From readings to results
The Internet of Things (IoT) is simply equipment that measures something and reports it over a network. A single reading tells you little. Readings collected over time, from many points, show patterns that help people run sites more efficiently, safely and reliably.
The examples below are kinds of use case that apply in each sector. They are a starting point for your own questions, not a fixed menu.
Use cases by sector
Each sector has its own priorities, but the same kinds of data recur across all of them. Where people and vehicles are counted, the system works on anonymous totals and movement: none of these use cases requires identifying anyone.
- Cities and public spaces: energy monitoring, air quality, traffic and pedestrian counts, park and plaza occupancy
- Industry and resources: tank levels, water flow and leak detection, equipment health, predictive maintenance, perimeter alerts
- Transport and logistics: yard and parking availability, vehicle counts, energy use per area, KPI reporting
- Commercial: occupancy and space use, temperature and humidity, utility outages, water leaks
- Government and institutions: energy and carbon reporting, building conditions, campus safety alerts
- Sports and venues: crowd flow and people counts, parking, field and facility conditions
Five obstacles that stop smart projects
Many smart projects stall before the first sensor goes up. The same five obstacles appear again and again, whatever the sector.
- Power: smart devices cannot run without it
- Connectivity: things need a network before they can be smart
- Vantage point: insight depends on where you observe from
- Disparate systems: new systems rarely work with old ones, and legacy systems cannot connect
- Right-of-way: property rights, permits and approvals, studies and assessments, insurance and liability
Building on lighting
Lighting already answers three of the five. The pole and its lighting already have power. Lighting almost always holds the best perch to see what happens around it. And because it is already approved and installed, most right-of-way hurdles disappear.
INTELIGHT is a converged platform that enables everything smart and IoT, and builds the infrastructure it runs on. It answers the other two. The INTELIGHT Edge device, one multi-communication-protocol device on a fixture or fully autonomous, provides the connection. The INTELIGHT platform, in the cloud, brings old and new systems together in one place.
Insight, foresight and action
Data earns its keep in three steps. Insight shows what is happening now, in reports and alerts. Foresight uses patterns in the data to predict what comes next, such as a pump likely to fail or a peak in demand. Action closes the loop: settings change, crews are dispatched or alarms are raised before a small problem becomes a costly one.