Internet of things: A world of opportunities and responsibilities

Internet of Things (IoT): This word is appearing again and again in different conversations and one might think what would be the exact meaning of this term?

I recently read a document which said the data created by humans in past one year is equivalent to the data created during earlier 50 years. This statistic itself is self-explanatory showing the increase in the usage of different gadgets and overall interactions which give rise to further data creation. This data could be used to improve the current functionality of various devices or to create new products/services.

IoT will generally mean networking capability of the things which are other than our regular connected devices like mobile phones, computers etc.

The definition given by Oxford dictionary is “The interconnection via the Internet of computing devices embedded in everyday objects, enabling them to send and receive data”

So it will consist of various consumer products of daily use like toasters, mixers, televisions, refrigerators, cars, trucks, all types of vehicles, industrial goods will be interconnected.

The future is digital. Soon all the machines would be connected to the Internet and their usage, consumption could be calculated. There would be minimum human intervention. Basically, the concept of centralised monitoring of different devices and connectivity has existed for several years but with IoT, in the picture, these things are soon turning into a reality. The government of India is giving the much required digital push.

Secondly, as the data gathered will be huge in quantity i.e. big data, there has to be a proper segmentation of data. We will have to filter that data. We will have to choose the data for further use or processing. Implementing big data helps understand the complex data patterns but there are other challenges with big data like storage, security etc. But looking at the brighter side, big data management has given rise to more job opportunities as well.

Imagine you are on a weekly visit to the grocery store. While moving out from home your intelligent refrigerator informs you the list of the things which have to be refilled and it sends a message to your mobile. Your mobile phone shows the list of the nearby grocery stores with their updated stock information. While you are driving towards the store you get the alerts and updated status of the things. Depending on those alerts your self-driven car chooses the best possible grocery shop with all the required items on your mobile list for you. Few of these features have already started showing up at several places while rest are just a few years away.

Mainly IoT should help us in making life simpler and easier. That should be the main aim. Technology should help us in a positive way, simplifying our lives. It should not be restricted to the tech wizards. If that happens most of the population will run away from these changes and the expected development will not take place. Even if it takes place many would not get the desired benefit of the new technological advances.

These technical changes come with enormous opportunities but it also comes with its own threats to Privacy and Security. With the rise in data, there would be a rise in security and privacy associated with personal data. Whatever technological advances take place we should always have the control on the data/information being shared.  We should always keep one thing in mind that Man has created technology so though we are talking about interconnected things We as humans should always have a control on the technology.  Though the things would be interconnected and moving /working/operating once programmed, we as humans should have a total control on them and there has to be a balance of technical things. Too much or excess of anything turns into waste. So as a human being, it is our duty to maintain the balance and use technology to our benefit.