Finding Solutions out of Data in the Era of Information Overload
IoT is considered as the 4th Industrial Revolution. It is not a new technology like others but a new way of combining existing technologies
Finding Solutions out of Data in the Era of Information Overload
IoT is considered as the 4th Industrial Revolution. It is not a new technology like others but a new way of combining existing technologies
In the era of Internet of Things, all our devices generate tons of data every day. According to a report from Cisco, The Internet of Things will generate 400 zettabytes (ZB) of data a year by 2018. A zettabyte is a trillion gigabytes (1 ZB = 10,00,00,00,00,000 GB).
DIKW pyramid
Turning these data into useful information and then moving up the DIKW pyramid is where the success lies for the IoT products.
Data
Information in raw or unorganized form (such as alphabets, numbers, or symbols) that refer to, or represent, conditions, ideas, or objects. Data is limitless and present everywhere in the universe. Let’s consider raw sensor data without knowing the purpose we cannot draw conclusions. For instance, let’s consider a soil moisture sensor. Which collects data at regular interval.
Pot attached with a Moisture Sensor
Information
Data that are processed to be useful. The information provides answers to who, what, where, when questions. If we consider the soil moisture sensor example the raw data alone will not be meaningful. So we aggregate these data and process this data into useful information.
Soil at different moisture levels
Knowledge
Applying data and information with the combination of experience to obtain meaningful interpretation. Knowledge provides answers to “How” question. In our soil sensor example if the soil moisture information indicates “dry” then the sprinklers are turned on with the previous knowledge that plants need to be watered when the soil is dry.
Water Sprinklers Turned On
Understanding
It is the process of comprehending the obtained knowledge and finding patterns in them. Knowledge provides answers to “Why” questions which are the key to any product. These were the machine learning algorithms comes to play. For example, in the soil moisture example, we can find patterns of watering intervals, the amount of water needed for a particular type of plant under different conditions of humidity, temperature, pressure etc.
Wisdom
Wisdom refers to the ability to use knowledge and understanding to make right decisions. For instance, with the understanding from the soil moisture, we can plan the type of plant suited for the optimal growth in a particular region, condition etc.
People Don’t Buy Devices, They Buy a Solution to a Problem
Information isn’t power anymore there are plenty of devices which gives us information. But the ability to make the right decision is, that makes the difference in business, that impacts the lives of the people. We should focus more on the solution, IoT is an enabler which acts as a catalyst. To be a successful IoT solution providers should focus on the top of the DIKW pyramid where the real value lies.