IoT Definition (Source – Wikipedia):

The Internet of Things (IoT) is the network of physical objects or "things" embedded with electronics, software, sensors, and network connectivity, which enables these objects to collect and exchange data.

The Internet of Things allows objects to be sensed and controlled remotely across existing network infrastructure.

Much has been talked about and written regarding IoT over the last 3 years. As an industrial measurement & control engineer, I have been involved connecting to sensors and actuators for over 30 Years and the second line above encompasses my primary job title & function extremely well (Measurement & Control).

The top line suggests these devices/objects (things) are embedded with electronics, software and have network connectivity. Sadly, I have to admit some of the early ‘things’ I worked with were not electronic, had no software and any ‘networking’ was a pipe with some air pressure representing the measurement!

Luckily, I feel that I have been privileged to work during the introduction of electronics, computers, software and networking in a field of work I still enjoy, still find challenging and have had to continuously train and educate myself in.

So ... how can an ‘old’ measurement & control engineer possibly explain something as modern and complex as IoT? It is often about breaking the systems down to simple components. Also, I have been sensing, controlling, networking, recording and reporting ‘things’ for more years than I care to recall! (almost 40 Years! – you’d think I’d consider a career change by now?)

Opportunities - Let’s Break It (IoT) Down

I am going to use a simple Temperature sensing device as an example of an IoT ‘thing’. Temperature devices are available in many different shapes, sizes, accuracies, ranges (0-100^oC) and prices. Historically, we would see them used widely in the manufacturing process and they would be industrially hardened devices and provide an electrical signal representative of the temperature range (4-20mA). They can be used in the storage, warehousing and distribution networks. These devices may change appearance and specification – battery operation and embedded data logging as an example. If we move out of what we would consider the ‘obvious’ supply chain environment, we may see different temperature ‘things’ embedded in ‘smart watches’, ‘smart phones’, personal health stations.

The latter temperature ‘things’ would immediately be identified by many as part of IoT but what about the industrial device with a 4-20mA electrical signal? Well, I have been networking many of these ‘things’ indirectly to supply chain systems for many years providing useful information in predominantly the manufacturing and storage/warehousing sectors.

So, if a temperature ‘thing’ can connect to a local enterprise network or the World Wide Web, (directly or indirectly) it can be considered a ‘Thing of the Internet’

It is easy to see, understand and realise the benefits of measuring, controlling and recording temperature data within manufacturing, storage/warehousing and distribution. We already have web based logging & reporting tools, email & cellphone alarm systems, smart phone remote viewing. These can all be considered part of IoT.

It becomes more difficult to realise the benefits and opportunities when it comes to personal, domestic and consumer goods ... or does it?

This depends on the viewpoint?

Personal

Doctors may be more interested in patients personal temperature data. IoT could provide a means to ‘trigger’ Doctor’s appointments or interventions. Patients with certain disorders may find this life-saving.

Domestic

Ambient temperature ‘things’ could be used to change ‘smart thermostat’ settings on fridges or geysers. Electricity Generation companies could find this most helpful.

Consumer Goods

Television/ Fridge temperature ‘things’ could be used to alert us of impending failure or insufficient capacity, food spoilage. Appliance suppliers may be able to take advantage of this information.

Just by considering temperature as a single example, we can see the IoT can open up huge benefits and opportunities.

Challenges – Why isn’t everything connected to everything already?

I can use my ‘old’ measurement & control engineer experience again! There are a few simple headline answers to the above question which highlight the challenges, namely:

Infrastructure

Can we (and do we want to) connect all of our ‘things’ to the network/Web?

Do we have the bandwidth available? (bits of information and frequency required)

Can we afford the necessary bandwidth?

Cable, Wi-Fi, ADSL, 3/4G, Satellite (what do we need?)

Security

Will our data be safe and private?

Will our actuators be safe and secure? (Temperature Control ‘thing’)

Integration

Not all ‘things’ speak the same language (there is no standard IoT language/protocol)

What other components (more ‘things’) and software is required?

Is there any licensing required?

Process of Integration – Let’s look again at a simple temperature example

Measuring, controlling, recording and reporting temperature within a manufacturing or storage/warehousing installation would be too simple so I am going to use distribution as the supply chain sector.

We have a temperature dependent product that ships from our Cape Town Factory to a distribution centre in Washington DC. We use containerised road/sea freight and we want to monitor down to carton ‘granularity’. This allows us to monitor smaller lots after the container is opened for further distribution within the USA.

Our first challenge is finding a product that can:

Connect (Ethernet, Wi-Fi, 3/4G)

Meets Accuracy

Records Data Locally (Embedded Memory)

Accepts Wide Range of Power Sources

Low Power Consumption (Battery Operation)

Can Be Re-Used / Multi-Used(Return Goods Trip – Small, Light and Robust for ‘Repatriation’)

Is Economically Viable

We found a product!!! – How do we connect that into our systems? (This could be a collection of products)

Our ERP system accepts links to other databases and office tools, how can we get the temperature data into the right tables? This is most likely a software requirement with a tool that can communicate with the temperature ‘thing’. The tool most likely needs to run on a separate PC device which in turn needs to have secure access to our ERP servers (check with IT department). Do we need redundancy? (what if the PC device running the communications link fails?).

Ok, we’ve tested the temperature ‘thing’ and we can connect to it with Wi-Fi and the data is appearing in the right tables. We need to make sure we have Wi-Fi available in the container to read all the cartons. Also, we need a 3/4G router that can connect to South Africa and USA service providers – this could be a multi SIM solution and/or a collection of routers.

Some of the shipping agents provide on-board Internet connection, we need a satellite router for those that don’t.

If we are loaded deep in the hold, we may have no connection, we need to test the embedded logging has sufficient capacity. We also need to check the ‘handshaking’ between our server and the ‘thing’ so the ‘thing’ knows what data we have uploaded already (saving on bandwidth and data costs).

Process of Integration – (Alternative)

• Product ‘Thing’

  • Accuracy

  • Connectivity

  • Power

  • Price

• Communication

  • Software Tool (Raw Temperature Data to Database Link)

  • Hardware To Run Software Tool above

  • Network Infrastructure (Cable, Fibre, Wi-Fi, 3/4G, Satellite, Switches, Routers)

• Security

  • Firewalls, Encryption, Anti-Virus Protection
    
    

Supply Chain Examples

Planning

If I take the liberty of encompassing sales and forecasting into planning, IoT could offer some opportunities I cannot even start to imagine right now. Depending on the company and services in question, this kind of information could be:

• Available stock world-wide (in real time)

• Quantity On Hand in Vending Machine ZA21290467

• Temperature & Humidity on Durban North Beach

• Number Of Runners in Johannesburg

• Number of Diabetics Low on Insulin
  
  

Sourcing & Procurement

Obvious opportunities lay in having accurate stock figures for re-order points, perhaps less obvious is the automated process that can be implemented with data from across different business units. This could add future challenges of personnel equipped to handle the rise in complexity of technology and algorithms related to automated procurement.

Manufacturing

Manufacturing have been using sensors and actuators for years. They have become better integrated, easier and cheaper to network and more intelligent. One area I have presented on before is the simple, affordable implementation and use of this information within the supply chain. I still believe manufacturing ‘things’ will become easier to connect, more affordable and potentially offer us more functionality or embedded intelligence. This may be driven from the abundance of ‘consumer’ type sensors – smart phone health & fitness type ‘add-ons’.

As I have presented before – care needs to be applied in what is measured, how frequently is it logged and what tools are used in reporting.

With machines becoming more intelligent, more diagnostic, better connected I see manufacturing evolving to the scenario I see with TV’s and TV Technicians – does anybody fix them anymore? Can anybody fix them anymore?

This is a concern I have for the future generally – we are losing the ‘middle technicians’ The OEM’s have perfected, advanced and made their products so complex, we no longer have the skills required to repair these machines.

Distribution

With the cost of ‘networkable’ sensors reducing and network infrastructures becoming quicker, cheaper, simpler to implement and covering the entire globe, distribution has already realised opportunities to track, monitor and report on products, services and personnel in distribution.

I see new, cheaper sensors becoming available (driven from the smart phone sensor market).

Conclusion

Various analysts and studies are predicting 50 billion IoT ‘things’ by 2020 (more things than people). Infrastructures will be challenged, security threats will grow and the proliferation of data could become more confusing than useful.

I believe communication standards will emerge making the data easier to share across products, brands and disciplines.

Because the basic requirements of the data remain the same – control or monitoring purposes (I don’t normally look at data for entertainment), we often know what we want to measure, control, record and report on ahead of time. (Is that demand driven!!??)

I still strongly believe we can leverage simple, affordable (and open) technologies and solutions in the supply chain.

I fear some of IoT developments are similar to other emerging technologies I have seen previously – they are ‘supply driven’. I have lunched with World leading technologists and they often implement technology without knowing why. I was told “The Sales & Marketing Guys will figure out why you would want that”.