Maximising
the value
of IoT data
As IoT sensor deployments are expanded how
do you ensure that all stakeholders understand
how to integrate these new data sources
into existing data platforms? By Nick Sacke
objective is to combine it with other
data to create ‘data lakes’ that can
be dissected and utilised. While
many organisations and entities are
collecting this data at pace, they
are yet to mine that data effectively,
examining it to generate new
information and maximise its true
value.
As more IoT projects are deployed
and mature, vast volumes of data
points, potentially in the billions, will
be added to existing repositories.
Data is amassing at a significant rate
and will be valuable and useful to
organisations and citizens. Some data
may be designed to be collected and
actively shared with third parties, to
aid decision-making for communities.
An example of this is in smart
city infrastructure, where various
interested parties will want to access
particular data for planning, building,
or to improve service offerings.
On the other hand, there could be
conflicts in sharing data widely as IoT
rolls out. For example, there may be
an increasing number of data points
measuring climate and pollution, but
that could reveal data on a city’s
rising CO2 levels which results in
the city being held up to scrutiny and
fined. Measuring air quality levels
has now become a top priority as the
linkage between exposure to pollution
and susceptibility to the effects of
the new ‘mega-viruses’ has been
established. The balance of data
insight versus the potential societal
and commercial impacts could
become a complex issue to manage.
But first, the data has to be mined
and structured in a way that it can be
used, so there must be a system in
place around who has permission to
use that data. Is the data available
for free or on a commercial basis?
Or is the data confidential and
strictly for internal use only? Recent
developments with the opening up of
track and trace data during the Covid-
19 epidemic has overridden GDPR
concerns – will this become normal
practice to ensure health for our city
populations?
There is a lot of education going
on in the public sector about how
to use data, hiring data scientists
versus using third party resources,
how to assemble the tools to make
that data mining effective – getting
the right expertise on board is crucial.
Author details:
Nick Sacke is
Head of IoT
and Products at
Comms365
Many commentators
described data as the ‘new
oil’, and in the wake of the
current epidemic, it might start to be
viewed as a utility – a vital resource
essential to shaping, supporting,
securing and optimising, everyday life.
Through IoT deployments,
organisations are capturing more
data than ever before, but questions
around the use of data need to be
clarified. What is the value in the
data? How can it be made available
and used effectively to benefit
all stakeholders? How can it be
monetised, if at all? In light of GDPR
and the post-Covid-19 landscape,
these are important questions.
As IoT sensor deployments are
expanded stakeholders will need to
fully understand how to integrate
these new data sources into existing
data platforms.
Mining the data lakes
The use of IoT adds additional data
streams that organisations have not
previously been able to connect to
or explore. That data can be treated
as a standalone asset in the proof
of concept phase, but the ultimate
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