The Internet of Things (IoT) is the capability of physical products to transmit data over a network.; however, its impact goes beyond adding the internet to devices. It provides an opportunity to create new value for organizations and their customers through data models.
At the center of this value are data models. These models deliver usage analytics, product support metrics, and operational insights that teams can monetize to create new products and services.
Three ways to create value with IoT
When organizations adopt IoT, value typically emerges in three key areas.
- Build better products: Introducing data to devices can extend their functionality.
- Support products better: Knowing how products are being used reduces the time and effort to diagnose, support, and improve system problems.
- Operate products better: IoT can put a pulse on products, allowing organizations to understand their current state. Preventative maintenance, location tracking, and system health can enable organizations to be proactive in delivering value.
Exploring IoT with BLE
One common approach to enabling IoT is Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE). Specifically, BLE is a variation of the Bluetooth standard designed to minimize power consumption. The Bluetooth Special Interest Group introduced it in 2009 as part of the Bluetooth 4.0 specification.
Because of its efficiency, BLE has become a popular option for embedding IoT capabilities into products. It offers many benefits including:
- Low manufacturing cost
- High-speed data transfers
- Long-term battery life
- Small form-factor can be embedded easily
- Mesh networks provide non-hierarchical data relay capabilities (ie: large sensor networks)
Although BLE is proximity-based, teams often link it to an internet-enabled bridge that relays data to the cloud. From there, they develop data models.
Major cloud service providers (like AWS IoT Core and Azure IoT Hub) offer enhanced data capabilities like machine learning, advanced analytics, and secure data persistence.
Healthcare
The Healthcare industry stands to benefit from IoT in numerous ways. IoT extends a healthcare provider’s ability to serve patients through enhanced medical equipment, augmented physician capabilities, and more descriptive patient data. As a result, IoT data models give insurance companies better metrics to assess risk more accurately and reduce overall costs.
Adding IoT to healthcare systems delivers data on equipment usage, patient care patterns, and procedural improvements that help manage or prevent disease faster and with less risk.
For example, during the COVID-19 pandemic, ventilators became scarce. As a result, IoT-enabled ventilators can provide data on location, usage levels, and potential maintenance needs. Healthcare providers can track, distribute, and maintain ventilators with data-driven decision making. In the long term, these data models can be used to design and re-engineer ventilators with a enhanced understanding of their current limitations.
Conclusion
Augusto has developed IoT systems using a variety of technologies, including:
- AWS IoT Core
- Azure IoT Hub
- Various microcontrollers
- Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE)
- Embedded systems software development
- Cloud Architecture development
IoT is transforming the internet and is quickly becoming an integral part of consumer, industrial, commercial, and environmental systems. With well-designed data models, there is measurable value across industries like healthcare by reducing costs, lowering risk, and improving performance.
Call Augusto for fast, convenient, and seamless support
If you’re exploring IoT solutions, Augusto can help you move quickly and confidently. Schedule an intro call today to see how our IoT-centric approach can modernize your systems and unlock new value.
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