AGVs, and people, a system which can pinpoint the location of every robot in real-time must be in place.

Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) is one such enabling technology. It allows a device to map its environment while positioning itself in it. SLAM will enable the transition from AGVs to AMRs in industrial applications.

“In these first years of the Industry 4.0, few factories will have a Real-Time Location System (RTLS) established, making it essential that AMRs can dynamically map their immediate environment using SLAM,” explains Andrew Zignani, principal analyst for Location Technologies at ABI Research. “Still, factories which already have a RTLS system deployed can use RTLS and SLAM together to provide valuable IoT data to a digital platform that can be used to optimize processes and make factories even leaner, thereby driving much faster ROI.”

Deploying robots on the factory floor will allow business owners to save substantial amounts of money in manpower and insurance, as well as increase productivity. For that, intelligent and easily reprogrammable robots will be necessary. Such need will be addressed by AMRs, which are predicted by ABI Research to comprise 80% of all commercial robot shipments by 2027.

All AMRs must possess mapping and localization capabilities to react to the fast-changing environment inside factories to avoid collisions with other machines and humans. Therefore, most industrial robots are expected to have SLAM capabilities in the next decade. Data generated by these robots’ SLAM capabilities can also be integrated into a centralized digital factory platform to be analysed for KPIs.

SLAM relies on sophisticated algorithms to work smoothly and accurately. Furthermore, the large amount of data generated by the various sensors on AMRs require efficient and low-latency processing. As a result, some software companies like Intermodalics, Kudan, and Accuware have identified the market opportunity that lies in developing SLAM algorithms and are partnering up with AMR integrators to deploy their software solutions.

“The 2020s are going to kick off with drastic changes in industrial environments. AI, IoT, RTLS, and connectivity technologies such as 5G will interact and improve each other in complex ways, and not all levels of the robotics value chain are ready for it. There are great opportunities in software development yet to be explored, SLAM being a big part of it,” Zignani concludes.

ABI Research predicts that by 2030, the installed base of SLAM-enabled Autonomous Mobile Robots will exceed 15 million.

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MDM can tame and monetize IoT data explosion https://futureiot.tech/mdm-can-tame-and-monetize-iot-data-explosion/ Mon, 02 Sep 2019 03:00:35 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=5331 In 1965 Wilf Hey was said to coin the catchphrase "garbage in, garbage out" (GIGO) to reflect the view that flawed, or nonsense input data produces nonsense output or "garbage". The phrase is even more noteworthy today in the era of big data, small data and analytics. As one finance manager participating at a CXOCIETY-hosted roundtable recently […]

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In 1965 Wilf Hey was said to coin the catchphrase "garbage in, garbage out" (GIGO) to reflect the view that flawed, or nonsense input data produces nonsense output or "garbage".

The phrase is even more noteworthy today in the era of big data, small data and analytics. As one finance manager participating at a CXOCIETY-hosted roundtable recently attested to "we have so much data coming in, it is hard work sifting through to glean any insight, let alone figure out what is real and what isn't."

His predicament stems from the realization that as a business they have multiple sources of data: warehousing and inventory control, finance, sales and marketing, supply chain, product development, etc. And yet each department sees the company based on the data it holds and calls it's the correct version of the truth.

So as the company moves to become more data-driven, how does one reconcile the different sources [and interpretation] of data and get to the one true version of the truth?

What Master means

Gartner defines Master Data Management (MDM) as a technology-enabled discipline in which business and IT work together to ensure the uniformity, accuracy, stewardship, semantic consistency and accountability of the enterprise's official shared master data assets.

Master data is the consistent and uniform set of identifiers and extended attributes that describes the core entities of the enterprise including customers, prospects, citizens, suppliers, sites, hierarchies and chart of accounts.

But the description is laced with technical jargon that businesses will instantly ignore if left untethered to a business outcome.

Pierre Bonnet, vice president of Product and Engineering at TIBCO Software
Pierre Bonnet, vice president of Product and Engineering at TIBCO Software

Pierre Bonnet, vice president of Product and Engineering at TIBCO Software believes that MDM should be a business-led programme that is essentially the clearinghouse to guarantee that the most important data is clean and of the highest quality. An essential attribute of this function is the ability to share the data across the organisation.

Clearinghouse

Bonnet likens MDM to a clearinghouse for data.

As companies deal with an increasing number of data sources and fragmented information from social media, mobile devices, and the cloud, MDM allows organisations to control and manage key master data entities scattered across different applications and databases. This improves visibility and control over the business activities and optimises various business operations such as the supply chain, inventory management, forecasting, and customer service.

"In a fast-growing business market with high expectations of deep digitalisation, a company without such a "data clearinghouse" could lose control of its data quality and data governance, leading to the delivery of poor quality business processes to its market. Such an MDM system is the spine of the deep-digitalisation process a company must follow to reinforce its market sustainability," he explained.

When consolidated and matched accurately, data can reveal opportunities, risks, and areas where the business can be improved.

Got MDM, will DX

While often not discussed, MDM may play an important role in organisations undertaking a digital transformation (DX) initiative. Why? At the core of many DX journeys is data – arguably the least understood, much abused and overhyped, and still relatively untapped for many organisations.

Can a business successfully achieve transformation without the need for a clearinghouse for data?

Bonnet cautions that there are two levels to consider when discussing digitalisation.

The first is the external-facing part of digitalisation as represented by API and websites. This part has a limited impact on the organisation's internal workings.

The second level called deep-digitalisation is where a company rethinks its internal IT systems to create a portfolio of autonomous and reusable coarse-grained components that can be exposed to the market via smarter APIs.

Bonnet explained that to make this deep-digitalisation happen at the right scale with the right quality, the governance of the data must cover all the information system layers, not only revealing certain important data in a fairly rough manner.

"To get this agility and depth of data governance, a high-end MDM system is mandatory. This system will be connected into all the information silos and layers within the silos, also with new systems. It is not a surface MDM system, but a deep MDM system with a strong data storage layer, rich governance features, and a very fast, agile process of delivery for the management of changes," he elaborated.

Secret to making it work

To achieve success at large scale, Bonnet says a company's MDM system must allow for an agile delivery process.

"It is almost impossible to be sure about the data structure, semantics, and governance process a company needs to start, and the prediction for the future is so hard to establish, even impossible," he laments.

The inability to know the future is the key reason for the agility mindset. This is a vital awareness.

"If the MDM system is not agile enough, then all the existing systems running in a company could be slowed in their ability to change. There is also a potential for poor integrating with the MDM system which will not improve the data quality, and may have the opposite effect," he continues.

He suggests that checking two points: first, the MDM system must be agile, without a rigid engineering process that could delay the delivery of the existing systems.

This is what is called a "model-driven MDM" for which the data semantics will drive a big part of the expected delivery in an automatic process.

The second point is the need for a methodology framework to set up a business glossary, model the data per domain at the semantic level, design the data policy with the workflow, and appoint the right roles for the data governance, etc.

"Today, after a couple of years of implementing such an MDM system, it is clear that the "model-driven" approach is mature when applying it to the most important data, and the methodology framework relies on rich lessons learnt and best practices ready to share," he concludes.

Focus on what is important

Bonnet warns not to get hung up on sexy terms like AI, big data, and data lakes. These are just tools. The real challenge is making sure the data is clean.

"Often, big data and data lake projects rely too much on some ‘magic' algorithms that should compute the vision for improving the future. But the business prediction will not be any good if the underlying data is wrong," he pointed out.

He suggests subjecting the data to clear governance. This is arguably where MDM shines.

"The MDM system is the masterpiece of the whole data enterprise governance solution. Once the data is aligned with the quality insurance process, then a company can start getting good results with data analytics and AI," said Bonnet.

"By closing the loop between the operating system and data analytics results, the MDM is used as the bi-directional bridge to convey good data from the operating system to data analytics and from the results of data analytics back to the operating system. The two worlds are then connected under the governance enforced by the MDM system," he concluded.

Tying it to IoT

The Forrester Wave: Master Data Management Q1 2019 report notes that MDM is moving into its third generation, with the Internet of Things (IoT), and its massive stores of data, driving to the development of systems of automation and systems of design, and with it the introduction of new MDM usage scenarios to support co-design and the exchange of information on customers, products, and assets within ecosystems.

Industries like consumer products goods and retail will likely find MDM the centrepiece of flexibility. Forrester says “MDM within ecosystems, connecting to product information management (PIM) systems, is becoming a key success factor for such strategic MDM implementations.”

Minimising risks

Deploying technology is often a complicated solution to a complex problem, with risks escalating as you add more departments into the mix. Data, which cuts across everyone within the company, is no exemption.

Bonnet is not perturbed. He noted that solutions, as TIBCO EBX™, can be used to quickly comply with evolving data quality, management, and governance requirements, while automating current manual business processes around the management of master data.

TIBCO EBX™ comes with out-of-the-box functionalities specifically designed for multi-party, multi-tier collaboration in the creation, management, and synchronisation of master data. Implementation is quicker as well, which allows businesses to quickly achieve business value and return on investment. Solutions also need to be scalable to meet future needs.

First published on FutureCIO

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Singapore and Chinese tech firms sign 13 MOUs https://futureiot.tech/singapore-and-chinese-tech-firms-sign-13-mous/ Tue, 27 Aug 2019 04:00:17 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=5290 At the Smart China Expo 2019 in Chongqing, Singapore and Chinese technology companies signed 13 MOU for joint development in the areas of artificial intelligence, IoT and cloud connectivity among others.

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Singapore and Chinese technology companies at the Smart China Expo in Chongqing yesterday inked 13 memorandums of understanding (MOUs), ranging from an augmented reality education system for pre-schools, to developing analytic solutions for smart manufacturing markets, and research collaboration on artificial intelligence.

“Chongqing and the western region of China are important markets for Singapore-based technology enterprises,” said Tan Kiat How, chief executive of Singapore’s Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA).

“We are also seeing more Chinese enterprises expanding into South East Asia and they are looking for like-minded business partners for the region. The annual Smart China Expo is an important platform for our companies to showcase their products and services, and explore partnership opportunities with Chinese enterprises,” he added.

Singapore’s telecommunications companies, Singtel and StarHub also signed respective MOUs with the three leading communications service providers in China – China Mobile, China Unicom and China Telecom.

IMDA said the MOUs will pave the way for improving data connectivity between the two cities, and position both Singapore and Chongqing as strategic hubs for enterprises to expand into the Asia Pacific region and western China respectively. “Singtel will also provide its capabilities in cloud, Internet-of-Things (IoT) and smart city solutions to help enterprises accelerate their digitalisation,” the IMDA said in a statement.

Bolstering Sino-Singapore cooperation

The RMB40-million fund was also launched to help joint partnership between Chinese and Singapore companies to develop and implement innovative technologies such as artificial intelligence, IoT, virtual and augmented reality, robotics and blockchain.

The IMDA and the Chongqing municipal government also hosted the inaugural “Future of Services” conference, which explores the important role that services will play in the future economy.

“In a future economy, where services sectors play such an important role, we believe Singapore’s efforts in creating a trusted and vibrant B2B ecosystem, coupled with our extensive business networks in the Asia-Pacific region, will place us in a good position to partner Chongqing and China,” said Josephine Teo, Singapore’s Manpower Minister, at the conference

Meanwhile, close to 70 companies took part in this year’s Smart China Expo, an increase of more 50% from the preview year. They include first-timers Singapore Telecommunications Ltd (Singtel) and SkyLab, as well as returning participants such as ST Engineering Electronics, veriTAG, Handshakes and Fooyo.

The 3.200-sqm Singapore Digital pavilion occupied 3,000 square metres features 32 Singapore companies, demonstrating solutions in fintech, urban solutions, artificial intelligence, data analytics, transport and logistics.

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SkyLab partners with COOL.DE on IIoT data analytics solution https://futureiot.tech/skylab-partners-with-cool-de-on-iiot-data-analytics-solution/ Tue, 27 Aug 2019 01:00:33 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=5284 At the Smart China Expo 2019, SkyLab of Singapore and COOL.DE of Chongqing, China signed an MOU to jointly create an IIoT data analytics solution for smart buildings, smart factories and smart city applications.

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SkyLab of Singapore and COOL.DE of Chongqing are combining their expertise in Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and big data analytics respectively to create cutting-edge IIoT data analytics solution for smart buildings, smart factories and smart city application.

The two companies formalised their partnership through a memorandum of cooperation that was signed at the Smart China Expo 2019 being held this week in Chongqing, China.

The companies will be using the SkyLab Transport Accelerator (STA), multi-protocol middleware (IGX™), Multi Edge Computing architecture (MEC), Data Logistics Cloud (DLC™) and COOL.DE big data analytics platform to develop the IIoT solutions.

"Conventional data transfer largely relies on caching and compression technologies in the hope of accelerating data flow. This, however, would not work well with the massive volume of and time-sensitive small data packages generated by mission-critical Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) devices,” said Stephen Ho, COO, SkyLab Holding.

He noted that SkyLab’s STA highly advanced algorithms have been proven to work in a variety of communication environment in the secured and accelerated transmission of such mission critical data.

STA revolutionalises how data are being delivered across the Internet. It is able to accelerate the transfer of data through unpredictable wireless networks by analysing real-time traffic and routing conditions to find the fastest route between the data source and destination on cellular, satellite and IoT radio networks. Its advanced adaptive congestion control, which is able to predict the network’s condition 20ms ahead of time, helps regulate the amount of data sent, avoiding bottlenecks and ensuring a smoother transfer of data.

Consequently, the STA is able to reduce network latency, increase throughput, optimise the transport layer performance and hence reduce overall network congestion.

“This key piece of technology complements COOL.DE’s expertise in big data analytics and allows the partnership to offer secured and real-time large-scale analytics to the China market,” Ho said.

He added that SkyLab, together with COOL.DE, looks forward to exploring different application scenarios and business models in the Chinese market.

"The crux of the IIoT business model is premised on the diversified usage of real-time data to provide actionable insights,” Ho said. “SkyLab currently works with clients across varied industries and countries, ranging from green energy, smart cities and buildings to maritime, in that regard.”

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Advancing sustainable aquaculture with AI and IoT https://futureiot.tech/advancing-sustainable-aquaculture-with-ai-and-iot/ Fri, 16 Aug 2019 02:00:55 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=5206 Singapore-based UMITRON has been pioneering the use of technologies such as AI and IoT to promote sustainability in fish farms.

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Over the past 20 years, the aquaculture industry has seen annual production tripled while feed prices also have risen dramatically.

This presents farmers a perennial challenge since feed costs account for a majority of their operational overhead. Farmers must walk a tight line: underfeeding their fish risks lower growth rates and slower time to market, while overfeeding increases costs and potentially harms the environment.

New data analytics technologies such as IoT devices and machine learning offer farmers a solution to improve their feeding operations.

Recently, aquaculture technology provider UMITRON launched in Singapore what it claims to be the world’s first real-time ocean-based fish appetite detection system. Called Fish Appetite Index or FAI, it uses efficient machine learning and image analysis techniques to extract relevant data from video streams that can then be used to accurately quantify fish appetite.

FAI software has already been rolled out to existing customers to optimize their feeding operations.

"Today, there are many companies developing machine-learning algorithms for a variety of industries but only testing them under ideal conditions. The UMITRON FAI on the other hand is already being embraced by our existing customers at their ocean-based farm sites where it operates under real world conditions. It might be difficult for some of our potential customers to completely trust artificial intelligence at first, but FAI is an important tool that can be used to increase productivity and reduce waste," said Masahiko Yamada, managing director of UMITRON.

Bringing tech-oriented innovations to aquaculture

UMITRON is a Singapore and Japan based deep-tech company whose aim is to solve worldwide food and environmental problems by empowering aquaculture through technology.

By using IoT, satellite remote sensing, and artificial intelligence (AI), the company helps farmers improve farm efficiency, manage environmental risks, and in turn increase business revenues.

It’s newly-launched FAI algorithm takes in the same visual information that humans would and then scores fish appetite and presents it in an easy to understand chart. When used in tandem with a smart feeder such as UMITRON CELL, the feed time intervals and amounts can be automatically adjusted with minimal human interference.

FAI combines several algorithms into a single index, as a result it can be used under a range of environmental conditions and for a variety of camera mounting positions including both underwater and above water.

Farm operators can deploy FAI to fine-tune their feeding schedules, ensuring fish are always satiated. This is easily done via their smartphones with the UMITRON app, where they can check and remotely adjust feed settings based on the FAI feedback.

Growing the partner ecosystem

UMITRON executives said FAI benefits farmers by reducing wasted feed, improving profitability as well as environmental sustainability. FAI in combination with technology such as CELL allows farmers to stay onshore during dangerous weather conditions or holidays while still keeping a close eye on their fish stocks. Furthermore, it reduces the need for every employee to be an expert at feeding and instead frees workers to focus on other tasks that improve fish welfare.

"Our appetite analysis approach is being developed with customer feedback in mind.

UMITRON will continue to develop similar value-added software services that can be automatically rolled out to our existing customer base. Also, we are open to developing other practical applications after discussions with potential customers or equipment partners," said Takuma Okamoto, CTO of UMITRON.

UMITRON is looking for partners interested in using FAI for species such as Atlantic salmon, rainbow trout, European sea bass, and gilthead sea bream. Similarly, UMITRON is looking for feeding system manufacturing partners who wish to utilize data analysis software such as FAI to improve their current products.

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The data conundrum in IoT https://futureiot.tech/the-data-conundrum-in-iot/ Thu, 15 Aug 2019 05:00:32 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=5191 If “necessity is the mother of invention” then “innovation waits for no one”. The latter is probably more truth in the current wave of fintech-led disruption in the financial services community. But even in the more traditional industries such as manufacturing and logistics, we are seeing innovation come up driven in part by developments in […]

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If “necessity is the mother of invention” then “innovation waits for no one”.

The latter is probably more truth in the current wave of fintech-led disruption in the financial services community. But even in the more traditional industries such as manufacturing and logistics, we are seeing innovation come up driven in part by developments in the area of Internet of Things (IoT).

Some of the earliest applications of IoT are around wearable technologies that collect information about a user’s habits such as ManulifeMOVE in Hong Kong, and the environment around us like the AirCasting Platform and TZOA. Industrial applications include waste management, smart street lamps by Hello Lamp Post,

Governments themselves are not necessarily holding back their own investments in IoT. Rapid urbanisation is forcing governments to look at technology to solve the problems of accelerating population densities in the urban areas. This is even more imperative in countries with small landmass such as Singapore, which has ambitions to become the first smart nation.

All these developments are happening despite a lack of consistent strategy by industry and regulation by the government to control the use of IoT technologies.

Speaking to FutureIoT, Anne Petterd, principal Baker McKenzie Wong & Leow, commented that “it's often said that that the law is not keeping up with technology. To some extent, there's truth in that. But it doesn't stop businesses from operating. If we all wait for the law to catch up we'd never get anything done.”

So rather than sitting around and mulling what regulation will likely come into play in a not so distant future, she suggests areas organisations can look into proactively so businesses can continue to innovate while recognising legitimate concerns of consumers and regulators.

RELATED: IoT innovation outpaces regulation for now

She calls for prudent thinking on the part of businesses and developers.

“A business that is more proactive with being transparent, thinking through even though I could make that use of data should I? And how do I communicate with people on that? These strategies will probably put themselves in a better position if regulations come and intervene in that space,” she concluded.

But not everyone thinks strategically.

She believes that businesses need to study, as part of their IoT strategy, how data is being used with the IoT solutions.

“A lot of the IoT devices, particularly in the consumer space, are making a lot of use of personal data and data about people, collecting details about where people go, and what their preferences are. A lot of the time businesses don't spend enough planning time at the beginning of their IoT strategy development how [yet to be defined] privacy laws might influence product development,” she commented.

Another area that's also forgotten is when third-party IoT solutions are brought in as part of the solution. “An example might be a manufacturer who wants to bring in IoT technology to use in its manufacturing plant. The company needs to think through how is that data collected being used? Is it being used just to optimize its own business or is the solution provider using that data to provide services to its entire user base which might include some important corporate information?” suggested Petterd.

IoT and IoT data present significant opportunities for businesses and public sector organisations to enhance how products are developed or services delivered. And despite the early stages of development [and regulation] of the technology, there is amply ways for which organisations can innovate using the technology without being crippled by yet to be defined regulation.

The key is thinking ahead of the possibilities, listening to what customers or users of the technology are saying, what regulators may be concerned about and taking prudent steps to incorporate this intelligence into their IoT strategy.

As someone once quoted: “forewarned is forearmed”. There is a competitive advantage in advance warning.

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Monetizing the IoT-5G opportunities in 2019 https://futureiot.tech/monetizing-the-iot-5g-opportunities-in-2019/ Wed, 14 Aug 2019 07:51:26 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=5177 5G networks, with their high speed, improved bandwidths and negligible latency properties will provide the necessary infrastructure for IoT to scale.

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There is much anticipation and speculation on the potential benefits that 5G will enable once the technology [and standards] become available. According to Ovum, the rollout of consumer and industrial IoT will be one of the focus areas for communication service providers (CSPs) between 2021-2022.

Tim Sherwood, vice president – Business Development, Mobility & IoT Solutions, Tata Communications

FutureIoT spoke to Tim Sherwood, vice president – Business Development, Mobility & IoT Solutions, at Tata Communications to understand the technical and operational hurdles that CSPs must overcome as they grapple with the business [aka revenue] potential of IoT with the launch of commercial 5G services.

What is the connection between Internet of Things and 5G? Is IoT’s future success tied to the success and growth of 5G?

Ovum has identified 5G and Internet of Things (IoT) as the two trends in Asia to watch out for in 2019. These technologies are increasingly proving to be the key pillars that will drive operational and cost efficiencies through enterprise digitisation.

While the development of 5G for IoT is still in the nascent stages, there is a huge potential for IoT to scale even ahead of that. This is the phase where a shift is being seen from exploring PoCs to active commercialisation of IoT projects. Use cases across verticals that are resulting in significant RoI for the customers are drawing more customers and IoT players in the game.

Bain & Company predicts the IoT market will more than double to $520 billion by 2021, and the majority of these associated IoT deployments will be done on networks in place today such that IoT growth can be achieved ahead of 5G network build-outs and roaming agreements.

However, 5G will enable further expansion of IoT adoption, namely around managing heterogeneous access network capabilities, enabling higher bandwidth consumption use cases like V2X and Augmented Reality (AR) and turning connected devices from “data collectors” to intelligent edge actors.

As billions of smart devices go online over the next several years, 5G networks will become instrumental in transmitting massive amounts of new data. 5G will provide faster speed, lower latency, improved bandwidth and more flexibility as it has the capacity to support a wider range of devices, sensors, and wearables than any previous generation.

This enables 5G, unlike 4G, to expand beyond desktops, laptops, smartphones and tablets to encompass the revolution of sensors, low-cost transmitters and cloud-based IoT. Along with artificial intelligence (AI) and edge computing, 5G wireless technology will be at the heart of augmenting the IoT revolution.

It will play a major role in the development of Industry 4.0 i.e. smart city applications, smart industrial software, powering connected cars, smart homes and buildings. Seamless mobility, improved bandwidth, negligible latency, and reliability of mobile broadband will help 5G in making revolutionary IoT projects implementable with ease.

NB-IoT is already deployed in some applications, can it co-exist with non-cellular IoT (LoRa, Sigfox)?

The rapidly growing IoT market has enough opportunities for all forms of cellular (NB-IoT, LTE-M, future 5G networks) and non-cellular networks (LoRa and Sigfox) to coexist. Both the networks need to amalgamate in order to have an interoperable platform, which is critical to realise the true potential of IoT. This allows enterprises to choose from any number of connectivity options as per their project requirements.

There are advantages and disadvantages for each – while non-cellular IoT offers good value for private, low power, low bandwidth and low-cost solutions, cellular IoT provides scale and greater reach through roaming agreements enabling multinational and multi-operator deployments.

In either case, the key to success for IoT solution providers is to remove the challenges associated with different connectivity technologies and network options in order to provide a common overlay platform to manage IoT connected devices. This will then serve as a foundation for the IoT service provider to move up the value chain and offer vertical solutions.

For 2019, what do you see will be emerging drivers of IoT?

Asia has undoubtedly been the world’s largest manufacturing hub and now with the influx of advanced technologies like IoT, the manufacturing landscape in the region is changing.

With connected sensors increasingly finding applicability across industries, especially manufacturing in the automotive industry and consumer and industrial appliances, the Asia Pacific region is scaling up its IoT adoption to fortify its strength in this space. This paradigm shift in the manufacturing sector, with the help of IoT, is fuelling the rapid progress of Industry 4.0 in the region.

Over and above the private players, Asia-Pacific governments are also extending support to promote the adoption of IoT across major use case areas such as smart manufacturing, smart cities, transportation, and retail, amongst others. As per the latest forecast from IDC, the IoT spending in Asia-Pacific is expected to reach USD 398.6 billion by 2023, setting the path for Asia Pacific to become the leading market in the IoT landscape.

Other critical emerging drivers impacting IoT will indisputably be 5G and AI. Although niche and in the early stages, newer technologies like edge computing and blockchain will also be key in driving IoT adoption.

The enhanced speed and flexible connectivity of 5G networks will drive fundamental change and create entirely new approaches to businesses and business models.

While 4G revolutionised the smartphone experience, 5G will have an even bigger impact on other smart consumer commodities – such as autonomous vehicles and its impact on our lifestyle.

As IoT technology is becoming more prevalent, the challenge of protecting sensitive customer data has become increasingly complex. A recent Gartner report indicates that worldwide IoT security spending will more than double to $3.1 billion by 2021.

With the IoT’s rapid expansion, social, legal and ethical issues come to the limelight and will have to be addressed. The introduction of new data regulations, such as the EU’s GDPR will have a significant impact in 2019.

The responsibility will lie on businesses to control and monitor the data their devices generate and to eliminate any vulnerabilities that may lead to data leakage. Government and regulatory agencies will establish stringent rules on data creation, collection, storage, transfer, use and deletion of information related to IoT projects.

Beyond purely sensors and devices, what major areas of innovation can we expect in 2019 that will accelerate or impact the direction of IoT adoption in Asia?

Findings from a recent survey by Zebra Technologies revealed that the entire Asia-Pacific region was identified as the world leader in IoT adoption, as 22% of the companies were recognised as ‘intelligent enterprises’ – up from a mere 2% in 2017.

Asia-Pacific is also best positioned to create a cost-effective technology infrastructure to support industrial and consumer IoT deployments as it has access to abundant cost-efficient software and hardware sourced locally or from neighbouring countries like China and India.

5G networks, with their high speed, improved bandwidths and negligible latency properties will also aim to provide the necessary infrastructure for IoT to scale.

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Making smart cities safe and secure https://futureiot.tech/making-smart-cities-safe-and-secure/ Mon, 12 Aug 2019 01:41:06 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=5132 City planners and developers aren’t prioritizing security. Anyone can go on Shodan.io and find thousands of unprotected devices connected to the city’s internet

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City planners and developers aren’t prioritizing security. Anyone can go on Shodan.io and find thousands of unprotected devices connected to the city’s internet

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Frost & Sullivan sees growth of IoT-enable SCM https://futureiot.tech/frost-sullivan-sees-growth-of-iot-enable-scm/ Mon, 12 Aug 2019 01:00:59 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=5134 According to Frost & Sullivan, some of the benefits driving the adoption and implementation of Internet of Things (IoT) systems within the supply chain management (SCM) market are end-to-end visibility, predictive analysis, transparency, and real-time insights.

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The trend toward IoT-enabled SCM is creating a convergence of disparate sets of providers and the rise of a new ecosystem that will have far-reaching benefits to users.

According to Frost & Sullivan, some of the benefits driving the adoption and implementation of Internet of Things (IoT) systems within the supply chain management (SCM) market are end-to-end visibility, predictive analysis, transparency, and real-time insights.

"Current supply chains will be reinvented as IoT-enabled systems allow unprecedented end-to-end visibility, remote tracking, and control," said Deepali Sathe, senior industry analyst at Frost & Sullivan. "The increase in automation will significantly improve accuracy of predictions and speed of execution."

These trends are identified in the Frost & Sullivan’s latest research entitled “Growth Opportunities in the Internet of Things-enabled Supply Chain Management Market, Forecast to 2024”.

Introduction of new business models

One of the biggest impacts of technology adoption on SCM has been the introduction of new business models.

As data siloes diminish, customers can focus on the benefits that can be achieved as a result of improved end-to-end visibility, ability to remotely control devices, and automated processes.

"Predictive analytics based on artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and Big Data Analytics (BDA) will reduce errors and take the guesswork out of planning, forecasting and execution," noted Adrian Drozd, research director, ICT at Frost & Sullivan. "Technologies such as blockchain can create better and faster processes and prevent fraud, while robotics will enhance automation and precision for greater accuracy."

Vendors offering IoT-enabled solutions can tap into new growth opportunities by:

  • Focusing on increasing demand for IoT-enabled, multi-function robots and cobots.
  • Investing in the development of sensors and tags required for connected devices.
  • Offering strong, multi-layered cybersecurity solutions to tackle potential threats.
  • Harnessing data using AI and ML technologies to enable solutions such as chatbots or smart home speakers.
  • Meeting customer preference for XaaS business models such as platforms and sensors.

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Japan’s Komatsu scales IoT heights with Azure https://futureiot.tech/japans-komatsu-scales-iot-heights-with-azure/ Thu, 08 Aug 2019 02:00:21 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=5121 By moving into the cloud, Japan’s Komatsu takes its productivity quest global with IoT and AI

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Komatsu of Japan. is one of the world’s top manufacturers of excavators, bulldozers, and other heavy equipment. Its bright yellow machinery and vehicles are hard at work across the globe every day – at construction sites, mining projects, infrastructure works, forestry areas, as well as in factories, warehouses, recycling plants, and more.

In 2009, the company first set out to collect production data by using on-premises servers. Five years later, it went further and launched “KOM-MICS” – an Internet of Things (IoT) system that collects data from sensors that are installed on a myriad of machine tools and welding robots.

: Nobuyoshi Yamanaka, general manager for Komatsu’s Manufacturing Engineering Development Center Production Division

“Komatsu uses a high-mix/low-volume manufacturing system. Plant equipment is not always operating at full capacity as machines may be down for many hours due to setup changes, and so on,” said Nobuyoshi Yamanaka, general manager for Komatsu’s Manufacturing Engineering Development Center Production.

“Visualising this situation and reducing machine downtime increases manufacturing output without extra equipment or personnel. Our ultimate goal is to double productivity while reducing equipment and personnel,” he said.

Komatsu is an innovative manufacturing company that competes in an increasingly unpredictable international marketplace. Ever-shifting economic and other forces – like booms and busts in resource markets – are constantly pushing demand for its equipment up and down from country to country.

Maintaining production momentum in the face of this sort of uncertainty can be a big challenge for factory managers.

“Keeping pace with these fluctuations is our primary issue,” Yamanaka said. “The best way to do that is by raising our productivity. And, to do that … we need data.”

Taking IoT to the next level with cloud

KOM-MICS was a success. And, soon so much information was coming in that Komatsu realised that its on-premises approach to data needed a rethink. It also wanted to collect and visualise data from a network of outside partners and other factories, both in Japan and abroad, which contribute around 80% of its overall production work.

So, in 2016, it began looking around for a cloud solution.

“We needed to roll out KOM-MICS to our partners and overseas manufacturing bases to increase the overall productivity of Komatsu,” said Keisuke Tsuboi from Komatsu’s Numerical Controller Team, Advanced Technology Promotion Office.

“Because KOM-MICS collects 20 to 30 GB of data from each machine tool per year, adding the required resources to the on-premise system, and increasing the number of connected machine tools, would have been difficult. So, we decided the cloud could overcome these problems.”

Komatsu compared several cloud services and moved its data onto Azure in early 2017.

According to Tsuboi, a primary reason behind the choice was trust: Azure has extensive security measures backed by Microsoft’s expertise. Azure also made Komatsu’s data capabilities immediately compliant with GDPR, the European Union’s new globally important data protection measure.

“It is difficult to keep track of security technology advancements. So, we believe it is better to entrust the professionals at Microsoft,” he said.

The flexibility and scalability of Azure were also deciding factors that is allowing KOM-MICS coverage to ramped up almost seamlessly.

“We are connecting 100 to 200 extra machines to KOM-MICS per year,” Tsuboi says. “We have around 700 connected machine tools and 350 connected welding robots. Komatsu has around 1,200 machine tools and 700 welding robots that can be connected to KOM-MICS. This scale of data is no problem for our system on Azure.”

Connecting partners to KOM-MiCS

The same year it went to the cloud, Komatsu connected its Thai and Indonesian bases to KOM-MICS. Since then, the number of Komatsu’s partners connected to KOM-MICS has been increasing rapidly.

“The transition to Azure instantly expanded the potential scope of the KOM-MICS rollout. The meticulous support of Microsoft enabled us to complete the migration in a short time,” said Yamanaka.

With earthquakes and typhoons, a constant threat in Japan, Azure has also bolstered Komatsu’s disaster response capabilities compared with the previous on-premises system.

In the end, more data from more machines in more places means the company can improve quality measures, plan and adjust with agility, and better anticipate equipment failure.

“Before we started collecting data, we didn’t know to what extent our machines were working within a 24-hour period,” said Tsuboi.

“With KOM-MICS, data is visualised so we can work on improving production efficiency by increasing areas with low production conditions to be equal to those that are high. By analysing the machine data from a certain production line, we have been able to increase the machine operation rate by about 25%,” he added.

With the right data and the right insights, decision makers can visualize situations. From there, they can opt to speed up or slow down production runs, manage supply chains, and accommodate factory downtime for retooling and maintenance.

They can also optimise the use of personnel – a key factor in Japan’s sophisticated manufacturing sector, which is grappling with a shortage of skilled workers as the nation’s demographics age.

A future with AI and the Intelligent Edge

“Microsoft asked us what we wanted to do and how we wanted to expand the solution in the future, then it gave us exactly the right support,” Yamanaka said, whose team is now studying how artificial intelligence (AI) and Intelligent Edge solutions might further boost efficiencies.

Looking ahead, Yamanaka believes artificial intelligence (AI) on the Intelligent Edge can potentially deliver more productivity dividends, such as freeing up the time of skilled workers and opening the door to predictive maintenance.

“I believe that data can be used in a variety of ways,” he said. “We would like to automatically realise optimal machining conditions and have AI do some tasks that are currently handled by skilled workers.

“Also, there is quality. We would like features that can automatically detect signs of failures before they happen. We need to make use of AI. But because processing data in the cloud takes time, we are thinking about adopting Azure IoT Edge so we can run Microsoft Azure services on IoT devices.”

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Splunk customers and partners turn IoT data into action https://futureiot.tech/splunk-customers-and-partners-turn-iot-data-into-action/ Thu, 08 Aug 2019 01:00:04 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=5117 Splunk’s enterprise IoT solutions are helping companies to turn real-time data from smart devices into actionable insights.

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Splunk said last Tuesday that customers and partners across industries are improving customer satisfaction, reducing costs and achieving greater business efficiencies from the company’s enterprise Internet of Things (IoT) solutions.

“The exponential growth of enterprise data is providing organisations with new tools and opportunities to gain greater enterprise-wide observability, transform business models and serve customers in innovative ways,” said Sendur Sellakumar, chief product officer at Splunk. “With Splunk’s enterprise IoT solutions, these organisations can quickly identify and resolve issues, improve performance, and keep operations secure.”

Through the creation of the Industrial IoT (IIoT) specialisation within the Splunk Partner+ Program, Splunk has attracted industrial domain channel partners to accelerate real-time contextual insights and solutions to these new buyers.

It helps their shared customers to move ahead of their industry 4.0 journey.

Accelerating digital transformation of shared customers

According to Splunk, this IIoT specialisation enables partners with industrial data expertise to quickly develop solutions for industrial users, and it is the first vertical specialisation within the Splunk Partner+ Program.

Splunk and its partners are deeply engaged in helping their shared customers accelerate their digital transformation and successfully manage their enterprise and IIoT solutions. Initial partners with industrial specialization include Computacenter AG & Co, ESE Engineering und Software-Entwicklung, GrayMatter, Malisko Engineering, Robotron Datenbank-Software, and, Strategic Maintenance Solutions. All of them have expertise working with shared customers to manage industrial processes, assets and data. As a result, these partners develop and deliver high-value Splunk-based services and solutions to customers.

“Operational data is complex and often gets stuck in organisational silos, so it’s exciting to see so many technological breakthroughs available to industrial customers that break down the silos, and provide a complete view of their data to make better business decisions,” said Jim Gillespie, CEO, GrayMatter. “By partnering with Splunk, we can offer data combination solutions to industrial organizations that provide a simple and secure way to combine data from sources previously hard to correlate, whether it is energy usage, customer sentiment, weather or cyber security for OT information.”

Enterprise IoT Solutions Fuel Customer Success

Splunk’s enterprise IoT solutions combine the power of Splunk Enterprise, Splunk Machine Learning Toolkit, and the Splunk Industrial Asset Intelligence (IAI) premium app to provide a simple view of complex data – helping organisations across industries minimize downtime, shift operations from reactive to predictive and save money.

Puget Sound Energy, a utility company in the Pacific Northwest, uses Splunk to analyse data from their industrial control systems and supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) integrations in order to improve their operations with IoT data.

“Acting on IoT data is critical for utilities organizations, which are constantly looking for new ways and technologies to improve the citizen and customer experience. Whether the goal is digitizing smart cities, transforming healthcare or securing critical infrastructure, leveraging data is an essential and strategic component of any modern utilities company,” said Chris Perez, advisor and IT facilities infrastructure engineer, Puget Sound Energy.

He added: “Puget Sound Energy is excited to work with Splunk to help us bridge the gap between OT and IT, enabling genuine collaboration between both teams. With Splunk’s data analytics platform, we can better deliver services and manage infrastructure, ultimately enabling us to deliver a seamless experience for our customers.”

Sapura Brazil, one of the world’s largest integrated oil and gas services and solutions providers, uses Splunk’s enterprise IoT solutions to analyse broad data from complex systems and drive business outcomes.

“The use of Splunk in our assets enabled the company to receive real-time information from remote sites to the company’s headquarters, allowing us to take immediate actions when required, with unprecedented celerity,” said Rogerio Salbego, CEO of Sapura Brazil. “As a result, Sapura is better prepared to fulfil the industry's high standards and to achieve our targets, not only economically speaking, but especially with regards to quality, health, safety and environment.”

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Hitachi Elevator China debuts next-gen smart elevator https://futureiot.tech/hitachi-elevator-china-debuts-next-gen-smart-elevator/ Tue, 06 Aug 2019 01:00:07 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=5101 The new model features advanced intelligent technology for customised lift services.

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Hitachi Elevator (China) recently unveiled in Kunming its the next-generation smart elevator MCA-ES, which uses advanced intelligent control technology to monitor users’ riding experience. The new model is designed for 5G and is running on an open platform.

According to data from Qianzhan Industry Research Institute, China's smart building market will reach 640 billion yuan by 2020.

With a focus on the development of smart buildings, Hitachi Elevator in recent years has been committed to building Internet of Things solutions, while leveraging its own experience in smart cities and smart buildings to promote the development of smart buildings.

According to the company, the MCA-ES model can achieve a higher level of speed and position control because it has a tolerance in the elevator's vertical position when stationary of +/-0.1 mm. This ensures the elevator's high accuracy landing on each floor despite building shrinkage, settlement and climate change, among other factors. This also vastly reduces the likelihood of a passenger tripping and falling when the elevator does not line up perfectly with the ground of the floor it has stopped.

"Statistics show that safety is the leading concern for 90% of elevator passengers,” said Liang Dongming, chief engineer at Hitachi Elevator.

He added that for safety issues that have raised most concerns, the MCA-ES model has obtained the safety integrity level (SIL) 3 certification and features a more comprehensive functional and good big data processing capability.

The new elevator model is equipped with a remote monitoring device that collects elevator operation data 24 hours a day. Through AI pre-diagnosis, the big data centre can analyse more than 600 sets of elevator-related data to facilitate preventive maintenance before a failure occurs.

"We have been working with the Nanjing Municipal Government to promote the on-demand service pilot project. Using the AI pre-diagnosis service, elevator abnormalities have decreased by 65%," said Liang.

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Driving growth for manufacturers in Asia Pacific with IIoT https://futureiot.tech/driving-growth-for-manufacturers-in-asia-pacific-with-iiot/ Tue, 30 Jul 2019 00:00:25 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=5029 A scalable, real-time, end-to-end streaming data platform — which ingests, curates, and analyzes data to deliver key actionable insights — can help manufacturers overcome the complexities of IIoT.

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The Internet of Things (IoT) has moved beyond the hype phase and is well on its way to achieving mainstream adoption. Specific to Asia Pacific, its IoT market is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 11.3 percent to reach a market size of US$95.7 billion by 2022.

The manufacturing industry is one of the key drivers of IoT spending in the region. Studies have found that majority of manufacturers in Asia Pacific have not only implemented but also planning to expand the use of IoT in their operations to stay competitive.

A key reason for doing so is to optimize operations. According to McKinsey, IoT in manufacturing – which is also known as industrial IoT (IIoT) – has the potential to capture productivity gains worth US$216 billion to US$627 billion. By embedding sensors into machines and systems in their factories, manufacturers will be able to gain a comprehensive view of the end-to-end production process in real time. They can also use the IIoT sensor data to quickly address bottlenecks and make adjustments to reduce waste and improve operational efficiencies.

Connected inventory systems, for example, provide manufacturers with the ability to monitor their inventory in real time to minimize the risk of supply disruptions. Historical data from these IIoT systems also allow manufacturers to predict and decide future inventory needs more accurately. With these capabilities, manufacturers will be able to realize a demand-driven inventory planning and potentially reduce their inventory costs by 20% to 50%.

Additionally, IIoT can help manufacturers to achieve zero downtime by empowering them to perform the right maintenance routines. This is crucial to asset-heavy companies as unplanned equipment outages can result in significant losses in revenues and productivity. Some of the leading automotive manufacturers estimate that every minute of unplanned downtime could cost them as much as US$15,000 to US$20,000, and that a single downtime event could cost approximately US$2 million.

Preventing costly equipment downtimes require manufacturers to process and analyze time-series (or real-time) sensor data from their IIoT systems. By doing so, they will be able to identify warning signs of potential problems (such as detecting signs of mechanical wear and degradation before they become apparent), predict when a piece of equipment requires maintenance, and get it serviced before it causes downtime.

Turning IIoT data into gold

An IIoT initiative is only as good as the manufacturer’s ability to process and analyze the wealth of data it provides. As such, manufacturers in Asia Pacific that are looking to take advantage of IIoT need to address the following challenges effectively:

  • The massive volume and variety of IIoT data

Data streaming from IIoT systems can generate petabytes of data. Since those data will come in diverse formats, standards, and protocol, it can be challenging for manufacturers to ingest it.

  • IIoT needs diverse analytical and predictive modeling capabilities

Predictive modeling capabilities are vital to delivering insights. However, they require a wide range of analytical options (including machine learning), which may not be offered by existing big data platforms.

  • The complexity of analyzing streaming data in real time

Generating value from IoT entails effectively managing both data at rest as well as data in motion. In fact, the success of IIoT deployments depends on the manufacturer’s ability to gain insights out of all this fast-moving, high-volume data. For instance, continuous monitoring and predictive maintenance require manufacturers to be able to effectively ingest, store, and process the data streaming in from sensors in real time or near-real time in order to instantly deliver insights and action.

Despite the importance of this capability, a recent report by AOPG Insights and Cloudera found that 82% of ASEAN organizations are not processing data in motion. Respondents cited security and complexity of data as two of the top 3 obstacles to implementing real-time analytics.

A scalable, real-time, end-to-end streaming data platform — which ingests, curates, and analyzes data to deliver key actionable insights — can help manufacturers overcome the complexities of IIoT. It does so by enabling manufacturers to:

  • Manage, control, and monitor the edge for IIoT initiatives.
  • Adopt a no-code approach to create visual flows for building complex data ingestion or transformation with drag-and-drop ease.
  • Manage and process multiple streams of real-time data at high volume using advanced techniques, to generate key insights for predictive analytics.
  • Track data provenance and lineage of streaming data.

Zoomlion, a Chinese manufacturer of construction machinery and sanitation equipment, is one company that has reaped the benefits of an end-to-end streaming data platform. The platform allows it to ingest, store and process data from its connected machines, internal core business systems, and third-party sources. With the ability to continuously analyze equipment operations, detect potential failures, and provide fault warnings and operational statistics, Zoomlion managed to reduce its manpower and maintenance costs by 30 percent. Insights from analyzing IIoT data also allowed the company to offer new services, which led to a 30 percent increase in value-added service revenue.

Faced with talent shortage and rising operational costs, manufacturers in Asia Pacific are increasingly embracing IIoT to improve operational efficiency and realize cost savings. Since the value of IIoT lies in the data they generate, manufacturers will need to be able to effectively manage and analyze the massive amount and variety of sensor data in order to fully benefit from IIoT.

Andrew Psaltis is APAC chief technology officer at Cloudera.

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TIBCO and Nanyang Polytechnic join hands for new centre https://futureiot.tech/tibco-and-nanyang-polytechnic-join-hands-for-new-centre/ Fri, 26 Jul 2019 00:00:01 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=5012 The centre aims to deepens students’ data analytics skills and prepare them to bridge the gap in the talent pool.

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TIBCO Software, an API management, and data analytics, yesterday announced a joint project with Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP) of Singapore aimed at teaching students how to use connected intelligence insights for better business decisions.

Called The NYP-TIBCO Centre of Innovation for Connected Intelligence, it is envisioned to be a centre and a lab located on campus.

“It is crucial that we influence young people’s relevant skills by exposing them to leading connected intelligence solutions, such as TIBCO Spotfire. We believe that this programme could be ground -breaking in terms of the potential economic impact,” said Erich Gerber, senior vice president, EMEA and APJ, TIBCO.

He said the collaboration with the university “will deliver the data analytics skills needed in the region and provide early awareness of data, so the next generation of workers are industry-ready upon graduation”.

Addressing the talent gap in data analytics

The Centre of Innovation for Connected Intelligence will enhance the development of students’ data analytic capabilities to address critical manpower shortages in this area.

Students will study TIBCO solutions, including TIBCO Spotfire, TIBCO Cloud Mashery, and TIBCO Streaming, to ensure that they are equipped with the competencies and skillsets required to meet industry needs in application and solution innovation.

In addition, the lab will focus on IoT technologies to show students real-life scenarios in which industries leverage data in real time to make informed decisions that drive business impacts.

“With the impending global rollout of 5G networks, connected intelligence will play an even bigger role in business transformation. The NYP - TIBCO Centre of Innovation for Connected Intelligence will help our students and industry players deepen their skills through research and industry projects,” said Daniel Wee, director, School of IT, NYP.

Eying other join endeavours

“We will also support companies who are keen to deliver cutting-edge solutions in this area. Close partnerships between institutes of higher learning and the industry are essential to address the training needs of the workforce,” Wee said.

Moreover, TIBCO and NYP will collaborate on research and development on new areas of connected intelligence, including emerging communications technology and solution domains. Learn more about TIBCO’s industry and higher education partnerships.

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Arming IoT with geospatial analytics for better insight https://futureiot.tech/arming-iot-with-geospatial-analytics-for-better-insight/ Wed, 24 Jul 2019 01:00:07 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=4982 FutureIoT spoke with Geospock CEO Richard Baker for his take on this geospatial data and the technologies that bring IoT data to the next level.

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The ability to communicate with elements within an environment and take prescriptive action is one of the defining characteristics common in smart cities and processes that integrate Internet of Things (IoT) with those of machine learning and/or artificial intelligent technologies.

But even during its earliest evolutions, IoT devices and sensors have been used to track and monitor everything from equipment to products, to humans. [your smartphone is an IoT device remember?]

One of the earliest applications of Internet of Things (IoT) is in manufacturing – process and discrete – where IoT connected devices and sensors are used to monitor or track activities within the supply chain – in real-time and near real-time.

In an article on Geospatial World, Matthew Zenus, Global Vice President, Database and Data Management Solution Go-To-Market, SAP described the data produced by these IoT devices as one-dimensional. He opined that it is the combination of IoT data with geospatial analytics, business data, and operational data, that “reveals hidden patterns and relationships that go to delivering better business outcomes.”

He was, of course, alluding to one of the early applications of IoT – positioning sensors that allow for the exact tracking of objects by providing absolute (geographical positioning system or GPS data) or relative displacement information.

With that in mind, FutureIoT spoke with Geospock CEO Richard Baker for his take on this geospatial data and the technologies that bring IoT data to the next level.

How far advanced are governments in the use of geospatial data and or technology towards the planning and design or the actual management of smart cities?

Richard Baker, CEO, Geospock

Richard Baker: I would say that many cities around the world have got traditional GIS tools that they are using for terrain and geography planning. However, the actual use of sensor data and spatial analytics from sensor data is just emerging.

What are the reasons for this?

Richard Baker: Firstly, we probably had the last ten years, if you like, of IoT technologies emerging and actually getting deployed, probably we’re really only seeing the acceleration of IoT in smart cities from connected SIMs on mobile operators only in the last 5-7 years.

The world is dealing with the physical connection side predominantly over those years. It’s only in the last couple of years that connectivity is producing such huge amounts of new metadata that the analytics of that data has become more relevant.

There are over 20,000 smart city projects around the world today – mostly driven by local or central governments. Most share a common problem – a lack of talent, skill and understanding of how to manipulate and manage spatial data.

Many governments will have a GIS team to deal with maps and terrain, but actually queuing data science on location and spatial data is a new field.

In some cases, it’s also a lack of a data strategy, a lack of data scientists in local authorities. So, these emerging fields are my impression of the cities that we interact with.

Can you share some use cases in Asia?

Richard Baker: What we tend to see fundamentally is that many cities are taking an infrastructure first approach to digitising. This includes smart street lighting, smart dustbins, and climate weather sensors.

The next step would be dealing with mobility and the congestion that is building up particularly in dense cities. The ability to track and monitor vehicular traffic will allow urban planners to spatially plan the city better.

As a business what remains the biggest challenge for IoT vendors like GeoSpock?

Richard Baker:  I think our largest challenge is fundamentally to move away from the technology discussion, and really very much work with businesses and governments around the world on the use cases and the problem statements.

Part of that transition is very much being focused on the outcomes that we’re all trying to achieve in the transformation of the logistics market, or the transformations of smart cities, or in the rise of moving from connected vehicles to fully autonomous vehicles. I think the language is already changing.

Most government and business leaders are already beginning to focus on what are the benefits to citizens, what are the benefits to businesses themselves, and ultimately what are those use cases that really this connected physical internet market really brings to us all.

That leads us into a conversation around how many of those governments and how many of those enterprises really do have data first strategies that account for location analytics, location insights, as part of their design blueprint.

I think location has become one of the most important metadata tags for both public sector and private sector companies, and ultimately designing that in to be part of the everyday model is perhaps the interim challenge to make sure that the data officer has that as part of the roadmap.

How will smart cities evolve in the coming decade?

Richard Baker:  We think that is going to ultimately bring about in the next 5-7 years a new era of private and public sector collaboration.

I think if we can think about a city running an operating system and ultimately service application providers having universal access to the infrastructure, I think that becomes a very significant innovation playground. There’s a lot of services that can be optimised and new innovation developed that can help society in a significant way.

For the first in many times, I think certainly when it comes to the environmental monitoring and the journey towards getting on top of climate change, problems in big metropolitan cities, quite frankly if you’re not measuring it you can’t do anything about it.

And I think IoT connectivity, particularly climate weather sensors, we’re entering a new era of “weather of things”. When you’re thinking about the weather of things, every device is ultimately an input signal to the type of environment that you’re able to monitor. And if you’re able to really start to extract the value of those things then you can start to instruct change to reduce emissions and start to address climate change, if you like, at a root cause. We’re very motivated by that.

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HK’s OGCIO issued list of smart lamppost locations in the city https://futureiot.tech/hks-ogcio-issued-list-of-smart-lamppost-locations-in-the-city/ Tue, 23 Jul 2019 00:00:03 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=4976 The first batch of smart lampposts installed in Hong Kong will upload collected information as open data onto the city’s Public Sector Information Portal.

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Hong Kong’s  Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (OGCIO) has released a list of the locations, functions and equipment of the 50 smart lampposts which have been installed to date.

Since the end of June, 50 smart lampposts have been put in place on Sheung Yuet Road in Kowloon Bay, Shing Kai Road in Kai Tak and in the Kwun Tong city centre to collect various types of real-time city data such as meteorological data, air quality data and traffic flow.

An OGCIO spokesman said that information on any new batch of smart lampposts to be installed or functions to be added to the lampposts in future will also be released to the public with the same level of transparency.

The aim is to enable the public to have an objective and better understanding of the functions and applications of the lampposts. Information on lamppost locations and activated functions will be uploaded as open data to the Public Sector Information Portal (data.gov.hk) within next week.

A technical briefing

Also last week, the OGCIO gave a closer look at the technologies applied onto the smart lampposts. The technical briefing was hosted by Assistant GCIO Tony Won. Joining him were Cheng Chung Shan, senior engineer of the Highways Department; and Martin Lai, assistant director of the Logistics and Supply Chain MultiTech R&D Centre (LSCM).

An on-site introduction to the operation of smart lampposts was conducted on Sheung Yuet Road after the briefing.

Some key points about smart lampposts are:

  • Provision is made for mobile network operators to install 5G base stations to facilitate the future development of fifth generation (5G) mobile network services in Hong Kong and to offer free Wi-Fi services.
  • Smart devices including traffic detectors, panoramic cameras, meteorological sensors and air quality sensors are installed to collect three types of real-time city data, including meteorological data, air quality data and traffic snapshot images with a view to enhancing city and traffic management.
  • All data collected will be uploaded as open data to the Public Sector Information (PSI) Portal (data.gov.hk) for sharing and to encourage the development of more innovation applications, thus driving smart city development in Hong Kong.
  • Appropriate privacy protection measures are in place, e.g. cameras are set to face and take pictures of public areas only, and notices are put up at prominent locations. Currently, the cameras only take snapshots of road conditions.
  • The traffic snapshot images are taken every two minutes. The process of lowering resolution of images is carried out in the lampposts. The images will be deleted immediately after transmission to the PSI Portal.
  • The images and videos recorded by the surveillance cameras will only be used by the Transport Department (TD) and the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) for monitoring traffic conditions and assisting law enforcement work against illegal dumping of construction waste. Relevant panels of the Legislative Council (LegCo) were consulted last year. The LegCo panels supported the two specific applications.
  • The lampposts do not carry any facial recognition function. Images taken will not be sent to any third party for facial recognition applications.
  • The Bluetooth traffic detectors will extract only part of the digits in Media Access Control (MAC) address for matching purposes, in order to assess the average traffic speed and travel time of vehicles passing by. The MAC address data will be deleted from the system right after completion of analytics.
  • The community has always had great concerns about privacy. The OGCIO has been in close contact with the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data since the designing stage of the lampposts to ensure all applications fully comply with the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance.
  • The Bluetooth transmitters are only used to offer positioning services such as providing information to citizens and visitors on public facilities nearby.
  • The radio frequency identification (RFID) technology used in smart lampposts are developed by the LSCM. It is merely an electronic tag for transmitting signals. The tag does not carry any function of collecting data and cannot read any data in other devices. One of the applications is to pair up with the Blind Cane Navigation System and provide navigation for the visually impaired.

In view of the privacy concerns around some of the applications, some functions of the lampposts will not be activated at this stage. These include the monitoring of illegal dumping with the aid of cameras located near black spots by the EPD, the assessment of road use by different types of vehicles enabled by Bluetooth traffic detectors and cameras collecting car plate numbers by the TD.

The OGCIO will conduct more extensive consultation and will only activate the relevant functions upon public consensus.

The Multi-functional Smart Lampposts pilot scheme is a three-year programme in which some 400 smart lampposts will be installed in phases in four districts with higher pedestrian and traffic flow, namely Central/Admiralty, Causeway Bay/Wan Chai, Tsim Sha Tsui and Kwun Tong/Kai Tak Development Area, with a view to promoting smart city development in Hong Kong and supporting 5G mobile network implementation.

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DHL Supply Chain, Tetra Pak deploy first digital twin warehouse in Singapore https://futureiot.tech/dhl-supply-chain-tetra-pak-deploy-first-digital-twin-warehouse-in-singapore/ Fri, 19 Jul 2019 00:00:51 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=4945 DHL Supply Chain recently deployed its first smart warehouse in Asia Pacific that uses the digital twin technology. Digital twin is an important concept in industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) that involves the use of digital models to better understand and manage physical assets The third-party logistics (3PL) provider has implemented the integrated supply chain […]

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DHL Supply Chain recently deployed its first smart warehouse in Asia Pacific that uses the digital twin technology. Digital twin is an important concept in industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) that involves the use of digital models to better understand and manage physical assets

The third-party logistics (3PL) provider has implemented the integrated supply chain solution at Tetra Pak’s warehouse in Singapore.

Combining IoT and data analytics

"Innovation has always been at the heart of what we do at Tetra Pak,” said Devraj Kumar, director of integrated logistics for South Asia, East Asia & Oceania at Tetra Pak. “To keep the cogs of our operations turning seamlessly, it is vital that we have complementary warehousing and supply chain solutions that can meet the high demands of our customers.”

Combining the Internet of Things (IoT) technology with data analytics, DHL Supply Chain created a smart warehouse solution for Tetra Pak by bridging its physical warehouse with a unique virtual representation that monitors and simulates both the physical state and behaviour of the warehouse assets in real time.

With this digital twin solution, Tetra Pak can maintain 24/7 coordination of its operations to resolve issues as they occur, particularly those that involve safety and productivity.

What’s more, warehouse supervisors can use real-time operational data to make informed decisions to reduce congestion, improve resource planning and allocate workload. Using IoT and proximity sensors on Materials Handling Equipment (MHE), spatial awareness is enhanced, thus reducing potential collision risks. Controlled areas with restricted access are also monitored with management alerts.

A comprehensive solution

The smart warehouse includes a DHL control tower that monitors the flow of inbound and outbound goods to maintain time efficiency. It ensures goods are correctly shelved within 30 minutes of receipt, and delivery-bound goods are ready for shipment within 95 minutes.

Furthermore, DHL Supply Chain implemented a container storage management solution that minimizes the need for employees to handle heavy containers. All employees are also trained to work within newly introduced safety measures. This reduces operational risks and improve safety.

“We are pleased with the successful implementation of this smart warehouse, and we look forward to partnering DHL Supply Chain to further enhance our productivity and maintain our high safety standards in our supply chain operations," Kumar said.

Meanwhile, Jerome Gillet, CEO of DHL Supply Chain Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines, said that its latest collaboration with Tetra Pak is a “great example for smart warehouses of the future to deliver agile, cost effective and scalable supply chain operations”.

"Tetra Pak is the world's leading food processing and packaging solutions company serving the needs of hundreds of millions of people in more than 160 countries, and we are proud to play a part in their vision to make food safe and available everywhere," said Gillet.

As a 3PL provider, DHL Supply Chain enables customers to fully outsource their logistics management and operations. Its solution offerings include warehouse management, domestic transportation, service parts logistics, packaging design and recycling, all delivered through state-of-the-art IT solutions and project management techniques.

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5 Big Ways IoT is Transforming the Automotive Industry https://futureiot.tech/5-big-ways-iot-is-transforming-the-automotive-industry/ Thu, 04 Jul 2019 01:00:23 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=4719 Here are five of the biggest ways the IoT is transforming the automotive industry and our roads.

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The Internet of Things (IoT) is rapidly changing how we live. This is particularly true of the automobile industry, which is where some of the biggest innovations are being developed and implemented. So with that in mind, here are five of the biggest ways the IoT is transforming the automotive industry and our roads:
It will change the way people drive
The Independent points out that by 2030 the standard car will have evolved from merely assisting drivers to fully taking control. Apart from widespread automation, cars will become more integrated through IoT technology. Integrated cars with sensors will be able to recognise and communicate with upgraded road signs, markings, and through a network of cameras. The vehicles will also be able to do tasks for drivers. Juniper Research revealed that the majority of automobile IoT payments by 2021 will be for tolls and fuel, which means drivers will no longer have to bring cash. Vehicles could even pay for their own insurance.
It can improve road safety
The IoT can also be used to make roads safer through alerts that detect accidents and even bad driving. IoT Now reports that there are already devices that automatically detect collisions and immediately contact emergency services with the location. The same technology can also provide a report to the vehicle’s manufacturer so they can make any improvements.
The majority of accidents on the road are down to human error, and these could be reduced through IoT technology. This is because it can be used to monitor driving habits and send recommendations to the driver. Fleet companies in the UK have already been taking advantage of this technology in order to improve the standard of driving of their employees. Verizon Connect UK explains how operators can use GPS trackers to track braking, idling, and speeding habits. If fleet drivers are constantly exhibiting bad habits, an alert can automatically be sent to inform them. While this is currently gaining ground in commercial companies, it won’t be long before more personal vehicles start alerting drivers to poor driving. As more vehicles shift to become autonomous, the more data will be used to improve the driving habits of those on the road, which in turn will reduce accidents.
It can help solve traffic congestion in cities
The IoT can be used for swarm intelligence in traffic, which allows traffic operators to coordinate cars in order to reduce congestion. They can see where common chokepoints are, and identify the time of day when roads are busiest. This information can help engineers and road experts devise plans that can alleviate traffic conditions.
It can help reduce pollution and energy expenditure
IoT data can reveal a lot of information about city roads, which can be used to create greener solutions. IT Pro Portal cites Singapore as one of the best examples, as the city aggressively implements congestion charges, not to mention their intent focus on investing in road sensors, phased traffic lights, and smart parking. These IoT-driven tools have helped them reduce the city's toxic gas emissions. In Jamshedpur, India, 300 IoT connected streetlights are used to track movement on a road to determine when the light is needed. This saves on unnecessary electricity consumption.
It will lead to better roads
With the Internet of Things, state and local departments are able to build roads that can help detect road maintenance needs, traffic usage, and accident statistics in a matter of seconds. This will ensure that roads are not left in a poor condition for extended periods of time. In the future IoT technology will also allow engineers to turn roads into energy sources by using solar energy to power electric vehicles. This will further increase the chances of electric vehicles becoming the norm.

 

About the author: Patrice Grayson is a car enthusiast who spends her time writing about the latest innovations that are shaping the automobile industry. Her goal as a blogger is provide informative articles that will break down the latest developments for her readers. In her free time she likes to go on long drives with her friends.

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Swarm Intelligence and Robotics: All for One, One for All https://futureiot.tech/swarm-intelligence-and-robotics-all-for-one-one-for-all/ Fri, 28 Jun 2019 08:50:44 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=4683 Swarm intelligence, applied to robotics, is an emerging field of AI inspired by the behavioural models of social insects (ants, bees, wasps). Swarm combines the power of many minds into one, allowing the system to be smarter, more insightful, and more creative. This trait is transforming robotics, enabling physical robots to achieve a desired collective behaviour based on inter-robot interactions as well as their interaction with the environment.

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Rapid advancements in analytics, AI and self-learning algorithms are transforming cyber-physical systems (CPS), in general, and robotics, in particular. New CPS of intelligence are capable of autonomous decision-making, communicating with other machines or “assets” connected on the digital thread, and communicating with humans in the ecosystem, all in real time.

These systems consist of physical components (sensors and actuators, including mechatronic, electrical, hydraulic, pneumatic systems, etc.), software components (they host algorithms for making intelligent decisions based on the physical input received by the system), and connectivity (to link every connected asset with the other components for generating and exchanging useful data over the network).

Armed with the ability to function autonomously and take decisions based on the insights gathered from their interactions with the physical environment as well as with each other, these systems are expected to bring a transformative change in the quality of our lives in the future and form the basis of new and emerging smart infrastructure, products, and services.

Swarm intelligence, applied to robotics, is an emerging field of AI inspired by the behavioural models of social insects (ants, bees, wasps). A swarm combines the power of many minds into one, allowing the system to be smarter, more insightful, and more creative. This trait is transforming robotics, enabling physical robots to achieve a desired collective behaviour based on inter-robot interactions as well as their interaction with the environment.

The key characteristics of the swarm include autonomy, flexibility, cooperation, scalability and decentralized control. In other words, all autonomous robots work towards a common goal; and each one of the robots is autonomous/independent, but works for all/each other. For example, a swarm of bots can be released in the bloodstream to diagnose cancer and can be reprogrammed for targeted drug delivery when anomalies are detected.

Devices that constitute a swarm are typically inexpensive and possess only some of the communication and computation capabilities needed to operate as part of a collective whole. The swarm is powered by individual bots capable of operating in a fully autonomous mode and having capabilities such as self-deployment, self-repair, and self-optimization. Operating in a swarm enables the optimal distribution of computational and storage workload, and reduces communication dependencies with base systems.

Areas of application

Flexible and self-organized factories are becoming a reality as real-time data combine with human-like decision-making made possible by advances in machine- and deep-learning AI algorithms. By virtue of their autonomous decision-making and machine–to-machine communication capabilities, CPS are enabling factories to become smarter. Critical assets can be monitored remotely using data generated by plant sensors. Low latency swarm robots located near the monitored machine can quickly respond to anomalies and ensure safe operations.

The swarm behaviour of drones can be a game-changer for military and surveillance. They can be used for intelligence gathering, targeted missile attacks, and enhanced decision-making. Recently, the U.S. Department of Defense successfully carried out a demonstration of miniature drones.

These swarms can also carry out tasks deemed impossible now, primarily due to the enormity of resources required. In case of a natural disaster or calamity, drone swarms can spread out over a large area to gather real-time information about the source of calamity, analyse the impact, and locate the affected population and area. They can also be used to create a managed transportation system by coordinating various transportation modes and tracking the movement of people and vehicles.

Technological Considerations

Such unique opportunities also bring some unique challenges to the deployment of swarm robotics. To successfully implement these systems, maximise their benefits and avoid pitfalls, organizations should consider the following:

  • Step-by-step adaptation: A big bang approach to migrating the existing asset ecosystem at one go can be overwhelming due to its complexity, cost and operational risks. To overcome this, a systematic approach should be adopted by identifying a business case that will have the highest potential for improvement, followed by planning a pilot project, starting with less complex implementations.
  • Designing for human interventions and overrides: While designing a swarm robotics system, it is important to build in human interventions and overrides. This will help in situations where the self-controlled environments do not function as planned. Having human interventions and overrides will also enhance the system’s trustworthiness.
  • Modelling, simulation and piloting discipline: When organizations complete planning and design, it is advisable to model and simulate the functioning of these systems by running pilots in controlled environments. As these systems become more autonomous and work in swarms, any challenges pertaining to the collaborative aspects of different systems need to be identified early on. This will reduce the risks and uncertainties during actual deployments, including the major risk of downtime.
  • Ensuring security: As machines and processes become more connected, they will inevitably be exposed to vulnerabilities and pose significant threat to critical industrial infrastructure. Hence, deployments must guarantee human safety by establishing privacy controls in compliance with the corresponding regulations.

Organisations planning to move forward with swarm robotics implementations will need to ensure that their programmes consider all key parameters with special emphasis on security. This will help them deploy and leverage these systems as intelligent ecosystems of machines that coexist with and enhance human capabilities.

 

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Transforming Manufacturing: The Singapore Experience https://futureiot.tech/transforming-manufacturing-the-singapore-experience/ Thu, 27 Jun 2019 01:09:55 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=4637 At the Cxociety C-Suite roundtable discussion on Mastering Agile in the Digital Manufacturing Era, delegates agreed that digital-led business transformation will continue to evolve in response to changing economic, environmental, and socio-political conditions.

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Supply chain, logistics and the entire manufacturing process are facing disruption. It is rooted in globalization, consumerization and the difficulty in forecasting supply-demand trends in today's dynamic market landscape.

In response, many manufacturers are choosing digital transformation. However, as their peers in other industries are finding out, the journey is fraught with challenges and pitfalls.

According to a recent IDC survey, some of the key concerns in the manufacturing industry have been around increased competition, rising internal costs and increased cybersecurity threats. To mitigate these challenges, organizations have been looking at integrating technologies, such as internet of things (IoT), cloud, and blockchains, that can increase visibility, credibility, and transparency across the value chain, in essence, launching digital transformation drives across the complete value chain.

In the Cxociety C-Suite roundtable discussion titled Mastering Digital Disruption: The Supply Chain Opportunity, sponsored by Epicor, we asked leading manufacturers and supply chain players in Singapore their experience, insights and challenges in mastering disruption.

B2C vs. B2B

It is called the Amazon effect. It is a catch-all phrase for digital platform players disrupting logistics, it highlights the impact of digital platforms in shaping business-to-consumer (B2C) processes and meeting the needs created by consumerization. It aims to give manufacturers direct access to consumers, simplify their supply chains for cost efficiency and agility, help them to reach new markets faster and lower industry barriers for competition.

Digital transformation of the business-to-business (B2B) market, in comparison, remains slow. “There is one big difference between B2C and B2B. In B2C, you are selling to the consumer; in B2B, your end customer is a function in another company,” said Vincent Tang, Vice President, Sales, Asia, Epicor.

For example, Supreme Components International is transforming for better logistics. “Our transformation is driven by the logistics of electronics components. Digital transformation gives us a massive opportunity to drive better user experience and B2B conversation,” said Piyush Aggarwala, the company’s Director.

One delegate to the roundtable noted that better management of spare part inventories is a huge motivator for their organisation, allowing employees to track and retrieve information about the spare parts” from the cloud, allowing the company to plan better for future needs.

Automation is another reason many manufacturers are embracing digital transformation. Amy Chung, Chief Executive Officer, Container Printers noted that as manufacturers move automation and real-time processes, “digitalization will become a huge driver.”

“To me, whatever that helps the company to grow its revenues and profits should always take priority,” said Sian Chin Phua, Chief Financial Officer, TEHO International Inc, who added speed and agility are now becoming vital differentiators in the manufacturing industry.

Brandon Lee, Chair, Smart Automation Industry Group, Singapore Manufacturing Federation sees three phases of digital transformation in the manufacturing industry. "Phase one begins with digitization, which allows you to monitor the manufacturing better. The next phase is to explore how to do things right, so you have to leverage data intelligence for business efficiency...then the last phase is to move from a human-based approach to a systematic one."

Transformation Struggles

Having the needs clear, the tools available, the framework developed and funding support available does not mean digital transformation is any less painful.

Singapore Manufacturing Federation’s Lee noted, “We can come up with a feasible plan to transform the industry, but implementing it is never going to be easy.”

One challenge is identifying the benefits. While digital transformation offers general benefits for all industries, there are not many use cases for Singapore-based manufacturers.

It is one of the reasons why many balk at adopting new software and solutions, said TEHO International’s Phua. Without a clear idea of the benefits, it then becomes difficult to gauge the value in investing in the solution.

“The moment you mention the cost, everyone sits back. Companies lose out not because they have a bad solution but because their initial investment was too high. Businessmen can’t see past the initial investment,” he said.

However, Phua admitted that part of the problem is also complacency. “[Manufacturers in Singapore] are so comfortable. But every industry is like that until something disrupts them and then the industry wakes up,” he added, pointing to how Uber and Grab impacted the taxi industry.

Market size is another challenge, said Kim Poh Ng, Director, Sunjet Aluminium International, which is creating a common data platform to link up its manufacturing plants and outsource some of their processes to third-party players.

“Singapore is too small to focus all your manufacturing resources. So, for a [Singapore] manufacturing company to survive, it needs to have enough of a market. Besides, a lot of [multinational corporations] move to where the market is,” Ng added.

Irene Hwa, Marketing Director, Asia Pacific, Epicor Software noted that the challenges are similar to other industries. "The ultimate objectives of digital transformation remains the same across all industries. So, everyone wants to have real-time access to what is happening in their business because that allows them to be more efficient and drive real-time decision making, which also allows you to make quick adjustments to individual customers' [needs] at any one time."

Hwa sees new advances in the internet of things (IoT) analytics and sensors helping manufacturers to drive digital transformation. But she also warned that digital transformation is a journey and software is only a tool. "It is no replacement for good strategy."

Singapore Manufacturing Federation’s Lee observed that any digital transformation effort needs should also create an ecosystem and deep skills within the industry. “Why do [Singapore manufacturers struggle when multinational corporations leave Singapore every few years? It is because we do not have the ecosystem and deep skills. In short, we do not have a unique competitive advantage.”

Lee noted that the Singapore government agency is already looking to address these issues through the Local Enterprise and Association Development (LEAD) program.

"LEAD is trying to use collaboration to upgrade the industry capabilities and promote deep skills," he added.

Beyond IT

Participants agreed that a successful digital transformation journey is not just a sum of the digital solutions and processes. It also requires a strong implementation partner.

“The biggest pain point is execution. The product can be fantastic, but if the [vendor] team is not as smart or do not tell you what to do, it takes away time that I could have used for other tasks,” said Supreme Components International’s Aggarwala.

This raises the importance of references for most organisations. The challenge, however, is that there are not many industry references in Singapore.

TEHO International Inc.'s Phua and Sunjet Aluminium International's Ng observed that industry experience should not be limited to the software knowledge but should also include the vendor's understanding of the industry and its best practices. While such an investigation could take time, "it is necessary," said Phua.

Epicor’s Tang saw the relationships between customers and vendors as a two-way street. His company often vets potential customers for product fit.

“A lot of people buy the brand, but do not realize whether the product matches their needs. Then you end up using [the product] less or customizing a lot. This is why we first find out whether our product can meet the customers’ needs,” he said.

Tang also noted that top management commitment is vital. "When there are problems among departments, you need someone at the top to make a decision. It is something ERP vendors cannot do."

In the IDC FutureScape: Worldwide Manufacturing 2019 Predictions, Reid Paquin, research director, IT Priorities and Strategies, IDC Manufacturing Insights, noted that the manufacturing industry continues to evolve. Digital transformation is a discussion that has touched every part of the value chain.

"No matter if you work in design, the supply chain, operations, or service, the adoption of digital capabilities to create business value has become critical to success. Our predictions create a framework for IT and line-of-business executives to plan and execute technology-related initiatives in the years ahead," he concluded.

At the conclusion of the Cxociety C-Suite roundtable discussion on Mastering Digital Disruption: The Supply Chain Opportunity, delegates agreed that digital-led business transformation will continue to evolve in response to changing economic, environmental, and socio-political conditions. These businesses will also need to keep a pulse on changing customer-consumer preferences if they want to remain relevant in a constantly evolving marketplace.

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IDC forecasts connected IoT devices to generate 79.4ZB of data in 2025 https://futureiot.tech/idc-forecasts-connected-iot-devices-to-generate-79-4zb-of-data-in-2025/ Sat, 22 Jun 2019 00:56:12 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=4594 The amount of data generated by connected IoT devices, forecast to grow to 41.6 billion by 2025, is expected to generate 79.4 ZB of data.

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The amount of data generated by connected internet of things (IoT) devices, forecast to grow to 41.6 billion by 2025, is expected to generate 79.4 zettabytes (ZB) of data.

Market intelligence and advisory firm International Data Corporation (IDC) said these devices or “things” include machines, sensors and cameras.

“Some of this data is small and bursty, indicating a single metric of a machine's health, while large amounts of data can be generated by video surveillance cameras using computer vision to analyze crowds of people, for example,” said.

For IDC, there is an obvious direct relationship between all the "things" and the data these things create.

"As the market continues to mature, IoT increasingly becomes the fabric enabling the exchange of information from 'things', people, and processes. Data becomes the common denominator – as it is captured, processed, and used from the nearest and farthest edges of the network to create value for industries, governments, and individuals' lives," explained Carrie MacGillivray, group vice president, IoT, 5G and Mobility at IDC, in a news release.

"Understanding the amount of data created from the myriad of connected devices allows organizations and vendors to build solutions that can scale in this accelerating data-driven IoT market."

IDC expects the amount of data created by connected devices to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 28.7% over the 2018-2025 forecast period.

Most of the data is being generated by video surveillance applications, but other categories such as industrial and medical will increasingly generate more data over time, the company said.

David Reinsel, senior vice president, IDC's Global DataSphere, however, said that with every new connection comes a responsibility to navigate and manage new security vulnerabilities and privacy concerns.

“Companies must address these data hazards as they advance new levels of efficiency and customer experience," he stressed.

Where growth is coming from

While the video surveillance category will drive a large share of the IoT data created, the industrial and automotive category will see the fastest data growth rates over the forecast period with a CAGR of 60%, according to IDC.

“This is the result of the increasing number of "things" (other than video surveillance cameras) that are capturing data continuously as well as more advanced sensors capturing more (and richer) metrics or machine functions,” it said.

This rich data includes audio, image, and video. And, where analytics and artificial intelligence are magnifying data creation beyond just the data capture, data per device is growing at a faster pace than data per video surveillance camera.

IDC also expects to see strong adoption of household (e.g., smart home) and wearable devices in the near term. 

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IDC outlines where IoT budgets are going https://futureiot.tech/idc-outlines-where-iot-budgets-are-going/ Fri, 14 Jun 2019 09:13:47 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=4399 IDC forecasts worldwide spending on IoT pass US$1.0 trillion in 2022, reaching $1.1 trillion in 2023

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The latest IDC Worldwide Semiannual Internet of Things Spending Guide estimates compound annual growth rate (CAGR) for IoT spending over the 2019-2023 forecast period will be 12.6%.

Carrie MacGillivray, group vice president, Internet of Things, 5G, and Mobility at IDC, says finding solutions to help manage, process and analyse the data generated from IoT as the next big challenge for organisations.

$726 billion industry – so what?!?

The three commercial industries that will spend the most on IoT solutions throughout the forecast are

IoT spending in the discrete manufacturing, process manufacturing, and transportation sectors, will account for a third of worldwide spend total in 2023. Manufacturers will use IoT mostly to improve or enhance operations whereas those in the transportation industry are looking at freight monitoring.

Smart home and connected vehicle use cases are the primary focus for those in the consumer sector – the second largest group of IoT spending. With a CAGR of 16.8%, the consumer market is poised to overtake discrete manufacturing in terms of IoT spending by 2023.

While it is understood that the cloud is direction where most IoT application and data will reside, the real excitement will be in the IoT platform software – middleware that provides the device management, connectivity management, data management, visualization, and applications enablement for connecting IoT endpoints. Budgets will go toward software packages that integrate and support devices, applications, data schemas, and standards of a single industry.

"The new Deployment Type segmentation in the IoT Spending Guide draws sharp lines that identify opportunities for software growth via public cloud services. Segmented at the deepest level, clients can now prioritize strategy planning at the region/country, industry, and use case levels," said Marcus Torchia, research director, Customer Insights & Analysis.

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Cutting false positives rates https://futureiot.tech/cutting-false-positives-rates/ Wed, 12 Jun 2019 04:41:22 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?post_type=whitepaper&p=4381 The biggest headache for most payment operations teams is cost control—and a large part of it comes from fraud management (detect and investigate). All financial institutions have made huge investments in fraud systems, which often have high costs and don’t deliver the expected benefits. This whitepaper describes three ways financial services firms like yours can […]

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The biggest headache for most payment operations teams is cost control—and a large part of it comes from fraud management (detect and investigate). All financial institutions have made huge investments in fraud systems, which often have high costs and don’t deliver the expected benefits.

This whitepaper describes three ways financial services firms like yours can use TIBCO solutions to lower the cost of investigations through faster results, reduce fraud losses through better detection, and simplify audit and regulatory compliance through centralized access to information.

Click here to download whitepaper

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Live NB-IoT projects in Shenzhen https://futureiot.tech/live-nb-iot-projects-in-shenzhen/ Wed, 12 Jun 2019 04:19:03 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?post_type=case-study&p=4374 China Telecom and Huawei have partnered with Shenzhen Water and Shenzhen Gas to demonstrate the benefits that NB-IoT connected smart meters would bring to both utility companies.

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China Telecom and Huawei have partnered with Shenzhen Water and Shenzhen Gas to demonstrate the benefits that NB-IoT connected smart meters would bring to both utility companies. The NB-IoT deployments have proven to be a success, with all meters deployed being able to connect in a secure manner, and offering a much improved service over previous iterations of the respective metering services.

The deployments have demonstrated that NB-IoT can collect the required data and control of the required parameters across both gas and water meters, demonstrating the NB-IoT is flexible, scalable and fit for a variety of different use cases, whilst allowing each industry to develop their service as they see fit.

The trials have proven that mobile operators are good partners for gas or water suppliers looking to deploy smart meters, and the IoT platforms and services that they are able to offer are a strong fit for industry needs. NB-IoT is a good choice for Chinese utilities, and able to meet their specific objectives through scalability, security and functionality.

Click here to download the case study

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Better waste management with IoT https://futureiot.tech/better-waste-management-with-iot/ Wed, 12 Jun 2019 01:00:04 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=4337 The average daily quantity of solid waste disposed of at landfills was 15,516 tonnes in 2017. Can Hong Kong control its waste pollution?

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Municipal solid waste consists of domestic, commercial and industrial waste. Hong Kong produces 1.45kg per capita of solid waste every day in 2017, up from 1.41kg in 2016. The average daily quantity of solid waste disposed of at landfills was 15,516 tonnes in 2017. Can Hong Kong control its waste pollution?

Ecube Labs is a provider of smart waste management solutions that utilize IoT technologies. Our integrated line of products include solar-powered waste compacting bins (Clean CUBE), ultrasonic fill-level sensors (Clean CAP) that can be fitted to any type of container, and a data and predictive analytic SaaS platform (Clean City Networks, CCN).

Ecube Labs helps cities and waste collection organizations reduce operational costs by eliminating unnecessary pick-ups, providing dynamic collection routes and schedules for a complete optimization of the collection operations. Our solutions also improve public cleanliness by reducing the impact of overflowing bins.

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Smart lights for smart cities https://futureiot.tech/smart-lights-for-smart-cities/ Tue, 11 Jun 2019 03:15:09 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=4329 in Karlsruhe, SM!GHT has developed “Smart City Lights” that feature Wi-Fi hotspots, e-Mobility charging stations, an SOS-Button and environmental sensors.

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SM!GHT is a corporate startup of EnBW, one of the four big power providers in Germany headquartered in Karlsruhe. SM!GHT has developed “Smart City Lights” that feature Wi-Fi hotspots, e-Mobility charging stations, an SOS-Button and environmental sensors.

These smart streetlights sense things like pollution, temperature, humidity and traffic congestion, all in an effort to help planners and commuters make better decisions. The data is monitored and collected from the streetlights and analysed in real time using advanced analytics and machine learning.

This video focuses on gathering data that is used to intelligent manage the City.

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Report: Poor data management typically cost companies $20M per year https://futureiot.tech/report-poor-data-management-typically-cost-companies-20m-per-year/ Fri, 07 Jun 2019 04:12:49 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=4290 Nearly three-fourths (73%) of organizations are failing to meet users’ demands for uninterrupted access to applications data and services, costing the typical company $20 million a year.

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Nearly three-fourths (73%) of organizations are failing to meet users’ demands for uninterrupted access to applications data and services, costing the typical company $20 million a year.

This was among the findings of the 2019 Veeam Cloud Data Management Report released recently.

The report noted that over the past decade, the amount of data generated has exploded. By 2025, the data sprawl is expected to generate more than 175 Zettabytes of data each year, up almost two thirds from 2018.

“This highlights the devastating impact downtime can have on lost revenue, productivity, and customer confidence,” Veeam Software said in a news release.

“However, this year’s study shows that organizations are acting to combat this, with nearly three-quarters (72%) looking to embrace cloud data management, often by exploiting hybrid cloud capabilities, to ensure success and drive more value from their data,” it added.

The 2019 Veeam Cloud Data Management Report surveyed more than 1,500 senior business and IT leaders from 13 countries and found that respondents are aware of the importance of data management.

“We are living in a data-driven age, and organizations need to wake up and take action to protect their data. Businesses must manage their data in a way that always delivers availability and leverage its value to drive performance,” said Ratmir Timashev, Co-Founder and Executive Vice President (EVP) of Sales & Marketing at Veeam.

Specifically, he said organizations are looking to embrace technologies such as the cloud, or hybrid cloud, big data, artificial intelligence (AI), and the Internet of Things (IoT) to drive business success.

Veeam said companies will invest on average $41 million in 2019 on such transformational technologies.

Almost half of the respondents admit that data protection is imperative to leverage these investments. Alarmingly, only 37% of businesses are very confident in their current backup solutions, with the majority (73%) admitting that they cannot meet user demands, the report noted.

This inhibits the adoption of tools and processes that can drive business advantage, but leaders recognize work needs to be done.

More than half of those surveyed are looking to deploy Intelligent Data Management and multi-cloud solutions across the business to address this failing.

Timashev added: “We’re seeing a global digital arms race develop today, with some of the world’s most advanced economies at risk of being left behind when it comes to their digital adoption. It’s essential that organizations get the right digital foundation in place to intelligently manage their data and safeguard their future."

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TIBCO and Singapore Polytechnic train next-gen analytics pros https://futureiot.tech/tibco-and-singapore-polytechnic-train-next-gen-analytics-pros/ Thu, 06 Jun 2019 03:45:05 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=4274 TIBCO Software has partnered with Singapore Polytechnic to offer a 2-day course on advanced analytics tools, its applications and uses, and how to get the most from the industrial data presented by these tools.

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As digitalization becomes part of the business agenda for many companies, there is pressure on organizations to adopt emerging technologies, such as data analytics.

Across Southeast Asia, demand for analytics skills continue to rise as industries like banking and financial services, healthcare and manufacturers, delve deeper into analytics and cognitive technologies, all aiming to mine the promises of artificial intelligence.

However, as with many emerging technologies, the lack of readily available skill and know-how are hampering adoption for everyone, benefitting only those willing to pay top dollar for the much sought-after talent.

According to the 2019 Robert Half Salary Guide, digitization, automation and technology disruption are placing mounting pressure on companies to attract sought-after IT professionals. This shortage of IT talent is most acute in the areas of analytics and artificial intelligence.

Matthieu Imbert-Bouchard, Managing Director of Robert Half Singapore noted that Singapore’s accelerating IT sector, combined with the city-state’s aspiration to become a global and regional technology hub, is placing increasing pressure on employers contending with the limited supply of available IT candidates.

“The growing disconnect between the jobs required and the skills available means IT employers need to focus on becoming more responsive to economic and digital transformation – which can be achieved through hiring staff with the right skillsets,” said Imbert-Bourchard.

A view echoed by Melissa Lau, Associate Director of Robert Half Hong Kong who noted that technology is rapidly and continuously evolving. She believed that education systems and institutions play a key role, not just to guarantee a continuous influx of skilled IT professionals into the employment market, but also to help upskill existing staff.

“A comprehensive approach where educational institutions work in conjunction with the wider business community and potentially supported by government initiatives is key to successfully overcoming the talent shortage. IT professionals should also take the opportunities to invest in themselves with professional development training to stay competitive,” Lau added.

This disconnect is an area that TIBCO Software has identified as well. It has partnered with Singapore Polytechnic to offer a 2-day course on advanced analytics tools, its applications and uses, and how to get the most from the industrial data presented by these tools.

Toh Ser Khoon, Singapore Polytechnic

“We recognize the need to create programmes that provide a balance of academic learning and industry needs. Academic-industry partnerships such as those with TIBCO Software take work-integrated learning to the next level by deliberately aligning industry needs and experience to the academic curriculum to provide learnings that are grounded in real-world requirements,” said Toh Ser Khoon (photo right), Director, School of Electrical & Electronic Engineering, Singapore Polytechnic.

Students taking up the course will be introduced to several predictive analysis models, streaming data analysis, as well as industrial applications and use cases to help them translate technology principles with real-world business applications.

The Economic Development Board estimates that the data analytics industry contributes at least S$1 billion each year to the local economy. With the value of regional big data and business analytics services is projected to reach S$37 billion by 2022.

Erich Gerber, TIBCO

“The onus is on all parties to contribute to creating and nurturing the next generation of IT professionals equipped with emerging technologies know-how like analytics able to deftly apply these to solve real-world business problems,” said Erich Gerber (photo left), SVP, EMEA & APJ, TIBCO Software.

This course focuses on how industry professionals, especially those in the manufacturing and logistics sector, can harness the power of data analytics to analyse the industrial data presented to them.

It equips participants with the knowledge on a range of data analysis tools and also the skills to apply these tools on industrial data. Participants will learn to develop efficient models for predictive data analysis and to apply the trained models on offline data and on streaming data to generate automated alerts.

The data analytics industry contributes at least S$1bn to the local economy each year. Data analytics is one of the key skills required in the wake of Industry 4.0. It is an emerging area with massive growth potential.

Still ways to go

Fred Giron, VP and Research Director at Forrester, commended the effort of academia and government to fill the void. However much still needs to be done and it will take years for some of these efforts to take fruition.

“Firms will also have to play an active role in training and reskilling their employees. In particular, HR departments need to step up to the challenge and help their organizations identify the skills gaps today and in the future and help build learning and development programs that will prepare them for the future of work,” he concluded.

Echoing this sentiment, Gerber added: "Collaborating between the parties will mitigate the widening gap and everyone losing out. For our part, we will continue to work with forward-thinking academia to develop courses and programmes that will align to what the industry needs today and into the future.”

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Connect and visually analyse data in motion https://futureiot.tech/connect-and-visually-analyse-data-in-motion/ Thu, 06 Jun 2019 03:19:41 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=4265 This session of Dr. Spotfire features Neil Kanungo, Senior Customer Success Manager and Eddie Galvez, Chief Architect on streaming analytics.

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This session of Dr. Spotfire features Neil Kanungo, Senior Customer Success Manager and Eddie Galvez, Chief Architect on streaming analytics. Kanungo will do a SpotFire demo while Galvez provides a demo of Spotfire Data Streams.

According to Galvez streaming data by definition is data that's constantly changing, pushed events that are happening at all time. This is unlike historical where you are not necessarily analysing all of the data but a window [in time] of that data.

TIBCO Spotfire Data Streams powers streaming data in Spotfire analytics so you can analyze and visualize what's happening right now. With an ultra-fast continuous query processing engine, Spotfire Data Streams supports live real-time data from almost anywhere and can combine it with historical data through native or easy-to-build custom data connectors.

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Transforming the Singapore retail Experience https://futureiot.tech/transforming-the-singapore-retail-experience/ Tue, 04 Jun 2019 02:02:06 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=4247 Reetika Gupta, Associate Professor, Marketing Department, Global BBA Associate Academic Director, ESSEC Business School Asia Pacific, talks among other things how technologies like Internet of Things (IoT) is making it possible to rekindle the neighbour shopping experience.

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Every June sees Singapore undergo a momentary transformation (maybe this is an exaggeration to call it that) as retailers dress up for the annual Great Singapore Sale (GSS) rebranded in 2019 as GSS: Experience Singapore.

Outside of the glitz and glamour that come with the transformation, however, is another form of metamorphosis behind the scenes. One of the biggest changes to retailing in the past couple of decades has been the emphasis on volume and the lost of the engagement that was part of the neighbourhood store.

Hopes are that this lost art of engagement can be rekindled through technology. And retailers are right to be hopeful.

FutureIoT spoke to Professor Reetika Gupta, Associate Professor, Marketing Department, Global BBA Associate Academic Director, ESSEC Business School Asia Pacific, to talk among other things how technologies like Internet of Things (IoT) is making it possible to rekindle the neighbour shopping experience.

What key trends are impacting the adoption of IoT in the Retail industry in Singapore?

Reetika Gupta: The first would be the significant manpower crunch. Singapore, in particular, is emphasising productivity gains and is looking to reduce the flow of lower-skilled, foreign workers. Because of this, we anticipate that automation in retailing will continue to be a key trend, for example, automated checkout counters.

Another key trend is the rate at which online retail is being adopted. The e-commerce market in Singapore has been expanding at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7%, according to WorldPay’s 2018 Global Payments Report, and big operators such as Lazada/Redmart and Qoo10 are gaining traction. For success, IoT has to provide visitors to physical stores with greater personalized shopping experiences, similar to what online retailers are achieving.

How will regulation (or lack of it) drive adoption of IoT?

Reetika Gupta: Data protection and privacy, including the Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA) regulation, will influence IoT practices. PDPA in Singapore requires organizations collecting personal data (such as biometrics or fingerprint scanning, or facial profiles collected by cameras) to first gain explicit consent from consumers. 

Accordingly, adoption of technology must be accompanied with relevant business processes to ensure that such consent is collected. Moreover, PDPA requires organizations to ensure appropriate protection and care for such data – through the use of appropriate security technologies (such as access control and encryption).

As IoT becomes deeply embedded in retail stores, store operators will thus also have to implement technologies and best-practices to protect the data, such as having the additional infrastructure to anonymize it, establish policies to regularly delete data, and enabling options to opt-out.

Cite any common misconception of the IoT as it relates to the retail industry?

Reetika Gupta: There is the misconception that ‘mobile marketing’ solely implies the use of mobile applications, such as via social media, to deliver ads and promotions to consumers. However, there is so much more that one can do with mobile devices.

We have early examples such as location-aware alerts within stores and customizing the content of public digital displays based on proximity sensing of mobile devices as seen at Changi Airport. IoT will be the key to deeper personalisation, one example being delivering promotions based on real-time user behaviour in stores. Without such personalization, it will be difficult for physical retail to survive.

Cite one best practice around the use or deployment of the IoT in the retail industry?

Reetika Gupta: A great example of IoT in practice, is Changi Airport’s use of beacon technology. The key idea behind this is how beacons are deployed not just in retail, but also at check-in counters and other places around the airport. They give proximity-based notifications of things such as products (in stores), food offerings (in food courts) and alerts (based on plane schedules).

We’re also seeing growing attention around the use of video analytics and AI in stores, or automated item recognition and no checkout-required shopping. This has gained a lot of attention in the United States with the launch of Amazon Go’s cashierless convenience stores in Seattle, Chicago, San Francisco, and most recently in New York City.

In 2019, how do you see this IoT being used in the retail industry?

In 2019, proximity-based in-store advertising/notifications will be a big global trend. The use of push notifications to alert consumers about relevant nearby products will gain traction as retailers have developed more sophisticated backend Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems, and so are better able to track and build profiles of consumers based on their past online/offline purchases. Retailers are also now rapidly building mobile-first apps to engage directly with their customers. In addition, the “beacon market” in APAC is also taking off and is expected to grow rapidly.

Another use of IoT will be in creating greater ‘experiential stores’, where stores are not just about shopping, but about delivering experiences using Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR). For example, Sephora’s connected store concept uses iPads or connected mirrors to visually project the items’ looks onto customers’ own faces. This is a great way to enrich the in-store customer experience enabling the customer to have more fulfilling store visits where they can make more informed and immediate purchases.

IoT has been around since the term was coined by Kevin Ashton in 1999, said to be following his “witnessing of the challenges of inventory, logistics and supply chain management challenges in retail.”

Will IoT change the game for retailers at the GSS: Experience Singapore event? Only time will tell.

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McDonalds uses IoT to eliminate spoilage, improve quality and increase profit https://futureiot.tech/mcdonalds-uses-iot-to-eliminate-spoilage-improve-quality-and-increase-profit/ Thu, 30 May 2019 02:35:44 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?post_type=case-study&p=4211 Running a fastfood chain takes a lot of time and effort. So how to do run 12 of them and still be productive and profitable?

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Running a fastfood chain takes a lot of time and effort. So how to do run 12 of them and still be productive and profitable? If there is anything to be learned from big data and machine learning is to do so by spotting the exceptions rather than the norm.

This is exactly what Paul G., owner and operator of 12 McDonalds franchises did. He deployed technology from SwiftSensors to enable him to spot things that happen in real-time in the kitchen, in the store room, electrical closets, even the cash safe.

Click here to download this case study to know more.

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The current and future state of IoT https://futureiot.tech/the-current-and-future-state-of-iot/ Thu, 30 May 2019 01:59:50 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=4204 Professor Wei Xiang is the Founding Professor and Head of Discipline of Internet of Things (IoT) Engineering at James Cook University and an elected Fellow of the IET and Engineers Australia.

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Many people are using the Internet of things (IoT) every day and it also has broad applications to help save the environment and improve health. But in order to do so we need a trained work force.

Professor Wei Xiang is the Founding Professor and Head of Discipline of Internet of Things (IoT) Engineering at James Cook University and an elected Fellow of the IET and Engineers Australia. He is a well-recognised international leader in IoT and has been awarded several prestigious awards and fellowship titles.

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Aeroporti di Roma’s digital transformation journey https://futureiot.tech/aeroporti-di-romas-digital-transformation-journey/ Thu, 30 May 2019 01:26:01 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=4194 Floriana Chiarello, Head of Demand Management at Aeroporti di Roma – the Italian fixed-based Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino Airport (in Greater Rome) and Rome Ciampino Airport says "Our digital strategy is a must-have enabler to deliver innovative, efficient, and high-quality services to passengers, retailers, companies, and the entire airport ecosystem.

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All busy airports share several common challenges: managing passenger flow, ensuring flights depart on time and incoming flights are routed efficiently, checked-in baggages are properly tagged and routed to the right flights on carousel. Other operational issues include customer experiences as it relates to customs and immigration, use of airport facilities including toilets, restaurants and shops.

Floriana Chiarello, Head of Demand Management at Aeroporti di Roma – the Italian fixed-based Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino Airport (in Greater Rome) and Rome Ciampino Airport says "Our digital strategy is a must-have enabler to deliver innovative, efficient, and high-quality services to passengers, retailers, companies, and the entire airport ecosystem.

For instance, one major airport in Roma – the Rome-Fiumicino International Airport serves as a hub connecting over 230 destinations worldwide. It serves over 47 million passengers annually with over 100 airlines using the airport at some point in time.

In this short video, Chiarello talks about the importance of digital transformation in ensuring high quality passenger and business partner experience. "TIBCO offered a new approach, a platform to support vertical implementations and drive the future of our digital transformation. TIBCO technology is managing all airport information and its correlation to enable decision-making,” she concluded.

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Infographic: State of data science and analytics in Asia-Pacific https://futureiot.tech/infographic-state-of-data-science-and-analytics-in-asia-pacific/ Wed, 29 May 2019 00:03:59 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=4165 The infographic released by IDC and Alteryx showed the challenges organizations face as they turn to data as the lifeblood of their digital transformation.

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Infographic from Alteryx Inc.

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Accenture: Insurance and the Internet of Things https://futureiot.tech/accenture-insurance-and-the-internet-of-things/ Thu, 23 May 2019 00:46:51 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=4101 IoT devices will generate a huge amount of data and offer insurers opportunities to provide personalized risk protection services, safe driver incentives, and more.

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The world is more connected than ever and the Internet of Things (IoT) will take both industries and consumers further along this connected path. By 2020, 50 billion devices will connect 8 billion people on the planet linking people to their homes, work, medical information, and communities. In the process generating an immense amount of data that needs to be analyzed and monetized.

This offers insurers opportunities to provide personalized risk protection services, safe driver incentives, and more. Accenture has the vision, industry knowledge, skills and capabilities to help insurance organizations develop and execute the right IoT strategies.

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Humanizing technology with great user experience https://futureiot.tech/humanizing-technology-with-great-user-experience/ Thu, 23 May 2019 00:27:41 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=4097 [...] Accessing FutureIoT Premium Content Welcome! To access Premium content and more, please login below. Not a Premium member yet? Register now for a free account! Username or Email Password  Remember Me Forgot Password Alternatively,

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Fueling digital business with connected intelligence https://futureiot.tech/fueling-digital-business-with-connected-intelligence/ Tue, 14 May 2019 01:54:27 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?post_type=case-study&p=4012 Learn how TIBCO makes digital smarter by clicking here to download this customer ebook and learn how organizations are leveraging TIBCO technology to become competitive innovators in their industry.

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Learn how TIBCO makes digital smarter by clicking here to download this customer ebook and learn how organizations are leveraging TIBCO technology to become competitive innovators in their industry.

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TIBCO Spotfire Data Streams https://futureiot.tech/tibco-spotfire-data-streams/ Tue, 14 May 2019 01:49:14 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?post_type=whitepaper&p=4004 Spotfire Data Streams offers users faster time to actionable insights by enabling self-service visual analytics on real-time data.

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Spotfire Data Streams offers users faster time to actionable insights by enabling self-service visual analytics on real-time data.

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How IoT will drive the connected economy https://futureiot.tech/how-iot-will-drive-the-connected-economy/ Thu, 09 May 2019 04:53:37 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?post_type=whitepaper&p=3983 The abundance of data coming from connected “things” in the IoT has opened up new markets in which data is bought and sold in many forms.

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The abundance of data coming from connected “things” in the IoT has opened up new markets in which data is bought and sold in many forms.

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TIBCO Data Science and the IoT https://futureiot.tech/tibco-data-science-and-the-iot/ Thu, 02 May 2019 06:19:30 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=3921 Watch a short demo to see how TIBCO Data Science and TIBCO Flogo can be used together to solve the most challenging of IoT use cases.

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In the industrial Internet with billions of connected devices providing the opportunity to solve a new class of problems.

Watch a short demo to see how TIBCO Data Science and TIBCO Flogo can be used together to solve the most challenging of IoT use cases.

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How to acquire manufacturing superpowers in the IoT https://futureiot.tech/how-to-acquire-manufacturing-superpowers-in-the-iot/ Thu, 02 May 2019 06:05:12 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?post_type=whitepaper&p=3916 How will edge analytics help you acquire manufacturing superpowers in the Internet of Things? In this eBook, we’ll show you six ways how.

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How will edge analytics help you acquire manufacturing superpowers in the Internet of Things? In this eBook, we’ll show you six ways how.

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Frost: CSEAT to dominate auto industry innovation in 2019 https://futureiot.tech/frost-cseat-to-dominate-auto-industry-innovation-in-2019/ Sun, 28 Apr 2019 04:00:58 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=3873 "Electric mobility options will continue to rise in popularity, especially electric ride-sharing and micro-mobility solutions, in developed markets” said Viroop Narla, team leader, Business Strategy, Mobility at Frost & Sullivan.

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New vehicle sales and production are expected to stagnate in 2019 due to global factors such as the ongoing US-China trade wars, Brexit, and the revamped United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement (USMCA).

China’s new vehicle sales will grow marginally in 2019, while new vehicle sales in the US market will shrink by about 1.1% compared to 2018, to the tune of 17.1 million units. Making up for this decline will be the growth markets of Brazil and Russia, which are anticipated to grow by approximately 8% and 5%, respectively.

An important result of the fall in sales will be the rise in shared mobility and innovative mobility streams. Vehicle subscription services will become more popular, with 0.5 million vehicles likely to be signed on in 2019.

"Electric mobility options will continue to rise in popularity, especially electric ride-sharing and micro-mobility solutions, in developed markets” said Viroop Narla, team leader, Business Strategy, Mobility at Frost & Sullivan. "As the number of mobility services surge in 2019, OEMs and other industry participants will look to harness the data for more optimized sales and after-sales solutions."

Narla also noted "electric vehicle (EV) growth will increase further owing to model launches and stringent government regulations. Approximately 6.7 million xEVs are likely to be sold in 2019, bolstered by strong sales in China. Africa, the Middle East, Latin America, and South Asia will be the next biggest markets for xEVs due to a strong encouragement by local governments in the form of incentives and subsidies for both automakers and car buyers."

For greater growth opportunities, OEMs and established market players need to:

  • Integrate digital technologies; There is significant revenue potential in leveraging digital devices for online car sales, in-car purchases, and mobility solutions.
  • Offer alternative forms of vehicle ownership, including subscriptions and fleet services.
  • Develop connected, electrified, autonomous, and modular vehicles, as they are expected to be in demand among Gen Z customers.
  • Invest in regional capacity and expertise.
  • Focus on unique business models such as subscriptions, new financing methods, and Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS).

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Gartner: IoT and automation in top 8 supply chain tech trends in 2019 https://futureiot.tech/gartner-iot-and-automation-in-top-8-supply-chain-tech-trends-in-2019/ Sun, 28 Apr 2019 01:58:56 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=3870 “These technologies are those that supply chain leaders simply cannot ignore,” said Christian Titze, research vice president at Gartner

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Gartner’s top strategic supply chain technology trends have broad industry impact, but have not yet been widely adopted. They might be experiencing significant changes or reaching critical tipping points in capability or maturity.

“These technologies are those that supply chain leaders simply cannot ignore,” said Christian Titze, research vice president at Gartner. “Within the next five years, if half of large global companies are using some of these technologies in their supply chain operations, it’s safe to say that the technologies will disrupt people, business objectives and IT systems.”

The top 8 supply chain technology trends in 2019 are:

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

AI technology in supply chain seeks to augment human performance. Through self-learning and natural language, AI capabilities can help automate various supply chain processes such as demand forecasting, production planning or predictive maintenance.

“AI supports the shift to broader supply chain automation that many organizations are seeking,” said Titze. “For example, AI can enhance risk mitigation by analyzing large sets of data, continuously identifying evolving patterns, and predicting disruptive events along with potential resolutions.”

Advanced Analytics

Advanced analytics span predictive analytics — those that identify data patterns and anticipate future scenarios — as well as prescriptive analytics — a set of capabilities that finds a course of action to meet a predefined objective. The increased availability of Internet of Things (IoT) data and extended external data sources such as weather or traffic conditions allow organizations to anticipate future scenarios and make better recommendations in areas such as supply chain planning, sourcing and transportation.

“Advanced analytics are not new, but their impact on today’s supply chains are significant,” said Titze. “They will help organizations become more proactive and actionable in managing their supply chains, both in taking advantage of future opportunities and avoiding potential future disruptions.”

IoT

The IoT is the network of physical objects that contain embedded technology to interact with their internal states or the external environment. “We are seeing more supply chain practitioners exploring the potential of IoT,” said Titze. “Areas that IoT might have a profound impact on are enhanced logistics management, improved customer service and improved supply availability.”

Robotic Process Automation (RPA)

RPA tools operate by mapping a process in the tool language for the software “robot” to follow. They cut costs and eliminate keying errors. “We are seeing a significant reduction in process lead times RPA technology is used to automate the creation of purchase and sales orders or shipments, for instance,” said Titze. “RPA technology reduces human intervention and improves consistency across manual data sources within manufacturing.”

Autonomous Things

Autonomous things use AI to automate functions previously performed by humans, such as autonomous vehicles and drones. They exploit AI to deliver advanced behaviors that interact more naturally with their surroundings and with people.

“The rapid explosion in the number of connected, intelligent things has given this trend a huge push,” said Titze. “The once distant thought of reducing time for inventory checks by using drones’ cameras to take inventory images, for instance, is here.”

Digital Supply Chain Twin

A digital supply chain twin is a digital representation of the relationships between all physical entities of end-to-end supply chain processes — products, customers, markets, distribution centers/warehouses, plants, finance, attributes and weather. They are linked to their real-world counterparts and are used to understand the state of the thing or system in order to optimize operations and respond efficiently to changes.

“Digital supply chain twins are inevitable as the digital world and physical world continue to merge,” said Titze.

Immersive Experience

Immersive experiences such as augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR) and conversational systems are changing the way people interact with the digital world. “In supply chain, organizations might use AR along with quick response (QR) codes and mobile technology to speed up equipment changeovers in factories,” said Titze. “Immersive user experiences will enable digital business opportunities that have not yet been fully realized within global supply chains.”

Blockchain in Supply Chain

Although supply-chain-related blockchain initiatives are nascent, blockchain has potential to fulfill long-standing challenges presented across complex global supply chains. Current capabilities offered by blockchain solutions for supply chain include traceability, automation, and security.

“Organizations might use blockchain to track global shipments with tamper-evident labels, allowing a reduction in the time needed to send paperwork back and forth with port authorities and improved counterfeit identification,” said Titze.

Gartner clients can learn more in “The 2019 Top Supply Chain Technology Trends You Can’t Ignore,” which provides an outlook into other emerging trends that might disrupt supply chain operations in the upcoming years, such as 5G and edge computing.

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Impact of evolving regulation on IoT in financial services https://futureiot.tech/impact-of-evolving-regulation-on-iot-in-financial-services/ Tue, 23 Apr 2019 01:00:58 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=3806 Faced with thinning margins and subdued economic outlook, there is a pressing need for banks to enhance performance, simplify operating models and re-engineer legacy technologies, while still ensuring cost management and regulatory compliance. Thus banks need to seek more cost-efficient technology-enabled regulatory and compliance solutions.

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While many see financial institutions at the helm of many of today’s innovations, it wasn’t too long ago that industry practitioners saw their organizations as laggards when it comes to adopting emerging new technologies.

Yes, financial institutions are one of the top spenders when it comes to technology but often the technologies being adopted have already proven themselves in other industry verticals and, more importantly, have received the blessings of the local regulator as well as global industry bodies.

Case in point, public cloud has been in use by consumers (in the 1990s) and some industries like retail (as early as 2002) but in mature markets like Hong Kong, only a few banks have agreed to start including cloud in their IT strategy.

The rise of Fintechs may have changed the thinking of financial institutions as to what emerging technologies should be included in the product roadmap.

“Faced with thinning margins and subdued economic outlook, there is a pressing need for banks to enhance performance, simplify operating models and re-engineer legacy technologies, while still ensuring cost management and regulatory compliance. Thus banks need to seek more cost-efficient technology-enabled regulatory and compliance solutions,” said Chris Lim, partner at Ernst & Young Advisory based out of Singapore.

In an exclusive interview with FutureIoT, Lim openly discusses the challenges and opportunities financial institutions must face as they evaluate and adopt IoT as part of their business strategy.

According to the Deloitte Center for Financial Services research, there are near- and long-term opportunities for the financial services industry to see the benefits from IoT.

Jim Eckenrode, managing director of the Deloitte Center for Financial Services, said: “But the IoT may be as broadly transformational to the financial services industry as the Internet itself, and leaders should make an effort to recognize the opportunities and challenges it presents for the financial sector as well as for industries with which FSIs work closely.”

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Software offers new approach to data asset management https://futureiot.tech/software-offers-new-approach-to-data-asset-management/ Fri, 19 Apr 2019 01:33:49 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=3775 TIBCO EBX software, formerly Orchestra Networks EBX, allows users to govern, manage, and consume all enterprise data assets, including master data, reference data, and metadata.

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TIBCO Software has a new approach to data asset management.  

TIBCO EBX software, formerly Orchestra Networks EBX, allows users to govern, manage, and consume all enterprise data assets, including master data, reference data, and metadata.

An article by Shannon Peifer in the corporate website explained the need for businesses to have a comprehensive view of the data from disparate data sources.

“Why treat your different data sources as separate from each other? In reality, all of your shared data assets are intrinsically linked and should be managed that way,” Peifer said.

Ideally, Peifer said when data is used by organizations for operations, governance, or analytics projects,  all the relevant data should be combined in one place. Workflows and business processes are interlinked, including data.

However,  companies often separate important data because one group of data is transactional (such as customer transactions, partner transaction, etc.) and the other is more operational (industry codes, job codes, private reference data, etc.).

“People often refer to this distinction as master data versus reference data. However, you need all of the data from both groups working and living together to get an accurate understanding of your company and your customers,” Peifer explained.

With the EBX platform is capable of supporting a company’s data management needs, including master data management (MDM), reference data management, hierarchy management, metadata management, data governance, and data cataloging—all in one place.

“At the end of the day, you need one system that will do it all for everyone,” Peifer said.

Watch the webinar to learn more about TIBCO EBX.

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Webinar: Data Virtualization using TIBCO Data Virtualization https://futureiot.tech/webinar-data-virtualization-using-tibco-data-virtualization/ Thu, 18 Apr 2019 02:16:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=3762 Erik Fransen, founder, Connected Data Group, conducts this 30-minute webinar to discuss the basics of the Modern Data Architecture that centres around Data Virtualization that elegantly connects to and integrates existing data sources like big data platforms, data warehouses, custom applications and cloud sources, with less complexity and cost, faster access to analytic data. TIBCO […]

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Erik Fransen, founder, Connected Data Group, conducts this 30-minute webinar to discuss the basics of the Modern Data Architecture that centres around Data Virtualization that elegantly connects to and integrates existing data sources like big data platforms, data warehouses, custom applications and cloud sources, with less complexity and cost, faster access to analytic data.

TIBCO is a market leader in DV and Erik shares his experience with implementing TIBCO DV in (large) organizations that want to create more business value out of the huge amounts of data available. Data that is often scattered, difficult to access and to understand.

TIBCO DV offers capabilities to connect securely to any data source,  abstract source data models to virtual, agile data models that fit the various needs of the business user. TIBCO DV supports any analytical tool for fast and easy data access using the virtual data layers. A use case that includes TIBCO DV as an enabler for real time patient analytics using data virtualization, machine learning and big data storage is addressed, as are our best practices on how to start with TIBCO DV (business cases, use cases, Proof of Concepts, training, implementation).

TIBCO Data Virtualization:

  • Provides analytics access to corporate assets without the complexity of creating balkanized data warehouses or hard-to-manage extracts.
  • Go beyond simple data profiling to examine data, locate important entities, and reveal hidden relationships across distinct data sources.  Quickly build and display comprehensive entity relationship diagrams and data models to meet new business requirements.
  • The TIBCO Data Virtualization query engines securely accesses, queries, federates, abstracts, and delivers data to consuming business solutions on demand. Multiple caching options provide additional speed and flexibility.
  • A graphical modelling environment provides a flexible workspace where developers model data, design data services, build transformations, optimize queries, manage resources, and more.
  • A self-service business data directory lets users easily search, categorize, and consume IT-curated data. The directory encourages data service sharing and reuse, accelerating business outcomes while reducing IT workloads.
  • A wide range of adapters connect to databases, files, big data, cloud sources, packaged applications, and more. Beyond schema-to-schema only, adapters integrate with data source optimizers to ensure more accurate queries and higher performance.

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Drive Cost Reductions in False Positive Investigations https://futureiot.tech/drive-cost-reductions-in-false-positive-investigations/ Thu, 18 Apr 2019 02:00:52 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?post_type=whitepaper&p=3756 This whitepaper describes three ways financial services firms can use TIBCO solutions to lower the cost of investigations.

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This whitepaper describes three ways financial services firms can use TIBCO solutions to lower the cost of investigations.

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How Streaming Business Intelligence will transform decision-making https://futureiot.tech/how-streaming-business-intelligence-will-transform-decision-making/ Thu, 18 Apr 2019 01:12:04 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=3745 SBI is like a video camera that provides a real-time view of digital business: just turn it on and start acting on what you see.

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Mark Palmer, SVP and General Manager of Data and Analytics, TIBCO
Mark Palmer, SVP and General Manager of Data and Analytics, TIBCO

By Mark Palmer, SVP and General Manager of Data and Analytics, TIBCO

In the late 1800’s, Leland Stanford paid photographer Edward Muybridge to help him settle a bet that horses leave the ground as they run. It took years of failure and innovation, but Muybridge eventually created a technique using an array of cameras with tripwires to take high-speed snapshots of a horse as it ran by.

Figure 1: The Horse in Motion

Edward Muybridge

Source: Edward Muybridge, 1878

Indeed, his snapshots (#2 and #3, above) prove that horses do, in fact, leave the ground as they run. Stanford won his bet. But more importantly, over time, the Muybridge experiment led to the creation of something much more profound: motion pictures. Thanks in part to Stanford’s bet, anyone can enjoy the immersive experience of the full motion picture.

Today, the business intelligence (BI) field is experiencing a similar revolution. Thanks to a technology called continuous query processing, first born on Wall Street years ago in response to flash crashes and market automation, anyone can see what wasn’t visible before. The technology is so new that it doesn’t have a name yet; we call it Streaming Business Intelligence, or SBI for short.

An immersive experience for real-time data in motion

Like a movie, SBI provides a live, immersive BI experience for data in motion. The system stitches snapshots of data together: sensor readings from the car, GPS readings of location, weather conditions, and others. Because the visualization is live, BI users can now experience analytics like we experience a movie. And hence, you can now examine your business intelligence in real-time data snapshots that you couldn’t do before.

For example, with SBI a car racing strategist can see what static snapshots could not previously

reveal. The race strategist can now answer questions like “Is the car taking a less than optimal arc on its way into a hairpin turn?” “Are the tires starting to show signs of wear?” “Are changing weather conditions causing the engine to labour?”

Like the Muybridge experiment, programmers still have the option to collect discreet data snapshots, put them in a database, and create a kind of a movie that can more easily answer their questions. But that would take a long time and lots of money. Worse, by the time they were done, the value of the insights would be gone – who cares if you learn how you could have won the race after it’s over?

Today, SBI is like a video camera that provides a real-time view of digital business: just turn it on and start acting on what you see.

Digital business is built on data in motion

You might be thinking: I don’t run a Formula One racing team; what would I use Streaming Business Intelligence for? Like a motion picture director, you need to think differently than when you had a still-motion camera. Digital business is built on data in motion: mobile apps; driverless vehicles; robots; kiosks, websites. Like the evolving motion picture industry, digital business owners must now think differently and use real-time data in motion.

Some are already using SBI, but it’s been at great expense. Uber and Lyft have disrupted the transportation business with moving data. Their apps know where you are, where you’re going, and where drivers are. Algorithmic trading on Wall Street executes over 80% of the world’s trades by analysing and acting on market data in real time.

But SBI is no longer just for the mega industry disruptors. It’s going mainstream now. And the possibilities are immense. For instance, imagine if retailers could provide intelligent customer engagement by understanding in real time how customers react to promotions, pricing, or even the weather. Imagine how FedEx could optimize operations by understanding where thousands of connected vehicles are at any moment, which packages they’re delivering, and where the customers are. Imagine how much faster emergency response teams in a Smart City could be if they could analyse data in real time and knew where traffic is congested, calculated the best route based on that data, and communicated it all in real time? The use cases are endless.

Business Intelligence with snapshots aren’t dead. Like the still photograph, they will always be essential to reporting, long-range forecasting, and machine learning based on historical data. But Streaming business intelligence, like the motion picture, democratizes the ability to see what wasn’t visible before, and will separate the digital innovators from the digital dinosaurs.

Which one are you?

First published on TIBCO BLOG

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TIBCO appoints Dan Streetman as CEO https://futureiot.tech/tibco-appoints-dan-streetman-as-ceo/ Sun, 14 Apr 2019 02:12:28 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=3689 Business software maker TIBCO has appointed enterprise software and cloud veteran Dan Streetman as chief executive officer (CEO) effective April 15, 2019.

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Business software maker TIBCO has appointed enterprise software and cloud veteran Dan Streetman as chief executive officer (CEO) effective April 15, 2019.

Current CEO Murray Rode has been named vice chairman.

“Dan brings a high level of energy and commitment to TIBCO that will ensure we continue to expand the reach and scale of TIBCO’s Connected Intelligence Cloud to deliver game-changing innovation to the market,” Rode said in a media statement.

Streetman joins TIBCO from BMC Software where he was executive vice president of worldwide sales and marketing.

In his three-year stint with the company, TIBCO said Streetman “positioned BMC as a leader in multi-cloud management and drove a relentless focus on customer success.”

He previously held senior executive positions at leading software companies such as Salesforce, C3, Amdocs, and Siebel Systems. His Linked In profile showed that he had served as a strategist in the Command Group for Multinational Forces in Iraq and was awarded a Bronze Star and the General Douglas MacArthur Leadership Award, among other decorations.

Streetman has a BS in National Security Strategy from the United States Military Academy and an MBA from the Harvard Business School.

Streetman said in a media statement that he is excited to lead TIBCO in a new phase of growth.

“In this transformative time for every industry in the global economy, customers are leveraging exponentially more data to power their digital enterprise,” he said.

Headquartered in Palo Alto, California, TIBCO provides integration, analytics, and event-processing software for enterprises on-premise or as part of cloud computing environments.

From APIs and systems to devices and people, TIBCO interconnects things, capture data in real time wherever it is and provides analytical insights.

TIBCO said that in Rode’s five-year tenure as CEO, the company launched its Connected Intelligence Cloud and deepened the company’s technology portfolio with several acquisitions in markets such as API management, data virtualization, and data science.

Rode, as vice chairman, will work with Streetman and the TIBCO board of directors to further develop the company’s long-term platform strategy.

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Brembo uses TIBCO analytics accelerates to process improvement https://futureiot.tech/brembo-uses-tibco-analytics-accelerates-to-process-improvement/ Thu, 11 Apr 2019 00:53:10 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?post_type=case-study&p=3646 Brembo chose TIBCO Spotfire analytics for its ease of use, ability to address all of the company’s requirements, and suitability for teams across the organization. The company wouldn’t have gone with a tool unless it could be used for more than just manufacturing processes.

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Brembo chose TIBCO Spotfire analytics for its ease of use, ability to address all of the company’s requirements, and suitability for teams across the organization. The company wouldn’t have gone with a tool unless it could be used for more than just manufacturing processes.

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Thingstream brings real-time IoT messaging to the edge with TIBCO https://futureiot.tech/thingstream-brings-real-time-iot-messaging-to-the-edge-with-tibco/ Thu, 11 Apr 2019 00:07:23 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=3638 Thingstream is a global machine-to-machine (M2M) connectivity proposition that delivers ubiquitous, programmable and low power secure connectivity for IoT applications. “We created Thingstream with the aim of simplifying the complex world of IoT for different industries. Industry needs IoT solutions that tackle global coverage, security, and cost and we solve all of those.” said Neil […]

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Thingstream is a global machine-to-machine (M2M) connectivity proposition that delivers ubiquitous, programmable and low power secure connectivity for IoT applications.

“We created Thingstream with the aim of simplifying the complex world of IoT for different industries. Industry needs IoT solutions that tackle global coverage, security, and cost and we solve all of those.” said Neil Hamilton, VP Business Development, Thingstream. “Our technology tackles these issues head-on, creating an unrivaled opportunity for companies to take advantage of the huge opportunities IoT offers.”

In this video, Thingstream CTO Bruce Jackson describes how his company is using TIBCO Messaging for its global, secure, low-power, bi-directional, low-cost subscription-based IoT communications network.

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TIBCO, Singapore Polytechnic partner to advance analytics, IoT skills https://futureiot.tech/tibco-singapore-polytechnic-partner-to-advance-analytics-iot-skills/ Fri, 05 Apr 2019 03:06:52 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=3537 TIBCO Software has announced a collaboration with Singapore Polytechnic (SP) to expand data analytics and Internet of Things (IoT) knowledge in the region.

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API management and analytics provider TIBCO Software has announced a collaboration with Singapore Polytechnic (SP) to expand data analytics and Internet of Things (IoT) knowledge in the region.

Under the agreement, SP and TIBCO will expand the network of universities in Singapore, TIBCO’s regional hub, by offering initiatives that both drive innovation.

SPINOFF, Singapore Polytechnic’s entrepreneurship centre, will partner with TIBCO to provide technical materials on data analytics and Project Flogo, TIBCO’s Golang-based open source ecosystem for building event-driven apps.

The centre’s objective is to develop course materials that can be adopted by other universities. Students who sign up for the program will work in multi-disciplinary teams to tackle problem statements, then implement TIBCO’s innovative solutions to help review the challenges and rewards of entrepreneurship.  

“We aim to ensure that students from different backgrounds obtain skills relevant to the digital economy, and believe that this academic initiative could be a ground-breaking program in terms of the economic impact it can achieve,” said Melissa Ries, general manager, Asia Pacific and Japan, TIBCO.  

Established in 1954, SP is Singapore’s first polytechnic. It has 10 schools that offer 40 full-time courses and 3 common entry programs for close to 16,000 students.  

Through this collaboration, the school said it aims to have 1000 students train at the entrepreneur education center by 2020.

This is the third phase of TIBCO’s collaboration with Singapore Polytechnic. In January 2018, TIBCO also announced an arrangement to provide data analytics capabilities and knowledge for adult learners through industrial practice, internships, and other practice-based training. 

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New DJI software transforms drone data into digital assets https://futureiot.tech/new-dji-software-transforms-drone-data-into-digital-assets/ Fri, 05 Apr 2019 02:15:40 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=3539 Civilian drones manufacturer DJI has unveiled a new software tool that transforms drone data into digital 3D models and maps.

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China-based civilian drones manufacturer and aerial imaging technology provider DJI has unveiled a new software tool that transforms drone data into digital 3D models and maps.

Sunny Liao, Director of Enterprise at DJI, said in a news release that as an all-in-one mapping and modeling solution, DJI Terra would make it easy to extract value from drone data, generating conclusions and recommendations across multiple use cases.

These include applications across the public safety, construction, infrastructure, agriculture and film industries.

With DJ Terra, commercial drone pilots can plan automated flights with several easy-to-use options based on the area or objects they’d like to capture and the type of map or 3D model they’d like to create.

They can also create dynamic custom flight paths through an area or around objects using waypoints and adjustable parameters like aircraft altitude, speed, heading, gimbal pitch and angle.

But for more complex missions that require high attention to detail, the 3D Flight Visualization feature enables the design and simulation of missions on existing 3D models.

With real-time mapping capabilities, drone pilots can generate 2D orthomosaic maps as the drone flies, which DJI said is ideal for time-sensitive missions where situational awareness is critical and decisions need to be made in minutes.

Moreover, for detailed site inspections and accident reconstruction situations, DJI Terra’s photo inspection tool lets users closely examine every photo used to create the model so they can pinpoint and highlight critical elements.

The software is compatible with Windows PCs and all current DJI Phantom 4 Series drones.

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How Pooley Wines uses IoT to improve consumer experience https://futureiot.tech/how-pooley-wines-uses-iot-to-improve-consumer-experience/ Thu, 04 Apr 2019 08:55:55 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=3532 Making wine is a complex process governed by factors like weather, soil, altitude, grape, the barrels used to ferment/store the wine, etc. John Pooley of Pooley Wines talks about the various factors that affect the quality of wine. Pooley Wines’ General Manager Tim Hodgekinson talks about the importance of collecting data at all aspects of […]

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Making wine is a complex process governed by factors like weather, soil, altitude, grape, the barrels used to ferment/store the wine, etc. John Pooley of Pooley Wines talks about the various factors that affect the quality of wine.

Pooley Wines’ General Manager Tim Hodgekinson talks about the importance of collecting data at all aspects of the wine growing business from planting the seed, harvesting the grapes, all the way to distribution.

Lucy Gybbins, a Senior Consultant, with KPMG Agribusiness and Food, describe the various technology and consultancy practices that are brought to bear to help Pooley Wines, and others like them, improve production as well as customer experience. This includes assessing the food production supply chain, mapping data collection, linking this to business needs, and determining ways to automate or digitize that process.

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Endesa steps into the digital energy era powered by TIBCO https://futureiot.tech/endesa-steps-into-the-digital-energy-era-powered-by-tibco/ Thu, 04 Apr 2019 05:53:36 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?post_type=case-study&p=3524 [...] Accessing FutureIoT Premium Content Welcome! To access Premium content and more, please login below. Not a Premium member yet? Register now for a free account! Username or Email Password  Remember Me Forgot Password Alternatively,

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8 must-have capabilities to take data visualization to the next level https://futureiot.tech/8-must-have-capabilities-to-take-data-visualization-to-the-next-level/ Thu, 04 Apr 2019 05:30:00 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?post_type=whitepaper&p=3507 In this whitepaper, we discuss must-have capabilities to take data visualization and analytics to the next level, and how TIBCO Spotfire on Amazon Web Services (AWS) can assist in this journey.

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In this whitepaper, we discuss must-have capabilities to take data visualization and analytics to the next level, and how TIBCO Spotfire on Amazon Web Services (AWS) can assist in this journey.

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Enhancing CX with IoT https://futureiot.tech/enhancing-cx-with-iot/ Wed, 03 Apr 2019 01:23:37 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=3478 It is in the capturing the data from the sensors over the supply chain optimizing it and then using that to really create new experiences and optimizing the process that's where the true value of Internet of Things really is all about.

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Companies from a wide variety of industries remain optimistic about the Internet of Things (IoT), despite the fact that its benefits haven’t materialized as quickly as anticipated. While excitement over connected devices is more measured than it was around 2013, the technology is maturing and firms are getting significant results from IoT investments.

Gartner predicts there will be more than 20 billion connected devices by 2020 and more than 65% of enterprises will adopt IoT products.

In the Economist Intelligence Unit’s Internet of Things Business Index 2017, 825 senior business leaders from around the world weighed in on the impact of IoT ontheir companies and industries. Executives surveyed report that IoT will be a “driver of the digital transformation that will enable businesses to reinvent products, services, internal operations and business models,” and that “following an IoT technology path is crucial to their long-term success.”

Figure 1: Internet of Things Business Index

 

Source: Economist Intelligence Unit 2017

One-fifth of the survey respondents have already seen a major impact from IoT on their industries, and an additional 32% are convinced that significant impacts are just around the corner.

Monetizing puzzle

Frank Wammes, CTO, Application Services – Continental Europe at Capgemini, says the real question is monetizing outcome. He postulates that if the ability exists to place sensors on products and have the capability to know from customers when they bought a product, how it was purchased and consumed, then it presents an opportunity for the business to extend the experience, or potentially influence the replacement of those kind of products.

“That's really where the true value is. It extends the focus on the customer not only from a 25% capturing of the interaction with the customers that we had through CRM, but actually to get a 100% focus on how they actually start using the products,” he postulated.

Wammes noted that some clients have already embedded sensors on their machines. “The question is what do they do with the data of that machine? Is it only to track the performance of that single data? Can the data that's coming from a machine which sensors say something on what will happen in the rest of the supply chain?”

He cites the example of a fluctuation in the production of a machine spotted using analytics, and determining the impact on delivery time at the end of the supply chain. By identifying such trends and notifying customers on the potential impact to delivery, the manufacturer is able to create new experiences that previously was never possible with conventional technology and processes.

“It is in the capturing the data from the sensors over the supply chain optimizing it and then using that to really create new experiences and optimizing the process that's where the true value of the Internet of Things really is all about,” concludes Wammes.

IoT payment protection problem

The proliferation of interconnected IoT devices offers exciting new opportunities to develop payment applications – in the home, on the move and across a wide range of retail, automotive and industrial environments. But a lack of standardization, slow adoption in the financial sector, and a complex technology ecosystem presents considerable challenges that threaten to stifle innovation and market evolution. SPA investigates.

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Sensors in the era of cloud connectivity https://futureiot.tech/sensors-in-the-era-of-cloud-connectivity/ https://futureiot.tech/sensors-in-the-era-of-cloud-connectivity/#comments Tue, 19 Mar 2019 00:12:19 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=3341 Swift Sensors CEO talks about the implications of technologies like cloud computing on the manufacturing process, including the use of evolving technologies like IoT and NB-IoT.

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History.com reports that the first industrial revolution (circa 18th and 19th century) saw the introduction of automation in the manufacturing process. The premise of making things better, faster and with greater volume hasn’t really changed much.

The fourth industrial revolution, also referred to as Industry 4.0, continues this trend albeit with more advanced tools and technologies that facilitate greater automation and in today’s information-dependent business models more accurate data exchanges.

Industry 4.0 has given rise to the development of “smart factories” where modular structures are the norm, as is the convergence of cyber-physical systems to enable better monitoring of physical processes.

A key technology that will see greater development is in the Internet of Things (IoT) – highly specialized devices that perform a simple task, but do it well, fast and cheaply – and combined with other innovations like artificial intelligence, virtual reality, advanced analytics and improved sensor / telemetry will, hopefully, mean even better, faster, cheaper way of producing products.

It is anticipated that the commercial rollout of 5G will further fuel adoption of IoT and related technologies as connectivity may finally become nearly ubiquitous

Sam Cece co-founder and ceo of Swift Sensors spoke to FutureIoT on the implications of technologies like cloud computing on the manufacturing process, including the use of evolving technologies like IoT and NB-IoT.

Sensors, including telemetry, have been around for some time. What benefits/improvement do the cloud offer that is significantly better than legacy implementations?

Sam Cece: The cloud offers several benefits to measurement and monitoring systems.  I’ll address each of the areas separately.

  1. Better Reliability -- Clouds services, such as Amazon Web Services, have “five nines” availability and redundancy so there’s never a concern regarding access or storage of data.
  2. Better Security -- Cloud services incorporate the leading edge security techniques not available or not affordable to vendors of most on-premise storage systems.
  3. Lower Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) -- With a cloud-based system there’s no installation, maintenance, or upgrade costs. The system is always up to date and always has the latest features available without a costly upgrade process.
  4. Easier integration with 3rd-party apps, tools, and libraries -- A large and growing community of cloud tools exists for integration of capabilities such as artificial intelligence (AI), data analytics, mapping, and predictive maintenance. Most if not all vendors of these tools offer standard APIs, which allow easy and seamless integration.

Part of the allure of open systems today is the ability to bring in best of breed solutions. In the case of the sensors as used in, for example, a manufacturing environment, is it better to go all out with multi-vendor solutions? Are closed systems still viable in the era of cloud?

Sam Cece: In the era of the cloud, it’s difficult to find or imagine a completely closed system.   Even the large, highly proprietary systems offer some level of interoperability, perhaps through a standard sensor interface (e.g 4-20mA, HART), through a wireless protocol (e.g. BLE, ZigBee, WiFi, or LoRaWAN), or with Restful APIs that provide access to the system’s data on the cloud.

There’s no perfect solution along the continuum of open multi-vendor to proprietary closed systems.  Most important is a thorough level of integration and system testing of the solution. The fundamental elements of the system must work reliably, all of the time.  This is particularly important with Industrial IoT systems. Industrial and manufacturing plants cannot afford downtime and maintenance of an IoT system that is not fully integrated.  It’s the basic starting point from which an industrial customer views an acceptable solution.

We designed our system at Swift Sensors to be fully end-to-end ready to deploy and run from sensor to cloud without any modifications.   We see this is critical to meet our industrial customer’s needs. We build our system on standard technologies, including WiFi, ethernet, BLE, ZigBee, and Web APIs so our system can easily incorporate new hardware and software functionality as well as export data from our hardware and cloud-based software.

A key concern around IoT is the lack of attention paid to securing these devices. How are vendors like Swift Sensor addressing this concern?

Sam Cece: Security has to be designed into the system from the beginning.  The most critical elements of the system are the communication between the wireless access points and the internet.  It is at this interface where attacks and intrusions typically occur. We use SSL encryption in the communication between our Bridge (wireless access point) and the Cloud (internet).  We are fortunate to have one of the leading experts in cybersecurity for banking systems who has architected our entire security system.

There is never a perfect solution and blockade from cyber-attacks, but a continued vigilant approach in the design, and continuous testing of an IoT system can minimize the cybersecurity risk.

Swift Sensors claims that its cloud wireless sensor system that can be configured and deployed at one-tenth of the cost of traditional systems. How do you keep this cost down?

Sam Cece: The significantly lower costs of our system is a factor of three elements:

  1. Cloud-based architecture -- Storing data and configuring the wireless system on the cloud completely obviates the hassle of installing and maintaining software on-premise. This also removes the need to purchase and maintain capital equipment in the form of servers, workstations, or on-premise data acquisition systems. Software maintenance and feature enhancements are seamless and silent and do not require any resource.   The total cost of ownership of a cloud-based monitoring system is at least 1/10th of an on-premise alternative.
  2. Lower installation and cabling costs -- Wireless sensors, by definition, do not need cabling back to the central data acquisition system. The sensors can be placed in locations not accessible by wired sensors and are not restricted by a cable that could make the installation more difficult.  Cabling costs are eliminated and installation costs are lowered with a wireless sensor system.
  3. Lower cost hardware design using high volume wireless SoCs and sensor ICs -- We use a common radio architecture in our sensor and bridge hardware using industry standard ICs and SoCs. The high volume use of these chips reduce the cost of our hardware platform and ensure compatibility with current and future standards, such as BLE, ZigBee, WiFI, LoraWAN, and NB-IoT.

In your view, what will be the key trend for manufacturers to pay attention to in 2019?

Sam Cece: The key question for all manufacturers in 2019 is “How will you implement Industry 4.0 in your factory?”  Industry 4.0 includes improvements in processes including Interconnection--the industrial IoT), Information Transparency--using data to make decisions, Technical assistance--using data and machines to assist humans in difficult decisions and tasks, and Decentralization--autonomous decisions and tasks.

Implementing Industry 4.0 doesn’t have to mean disrupting the entire manufacturing process or paying consultants to implement an overarching (and probably unrealistic) digital strategy.  Our wireless system, for example, allows a manufacturing company to start small, monitoring equipment and process to gain insight into how to improve operational efficiency and a machine or shift by shift level.  Getting started with Industry 4.0 is often the hardest part, and critical for all manufacturers to say competitive.

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Analytics power retailing giants’ success https://futureiot.tech/analytics-power-retailing-giants-success/ Thu, 14 Mar 2019 01:39:58 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?post_type=case-study&p=3323 After evaluating over 50 data visualization tools, Westlund’s team chose TIBCO Spotfire analytics.

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After evaluating over 50 data visualization tools, Westlund’s team chose TIBCO Spotfire analytics.

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Streaming analytics: connecting insight to action https://futureiot.tech/streaming-analytics-connecting-insight-to-action/ Thu, 14 Mar 2019 01:22:21 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?post_type=whitepaper&p=3318 Organizations that are algorithm-driven are the new leaders. Download this whitepaper and learn how to become one.

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Forrester says 74% of businesses want to be data-driven, yet only 29% admit to being good at connecting analytics to action. Business processes need to be managed continuously without significant delay.

Organizations that are algorithm-driven are the new leaders.

With an average of 30% year-to-year growth, these businesses outpace the rate of global GDP growth by eight times and are projected to take $1.8 trillion in revenue from other businesses by 2020. It’s important to stress that these businesses are not organically growing revenue, they’re taking it from competitors by delivering better customer service, increasing efficiency, etc.

Download this TIBCO whitepaper and understand how your organization can become an algo-driven master.

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Power smart manufacturing with analytic-fuelled innovation https://futureiot.tech/power-smart-manufacturing-with-analytic-fuelled-innovation/ Thu, 14 Mar 2019 01:10:07 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=3315 Mike Alperin is a manufacturing industry consultant for TIBCO Software. In this webinar he discusses the innovations that are impacting the next wave of manufacturing – digital.

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Mike Alperin is a manufacturing industry consultant for TIBCO Software. In this webinar he discusses the innovations that are impacting the next wave of manufacturing – digital.

What is Smart Manufacturing and how does it address the challenges manufacturers are facing today?

How does TIBCO's Connected Intelligence Platform leverage AI and machine learning to address the most challenging problems?

What should be your next step?

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How intelligent IoT will drive digital manufacturing https://futureiot.tech/how-intelligent-iot-will-drive-digital-manufacturing/ Thu, 14 Mar 2019 00:54:03 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=3312 “This digital backbone of manufacturing has really is we're really now starting to lean into these technologies that have evolved and matured over periods of time on the consumer space,” said Jennifer Bennett, Technical Director, Office of the CTO, Google Cloud.

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Learn how IoT is transforming manufacturing in a number of important ways. From reducing risk and driving operational excellence, to building new business models and customer engagements, discover how IoT goes way beyond connecting things, and how to use data and AI to deliver business value.

“This digital backbone of manufacturing has really is we're really now starting to lean into these technologies that have evolved and matured over periods of time on the consumer space,” said Jennifer Bennett, Technical Director, Office of the CTO, Google Cloud.

Watch and listen to Bennett talk about the technological innovations that will drive the next wave of digital manufacturing.

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Why financial services are now jumping on IoT https://futureiot.tech/why-financial-services-are-now-jumping-on-iot/ Tue, 12 Mar 2019 02:21:19 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=3293 In the rush to identify and mine innovative ways of using IoT in banking and insurance, vendors are responding with solutions that are not built with an appreciation for how regulations have evolved to safeguard both customers and the financial institutions that serve them.

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In the article “Data isn’t just the new oil, it’s the new money. Ask Zoë Keating”, author Derrick Harris, relayed cellist Zoë Keating’s suggestion to the music industry: “The law only demands I be paid in money, which at this point in my career is not as valuable as information. I’d rather be paid in data.”

For Keating, the ability to engage with her fans, her audience, directly can be as important, if not more important, than receiving monetary compensation for her work. And she is not alone in this view. The financial services industry has started to accept the premise that the only way they will emerge unscathed by the onslaught of digital disruption is by harnessing the power of data.

The use of technology to disrupt traditional financial services, and in the process introduce new players in the market, has caused incumbent financial institutions to investigate emerging technologies like advanced analytics, big data, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and more recently, the Internet of Things or IoT.

Some of the early use cases are in wearables, payments, blockchain-based smart contracts, using beacons to create smart banking experiences, home banking, and chatbots.

But as Chris Lim, partner, advisory – risk & regulatory at EY, caution in the rush to identify and mine innovative ways of using IoT in banking and insurance, vendors are responding with solutions that are not built with an appreciation for how regulations have evolved to safeguard both customers and the financial institutions that serve them.

To date, IoT is being used in product planning and management, to help in creating tailored marketing for the customer of one, is being used to deliver so-called proactive service, and the growing popularity of wearables is making its way into retail banking and insurance.

Lack of standards: the number one problem of IoT

As with all emerging technologies and free market society, everyone hopes that their approach becomes the standard.

IDC predicts that by 2020 50% of IT networks will transition from having excess capacity for handling the additional IoT devices, to being network constrained with nearly 10% of sites being overwhelmed. Within a year, 40% of IoT-created data will be stored, processed, analyzed, and acted upon close to, or at the edge of the network, predicts the analyst.

But to get to this future, the world will need to come to the understanding that standards must be applied to reduce risk while providing viable economic returns to everyone.

In a press release, M2M Alliance chairman, Dr. Andreas Fink said: “Uniform standards and appropriate certificates would eliminate the greatest weak points from the outset. “If we want to ensure that insufficiently protected hardware cannot become a mass phenomenon, the industrial, research and political sectors need to sit down and work together on solutions.”

Security: the other number one problem of IoT

In a similar vein, financial institutions are wrestling with defining use cases for IoT. The Smart Payment Association (SPA) paper, IoT Payments: addressing the protection problem, raises several concerns about the security of mobile payments. It refers to a Symantec claim that “the number of malicious attacks on IoT-enabled devices grew some 600% between 2016/17.”

IoT is certainly a large and growing target, and with personal data ‘gold’ on offer for successful hackers, there’s every reason to assume attacks will continue to grow in volume, ferocity, and sophistication.

But just because risks abound shouldn’t stop the industry, and the rest of the ecosystem, from stopping to develop and evolve the technology. The SPA points out that where payment is concerned the opportunities are many. The SPA believes that the industry should push ahead, but to “do so with caution and a better understanding of how to protect these internet-connected devices to minimize the risk of attack and fraud.”

What to do now

In the short term, such security standards and mandatory certificates may cause growth in the IoT sector to be somewhat slower than predicted by Gartner and other studies at the moment. However, in the long term, secure solutions should contribute to its popularity and thereby encourage further growth.

Lim offers this advice: “Focus back on the fundamentals and then in the back of that overlay what exactly you use cases and then you're probably in good hands.”

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Quick start with TIBCO Spotfire X: A(X) experience https://futureiot.tech/quick-start-with-tibco-spotfire-x-ax-experience/ Thu, 07 Mar 2019 02:30:21 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=3257 Spotfire X, with the A(X) Experience: AI-driven recommendations, NLQ-based search, auto-recorded, editable workflows and support for streaming analytics alongside historical data, combined with top of the line geolocation and predictive analytics in a beautiful multi-modal interface.

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Spotfire X, with the A(X) Experience: AI-driven recommendations, NLQ-based search, auto-recorded, editable workflows and support for streaming analytics alongside historical data, combined with top of the line geolocation and predictive analytics in a beautiful multi-modal interface.

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TIBCO Spotfire A(X): the future of analytics is here https://futureiot.tech/tibco-spotfire-ax-the-future-of-analytics-is-here/ Thu, 07 Mar 2019 01:01:53 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?post_type=whitepaper&p=3243 The TIBCO Spotfire A(X) Experience platform changes the analytics and business intelligence. It accelerates the personal and enterprise analytics experience so you can get from data to insights in the fastest possible way.

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The TIBCO Spotfire A(X) Experience platform changes the analytics and business intelligence. It accelerates the personal and enterprise analytics experience so you can get from data to insights in the fastest possible way.

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CyberLogitec gets smart with TIBCO StreamBase https://futureiot.tech/cyberlogitec-gets-smart-with-tibco-streambase/ Wed, 27 Feb 2019 15:27:03 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?post_type=case-study&p=3146 [...] Accessing FutureIoT Premium Content Welcome! To access Premium content and more, please login below. Not a Premium member yet? Register now for a free account! Username or Email Password  Remember Me Forgot Password Alternatively,

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IoT in retail’s transformative potential https://futureiot.tech/iot-in-retails-transformative-potential/ Wed, 27 Feb 2019 15:13:53 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?post_type=whitepaper&p=3142 “Today, at last, many businesses are coming to terms with Internet-enabled retail, adopting Omni channel models that provide seamless shopping with greater choices and lower prices across online, in-store, and mobile platforms,” said Deloitte.

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“Today, at last, many businesses are coming to terms with Internet-enabled retail, adopting Omni channel models that provide seamless shopping with greater choices and lower prices across online, in-store, and mobile platforms,” said Deloitte.

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How IoT will disrupt retail https://futureiot.tech/how-iot-will-disrupt-retail/ Wed, 27 Feb 2019 14:30:37 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=3137 Companies able to address the thorny problems the IoT poses around data management, privacy, analytics, and other areas will likely be well-positioned to separate themselves from competitors.

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For more than two decades retailers have had the opportunity to reinvent the retailing experience via the Internet. According to Deloitte, retailers old and new have grappled with the ever-evolving ways consumers find and purchase goods.

“Today, at last, many businesses are coming to terms with Internet-enabled retail, adopting Omni channel models that provide seamless shopping with greater choices and lower prices across online, in-store, and mobile platforms,” said the consultant.

The Internet has eroded the cost-choice limitations in the supply chain opening the door for what is seen today as omni-channel business models, and blurring the line between digital and traditional retail.

No longer is the customer limited to the stock on-hand; with the option to browse online, pick-up in store, or arrange delivery, every store effectively carries the products of the entire network. Now retailers can offer cheap with choice: the broadest range of products offered at the lowest possible price—a true innovation.

“Our own thinking on the Internet of Things in retail continues to evolve, and we expect to share additional perspectives in the coming months. But one thing seems clear: Companies able to address the thorny problems the IoT poses around data management, privacy, analytics, and other areas will likely be well-positioned to separate themselves from competitors. To truly build value from IoT investments, retailers should be expansive in their thinking, considering innovative applications and the use of supporting technologies, such as augmented intelligence,” concluded Deloitte.

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CargoSmart builds upon TIBCO technology to drive innovation in logistics https://futureiot.tech/cargosmart-builds-upon-tibco-technology-to-drive-innovation-in-logistics/ Thu, 21 Feb 2019 02:30:21 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?post_type=case-study&p=3075 TIBCO’s agile technology allows CargoSmart to facilitate, or to co-design with customers, custom analyses and dashboards. It’s shortening time to market allowing to deliver exactly what customers need to meet their business objectives.

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TIBCO’s agile technology allows CargoSmart to facilitate, or to co-design with customers, custom analyses and dashboards. It’s shortening time to market allowing to deliver exactly what customers need to meet their business objectives.

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Data and analytics trends to shape 2019 https://futureiot.tech/data-and-analytics-trends-to-shape-2019/ https://futureiot.tech/data-and-analytics-trends-to-shape-2019/#comments Wed, 20 Feb 2019 04:00:40 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=3039 Augmented analytics, continuous intelligence and explainable artificial intelligence (AI) are among the top trends in data and analytics technology that have significant disruptive potential over the next three to five years, according to Gartner. Rita Sallam, research vice president at Gartner, said data and analytics leaders must examine the potential business impact of these trends […]

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Augmented analytics, continuous intelligence and explainable artificial intelligence (AI) are among the top trends in data and analytics technology that have significant disruptive potential over the next three to five years, according to Gartner.

Rita Sallam, research vice president at Gartner, said data and analytics leaders must examine the potential business impact of these trends and adjust business models and operations accordingly, or risk losing competitive advantage to those who do.

“The story of data and analytics keeps evolving, from supporting internal decision making to continuous intelligence, information products and appointing chief data officers. It’s critical to gain a deeper understanding of the technology trends fuelling that evolving story and prioritize them based on business value,” she added.

Gartner’s Donald Feinberg, vice president and distinguished analyst, noted that digital disruption is creating too much data, presenting a challenge to organizations to tap and make sense of the deluge. At the same time he conceded the same data deluge will create unprecedented opportunity.

RELATED: Gartner lists top 10 strategic technology trends for 2019

The vast amount of data, together with increasingly powerful processing capabilities enabled by the cloud, means it is now possible to train and execute algorithms at the large scale necessary to finally realize the full potential of AI.

“The size, complexity, distributed nature of data, speed of action and the continuous intelligence required by digital business means that rigid and centralized architectures and tools break down. The continued survival of any business will depend upon an agile, data-centric architecture that responds to the constant rate of change,” said Feinberg.

Gartner recommends that data and analytics leaders talk with senior business leaders about their critical business priorities and explore how the following top trends can enable them.

Trend No. 1: Augmented Analytics

Augmented analytics is the next wave of disruption in the data and analytics market. It uses machine learning (ML) and AI techniques to transform how analytics content is developed, consumed and shared.

By 2020, augmented analytics will be a dominant driver of new purchases of analytics and BI, as well as data science and ML platforms, and of embedded analytics. Data and analytics leaders should plan to adopt augmented analytics as platform capabilities mature.

Trend No. 2: Augmented Data Management

Augmented data management leverages ML capabilities and AI engines to make enterprise information management categories including data quality, metadata management, master data management, data integration as well as database management systems (DBMSs) self-configuring and self-tuning. It is automating many of the manual tasks and allows less technically skilled users to be more autonomous using data. It also allows highly skilled technical resources to focus on higher value tasks.

Augmented data management converts metadata from being used for audit, lineage and reporting only, to powering dynamic systems. Metadata is changing from passive to active and is becoming the primary driver for all AI/ML.

Through to the end of 2022, data management manual tasks will be reduced by 45% through the addition of ML and automated service-level management.

Trend No. 3: Continuous Intelligence

By 2022, more than half of major new business systems will incorporate continuous intelligence that uses real-time context data to improve decisions.

Continuous intelligence is a design pattern in which real-time analytics are integrated within a business operation, processing current and historical data to prescribe actions in response to events. It provides decision automation or decision support. Continuous intelligence leverages multiple technologies such as augmented analytics, event stream processing, optimization, business rule management and ML.

Trend No. 4: Explainable AI

AI models are increasingly deployed to augment and replace human decision making. However, in some scenarios, businesses must justify how these models arrive at their decisions. To build trust with users and stakeholders, application leaders must make these models more interpretable and explainable.

Unfortunately, most of these advanced AI models are complex black boxes that are not able to explain why they reached a specific recommendation or a decision. Explainable AI in data science and ML platforms, for example, auto-generates an explanation of models in terms of accuracy, attributes, model statistics and features in natural language.

Trend No. 5: Graph

Graph analytics is a set of analytic techniques that allows for the exploration of relationships between entities of interest such as organizations, people and transactions.

The application of graph processing and graph DBMSs will grow at 100% annually through 2022 to continuously accelerate data preparation and enable more complex and adaptive data science.

Graph data stores can efficiently model, explore and query data with complex interrelationships across data silos, but the need for specialized skills has limited their adoption to date, according to Gartner.

Graph analytics will grow in the next few years due to the need to ask complex questions across complex data, which is not always practical or even possible at scale using SQL queries.

Trend No. 6: Data Fabric

Data fabric enables frictionless access and sharing of data in a distributed data environment. It enables a single and consistent data management framework, which allows seamless data access and processing by design across siloed storage.

Through 2022, bespoke data fabric designs will be deployed primarily as a static infrastructure, forcing organizations into a new wave of cost to completely re-design for more dynamic data mesh approaches.

Trend No. 7: NLP/ Conversational Analytics

By 2020, 50% of analytical queries will be generated via search, natural language processing (NLP) or voice, or will be automatically generated. The need to analyse complex combinations of data and to make analytics accessible to everyone in the organization will drive broader adoption, allowing analytics tools to be as easy as a search interface or a conversation with a virtual assistant.

Trend No. 8: Commercial AI and ML

Gartner predicts that by 2022, 75% of new end-user solutions leveraging AI and ML techniques will be built with commercial solutions rather than open source platforms.

Commercial vendors have now built connectors into the Open Source ecosystem and they provide the enterprise features necessary to scale and democratize AI and ML, such as project & model management, reuse, transparency, data lineage, and platform cohesiveness and integration that Open Source technologies lack.

Trend No. 9: Blockchain

The core value proposition of blockchain, and distributed ledger technologies, is providing decentralized trust across a network of untrusted participants. The potential ramifications for analytics use cases are significant, especially those leveraging participant relationships and interactions.

Gartner conceded that blockchain is years away from becoming a dominant technology. In the interim, technology end users will be forced to integrate with the blockchain technologies and standards dictated by their dominant customers or networks. This includes integration with your existing data and analytics infrastructure.

The costs of integration may outweigh any potential benefit. Blockchains are a data source, not a database, and will not replace existing data management technologies.

Trend No. 10: Persistent Memory Servers

New persistent-memory technologies will help reduce costs and complexity of adopting in-memory computing (IMC)-enabled architectures. Persistent memory represents a new memory tier between DRAM and NAND flash memory that can provide cost-effective mass memory for high-performance workloads.

It has the potential to improve application performance, availability, boot times, clustering methods and security practices, while keeping costs under control. It will also help organizations reduce the complexity of their application and data architectures by decreasing the need for data duplication.

“The amount of data is growing quickly and the urgency of transforming data into value in real-time is growing at an equally rapid pace. New server workloads are demanding not just faster CPU performance, but massive memory and faster storage,” concluded Feinberg.

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Data and analytics to fuel fourfold growth in IoT service https://futureiot.tech/data-and-analytics-to-fuel-fourfold-growth-in-iot-service/ Wed, 20 Feb 2019 03:26:58 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=3050 Internet of Things (IoT) connections are supported by services and software platforms that reside in distinct segments of the IoT solution value chain: data and analytics management, device and applications management, network management (including connectivity and subscription management), and security platforms. Revenue generated from the sale of services and platform licensing is augmented by professional […]

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Internet of Things (IoT) connections are supported by services and software platforms that reside in distinct segments of the IoT solution value chain: data and analytics management, device and applications management, network management (including connectivity and subscription management), and security platforms.

Revenue generated from the sale of services and platform licensing is augmented by professional services and IoT data plans, to constitute total IoT service revenues. This is money that is paid by enterprises and municipalities to the software vendors and service providers that enable IoT connectivity. It is the supply-side of the IoT service opportunity.

Jamie Moss, Research Director for M2M, IoT, and IoE at ABI Research, describes the lay of the land, “The earliest software services developed specifically for M2M were connectivity management platforms, which we consider as part of network services. It is a market segment well-known to have been led by Cisco Jasper and Ericsson.”

He goes on to note that its value was always eclipsed by the professional services (custom solutions development and systems integration) aspect of IoT service rollout. “Yet, as new software services and end-to-end solutions have grown in importance, professional services’ market share has been falling. The first such up-and-comer services segment challenging professional services was application development and management platforms, a popular commercially-available example being PTC Thingworx,” he further explained.

At the end of 2018, IoT service revenues will total over US$110 billion worldwide. This figure will increase fourfold by 2026, to an annual total of more than US$460 billion. Connectivity revenues, i.e., IoT ‘tariff plans’, will constitute a modest portion of overall service revenues in 2018 with a 13% market share, this being a long-established trend.

Meanwhile, the most valuable elements of the current service revenue mix will be device and application platform services, as well as professional service fees, constituting 65% of total services revenues. However, the future of IoT service revenues belongs to an even newer entrant, in the form of data and analytics.

Critical in the evolution of M2M into the IoT, the rise of data and analytics services and the revenue they generate represents a crucial transition from the initial and principal concern of enterprises and municipalities having been the tactical real-time status and control of connected devices, to their new goal being the strategic intent of creating informed business decisions based on the accumulation of data lakes and mid-to-long-term trend analysis.

Consequently, by 2026, data and analytics services will account for 28% of all IoT service revenues and will be second only in value to the perpetually-important device and application development services segment.

According to Moss, IoT service revenues are a portion of the IoT opportunity. It does not include the cost of device hardware, nor does it represent the enterprise IoT return on investment. The latter is, of course, the ultimate focus for the market and represents the economic value of the transformation of the underlying fabric of society through intelligent connectivity.

“Enabling technologies, hardware, and software alike, need to be affordable to be applicable to as many uses as possible. This means that it is the scale of deployment that vendors must rely upon, and perhaps in the future, the proven value those technologies generate for customers will define their income,” he concluded.

These findings are from ABI Research’s IoT Market Tracker – Worldwide market data report.

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IDC: Singapore to spend $1 billion on smart city program in 2019 https://futureiot.tech/idc-singapore-to-spend-1-billion-on-smart-city-program-in-2019/ Thu, 14 Feb 2019 07:00:10 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=2996 These cities represent a big opportunity for providers of smart city solutions that can be replicated and adapted to address specific use cases in different cities, leveraging the experience gained in a similar context.

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In the Worldwide Semiannual Smart Cities Spending Guide, IDC forecasts worldwide spending on smart cities initiatives to reach $95.8 billion in 2019, an increase of 17.7% over 2018. Singapore, New York City, Tokyo, and London will each invest more than $1 billion in smart cities programs this year.

"The smart cities market is extremely dynamic, and while only a small number of cities have the budget for large scale integrated projects, our database of 100 cities, which includes most of the largest capitals and innovative cities around the world, only represents around one quarter of global smart city spending," said Serena Da Rold, program manager in IDC's Customer Insights & Analysis group.

RELATED: 70 smart city initiatives at full speed in Hong Kong this year

"There is a long tail of cities focusing on specific issues or looking for cross-departmental transformation on a smaller scale. These cities represent a big opportunity for providers of smart city solutions that can be replicated and adapted to address specific use cases in different cities, leveraging the experience gained in a similar context," she commented.

Initiatives related to data-driven public safety, intelligent transportation, and resilient energy and infrastructure will attract the largest share of funding in 2019, but key use cases in the areas of economic development and civic engagement, and sustainable planning and administration will also see considerable investments.

The smart cities use cases that will receive the most funding in 2019 include fixed visual surveillance, advanced public transit, smart outdoor lighting, intelligent traffic management, and connected back office.

ANALYST: Ovum: Transforming the smart city with IoT

Together, these five use cases will represent 34% of worldwide spending this year. Strong investment growth in intelligent traffic management solutions will make it the third largest use case in 2020, overtaking smart outdoor lighting.

The use case that will see the fastest spending growth over the 2017-2022 forecast period is officer wearables, which includes smart apparel, smart headsets and glasses, and smart holsters. Other use cases that will experience significant spending growth include digital twin and vehicle-to-everything (V2X) connectivity.

IDC says Asia/Pacific represents over 40% of total spending on smart cities initiatives, while the Americas represent around one third, and Europe, Middle East and Africa around one quarter of the global opportunity.

At the city level, 11 cities in China will exceed the $300 million forecast spending in 2019 compared to four in the US.

"In the Asia/Pacific region, the exponential growth and diversity of smart city initiatives in second- and third-tier cities are continually challenging many first-tier cities to transform. With competition for talent and foreign direct investment being even more intense today, these socioeconomic hubs provide huge openings for solution providers to aid in seamless connectivity and collaborations, enhanced productivity and automation, as well as address security and privacy concerns," said Gerald Wang, head of IDC Asia Pacific Public Sector research.

"By identifying and forecasting the key projects and initiatives being funded worldwide by Smart Cities and Communities, IDC has a depth and breadth of data that allows us to offer unique intelligence to suppliers and buyers of technologies in this high-growth market," added Ruthbea Yesner, vice president of IDC Government Insights and Smart Cities programs. "As the market keeps evolving via new offerings, new entrants, and new partnerships, this information will become increasingly valuable."

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How NB-IoT, smart locks boost Chinese unicorn ofo’s bike sharing business https://futureiot.tech/how-nb-iot-smart-locks-boost-chinese-unicorn-ofos-bike-sharing-business/ https://futureiot.tech/how-nb-iot-smart-locks-boost-chinese-unicorn-ofos-bike-sharing-business/#comments Thu, 14 Feb 2019 01:23:28 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=2991 The technology behind the Beijing-based station-free bike-sharing platform operated via an online mobile application is cutting edge

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Chinese unicorn ofo has provided bicycle rides to more than 200 million users in 250 cities in 21 countries around the world, according to its website.

The concept is simple enough: the user unlocks the bicycle through the mobile phone and enjoys the shared travel service anytime and anywhere where ofo has a presence.  

But the technology behind the Beijing-based station-free bike-sharing platform operated via an online mobile application is cutting edge: mobile internet of things (IoT) smart locks and the world's leading artificial intelligence big data platform "Singularity" system.

A case study published by Huawei revealed that in July 2017, ofo partnered with China Telecom and Huawei to develop and deploy Narrowband-IoT (NB-IoT) and smart IoT locks on ofo’s bikes.

“Ofo’s top priority was to introduce and popularize smart locks to improve user experience and enable value-added services,” the study noted.

The company eventually developed an IoT smart lock based on NB-IoT technology that “lowers power consumption, enables wide coverage, and slashes system resource delays at low cost.”

The Huawei paper explained that this allowed ofo to ensure that it has bikes located at key locations when commuter demand is highest. “Meanwhile, bikes can be unlocked in less than a second. Both improvements have greatly boosted user satisfaction,” it said.

Other technologies were later added to the ofo platform, including “smart chips, networking tools and IoT platform. Together they ensure that there is coverage in poor-signal areas, higher than average network capacity, faster payment processing and improving battery life.”

“ofo already is reaping the rewards of improved user experience, especially for commuters who use the bikes to ride from subway stations to work,” Huawei said.

As a provider of short distance transportation solution, ofo is solving the “last mile” transportation problem by connecting approximately 10 million bikes for users in many countries.

Headquartered in Hadian, Beijing, ofo has received a total of $2.2 billion in funding in nine rounds, according to Crunchbase

Market research firm Statista projects the global bike sharing market between 2016 and 2021 to grow between €7 billion and €8 billion ($7.8 billion to $9 billion). The number of bikes in bike sharing schemes are also expected to reach around 20 million units during the same period.

However, the Huawei case study noted that the market poses a significant challenge to operators.

“The popularity of bike sharing has led to rising expectations: Users want a bike exactly when and where they need one. And they want to pedal away quickly,” it said. “A second issue is unsustainable business models, as companies that go for maximum user numbers soon lose their competitiveness.”

A report from Time magazine published in April 2018 highlighted these many challenges in China alone. At that time, it said around 60 firms have put 16 million to 18 million bicycles onto Chinese streets. At one point, ofo had even faced a cash crisis as customers demand refunds, the Nikkei Asian Review reported in December 2018.

In this highly competitive market, Huawei said market segmentation based on analytics can focus on and retain high-value users.

“For shared bike enterprises, two approaches can revitalize a jaded business model: implement smart management and seek partners for new innovations,” it concluded. 

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Everything that is wrong IoT in manufacturing today https://futureiot.tech/everything-that-is-wrong-iot-in-manufacturing-today/ Thu, 14 Feb 2019 00:52:54 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=2987 After reading his millionth article on IoT and manufacturing, John Rinaldi, CEO and founder of Real Time Automation, shares his candid assessment on this very hot topic.

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After reading his millionth article on IoT and manufacturing, John Rinaldi, CEO and founder of Real Time Automation, shares his candid assessment on this very hot topic.

His insights are more practical and in-your-face. He cites where marketers are hyping the technology with the wrong messaging.

Check it out!

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Industry-academe partnership in Taiwan seeks to develop data talent in industrial engineering https://futureiot.tech/industry-academe-partnership-in-taiwan-seeks-to-develop-data-talent-in-industrial-engineering/ Wed, 13 Feb 2019 00:53:18 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=2932 TIBCO Software has partnered with Yuan Ze University in Taiwan to expand data analytics capabilities and knowledge in the field of industrial engineering and management.

 

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API and management and analytics provider TIBCO Software has partnered with Yuan Ze University in Taiwan to expand data analytics capabilities and knowledge in the field of industrial engineering and management.

The two organizations propose to jointly engage students through workshops, research capabilities, and other practice-based training to empower students with advanced analytic skills.

The planned collaboration between TIBCO and Yuan Ze University is designed to support students and teachers from the Department of Industrial Engineering and Management.

Under the arrangement, the TIBCO Spotfire platform of solutions will be available for all students and will receive hands-on practice with TIBCO tools and support for various data analytic techniques to understand and implement for future research and employment.

TIBCO Spotfire solutions will be used in five key areas at the Yuan Ze University’s Department of Industrial Engineering and Management: smart production, mobile technology, and cloud computing, human factors in engineering and design, global logistics management, and big data analytics.

Teachers and students can also use TIBCO’s advanced industry solutions to develop professional skills and knowledge in the area of postgraduate research capabilities.

In addition, the Department of Industrial Engineering and Management at Yuan Ze University will also incorporate TIBCO Spotfire in professional information technology courses where students will have at least 10 hours of practical training.  

“Our educational philosophy is to cultivate our students with knowledge in engineering technology and management science to complement traditional industrial management skills, such as quality control and production management, with the newer developments in science and technology,” said Dr. Liang Yun-Chia, Professor and Chair of the Department of Industrial Engineering and Management at Yuan Ze University.  

The Industrial Engineering and Management (IEM) department at Yuan Ze University was established in 1989, and soon became one of the leading IEM organizations in Taiwan.

The school focuses on applications of diverse engineering principles and management techniques to the design, improvement, and maintenance of a high level of productivity for both manufacturing and service industries.

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Industrial blockchain and IoT to create $573 million market by 2023 https://futureiot.tech/2830-2/ Fri, 08 Feb 2019 02:00:18 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=2830 New report finds $174M in Industrial & IoT Blockchain spending today and predicts the market will expand to $573M by 2023 – driven by encouraging pilot project results and ongoing corporate investments.

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New report from IoT Analytics finds $174M in Industrial & IoT Blockchain spending today and predicts the market will expand to $573M by 2023 – driven by encouraging pilot project results and ongoing corporate investments.

The IoT Analytics report titled “Industrial & IoT Blockchain Market 2019-2023” revealed over 15 blockchain-based use cases for Industrial & IoT settings outside of banking, finance, and insurance, including food origin, safety, quality tracking, microgrid, and energy trading. Supply Chain was identified as the #1 application area for blockchain from an Industrial & IoT project standpoint.

RELATED:  How to choose the right industrial IoT platform

Spending for Industrial & IoT Blockchain reached $174M in 2018, much of which was dedicated to early stage pilot projects. The report outlines a scenario-based approach to estimate the size of the market. The upper limit scenario denotes the best-case scenario for the market while the lower limit refers to the worst-case scenario. The IoT Analytics consensus case is closer to the lower limit scenario and forecasts spending to be just under $573M by 2023.

Figure 1: Comparison of global IoT-related blockchain project spending scenarios

Comparison of global IoT-related blockchain project spending scenarios

Source: IoT Analytics 2019

Commenting on the findings, IoT Analytics Managing Director Knud Lasse Lueth said: “Blockchain sentiment has turned extremely negative in the last 6-9 months. This is largely due to the fall of cryptocurrencies and the inflated expectations and promises that turned out to be mostly hot air.”

He cautioned that beyond the hype, blockchain remains a viable technology and several industrial companies continue to invest and explore.

“Make no mistake – at an estimated $147M, this is not a big market today and based on our observations, there won’t be an explosion anytime soon. We expect a clean-up of the landscape and then there will be solid growth somewhere between the upper and lower scenarios that we defined as part of the analysis. There clearly is value for a number of industrial and IoT-related use cases as the technology evolves. One should note that cryptocurrencies will play a minor role in these settings,” concluded Lueth.

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Frost: Unlocking new revenue streams for pump manufacturers https://futureiot.tech/frost-unlocking-new-revenue-streams-for-pump-manufacturers/ Thu, 07 Feb 2019 09:46:26 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=2827 The chemicals industry in Europe is in the midst of a huge transformation with manufacturers looking to redefine their value proposition and explore new business models. Encouraged by the gradual recovery of oil prices, chemical manufacturers are increasing their demand for centrifugal and positive displacement (PD) pumps. Plus, the European Commission's directive to industries to […]

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The chemicals industry in Europe is in the midst of a huge transformation with manufacturers looking to redefine their value proposition and explore new business models. Encouraged by the gradual recovery of oil prices, chemical manufacturers are increasing their demand for centrifugal and positive displacement (PD) pumps.

Plus, the European Commission's directive to industries to reduce energy consumption is creating a fertile market for smart, intuitive, Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT)-enabled pumps with asset monitoring features.

The total pumps market in Europe generated estimated revenue of $1,334.7 million from the chemical industry in 2018. Centrifugal pumps used in the chemical processing plants represented 75.6% of the total pump market, and the remaining 24.4% of the market was held by positive displacement (PD) pumps in 2018. The compound annual growth rate for the total market is an expected 2.0% through 2025.

“Pump manufacturers offering value-added services such as end-to-end monitoring of pump performance throughout their lifecycle to increase energy efficiencies will remain competitive,” said Kiravani Emani, Industry Analyst, Industrial team at Frost & Sullivan.

"Furthermore, the shift towards digital chemical plants will create opportunities for pumps embedded with connectivity and intelligence capabilities, as they can aid predictive maintenance, reduce asset failure and, consequently, prevent the shutdown of plants."

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NB-IoT: enabling new business opportunities https://futureiot.tech/nb-iot-enabling-new-business-opportunities/ Thu, 07 Feb 2019 09:14:55 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?post_type=whitepaper&p=2824 The Huawei whitepaper describes the market opportunity for NB-IoT, including deployment scenarios, and potential business models that can arise from the use of the technology.

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The Huawei whitepaper describes the market opportunity for NB-IoT, including deployment scenarios, and potential business models that can arise from the use of the technology.

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Creating Artificially Intelligent Banking https://futureiot.tech/creating-artificially-intelligent-banking/ Thu, 07 Feb 2019 05:24:14 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?post_type=whitepaper&p=2812 [...] Accessing FutureIoT Premium Content Welcome! To access Premium content and more, please login below. Not a Premium member yet? Register now for a free account! Username or Email Password  Remember Me Forgot Password Alternatively,

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Ikeja Electric uses IoT to improve customer satisfaction and business bottomline https://futureiot.tech/ikeja-electric-uses-iot-to-improve-customer-satisfaction-and-business-bottomline/ Thu, 07 Feb 2019 04:50:54 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?post_type=case-study&p=2805 [...] Accessing FutureIoT Premium Content Welcome! To access Premium content and more, please login below. Not a Premium member yet? Register now for a free account! Username or Email Password  Remember Me Forgot Password Alternatively,

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Capture real-time IoT data to create new services https://futureiot.tech/capture-real-time-iot-data-to-create-new-services/ Wed, 30 Jan 2019 00:04:10 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?post_type=whitepaper&p=2647 Most technology solutions in the market focus on using the Internet of Things (IoT) are aimed at capturing data and pushing it to the cloud. But what do you do with the data once it’s up in the cloud? Build massive data warehouses to try and make sense of the data? Data warehouse solutions are […]

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Most technology solutions in the market focus on using the Internet of Things (IoT) are aimed at capturing data and pushing it to the cloud. But what do you do with the data once it’s up in the cloud? Build massive data warehouses to try and make sense of the data? Data warehouse solutions are not designed to handle high velocity streaming data.

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TIBCO’s focus is on providing companies with the necessary tools for receiving, processing, analysing, and acting on that data in real time—to connect the physical and digital worlds and create new services.

Using the Transportation and Logistics industry as an example, this paper presents some of the devices in use, the data being generated from them, and the benefits and services the IoT brings. It lists a few common challenges with handling IoT data and presents TIBCO technologies and example use cases for the transportation and logistics industry.

Click here to download the whitepaper - Capture real-time IoT data to create new services and learn of practical use cases for harnessing the potential of IoT.

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Indonesia’s XL Axiata teams up with TIBCO for data science project https://futureiot.tech/indonesias-xl-axiata-teams-up-with-tibco-for-data-science-project/ Tue, 22 Jan 2019 00:36:22 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=2540 XL Axiata is collaborating with TIBCO Software Inc. in a data science project that will equip data scientists with tools.

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Indonesian mobile telecommunications services operator XL Axiata is collaborating with integration, API management and analytics provider TIBCO Software Inc. in a data science project that will equip data scientists with tools.

A pilot initiative of XL Axiata, the project envisions to provide analytics solutions like TIBCO Data Science to scientists and help them embrace the potential of cloud technology.

Under the collaboration agreement, XL Axiata’s data scientists will be provided with an advanced computational engine and development environment for widely used statistical language supported by R, Python, and other related languages.

Users are expected to be able to implement the technology more efficiently, especially the language and libraries, in an environment within the broader enterprise-wide infrastructure.

Melissa Ries, general manager, Asia-Pacific and Japan, TIBCO, underscored the importance of data analytics in business, especially for countries like Indonesia, which is one of the fastest growing consumer markets in the world.

“We believe that the data scientists of XL Axiata will be equipped with the right tools to help them adapt to the rising demand for accurate data analysis,” she said.

“Ultimately, we want to enhance the way they work by allowing them to tap into the processing power of learning trends, and to utilize artificial intelligence (AI) in data analysis,” she added.

Keri Oetarto, group head, information technology, XL Axiata, said that joining forces with TIBCO will deliver a standardized technology platform across different business units.

“This collaboration will also allow us to ensure our data scientists remain well aware of today’s wave of digital growth in the regional and global landscape,” he said.

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Anadarko produces operating cost advantages with TIBCO Spotfire https://futureiot.tech/anadarko-produces-operating-cost-advantages-with-tibco-spotfire/ Thu, 17 Jan 2019 00:51:19 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?post_type=case-study&p=2495 Anadarko wants to increase value to its stockholders, and the plan was to do that by lowering operating cost and improving technology. Its Advanced Analytics and Emerging Technology organization was created to achieve those objectives. In drilling, there are 86,000 rows of data a day from a single rig, and if there are 12 to […]

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Anadarko wants to increase value to its stockholders, and the plan was to do that by lowering operating cost and improving technology. Its Advanced Analytics and Emerging Technology organization was created to achieve those objectives.

In drilling, there are 86,000 rows of data a day from a single rig, and if there are 12 to 20 rigs, the rows of data multiply to millions very quickly. “We wanted answers and context, not just numbers,” said Data Scientist Dingzhou Cao. With analytics, everyone could look at data in the same way, whether they were a driller, consultant, or engineer.

This case study explores the approach the oil drilling company undertook to achieve its business goals using TIBCO Spotfire analytics technology.

Click here to download the case study

Other TIBCO case study: Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport: data and insights to fuel champions

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EY: true value of IoT to financial services https://futureiot.tech/ey-true-value-of-iot-to-financial-services/ Thu, 17 Jan 2019 00:15:49 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?post_type=whitepaper&p=2492 [...] Accessing FutureIoT Premium Content Welcome! To access Premium content and more, please login below. Not a Premium member yet? Register now for a free account! Username or Email Password  Remember Me Forgot Password Alternatively,

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Using oil well sensor data to predict and prevent failures https://futureiot.tech/using-oil-well-sensor-data-to-predict-and-prevent-failures/ Wed, 16 Jan 2019 15:28:10 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=2489 Urbanization and industrial development will naturally result in greater need for fuel to power industries and machines. Asia-Pacific currently consumes 25% of the world’s oil supply and 10% of natural gas. With expectations of greater than 7% economic growth in the coming years and modest recovery in oil prices will stir excitement in the oil […]

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Urbanization and industrial development will naturally result in greater need for fuel to power industries and machines. Asia-Pacific currently consumes 25% of the world’s oil supply and 10% of natural gas. With expectations of greater than 7% economic growth in the coming years and modest recovery in oil prices will stir excitement in the oil and gas marketplace in Asia-Pacific.

Deloitte noted that in 2018, global oil demand looks likely to have breached 100 MMbbl/d for the first time, natural gas continues to expand its share of key markets, and chemicals has seen strong revenue growth. Now, the industry is entering the New Year with increased volatility in prices and regulatory overhangs amidst many new business opportunities.

But oil and gas production is prone to risks throughout the production process that can result in wastage or a decrease in production. One industry observer noted that industry players are consciously looking at new technologies to help raise productivity and reduce risk.

Michael O’Connell, chief data scientist at TIBCO Software, says industrial equipment have built-in sensors for monitoring diagnostics such as pressure and temperature. Watch this video as he demonstrates a solution for monitoring sensor data in real-time to develop leading indicators for equipment shutdown.

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2019 use cases of IoT in financial services https://futureiot.tech/2019-use-cases-of-iot-in-financial-services/ Tue, 15 Jan 2019 15:23:35 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=2463 FutureIoT spoke to Varun Mittal, global emerging markets Fintech leaders at EY, on the potential use cases of IoT in financial services.

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EY defines the Internet of Things (IoT) as a technology that enables physical objects to be connected to the digital world. The EY paper, The true value of the internet of things for the financial sector, points out that IoT devices do not provide information but rather provide the results of objective observations. In simple terms, IoT provides data.

According to EY, the massive deployment of sensors will result in unprecedented capabilities for gathering objective data about the world around us. It can be argued that the application of other technologies like machine learning, deep learning or artificial intelligence to a large repository of data courtesy of IoT devices may be used to draw insight leading to data-driven decision-making.

FutureIoT spoke to Varun Mittal, global emerging markets Fintech leaders at EY, on the potential use cases of IoT in financial services. In this exclusive, he shares his views on real-world applications of IoT in financial services, including banking, payments, and insurance.

“Everywhere where more data can help you make a decision – that is where IoT adds value to financial services,” Mittal concluded.

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Spotfire X – Quick start to becoming an analytics expert in seconds https://futureiot.tech/spotfire-x-quick-start-to-becoming-an-analytics-expert-in-seconds/ Wed, 02 Jan 2019 02:50:17 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=2394 Conventional wisdom tells us that business intelligence tools are designed for use by nerds. TIBCO Spotfire X throws this pre-conceived notion of a complex technology with an easy-to-use user interface that incorporates AI to allow you to get even more out of your data. In this Quick Start video, we show you how the A(X) […]

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Conventional wisdom tells us that business intelligence tools are designed for use by nerds. TIBCO Spotfire X throws this pre-conceived notion of a complex technology with an easy-to-use user interface that incorporates AI to allow you to get even more out of your data.

In this Quick Start video, we show you how the A(X) Experience is more than just an elegant, easy-to-use drag and drop interface. The quick video shows you how easy it us to augment your knowledge and magnify your skills, with TIBCO Spotfire X.

Check out the TIBCO solution page to know more.

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DigitalSTROM turns data from IoT into fast data for the home https://futureiot.tech/digitalstrom-turns-data-from-iot-into-fast-data-for-the-home/ Wed, 02 Jan 2019 02:26:36 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=2391 Martin Vesper, CEO, and Miguel Rodriguez, Head of R&D, talk about making homes energy-efficient, comfortable, and safe using a scalable, event-enabled platform that easily integrates services and partners. Martin Vesper:  DigitalSTROM connects in a home and makes them smart so that they can have very flexible application to control their home to be energy efficient […]

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Martin Vesper, CEO, and Miguel Rodriguez, Head of R&D, talk about making homes energy-efficient, comfortable, and safe using a scalable, event-enabled platform that easily integrates services and partners.

Martin Vesper:  DigitalSTROM connects in a home and makes them smart so that they can have very flexible application to control their home to be energy efficient and safe. Our business goal to reach is that customer actually can enable his infrastructure we sell to him by using services which are available in the cloud combining his smart-home with really high tech solutions like weather forecast will bring him a lower insurance premium and make sure that everything is protected in his home in case of a storm for example.

Miguel Rodriguez: The integration platform that we need to have needs to talk to many different technologies because we have many different partners. It has to be able to interoperate across operating systems that of types and also to be very easy to integrate the functionality.

Watch the video to learn more about how automation only works when you are able to access, manage and query IoT data efficiently and in real-time.

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Bigmate uses embedded BI to solve IoT asset management challenge https://futureiot.tech/bigmate-uses-embedded-bi-to-solve-iot-asset-management-challenge/ Wed, 02 Jan 2019 01:20:21 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?post_type=case-study&p=2383 Click here to download this case study to find out how using TIBCO Jaspersoft embedded BI, Bigmate is able to consume IoT and IoA data and blend it to deliver answers to business problems.

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Click here to download this case study to find out how using TIBCO Jaspersoft embedded BI, Bigmate is able to consume IoT and IoA data and blend it to deliver answers to business problems.

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Gartner lists top 10 strategic technology trends for 2019 https://futureiot.tech/gartner-lists-top-10-strategic-technology-trends-for-2019/ Fri, 28 Dec 2018 02:30:05 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=2305 As we close 2018, it would do no harm for us to have a peek at what’s coming in 2019 and quite possible in the next couple of years. For business and technology leaders, understand what technology trends may be of consequence to their business may provide some guidance as they lay out their strategic […]

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As we close 2018, it would do no harm for us to have a peek at what’s coming in 2019 and quite possible in the next couple of years. For business and technology leaders, understand what technology trends may be of consequence to their business may provide some guidance as they lay out their strategic plans for 2019 and beyond.

Gartner defines a strategic technology trend as one with substantial disruptive potential that is beginning to break out of an emerging state into broader impact and use, or which are rapidly growing trends with a high degree of volatility reaching tipping points over the next five years.

“The Intelligent Digital Mesh has been a consistent theme for the past two years and continues as a major driver through 2019. Trends under each of these three themes are a key ingredient in driving a continuous innovation process as part of a ContinuousNEXT strategy,” said David Cearley, vice president and Gartner Fellow.

Gartner defines ContinuousNEXT as the future evolution of concepts introduced by the analyst in recent years, and that will build momentum through digital transformation and beyond.

“For example, artificial intelligence (AI) in the form of automated things and augmented intelligence is being used together with IoT, edge computing and digital twins to deliver highly integrated smart spaces. This combinatorial effect of multiple trends coalescing to produce new opportunities and drive new disruption is a hallmark of the Gartner top 10 strategic technology trends for 2019,” elaborated Cearley.

The top 10 strategic technology trends for 2019 are:

Autonomous Things, such as robots, drones and autonomous vehicles, use AI to automate functions previously performed by humans. Their automation goes beyond the automation provided by rigid programing models and they exploit AI to deliver advanced behaviors that interact more naturally with their surroundings and with people.

“As autonomous things proliferate, we expect a shift from stand-alone intelligent things to a swarm of collaborative intelligent things, with multiple devices working together, either independently of people or with human input,” said Cearley.

Augmented analytics focuses on a specific area of augmented intelligence, using machine learning (ML) to transform how analytics content is developed, consumed and shared. Augmented analytics capabilities will advance rapidly to mainstream adoption, as a key feature of data preparation, data management, modern analytics, business process management, process mining and data science platforms.

Automated insights from augmented analytics will also be embedded in enterprise applications — for example, those of the HR, finance, sales, marketing, customer service, procurement and asset management departments — to optimize the decisions and actions of all employees within their context, not just those of analysts and data scientists. Augmented analytics automates the process of data preparation, insight generation and insight visualization, eliminating the need for professional data scientists in many situations.

AI-Driven Development refers to a future business model where a professional application developer can operate alone using predefined models delivered as a service – without the need for support from data scientists. This provides the developer with an ecosystem of AI algorithms and models, as well as development tools tailored to integrating AI capabilities and models into a solution.

Gartner forecasts that by 2022, at least 40% of new application development projects will have AI co-developers on their team.

“Ultimately, highly advanced AI-powered development environments automating both functional and non-functional aspects of applications will give rise to a new age of the ‘citizen application developer’ where non-professionals will be able to use AI-driven tools to automatically generate new solutions. Tools that enable non-professionals to generate applications without coding are not new, but we expect that AI-powered systems will drive a new level of flexibility,” said Cearley.

A digital twin refers to the digital representation of a real-world entity or system. By 2020, Gartner estimates there will be more than 20 billion connected sensors and endpoints and digital twins will exist for potentially billions of things. Organizations will implement digital twins simply at first. They will evolve them over time, improving their ability to collect and visualize the right data, apply the right analytics and rules, and respond effectively to business objectives.

“One aspect of the digital twin evolution that moves beyond IoT will be enterprises implementing digital twins of their organizations (DTOs). A DTO is a dynamic software model that relies on operational or other data to understand how an organization operationalizes its business model, connects with its current state, deploys resources and responds to changes to deliver expected customer value,” said Cearley.

Empowered Edge refers to the growing trend of bringing computing resources (or topology) and content closer to the edge where it is needed. One of the goals is to keep the traffic and processing local, with the goal being to reduce traffic and latency.

In the near term, edge is being driven by IoT and the need to keep the processing close to the end rather than on a centralized cloud server. However, rather than create a new architecture, cloud computing and edge computing will evolve as complementary models with cloud services being managed as a centralized service executing, not only on centralized servers, but in distributed servers on-premises and on the edge devices themselves.

Over the next five years, specialized AI chips, along with greater processing power, storage and other advanced capabilities, will be added to a wider array of edge devices. The extreme heterogeneity of this embedded IoT world and the long life cycles of assets such as industrial systems will create significant management challenges.

Longer term, as 5G matures, the expanding edge computing environment will have more robust communication back to centralized services. 5G provides lower latency, higher bandwidth, and (very importantly for edge) a dramatic increase in the number of nodes (edge endpoints) per square km.

Conversational platforms are changing the way in which people interact with the digital world. Virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (MR) are changing the way in which people perceive the digital world. This combined shift in perception and interaction models leads to the future immersive user experience.

“Over time, we will shift from thinking about individual devices and fragmented user interface (UI) technologies to a multi-channel and multi-modal experience. The multi-modal experience will connect people with the digital world across hundreds of edge devices that surround them, including traditional computing devices, wearables, automobiles, environmental sensors and consumer appliances,” said Cearley.

Blockchain, a type of distributed ledger, promises to reshape industries by enabling trust, providing transparency and reducing friction across business ecosystems potentially lowering costs, reducing transaction settlement times and improving cash flow.

Today, trust is placed in banks, clearinghouses, governments and many other institutions as central authorities with the “single version of the truth” maintained securely in their databases. The centralized trust model adds delays and friction costs (commissions, fees and the time value of money) to transactions. Blockchain provides an alternative trust mode and removes the need for central authorities in arbitrating transactions.

”Current blockchain technologies and concepts are immature, poorly understood and unproven in mission-critical, at-scale business operations. This is particularly so with the complex elements that support more sophisticated scenarios,” said Cearley. “Despite the challenges, the significant potential for disruption means CIOs and IT leaders should begin evaluating blockchain, even if they don’t aggressively adopt the technologies in the next few years.”

Cearly many blockchain initiatives today are positioned as a means to achieve operational efficiency by automating business processes, or by digitizing records. They have the potential to enhance sharing of information among known entities, as well as improving opportunities for tracking and tracing physical and digital assets. However, these approaches miss the value of true blockchain disruption and may increase vendor lock-in.

A smart space is a physical or digital environment in which humans and technology-enabled systems interact in increasingly open, connected, coordinated and intelligent ecosystems. Multiple elements — including people, processes, services and things — come together in a smart space to create a more immersive, interactive and automated experience for a target set of people and industry scenarios.

“This trend has been coalescing for some time around elements such as smart cities, digital workplaces, smart homes and connected factories. We believe the market is entering a period of accelerated delivery of robust smart spaces with technology becoming an integral part of our daily lives, whether as employees, customers, consumers, community members or citizens,” said Cearley.

Digital ethics and privacy is a growing concern for individuals, organizations and governments. People are increasingly concerned about how their personal information is being used by organizations in both the public and private sector, and the backlash will only increase for organizations that are not proactively addressing these concerns.

Clarley cautioned that while privacy and security are foundational components in building trust, trust is actually about more than just these components. Trust is the acceptance of the truth of a statement without evidence or investigation. Ultimately an organization’s position on privacy must be driven by its broader position on ethics and trust. Shifting from privacy to ethics moves the conversation beyond ‘are we compliant’ toward‘ to ‘are we doing the right thing’.”

Quantum computing (QC) is a type of non-classical computing that operates on the quantum state of subatomic particles (for example, electrons and ions) that represent information as elements denoted as quantum bits (qubits). The parallel execution and exponential scalability of quantum computers means they excel with problems too complex for a traditional approach or where a traditional algorithm would take too long to find a solution.

“CIOs and IT leaders should start planning for QC by increasing understanding and how it can apply to real-world business problems. Learn while the technology is still in the emerging state. Identify real-world problems where QC has potential and consider the possible impact on security,” said Cearley. “But don’t believe the hype that it will revolutionize things in the next few years. Most organizations should learn about and monitor QC through 2022 and perhaps exploit it from 2023 or 2025.”

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Avantus, TIBCO to address IoT skills gap in Singapore https://futureiot.tech/avantus-tibco-to-address-iot-skills-gap-in-singapore/ Fri, 28 Dec 2018 00:39:59 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=2335 IoT has been bridging physical and digital spheres in Singapore where IoT is just as fundamental to the Smart Nation journey.

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Singapore-based learning provider Avantus Training has partnered with API and management and analytics provider TIBCO Software to address the critical shortage in internet of things (IoT) deployment skills in the city-state.

Under the agreement, Avantus will offer to teach business solutions, including TIBCO Spotfire, a data visualization and statistical software for business intelligence.

The fundamental course will allow users to enhance their knowledge on the different ways of capturing data, connecting through the applications, turning the results into effective business decisions, and executing analytically fuelled actions.

“Our partnership with Avantus Training has come at a perfect time in Singapore. As part of the country’s Smart Nation and digital transformation plans, most organizations that deal with massive amount of data have recognized that it is an expected phenomenon,” said Bert Brouwer, TIBCO’s Senior Director, Professional Services, Asia-Pacific.

“These entities have a better understanding that this explosion of data, most especially from the influx of Internet of Things (IoT) devices, require real-time analysis that can provide actionable and insights relevant for more effective decision-making,” he added.

TIBCO said IoT has been bridging physical and digital spheres in very advanced ways, especially in Singapore, where IoT is just as fundamental to the Smart Nation journey.  However, the most critical shortage in IoT deployment is skills.

Lawrence Ng, Chief Executive Officer, Avantus Training, said their goal is to equip training participants with the right skills, and ultimately, increase their levels of expertise.

Established in 2003, Avantus has a catalog of more than 300 courses from a dozen vendors, across a large spectrum of technology areas. It is also a  member of Skillsfuture Singapore (ssg) and a Certified Continuing Education Training (CET) partner as well as a long-serving partner with IMDA and the CITREP program.

In a recent article on the GovTech website, the Singapore government has bared part of its plans for IoT push, including the deployment of autonomous vehicles, the installation of smart lamp posts, and plans to increase internet speed further, which will make it even more conducive for the deploying connected devices.

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TIBCO Spotfire X transforms the analytics game https://futureiot.tech/tibco-spotfire-x-transforms-the-analytics-game/ Tue, 11 Dec 2018 00:39:03 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?post_type=whitepaper&p=2179 TIBCO Spotfire X accelerates insights for everyone using AI-powered, search-driven, real-time analytics

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TIBCO Spotfire X accelerates insights for everyone using AI-powered, search-driven, real-time analytics

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GFT: bank branch of the future https://futureiot.tech/gft-bank-branch-of-the-future/ Tue, 04 Dec 2018 15:38:05 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=2107 Empowering Digital Banks: Better service through wearable Banking and the Internet of Things. Go Digital!

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Empowering Digital Banks: Better service through wearable Banking and the Internet of Things. Go Digital!

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CityU: using IoT to enhance banking experience https://futureiot.tech/cityu-using-iot-to-enhance-banking-experience/ Tue, 04 Dec 2018 15:22:50 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=2104 CityU College of Business Department of Information Systems (BBAIS) students apply beacon technology to build Internet of Things (IoT) applications in retail banking. This video shows how indoor positioning and navigation, heatmap analysis, mobile ticketing and queuing, and proximity marketing are enabled by beacon technology.

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CityU College of Business Department of Information Systems (BBAIS) students apply beacon technology to build Internet of Things (IoT) applications in retail banking.

This video shows how indoor positioning and navigation, heatmap analysis, mobile ticketing and queuing, and proximity marketing are enabled by beacon technology.

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Fusheng uses IoT air compressors to cut downtime and wastage https://futureiot.tech/fusheng-uses-iot-air-compressors-to-cut-downtime-and-wastage/ Tue, 04 Dec 2018 15:04:23 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?post_type=case-study&p=2101 Global air compressor manufacturer Fusheng employs Intel IoT Gateways in IoT-based data acquisition and processing to enhance predictive maintenance, equipment performance, and energy efficiency for the air compressor industry. Air compressors can be found in almost all types of businesses and used to power tools and equipment, as well as HVAC and refrigeration systems. As a leading […]

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Global air compressor manufacturer Fusheng employs Intel IoT Gateways in IoT-based data acquisition and processing to enhance predictive maintenance, equipment performance, and energy efficiency for the air compressor industry.

Air compressors can be found in almost all types of businesses and used to power tools and equipment, as well as HVAC and refrigeration systems.

As a leading manufacturer of industrial and process compressors, Fusheng wanted to ensure that its products run efficiently and without failure. The manufacturer found its answer with IoT technologies that help it predict and detect maintenance needs.

Download the case study here to learn more.

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Gartner: Features that data science and machine learning platforms must have https://futureiot.tech/gartner-features-that-data-science-and-machine-learning-platforms-must-have/ Tue, 04 Dec 2018 06:50:17 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?post_type=whitepaper&p=2095 The Gartner Critical Capabilities for Data Science and Machine Learning Platforms 2018 report evaluated 16 vendors across 15 critical capabilities spanning three use cases.

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The Gartner Critical Capabilities for Data Science and Machine Learning Platforms 2018 report evaluated 16 vendors across 15 critical capabilities spanning three use cases.

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Visual analytics power the smart city vision https://futureiot.tech/visual-analytics-power-the-smart-city-vision/ Tue, 04 Dec 2018 04:37:50 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=2089 The impression many people hold of an Asian city is one of unplanned, unregulated, and uncontrolled growth. Whether this is fair comment or not, the rapid and increasing pace of urbanisation across the region means Asian cities have no choice but to become more organised and efficient. Improved management of every aspect of city life, […]

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The impression many people hold of an Asian city is one of unplanned, unregulated, and uncontrolled growth.

Whether this is fair comment or not, the rapid and increasing pace of urbanisation across the region means Asian cities have no choice but to become more organised and efficient. Improved management of every aspect of city life, from socio-economic issues to the provision of infrastructure, the delivery of public services and the ensuring of public safety and security is essential if Asia’s vast urban conglomerations are to fulfil their potential.

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How are these lofty aims to be accomplished?

Smart governments are starting to recognise that a significant investment in ICT is needed to tackle the huge variety of issues their cities face. In order to transform themselves into efficient, people-centric metropolises, they will increasingly need to leverage data analytic technologies across various information sources. This will allow them to extract reliable, predictable and actionable insights, assist in strategic decision-making, and deliver improved performance management.

According to IDC, 92% of public sector offices in the region believe in using ICT as a means to meet their operational and strategic objectives.

Asia Pacific, ahead of the curve

A good example of a city that is already putting ICT technologies to work is Singapore. Here, the government has embraced the potential of data analytics to help solve the multi-faceted challenges of urban planning in the 21st century.

Singapore’s reputation as one of Asia’s best-managed cities is the result of a constant pro-active effort by the authorities to stay ahead of the curve, managing the demands of population growth against a constant factor of space constraint. With a mere 710 square kilometre (sq km) at its disposal, the government must allow for both city and country functions, taking into account the sometimes conflicting needs of housing, recreational space, industrial land, commercial and retail space, military training, transportation and more.

Another city that is ahead is Hong Kong. Here, the government’s Digital 21 Strategy forms the blueprint for the development of ICT in the Special Administrative Region of Hong Kong (SAR). It sets out the framework for Hong Kong to leverage the use of data analytics to help solve the multi-faceted challenges of urban planning in the 21st century.

Similarly, with an area of just over 1,100 sq km at its disposal, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated city on earth. The SAR needs a constant pro-active effort by the authorities to stay ahead of the curve, managing the demands of population growth against a constant factor of space constraint.

The question is how the application of ICT can translate raw data into effective action, to improve the lives of citizens in the real world.

The New Urban Map

Hong Kong’s 2030 Plus planning strategy is a case in point. The Plan, published in October 2016, envisions transforming the city into a more livable place with larger flats, more public space for relaxing, a cycling- and pedestrian-friendly transport system, and scenic country parks protected from development. These moves will require land reclamation as well as tackling the difficulties in developing brownfield sites – degraded agricultural land occupied by things like car parks, container storage, vehicle repair sites, and recycling yards[1].

While for Singapore, the Urban Redevelopment Authority is using urban planning and predictive systems to understand the implications of different land use scenarios, and new predictive tools for city planning are also being tested locally. The URA sees geospatial technology, data and analytics as strategic tools for urban planning.

Security is another area that will benefit from the application of data analytics. For example, accurate high-resolution feeds from building sensors and CCTV cameras can allow a city to make decisions on how to improve district-level security.

Technology as an enabler

A starting point in this, as well as all implementations of technology, is to recognise that technology is only an enabler driven by business outcomes. These outcomes are integrated planning, optimised infrastructure and engaged stakeholders.

The technology to gather and analyse massive amounts of data is already here, and is constantly evolving. What is needed to put this to practical use for the residents of Asian cities is a commitment on the human level – to share data feeds and sensor information among different agencies and authorities, in both the public and private sectors.

City planners need to embrace the technology that is available and demonstrate a willingness to experiment and test-bed new ideas, using analytics to measure the effectiveness of each idea in contributing to a process of constant improvement.

[1] https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/2040744/hong-kong-governments-plan-new-towns-and-reclaimed-islands

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IoT sensors driving stored data to the cloud — study https://futureiot.tech/iot-sensors-driving-stored-data-to-the-cloud-study/ Mon, 03 Dec 2018 04:23:29 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=2069 Almost half (49 percent) of the world’s stored data could reside in public cloud environments by 2025, and the shift is largely being driven by a world filled with IoT sensors that are constantly capturing, recording, and analyzing data in business environments. This is among the findings discussed by an IDC white paper, “The Digitization […]

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Almost half (49 percent) of the world’s stored data could reside in public cloud environments by 2025, and the shift is largely being driven by a world filled with IoT sensors that are constantly capturing, recording, and analyzing data in business environments.

This is among the findings discussed by an IDC white paper, “The Digitization of the World – From Edge to Core,” sponsored by data and storage provider Seagate Technology, which examines the impending shifts to the global data model.

The report mentioned that more than 5 billion consumers now interact with data every day. And this is expected to rise to 6 billion or 75 percent of the world’s population by 2025.

“In 2025, each connected person will have at least one data interaction every 18 seconds. Many of these interactions are because of the billions of IoT devices connected across the globe, which are expected to create over 90ZB of data in 2025," the report noted.

With businesses looking to centralize data management and delivery, there is an increased reliance on the connectivity, performance, and convenience that cloud services provide, according to the study.

And as companies continue to pursue the cloud for increasing data processing and storage needs, cloud data centers are becoming the new enterprise data repository.

“In essence, the cloud is becoming the new core,” it said.

David Reinsel, senior vice president at IDC, said that while endpoints continue to be the primary location for data creation in the short term, the fastest growth is forecasted to happen at the core and the edge — with more data stored in the core than in the world’s endpoints by 2025.

“This will be particularly true for major industries as edge computing continues to be a key driver of business-critical factors and digital transformation,” he added.

The IDC study used the Data Readiness Condition Index (DATCON) for the first time to assesses data-readiness of the four critical industries — healthcare, financial services, manufacturing, and media and entertainment.

DATCON scores are calculated across a number of metrics, including data growth, criticality, security, investment, management, skills and C-level involvement.

The study showed that  manufacturing and financial services scored the best overall at 3.3 each, representing the greatest use of edge computing in the four industries.

Healthcare is in third place with a score of 2.4. However, the study noted that it has a wide room for improvement as it is the fastest-growing.

Media and entertainment received the lowest DATCON score of 2.0, “showing the sector ripe for advanced data technologies; particularly in data security and data management.”

“While some industries are more prepared for digital transformation than others, all businesses need to be ready to act on a solid digital strategy in order to be successful in the data age,” said Dave Mosley, Seagate’s chief executive officer. 

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IoT 2018: statistics, use cases and trends https://futureiot.tech/iot-2018-statistics-use-cases-and-trends/ Fri, 30 Nov 2018 00:50:28 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?post_type=whitepaper&p=2047 Calsoft Inc, product engineering and consulting services provider, has put together an ebook from various industry sources to provide insights into the development of Internet of Things (IoT) including use cases and trends. The ebook describes the IoT platform, IoT stack, advancements in IoT, IoT ecosystem and the technologies underway around IoT. It also presents […]

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Calsoft Inc, product engineering and consulting services provider, has put together an ebook from various industry sources to provide insights into the development of Internet of Things (IoT) including use cases and trends.

The ebook describes the IoT platform, IoT stack, advancements in IoT, IoT ecosystem and the technologies underway around IoT. It also presents current challenges for the technology as well as a list (not exhaustive) of vendors offering IoT products and platforms.

Download the ebook here.

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VDC Research: Mobile usage driving analytics adoption https://futureiot.tech/vdc-research-mobile-usage-driving-analytics-adoption/ Thu, 29 Nov 2018 23:55:50 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=2038 VDC’s Analytics in the Mobile Era report says mobile analytics solutions are drastically transforming industries by giving organizations real-time, actionable insight into service quality, security, device health, data usage, and application and network performance. The report also revealed that an increase of even one dropped connection per shift could translate into almost $1,400 in annual […]

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VDC’s Analytics in the Mobile Era report says mobile analytics solutions are drastically transforming industries by giving organizations real-time, actionable insight into service quality, security, device health, data usage, and application and network performance.

The report also revealed that an increase of even one dropped connection per shift could translate into almost $1,400 in annual productivity loss costs. Mobile analytics solutions can help organizations mitigate these losses, preemptively address disruption, and significantly improve productivity.

VDC’s research states that analytics organizations have long been aware of the need to leverage mobile and cloud technologies to drive operational efficiencies and achieve more intimate and engaging customer interactions. However, managing mobile deployments at scale comes with its own set of challenges.

“With managed and unmanaged devices, multiple cellular networks, and a growing reliance on consumer, business, and custom-developed mobile apps, it is difficult to understand and measure performance, gain visibility, and apply analytics,” said Eric Klein, Director of Enterprise Mobility and Connected Devices at VDC. “Understanding the realities of issues like network availability, application performance, and data consumption are critical to maximizing the benefits of your mobile investments.”

Organizations with business or mission-critical deployments have been early adopters of mobile analytics solutions, which are essential for organizations that cannot tolerate downtime.

VDC’s research suggests a tremendous amount of telemetry data pertaining to network and device health, as well as web and mobile application usage; the ability to proactively manage mobile assets and address potential points of conflict or disruptions can not only improve productivity but can also lead to a more engaged and happier workforce.

The benefits of these solutions include traffic optimization, prioritization of applications and network access, and visibility into performance metrics. “Start by determining how well your business-critical applications are performing and identify where the demand for bandwidth lies, both physically and in terms of traffic types,” added Klein.

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Greater China to lead the global industrial IoT market https://futureiot.tech/greater-china-to-lead-the-global-industrial-iot-market/ Tue, 20 Nov 2018 21:51:47 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?post_type=whitepaper&p=1903 Governments in Asia are looking at smart city as a means to improve urban living. A key component of this move to smarter city is the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) to become more accountable, The Industrial Internet – the convergence of industrial systems with Internet-based technology, such as cloud computing and advanced […]

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Governments in Asia are looking at smart city as a means to improve urban living. A key component of this move to smarter city is the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) to become more accountable,

The Industrial Internet – the convergence of industrial systems with Internet-based technology, such as cloud computing and advanced analytics – is developing apace. Large numbers of connected sensors can monitor the performance of complex physical machinery in real-time. The analysis of the resulting data can be used to optimise production and perform predictive maintenance, increasing efficiency and generating insights that can be used to develop new processes. This concept is known as the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT).

The data captured by the Industrial IoT can also be used for machine learning to develop artificial intelligence (AI) systems – a field that is developing rapidly in China and elsewhere.

In time, AI systems should be able to help people manage complex industrial facilities effectively and efficiently, with the system learning and refining its algorithms over time.

This paper explores the development of the Industrial IoT in Greater China, drawing on interviews with six mobile operators in the region. It identifies the key trends in this sector, the benefits seen by exponents of the Industrial IoT and the challenges they face, before drawing conclusions about how digital technologies will drive the next industrial revolution in East Asia.

Click here to download this GSMA paper.

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Deloitte: What is the "Internet of Things?" https://futureiot.tech/deloitte-what-is-the-internet-of-things/ Wed, 14 Nov 2018 15:40:06 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=1857 People define the Internet according to how they use it at work or for personal use. Today, there is increased discussion on the topic of the Internet of Things or IoT. What this IoT will mean to consumers and businesses is still evolving. One term that closely follows IoT is data. According to Deloitte Insight, […]

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People define the Internet according to how they use it at work or for personal use. Today, there is increased discussion on the topic of the Internet of Things or IoT. What this IoT will mean to consumers and businesses is still evolving.

One term that closely follows IoT is data. According to Deloitte Insight, the Internet of Things has not entirely changed the rules of the game. However, the data being generated and the use of advanced analytics is shifting the ways in which companies can achieve valuable, inimitable differentiation.

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Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport: data and insights to fuel champions https://futureiot.tech/mercedes-amg-petronas-motorsport-data-and-insights-to-fuel-champions/ Tue, 30 Oct 2018 15:27:36 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?post_type=case-study&p=1644 Find out how the Mercedes-AMB Petronas Motorsport team uses data to create better car design, improve agility for adapting to changing conditions, and determine the best setup for the car based on pre-race simulations, practice sessions and current conditions.

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]These days Formula 1 racing is as much about data as it is about the car and its driver. Every F1 racing team gathers data aimed at driving efficiency (and winning the race). From driver, engineers, team leads to pit staff, everyone uses data to enhance the performance of the team.

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On one F1 weekend race, F1 cars generate 3.5GB of data. Members of the team use this data to anticipate every aspect of the race.

Download this case study and find out how the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport team uses data to create better car design, improve agility for adapting to changing conditions, and determine the best setup for the car based on pre-race simulations, practice sessions and current conditions.

Click here to download the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport case study.

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Practical IoT Strategies: a Google perspective https://futureiot.tech/practical-iot-strategies-a-google-perspective/ Wed, 17 Oct 2018 12:51:01 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=1592 Back in 2015, the US government-owned passenger train service, Amtrack, revealed that 20% of trains on its Northeast Corridor railway ran late. Amtrack solved the problem by commission Siemens to deploy 900 connected sensors to monitor equipment along the line and on the trains themselves. The resulting data streams allowed Amtrak to spot potential problems […]

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Back in 2015, the US government-owned passenger train service, Amtrack, revealed that 20% of trains on its Northeast Corridor railway ran late. Amtrack solved the problem by commission Siemens to deploy 900 connected sensors to monitor equipment along the line and on the trains themselves.

The resulting data streams allowed Amtrak to spot potential problems before they developed. One year later, delays were down by a third. This is an example of how Internet of Things (IoT) is being applied in commercial scenarios to solve real problems.

The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) predicts that by 2020, companies will be spending around US$310 billion annually on IoT, with manufacturing, energy and transportation industries accounting for much of the spend.

Applications of IoT will include areas such as predicting when machines will need maintenance; micromanaging energy usage in real-time; directing smart irrigation systems to water crops only when needed; and tracking the exact location of individual items in a large warehouse.

The applications of IoT today are concentrated around areas of efficiency and productivity. Future applications have yet to be defined.

The Deloitte report, IIoT Innovation Report 2018, postulates that IoT could have “a big impact on our everyday lives. Already many home devices, such as coffee makers, refrigerators and even juicers, are connected. These innovations could someday allow your alarm clock to notify your coffee maker to start brewing coffee when you wake up; your refrigerator to automatically re-ordered milk when you run out; and your car to text your boss when heavy traffic will make you late for work. It could also allow police to detect when a crime has occurred and respond much faster, or allow remote detection of when an elderly person falls and needs help.

In an exclusive with FureIoT, Google Hong Kong managing director, Leonie Valentine, discusses the growing influence of IoT across many industry sectors and business disciplines.

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Business, IT leaders want ROI for IoT projects within 3 years https://futureiot.tech/business-it-leaders-want-roi-for-iot-projects-within-3-years/ Mon, 15 Oct 2018 00:19:03 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=1568 Business and IT leaders now expect a return on investment for IoT projects within three years or less, a survey conducted by IDG Connect for Japanese information and telecommunications company Fujitsu reveals.

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Business and IT leaders now expect a return on investment (ROI) for the Internet of Things (IoT) projects within three years or less, a survey conducted by IDG Connect for Japanese information and telecommunications company Fujitsu reveals.

This shows that IoT projects within the enterprise are maturing and have now entered the early mainstream stage, according to Fujitsu.

"Almost three-quarters of respondents (73 percent) confirmed that IoT deployments have advanced well beyond the testing and market education stages, with almost half of these delivering results," the study noted.

The poll also found that almost a third (31 percent) expect a return from investments in IoT projects within one to two years, and 56 percent expect profitability within three years.

Businesses are using IoT for a wide range of purposes, with the joint-highest survey responses were for improving health and safety (47 percent), enhancing security (47 percent), in using newly-available data to create smarter strategies (47 percent), as well as improving maintenance (46 percent).

Moreover, 45 percent of businesses are already using IoT to generate new revenue-making opportunities, and a quarter of respondents consider the biggest opportunity to be the ability to charge premium prices for valuable additions to products, data or services.

Just over a fifth (22 percent) of respondents cited the ability to cost-effectively create better and more differentiated services to attract new customers.

"It’s clear from the survey results that enterprises are already enjoying a solid return on investment from IoT projects. This should be a compelling incentive to dip a toe in the water for any organization that’s still skeptical about getting any business value from the IoT,” Yves de Beauregard, Head of Digital Business Solutions at Fujitsu in EMEIA, said.

However, due to the complexity of IoT projects, services suppliers and equipment providers are failing to deliver.

"Major concerns are the need for better support (24 percent), closer collaboration so that vendors understand their customers’ unique needs (23 percent), a call for lower pricing (20 percent), greater contractual flexibility (17 percent) and more readily available as-a-service options (15 percent), the study reveals.

The research was undertaken by IDG Connect in the summer of 2018. Around 330 business and technology leaders were polled from organizations with more than 250 employees in France, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, India, Belgium, the Netherlands, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and Ireland.

A substantial majority of respondents represented businesses with between 500 and 4999 employees.

 

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Big Data and IoT form part of security and safety strategy for smart railways https://futureiot.tech/big-data-and-iot-form-part-of-security-and-safety-strategy-for-smart-railways/ https://futureiot.tech/big-data-and-iot-form-part-of-security-and-safety-strategy-for-smart-railways/#comments Sat, 06 Oct 2018 01:27:22 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=1501 ResearchAndMarkets.com’s "Global Smart Railways Market Size, Market Share, Application Analysis, Regional Outlook, Growth Trends, Key Players, Competitive Strategies and Forecasts, 2018 To 2026" estimates the smart railways market at $11.67 billion in 2017. Asia Pacific will be one of the most important markets for investments in coming years with governments playing an instrumental role in […]

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ResearchAndMarkets.com’s "Global Smart Railways Market Size, Market Share, Application Analysis, Regional Outlook, Growth Trends, Key Players, Competitive Strategies and Forecasts, 2018 To 2026" estimates the smart railways market at $11.67 billion in 2017.

Asia Pacific will be one of the most important markets for investments in coming years with governments playing an instrumental role in funding these projects.

The smart railways market is expected to grow at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 15.2% during the forecast period from 2018 to 2026, with railway modernization programs driving much of this growth.

According to the report, governments across several countries, in order to provide a premium travel experience and increase the safety and security of the passengers are investing on smart railway solutions. Another factor is the rise in terrorist attacks on smart railways.

Technological advancements have further enabled railways to take advantage of Big Data and IoT in order to understand and develop insights pertaining to traveller behaviour. These factors expected to create positive demand for smart railway components and solutions in the years to come.

However, high initial cost of deployment remains a major restraint for the market to flourish. This factor prevents large scale adoption of these technologies particularly in developing countries. Problems related to theft of multimedia devices on trains in these countries remains another major challenge for the smart railways market.

For instance, focusing on the lack of security in trains, Indian Railways has now started accelerating the process of installing CCTV surveillance cameras in trains. The plan includes installation of 12 lakh surveillance cameras in all trains and stations across the country. This factor is creating positive growth opportunities for the smart railways market to flourish in the region.

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Transport and Logistics want revenue-generating uses cases for IoT https://futureiot.tech/transport-and-logistics-want-revenue-generating-uses-cases-for-iot/ Sat, 06 Oct 2018 01:00:01 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=1498 The ability to track and trace the route of a parcel has been one of the defining uses of technology in the transportation and logistics industry. With the introduction of Internet of Things (IoT) and analytics technologies, anticipation is growing for even smarter solutions from the convergence of these technologies with others like cloud, mobility […]

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The ability to track and trace the route of a parcel has been one of the defining uses of technology in the transportation and logistics industry.

With the introduction of Internet of Things (IoT) and analytics technologies, anticipation is growing for even smarter solutions from the convergence of these technologies with others like cloud, mobility and social platforms.

However a continuing sticking point for industry players is the perceived lack of use cases that enable them to generate new sources of revenue. There is a need to gain new capabilities in terms of domain expertise and technical know-how.

Some enterprises have invested substantially in analytics platform and vertical expertise, others have entered into cross industry collaboration with enterprises outside their industry. At the same time, if enterprises decide to rapidly implement IoT without changing their operating model, they face challenges in delivering the new solution.

Regardless of how they go about doing it, IoT has enabled them to gain new insights that they did not have in the past to bring about new service offering that differentiate them from their competitors. The report looks at 10 use cases of how enterprises in the transport and logistics sector have done it.

Early examples of IoT-derived innovation include:

  • Audi enhances its customers' experience while using sensors installed in cars to collecting real time information on traffic flow and drivers' behaviour.
  • With DriveNow, BMW diversifies from selling cars to renting cars on members' usage.
  • INRIX adopts a variety of ways to collect data on real time traffic patterns in the USA. And it developed capabilities rapidly through acquisitions to deliver more data.
  • The Land Transport Authority of Singapore adopts a three-layer stack to alleviate traffic condition by resolving congestion together with the private sector companies.
  • Navistar's prognostic solution has been used for pricing of vehicle components for over 200,000 trucks in the USA. It uses big data analytics to determine the lowest cost of truck configuration for fleet operators.
  • Ryanair use big data analytics to understand consumers' purchasing behaviour as they no longer go for the cheapest tickets.
  • Taxi Stockholm aids the tourism sector and generates revenue by providing tourists with hotspot heat maps with a smartphone app.
  • UPS uses small data to make incremental changes in their operational processes.
  • Volvo gives authorized repaid mechanics to access vehicle data to support servicing and components requirements.
  • The E-bike Management system by SITAEL was developed in an effort to reduce the number of cars on the road.

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Accenture: Using IoT for a more efficient mining business https://futureiot.tech/accenture-using-iot-for-a-more-efficient-mining-business/ Fri, 14 Sep 2018 01:51:28 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=1409 Even a hard core traditional business like mining is undergoing transformation under pressure from government, volatile markets, competition and environmentalists. To stay competitive, mining companies must shift their strategies, pursue potentially new business models that rely on digital tools and capabilities, such as mobility, big data and IoT. This video highlights the Accenture Connected Mine […]

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Even a hard core traditional business like mining is undergoing transformation under pressure from government, volatile markets, competition and environmentalists. To stay competitive, mining companies must shift their strategies, pursue potentially new business models that rely on digital tools and capabilities, such as mobility, big data and IoT.

This video highlights the Accenture Connected Mine solution that helps mining companies gain more value from their digital investments by applying advanced analytics to improve the way their business runs. Information includes: vehicle movements, driver fatigue, asset utilization and yield from every shift. As a result, Mine Operators can expect to unlock new gains in performance and efficiency.

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Creating a more efficient agriculture and forestry practice using IoT https://futureiot.tech/creating-a-more-efficient-agriculture-and-forestry-practice-using-iot/ Fri, 14 Sep 2018 01:37:25 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=1406 It may seem hard to fathom at first how advanced data-driven connectivity technology can be applied in agriculture and forestry. Accenture noted that digital technologies and analytics are transforming agriculture, making a farm’s field operations more insight driven and efficient. Digital-based farm services are helping to improve financial performance and boost yield. The reality, however, […]

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It may seem hard to fathom at first how advanced data-driven connectivity technology can be applied in agriculture and forestry. Accenture noted that digital technologies and analytics are transforming agriculture, making a farm’s field operations more insight driven and efficient. Digital-based farm services are helping to improve financial performance and boost yield.

The reality, however, is that less than 20% of acreage today is managed using digital agriculture technologies (e.g., variable-rate spraying) due to the high cost of gathering precise field data.

To help farmers increase productivity and profitability, Accenture has combined digital technologies such as the Internet of Things with its big data analytics, visualization capabilities, and industry knowledge to create the Accenture Precision Agriculture Service and the Accenture Connected Crop Solution.

Watch this Accenture video and hear James Chong, senior manager for Digital Accenture, describe some of the innovations that come with the use of IoT in supporting agriculture and forestry business.

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Smart City apps improve quality of life https://futureiot.tech/smart-city-apps-improve-quality-of-life/ https://futureiot.tech/smart-city-apps-improve-quality-of-life/#comments Thu, 13 Sep 2018 04:21:10 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=1365 What are the benefits of a smart city from a resident’s perspective? Jonathan Woetzel, MGI director, explains how smart city applications that monitor health and disease, and digital portals for government services save time and lives. A new report from the McKinsey Global Institute, “Smart cities: Digital solutions for a more livable future,” analyzes dozens […]

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What are the benefits of a smart city from a resident’s perspective? Jonathan Woetzel, MGI director, explains how smart city applications that monitor health and disease, and digital portals for government services save time and lives.

A new report from the McKinsey Global Institute, “Smart cities: Digital solutions for a more livable future,” analyzes dozens of current applications and finds that cities could use them to improve some quality-of-life indicators by 10–30 percent.

It also finds that even the most cutting-edge smart cities on the planet are still at the beginning of their journey. Read more: https://mckinsey.com/smartcities

Watch the video to know more.

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Internet of Medical Things to power home healthcare industry https://futureiot.tech/internet-of-medical-things-to-power-home-healthcare-industry/ Mon, 10 Sep 2018 01:30:49 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=1221 The perceptible shift from reactive healthcare to proactive patient care is a direct result of the technological advances in sensor technologies and Internet of Medical Things (IoMT). Intelligent sensors are hastening the creation of a fully connected ecosystem, opening up the possibility of remote or home healthcare becoming a mainstream healthcare model. Devices such as […]

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The perceptible shift from reactive healthcare to proactive patient care is a direct result of the technological advances in sensor technologies and Internet of Medical Things (IoMT). Intelligent sensors are hastening the creation of a fully connected ecosystem, opening up the possibility of remote or home healthcare becoming a mainstream healthcare model.

Devices such as wearables or e-skin sensors, which aid chronic disease management, and further improvements in the size, sensitivity, selectivity, and communications capability of sensors are giving a huge boost to real-time remote monitoring.

This escalating demand for remote patient monitoring, along with the introduction of advanced smartphones, mobile applications, fitness devices, and advanced hospital infrastructure, are setting the stage for establishing smart hospitals all over the world.

"Sensors, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Big Data analytics, and blockchain are vital technologies for IoMT as they provide multiple benefits to patients and facilities alike," said Varun Babu, senior research analyst, TechVision. "For instance, they help with the delivery of targeted and personalized medicine while simultaneously ensuring seamless communication and high productivity within smart hospitals."

Precision medicine made possible through IoMT offers caregivers opportunities to develop unique therapies tailored to the medical needs and attributes of each individual. Moreover, as IoMT-based medical systems are built on a feedback loop, the system automatically repeats feedback for better patient results.

Frost positions several technologies as playing important roles in enabling smart hospitals:

Big Data analytics: By using analytics to gain actionable insights, smart hospitals can employ digital prescriptive maintenance (DPM) of medical equipment. Big Data analytics can analyze electronic health records (EHRs) and hospital networks, control data for public health research, and reduce hospital readmissions.

Blockchain: Users of blockchain solutions can create modern models for managing and sharing medical records and patient health patterns within specified populations/communities. A blockchain network will bring together insurance companies, hospitals, and patients for hassle-free and well-integrated payments.

Artificial Intelligence: This technology collects the massive amounts of data generated by IoT to make inferences and predict medical diagnostics based on complex analysis algorithms. With the combination of IoT (for periodic control) and AI (for analysis process), connected healthcare monitoring devices will become "intelligent" over time.

"The main objective of IoMT is to eliminate unnecessary information within the medical system so that doctors can focus on diagnoses and treatment," noted Varun Babu.

Reflecting on its status as an emerging technology, Babu cautions technology developers need to offer standardized testing protocols so that they can convince hospitals of their safety and efficacy and make the most of their massive potential.

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Thais use tech to stay healthier https://futureiot.tech/thais-use-tech-to-stay-healthier/ Fri, 07 Sep 2018 09:54:41 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=1211 Thai consumers, today, are looking for ways to fulfil their desires to better themselves, according to new research from global market intelligence agency Mintel. Latest findings reveal that as many as four in five (79%) metro Thai consumers would like to have a healthier diet in 2018, while just over three in four (76%) would […]

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Thai consumers, today, are looking for ways to fulfil their desires to better themselves, according to new research from global market intelligence agency Mintel. Latest findings reveal that as many as four in five (79%) metro Thai consumers would like to have a healthier diet in 2018, while just over three in four (76%) would like to have a better work-life balance and 73% to exercise more.

About 48% of metro Thai consumers plan to adjust their diets over the next 12 months for their personal health and wellness. Of these consumers, while the majority (90%) plan to eat more fruits or vegetables, over half (53%) are looking to reduce their meat intake and 45% to follow a plant-based, vegetarian or vegan diet.

“Amidst rising income and rapid urbanisation, consumers in Thailand are embracing the benefits of personal wellness, and, as a result, are increasing their efforts towards self-betterment—be it physically, mentally or emotionally. Thai consumers are not only cutting back on their bad habits, but also paying more attention to what they are consuming. Our research indicates that customization can be a key player in consumers’ pursuit of bringing positivity into their daily lives. As well, instances of customization can be introduced in everyday products,” said Delon Wang, Trends Manager, Asia Pacific, at Mintel.

Meanwhile, it seems that the advancement in technology is shaping how Thais are consuming information and being influenced. Mintel research shows that over three in five (63%) metro Thais are getting their nutritional or dietary information from online searches and over half (54%) via social media or blogs. Further, three in five (59%) say that they are getting their beauty information from social media or blogs, while 56% through online searches.

According to Wang, with so many choices in the market, consumers may start skewing toward brands that help guide them in their purchase decisions and aid in their journey of self-betterment. To stand out against the crowd, brands should consider offering advice to help inform these decisions. “As reflected in our research, brands can leverage digital channels to ensure they are at the top of mind among Thai consumers, especially in this day and age where more and more consumers are moving online,” she added.

“Moreover, body trackers, wearables as well as consumer data will play a large role in the future, aiding customisation and guiding consumers with their choices. We can expect to see integrated features added to surroundings, helping consumers to better understand themselves and how their surroundings can affect them.”

“These present opportunities for brands and companies to reach out and target consumer movements based on lifestyle changes, and in this case, their pursuit of achieving their personal health goals. This aligns with Mintel Trend ‘Data Creators’ which discusses how consumers are creating data through their actions, movements and behaviours—all of which leave a trail and tell a story. Technology allows people to listen to this data, learn from it and react,” continued Wang.

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Spending on BDA solutions to reach US$260 billion in 2022 says IDC https://futureiot.tech/spending-on-bda-solutions-to-reach-us260-billion-in-2022-says-idc/ Sun, 26 Aug 2018 06:15:42 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=1067 The banking and manufacturing (discrete and process) industries will lead global spending on Big Data and Business Analytics (BDA) solutions. Together with professional services and federal/central government, these five industries, when combined, will account for nearly half (US$81 billion) of worldwide BDA revenues in 2018. The industries that will deliver the fastest BDA revenue growth […]

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The banking and manufacturing (discrete and process) industries will lead global spending on Big Data and Business Analytics (BDA) solutions. Together with professional services and federal/central government, these five industries, when combined, will account for nearly half (US$81 billion) of worldwide BDA revenues in 2018. The industries that will deliver the fastest BDA revenue growth are retail (13.5% CAGR), banking (13.2% CAGR), and professional services (12.9% CAGR).

IDC forecasts total global spend to reach US$260 billion in 2022, with the aforementioned industries reaching US$129 billion.

A new update to the Worldwide Semi-annual Big Data and Analytics Spending Guide from IDC forecasts worldwide revenues for big data and business analytics (BDA) solutions will reach $260 billion in 2022 with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11.9% over the 2017-2022 forecast period. BDA revenues are expected to total $166 billion this year, an increase of 11.7% over 2017.

"At a high level, organizations are turning to Big Data and analytics solutions to navigate the convergence of their physical and digital worlds," said

According to Jessica Goepfert, program vice president, Customer Insights & Analysis at IDC, the adoption of BDA is driven by the desire by banks to manage and reinvigorate customer experience. Manufacturers, on the other hand, want to reinvent themselves into high tech companies, using their products as a platform to enable and deliver digital services.

More than half of all BDA revenues will go to IT and business services over the course of the forecast. Services-related revenues will also be among the fastest growing areas of opportunity with a combined CAGR of 13.2%.

Software investments will grow to more than US$90 billion in 2022, led by purchases of End-User Query, Reporting, and Analysis Tools and Relational Data Warehouse Management Tools. Two of the fastest growing BDA technology categories will be Cognitive/AI Software Platforms (36.5% CAGR) and Non-relational Analytic Data Stores (30.3% CAGR). BDA-related purchases of servers and storage will grow at a CAGR of 7.3%, reaching nearly US$27.0 billion in 2022.

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Smart utilities highly vulnerable to cyber threats https://futureiot.tech/smart-utilities-highly-vulnerable-to-cyber-threats/ Sun, 26 Aug 2018 06:03:28 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=1064 The modernization of utility infrastructures is enabling increased efficiencies and reliability through digitization, connectivity, and IT-based approaches. Smart cyber assets are transforming both power and water grids, allowing operators to deploy and leverage a new generation of functionality and customer services. But the future of these modernization efforts remains at risk as authorities ignore the […]

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The modernization of utility infrastructures is enabling increased efficiencies and reliability through digitization, connectivity, and IT-based approaches. Smart cyber assets are transforming both power and water grids, allowing operators to deploy and leverage a new generation of functionality and customer services.

But the future of these modernization efforts remains at risk as authorities ignore the cyber security posture of these projects. This is exasperated by issues with adapting cybersecurity to OT environments and an overall lack of knowledge and expertise in bridging these divides.

The lack of sustained public support sends a deflated message to operators in the field about the importance of cybersecurity.

“Worryingly, both power and water utilities have reported advanced persistent threats which exploit flaws in industrial control systems. More critically, run-of-the-mill cyberthreats such as ransomware and DDoS attacks are increasingly affecting operator’s cyber-assets, both on the back and front-end. Cybersecurity must be a concerted effort by all stakeholders, including the public. With only partial support, the risks intensify,” warned Michela Menting, Research Director of Digital Security at ABI Research.

While power and water grid stakeholders will spend over US$8 billion globally on cyber-securing utility infrastructures in 2018, only a small portion of that will be dedicated to operational technologies and smart systems. Grid modernization efforts are an ideal time to start designing and integrating digital security and provide an opportunity for adapting existing mechanisms and processes to the OT space -  from industrial control systems to smart meters.

“Operators and other stakeholders should remain firm in their commitment to cybersecurity, despite the backseat public support. Fortunately, from a private sector perspective, a growing vendor ecosystem –  including companies such as CY-OT, ForeScout, Nokia Networks, Nozomi Networks, OSIsoft, Radiflow, Sierra Nevada Corporation, SkyBox Security, and Smart Energy Networks – is emerging to hopefully address these issues,” Menting concludes.

These findings and more can be found in ABI Research’s Cybersecurity in Smart Utilities report.

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IDC: APAC smart city tech spending to reach US$30 Billion in 2018 https://futureiot.tech/idc-apac-smart-city-tech-spending-to-reach-us30-billion-in-2018/ Mon, 20 Aug 2018 06:58:37 +0000 https://futureiot.tech/?p=1007 The most recent IDC Worldwide Semiannual Smart Cities Spending Guide expects spending on technologies that enable smart cities initiatives to reach US$30 billion in 2018 for Asia/Pacific excluding Japan (APeJ). IDC forecast the figure to reachUS$54.4 billion in 2022. Fixed Usual Surveillance, Advanced Public Transit, Intelligent Traffic Management and Smart Outdoor Lighting use cases are […]

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The most recent IDC Worldwide Semiannual Smart Cities Spending Guide expects spending on technologies that enable smart cities initiatives to reach US$30 billion in 2018 for Asia/Pacific excluding Japan (APeJ). IDC forecast the figure to reachUS$54.4 billion in 2022.

Fixed Usual Surveillance, Advanced Public Transit, Intelligent Traffic Management and Smart Outdoor Lighting use cases are seeing maximum impetus, representing more than 35% share of the overall spending in 2018 from US$25.86 billion in 2017.

During the forecast period the fastest growing use cases will be in Vehicle to Everything (V2X) Connectivity and Officer Wearables (Fitbit/smart glasses) at a five-year CAGR of 44.4% and 36.9% respectively.

"Cities in the Asia Pacific are challenged to continually deliver smart, liveable, and sustainable urban ecosystems by harnessing technology innovations and widespread collaborations. This also requires clarity around implementation policies that are focused on the building and financing of city infrastructures as well as new city digital services in the long-term," said Gerald Wang, Head of Public Sector at IDC Asia/Pacific.

"City governments need to continually analyse the impact of rapid advances in technologies on city transformation goals and create outcome-based metrics for future smart city investments. This approach requires a rethink of the way governments traditionally procure for technologies and innovative solutions," he added.

Hardware continue to account for the highest spending with 38.1% share of the overall spending in 2018 but the trend is likely to observe a linear growth of 14.4% over a five-year CAGR, thus reaching US$19.4 billion by 2022.

Services is the second largest technology spend at US$8.9 billion, and forecast to grow at a five-year CAGR of 18.4%. Growth will be mostly driven by State/Local Government segment, with the maximum usage of Fixed Visual Surveillance and Smart Outdoor Lighting use cases. These use cases attract considerable investment across the region.

Fixed Visual Surveillance will be the leading use case in China, accounting for 17.3% of China spending in 2018, mainly driven by increased demand for video information sources to track down the movement of citizens.

Investments in surveillance and facial recognition across the country will grow. China has deployed around 20 million security cameras, facilitated by Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology to locate and track criminals China will complete building its facial recognition and surveillance network nationwide, attaining nearly overall surveillance of urban residents including their homes through smartphones and smart TVs by 2020.

“Data-Driven Public Safety and Intelligent Transportation are the two priority investments centred around the region in response to growing urban population,” said Malini Swamy, market analyst at IDC Asia/Pacific. “However, we are also finding significant spending and growth in platform related and smart lighting related use cases, which are less often publicized but increasingly happening in cities around the region.”

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Connected devices drive global data traffic https://futureiot.tech/connected-devices-drive-global-data-traffic/ Wed, 01 Aug 2018 09:10:41 +0000 https://enterprisenews280918040.wordpress.com/?p=179 Image supplied by Ruckus Networks Worldwide data and video traffic is growing at double-digit rates, driven by an increase in connected devices. ABI Research predicts that Wi-Fi device shipments will grow to nearly 35 billion by 2022. Data and video traffic also will surge due to increased per-device data consumption driven by applications like 4K […]

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Image supplied by Ruckus Networks

Worldwide data and video traffic is growing at double-digit rates, driven by an increase in connected devices. ABI Research predicts that Wi-Fi device shipments will grow to nearly 35 billion by 2022. Data and video traffic also will surge due to increased per-device data consumption driven by applications like 4K video streaming, virtual and augmented reality and live-stream gaming.

The congestion of people, devices and bandwidth-hungry apps makes for challenges that current wireless tech cannot handle. Adding to the complexity of this environment are diversifying device categories and apps, such as instant messaging, IoT control messages and voice-over-Wi-Fi.

“Real-world use cases are bumping up against the limits of existing Wi-Fi standards, and the need for 802.11ax to address a wide variety of heterogeneous, high-density scenarios is clear,” said Chris DePuy, founder and technology analyst at 650 Group.

The new 802.11ax standard was designed for high-density connectivity, with the ability to support up to a four-fold capacity increase over its 802.11ac Wave 2 predecessor. With 802.11ax, multiple APs used in dense device environments are collectively able to deliver required quality-of-service (QoS) to more clients with more diverse usage profiles due to the use of orthogonal frequency-division multiple access (OFDMA) and multi-user multiple-in multiple-out (MU-MIMO) technologies.

Increased end-user expectations and application QoS requirements pose unique difficulties to network designers. Locations such as stadiums, public venues, train stations, and schools in which video content and applications are central to the curriculum, are representative examples.

According to Ruckus Networks the newly released Ruckus R730 marks the industry’s first IoT- and LTE-ready, 802.11ax wireless access point (AP). The high-capacity, 12 spatial-stream R730 works in concert with the new Ruckus Ultra-High Density Technology Suite to smoothly deliver high-resolution, latency-sensitive video in ultra-high density user environments such as stadiums, train stations and schools. In addition, the R730 complies with both the new WPA3 security protocol and Wi-Fi Enhanced Open for more secure connections on public networks.

The R730 includes embedded Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) and Zigbee radios and can be augmented with Ruckus IoT modules to support additional physical layer protocols such as LoRa. Using the Ruckus IoT controller, these separate networks and the IoT endpoints associated with them, can be managed, coordinated and connected to IoT cloud services as part a single, converged IoT access network.

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Impress customers with IoT https://futureiot.tech/impress-customers-with-iot/ Thu, 12 Jul 2018 10:21:39 +0000 https://enterprisenews280918040.wordpress.com/?p=165 Image by iStockPhoto/AntonioGuillem By Jayajyoti Sengupta, head, Asia Pacific, Cognizant IoT is already influencing the latest wave of digital transformation, or Digital 2.0. Banking, Financial Services and Insurance (BFSI) organizations need to work quickly to leverage IoT technology and reap its benefits. At the same time, business leaders will need to drive IoT development in […]

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Image by iStockPhoto/AntonioGuillem

By Jayajyoti Sengupta, head, Asia Pacific, Cognizant

IoT is already influencing the latest wave of digital transformation, or Digital 2.0. Banking, Financial Services and Insurance (BFSI) organizations need to work quickly to leverage IoT technology and reap its benefits. At the same time, business leaders will need to drive IoT development in tandem with data security and privacy, especially since the quantum and value of data is rapidly increasing across the banking value chain.

IoT is becoming increasingly commercialized and mainstreamed, making it easier for BFSIs to leverage the technology to meet consumer demand for digitally-enabled services. The end result will be richer, curated customer experiences across multiple touchpoints.

IoT driving big and thick data

The key benefit of integrating IoT devices into the workflows and digital business models of BFSIs is in the generation of big data and thick data. “Thick data” here refers to ethnographic and human behavioural data.

In combination with AI-driven analytics and machine learning algorithms, big and thick data can be combined to reveal deeper insights into customer intent and needs. This will lead to micro-segmented customer groups that can be more specifically targeted to make their experiences even more personalized.

We’re already seeing sustained experimentation and value discovery around such IoT applications. For example, a major credit card network working with Cognizant is using geolocation (mobile data) and other sensors (biometric) in credit and debit card transactions to enhance security.

Additionally, BFSIs can adopt “platform thinking” that provide value-added, one-stop experiences for customers. For example, smart car IoT data can be shared with insurance providers on open banking platforms to make insurance journeys automated and thus more convenient.

Enter the Internet of Payments

With the growing number of digital payments channels (mobile point of sale, near-field contactless, wearables, etc.) and the surge of smart devices and applications, consumers increasingly expect digital experiences to augment their physical settings. In addition to one-click or type-and-swipe access, consumers look for fast, convenient, personalized service at every touchpoint.

This presents an opportunity for BFSIs to integrate IoT into payments and consumer banking. This trend of integrating IoT into payments is dubbed the Internet of Payments.

The possibilities are endless with the Internet of Payments. For example, long queues at the cashier can potentially be eradicated. Consumers could use cloud-based apps on smartphones to scan purchases in-store and even pay for items before they enter the store.

Additionally, smart ATMs can also leverage IoT to improve user experiences, boost security, and provide advanced analytical capabilities. New services can include location-based messages or offers, wearables-based customer authentication and even predictive maintenance.

Overcoming the security and privacy hurdle

However, a key practical challenge in integrating IoT technologies is in security and privacy, such as the potential for exposing sensitive personal information, as well as device spamming or hacking. IoT poses some real risks to consumer privacy, including greater security exposures due to data-sharing across all connected devices, or the real risk of personal information falling into the wrong hands. BFSIs must take the necessary measures to ensure consumer confidentiality and security.

Businesses must consider data privacy in tandem with IoT implementation, not just to comply with laws such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), but also to build and sustain consumer trust in the brand.

Rather than looking at this challenge as a burden, the need to ensure data security and privacy is actually an opportunity for businesses to generate more revenue streams. Services such as tokenization, electronic identification and fraud detection can help consumers gain trust in digital banking and financial service offerings.

On the back-end, integrating IoT data with other Digital 2.0 technologies such as private blockchains can help to secure, verify and share data, to break through data silos across business units.

A balancing act to delight customers with IoT

At the core of the “bank of the future” is the creation of hyper personalized customer journeys. IoT is shaping up to be one of the most influential technologies of Digital 2.0, due to its ability to generate large pools of big and thick data – vital to creating tailored customer experiences.

However, the integration of IoT technology will prove to be a major balancing act. Digital acceleration will require a tighter focus on governance, as well as a conscious reshaping of the human workforce and related skillsets. At the same time, BFSIs need to determine the right balance between human and machine intelligence, because the human touch will prove to be a perennial customer need. Data security and privacy will also need to be ensured simultaneously.

For BFSIs, incremental innovations and progressive value discovery might prove to be the most effective way to sustainably and responsibly accelerate toward fully digital business models. Success will be driven by a clear leadership vision that steers commitment to customers’ needs above all else – be it in their user experiences or personal data privacy.

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Make money with data https://futureiot.tech/make-money-with-data/ Thu, 07 Jun 2018 23:30:14 +0000 https://enterprisenews280918040.wordpress.com/?p=58 Egidio Zarrella, Asia Pacific Head of Banking and Capital Markets at KPMG, believes that bank sit on huge amounts of customer data. The problem is that much of this data is stored in non-digital format making it difficult for the bank to consolidate all data about one customer into a single repository. How to convert […]

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Egidio Zarrella, Asia Pacific Head of Banking and Capital Markets at KPMG, believes that bank sit on huge amounts of customer data. The problem is that much of this data is stored in non-digital format making it difficult for the bank to consolidate all data about one customer into a single repository.

How to convert that data into meaningful information that can help a bank better serve the customer’s financial needs and in turn generate revenue for the financial institution is where the real quandary lies today.

Unfortunately, this predicament is not a bank exclusive. Nearly every business whose future hinges on their ability to hold on to their customer’s loyalty recognizes the imperative to understand their customer in ways akin to the mom and pop stores in small rural communities who have an intimate awareness of every member of the community.

And therein lies the renewed, almost manic, interest in analytics.

Practitioners and observers believe that the convergence of data and analytics will drive a shift change in how businesses compete and differentiate themselves.

Toos Daruvala, a director in McKinsey’s New York office, wrote that “every single major decision to drive revenue, to control costs, or to mitigate risks can be infused with data and analytics. [This] will be a differentiator for some period of time.”

What to do with the right data? McKinsey lists three main benefits of having granular access to data:

  • To capture a greater share of market segments and deeper penetration (wallet share) of existing customers
  • To increase the effectiveness of cross-selling, enhancing the ratio of products per customer as well as “customer stickiness”
  • To enhance the customer experience, based on a targeted approach to customer relationships, including greater focus on the direct sales force and aligned and enhanced high-function remote channels

Productizing data – challenge and opportunity

IDC predicts that by 2019, 40% of IT projects will create new digital services and revenue streams that monetize data. The analyst recommends that CIOs “focus on [new methods of] data monetization, productization, real-time orchestration, and service innovation,” while also looking at current systems to see where they can leverage that data for business purposes.

To prepare CIOs and their organizations for new monetization methods, IDC offers a few implementation suggestions, including:

  • Build a cohesive organization-wide strategy for data productization.
  • Put an innovation team in place that’s comprised of IT and business employees that review current and potential systems/applications that could be monetized.
  • Create information architecture to include internal and external data sources to enable instantaneous data analysis and market intelligence.
  • Establish a strong governance with full stakeholder involvement and a full range of automated policies.

In the MIT Sloan Management Review article “How to Monetize Your Data” by authors Barbara H. Wixom and Jeanne W. Ross, it was suggested that companies can take three approaches to monetizing their data: (1) improving internal business processes and decisions, (2) wrapping information around core products and services, and (3) selling information offerings to new and existing markets.

While each approach is very different in the types of capabilities and commitments required of the organization but they also represent an important opportunity for the organization to create a defining moment for itself in the marketplace.

Cyrus Daruwala, managing director of IDC Financial Insights Asia Pacific, reckons that a bank holds about 1 gigabyte of data for each customer.

“What I do, what I click, what I swipe, where I withdraw, where I use my ATM, my debit, my credit, geotagging, where I go, where I travel. I generate a truckload of data. How do you use it? Stop segmenting me as an individual in a database segment. Try and look at what it is I am doing. If my data shows that I travel a lot then create an ecosystem that caters to my travel schedule. Trending data can show you a lot about a customer. If you understood the when, where and how

Understandably there is more than one way to skin a cat, in this case, to monetize data. What is common to every industry and every business is the requirement to have management’s commitment to specific approach to tackling the opportunity and challenges that come with mining customer data.

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