Electricity + Control June 2017

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to see where there are leaks, or where additional capacity is needed,
and so on. Ultimately, this helps them better serve their customers
and become more efficient at the same time. In the future, this will
be the only way utilities can run their businesses.
As the applications and uses of IoT continue to increase, so will
the need for networks that are designed to ensure stable, secure
and effective transmission of data. In 2015, US electric utilities had
about 64,7 million smart metering installations. As of 30 September
2016, there were 4,05 million meters operated in smart mode by
large energy suppliers in domestic properties across Great Britain.
Japan's largest electric utility, Tokyo Electric Power Co, expects to
deploy 27 million residential smart meters within its service territory
by the time the Japanese capital hosts the Olympic Games in 2020.
These are just three drops in the IoT ocean.
Conclusion
Compare that to the fact that, according to the US Fed-
eral Aviation Administration, more than 770 000 drone
registrations have been filed in about 15months in that
country. Researchers predict that the global wearable
medical devices' (like heart monitors and hearing aids)
market will witness a high double digit growth during
2016 - 2022. The data these devices transmit is going to
become increasingly important to the way humans live, whether
it is recording images from the sky, or howmuchwater we consume in
our houses. Without a secure and effective network, the full potential
of this data will never be completely unlocked.
IoT: Data and
Devices for a
Brave New World
Sean Laval, Comsol Networks
CONTROL SYSTEMS + AUTOMATION
Since 2010, predictions for growth in the Internet of Things (IoT) have
been staggering, and one thing has become clear: IoT is growing
worldwide.
take note
However, the true value in IoT is not in the devices. The network,
devices, and all of the pieces are there to allow organisations
to gain value out of the data the IoT generates. The ‘how’
of IoT is therefore just as important as the ‘what’ of IoT − the data.
All of the data in the world is useless if it can not be interpreted
and acted upon by the business. IoT data should be used as a near
real-time feed to help hone decisions and accelerate action. Imple-
menting an IoT solution should ideally be accompanied by the correct
software tools to extract maximum value from the captured data.
An example of this is the data collected by Fitbits and other
monitoring devices. Health insurers have started looking at using
this information to lower their exposure to risk. Yet they are
only starting to benefit from this wealth of data and there
is much more potential in predicting illness, analysing
heart rate data patterns over time for early detection
of cardiac conditions, and so on.
Smooth data collection and analysis
The fact that the IoT encompasses so many different
kinds of devices may seem to exacerbate the problem,
but the way the IoT network is set up goes a long way to
ensuring smooth data collection and analysis. Using Low Power
Wide Area Networks (LPWANs), millions of connected devices can
transmit their data over long distances, providing reliable commu-
nication with built-in redundancy. This assists with data integrity
and allows companies to start actioning the data they are collecting.
While IoT is still associated with Fitbits and smart fridges for
many people, it is becoming a foundational business tool for most
industries, with every sector from utilities to the military using con-
nected devices to analyse data in order to derive the insights they
need to pursue their goals. IoT is becoming so ubiquitous that the
smart cities of the next few years will be unable to function without
effective IoT networks.
Utilities
Utilities, for example, have been investing heavily in smart meters
and other sensors. These devices measure and record the utility’s
infrastructure, including usage. This data allows utilities to provide
accurate bills as well as enable better planning – the data allows them
As Technical Head of IoT at Comsol Networks, Sean Laval over-
sees the deployment of the company’s national LoRa network.
Enquiries: Email
• All the data in the world is useless if it cannot be
interpreted and acted upon.
• Implementing an IoT solution should be accompanied
by the correct software tools to extract maximum value
from the captured data.
• Without a secure and effective network, the full po-
tential of the data will never completely be unlocked.
29 June ‘17 Electricity+Control