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An IoT augmented world will have trillions of sensors, feeding into billions of intelligent systems, running on millions of applications
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Internet of Things (IoT), seemly a very new idea, actually traces its roots back to 1999 in the precincts of MIT, a hallowed institution which has always been a hotbed of innovation. Many believe that IoT is simply that point in time when the number of “objects or things" connected to the Internet exceeded the number of people on this planet. In 2003, there were 500 million devices that were connected, and the human population was 6.3 billion. That was “only" about 0.08 device for every person. The concept of IoT as we know today did not exist then, because the number was relatively small and smartphones were yet to be introduced, which would eventually distort the ratio beyond recognition. By 2010, there were 12.5 billion connected devices for 6.8 billion people. About 1.84 devices per person. In 2015, it is estimated to be 3.47 devices per person (25 billion connected devices and 7.2 billion people). If it goes like this, 6.5 devices per person is envisaged in 2020. By these estimates, 2008-09 would have been the time when it happened. An IoT augmented world will have trillions of sensors, feeding into billions of intelligent systems, running on millions of applications.
Globally, governments’ focus in IoT has been a function of intensity of commitment and use case coverage. Countries such as China, Australia, the US, Germany and the European Union have a high level of penetration. Whereas, Malaysia, India, South Korea, Japan and Singapore fall in the mid-range. The Chinese government, in its 12th five-year plan, has made a commitment of $800 million and allocated 23 sq. km area for IoT, in one of the SEZs. Both the US and Australia are focusing on building a strong broadband network, a pre-requisite for smart cities. Germany has proposed heavy usage of IoT in manufacturing and though the EU is equally upbeat, concerns around data security are still being averted.
In India, the smart city and digital India campaign will leverage IoT to bring about change. Addressing and solving problems that large cities are crippled with is about being different (smart). Issues such as transport system, parking, lighting, waste management, water management, women’s safety, etc., are areas with varying degrees of concern.
We will need sensors at strategic points to collect data, applications to analyse this data and analytics to ensure quick decision making. Other sectors such as agriculture, health services, energy, and disaster management can supplant the way things are done with IoT. Besides direct applications of IoT, the IT industry can provide allied services such as analytics and applications just as well.
The participation and collaboration of key stakeholders (government, industry and citizens) at appropriate stages is crucial, as much as effective policies, selection of essential domains and emphasis on problem solving. Ultimately, it is about increasing value for stakeholders and bringing down cost. The framework of the proposed IoT policy has five vertical pillars—demonstration centres, capacity building and incubation, R&D and innovation, incentives and engagements, human resource development—with two effectual horizontal supports, standards and governance structure.
For example, demonstration centres will identify, prioritize and then develop five domain-specific strategies such as green buildings, smart grids, industrial monitoring, healthcare, telematics, etc. An initial funding of ₹ 125 crore through the public-private partnership route is expected, where private firms are required to put in an equal amount. The government will promote institutional capacity building with ERNET (Education and Research Network) as the nodal agency, and 15 other academic/institutional partners. Under this programme, the government will fund to create resource centres and test-beds as a common experimental facility. National Centres of Excellence (CoE) for IoT (CoE-IoT) will be set up to host incubation infrastructure that will support start-ups, SMEs, students and other innovators. Nasscom and allied bodies will liaise with industry while ERNET will provide the academic interfacing. Initially, there will be five such centres for a period of five years, and each centre (at an estimated cost of ₹ 35 crore) will provide for a 40-seater facility. For this alone, ₹ 100 crore is likely to be allocated by the government and the remaining will have to come from the industry.
The R&D and innovation initiative in the IoT policy framework will identify core members of R&D in each field of technology, promote cloud-based open source projects and initiate test labs for hardware-to-hardware and hardware-to-software integration. There would be incentives and engagements to attract venture funds in related domains such as memory processors, sensors, low-power devices and solar electronics. The human resource development focus, across levels, will create IoT education and awareness programmes in the department of electronics and information technology (DeitY) for developing specific skill sets.
These are some of the big-bang approaches that are likely to come about and ensure that things happen as per plan. The committees—advisory committee, governance committee and programme management unit—will have to work in collaboration and see the project through.
If IoT is about connecting devices seamlessly, then stakeholders will have to ensure that collaboration between departments, various bodies, industry, academia and such other happen just as smoothly. The efficacy of this project will largely be determined by how easily disparate structures are able to work together, yet retaining their USPs and strengths.
The 2020 vision of creating a $15 billion IoT industry for India is within reach, provided we work now, work fast but most importantly, work with people and ideas which may be very different from our own.
K.S. Viswanathan is vice-president at Nasscom.
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