Internet of Things - Description

Broadly defined [1] as building connections between the virtual world and physical objects, the Internet of Things (ioT) is comprised of many different technologies ranging from wireless communication, sensor networks, and various forms of computing to radio frequency identification (RFID) systems that use standards established by GS1 [2]. The first mention of the concept was eight years ago in an article published by Forbes [3]. Since that time scientific and engineering advancements now warrant global attention for ioT as a rising technology capable of disrupting established practices in a wide range of industries.

Essentially ioT entails extending computing and the Internet into everyday applications as a means of improving convenience along with new ways of doing things quicker. Creating an infrastructure to support such a transition represents the next step in the evolution of the Internet beyond its current, predominate function as a repository for static information contained in web pages written with HTML [4].

Though the effort to establish the ioT is significant and challenging, the advantages in terms of new business creation, profits, and value to society are perhaps even more significant. Conceivably, almost every aspect of modern life could become more efficient through the novel commercial application of ioT. In this regard the technology is ubiquitous, fulfilling the vision [5] of computing initially conceived during the 1990's.

For more information on the 2010 Internet of Things conference, please see the following link:

http://www.iot2010.org/

REFERENCES

1. Mattern, Friedemann, Floerkemeier, Christian, 2010. From the internet of computers to the internet of things. Distributed Systems Group, Institute for Pervasive Computing - ETH Zurich, working paper.

2. GS1, http://www.gs1.org/ (Oct. 6, 2010)

3. Schoenberger, C.E., 2002. The internet of things. Forbes, Mar. 18.

4. Schuster, Edmund W., Allen, Stuart J., Brock, David L., 2007. Global RFID: The Value of the EPCglobal Network for Supply Chain Management. Springer: Berlin, 233-235.

5. Weiser, Mark, 1991. The computer for the 21st century. Scientific American, 265:9, 66-75.