Beijing is using kites fitted with sensors to measure smog levels.
Analyzing real-time data from sensors will allow us to prevent disasters − and make the buses run on time
Sensors, the tiny building blocks of the Industrial Internet, are getting cheaper and more efficient. The computing power of a typical advanced sensor has risen 10,000 times since the early 1990s, they cost less than $10 each and there are now nine billion machines connected to the Internet — a number that could double by 2016.
With all this connectivity, it's easier to widen the reach of clean technology, bringing the increased efficiency of big data networks to city infrastructures, electrical grids, water systems, traffic networks, hospitals, industries and individuals.
Putting sensors on transmission lines and sensor-based smart meters in buildings and homes can help utilities anticipate problem areas on the grid, before they get blown out in a storm. At GE Software's San Ramon centre in California, engineers use sensors and big data to build tools that analyze the relationships between weather, peak loads, humidity and poor turbine performance and electrical plants.
Using sensors to fine-tune fuel use in industries and at power plants can bring giant energy savings and the cleaner environment that comes with it. It's estimated that the worldwide power industry could save $4-billion from a 1 per cent gain in fuel efficiency. Aviation could gain $2-billion a year from a similar boost in fuel efficiency and, according to the U.S. Federal Aviation Agency, better air traffic management through coordinated big data could be worth more than $33-billion per year in the United States in saved time and fewer delays.
Sensors are already being used in some fascinating applications:
- Singapore has deployed a network of sensors and cameras to monitor water levels in its sewers and canals to prevent flooding. Residents automatically receive texts if one of them is threatening to overflow.
- The bus network was redrawn in Bangalore, India, to reflect the natural flow of commuters across the city, using real-time data from mobile phone towers, city- bus GPS transceivers and police traffic cameras.
- To warn residents about dangerous smog, Beijing is using kites outfitted with sensors and lights to measure and display overhead pollution levels.
- Hoping to sniff out potential terrorist attacks, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has developed Cell-All, a mobile phone sensor that continually samples the air for toxic compounds.
There's still a debate over how much in productivity gains we will enjoy from the sensor-connected Industrial Internet, though there's consensus that there will be gains and they can be seen already.
Big data brings new challenges too, such as the need to manage security and ensure the robustness of the worldwide network. These are growing pains for a growing network, whose traffic may reach the level of a million quadrillion bytes — a zetabyte — by 2017
For more innovation insights, visit www.gereports.ca
This content was produced by The Globe and Mail's advertising department, in consultation with GE. The Globe's editorial department was not involved in its creation.