Big Data & the Internet of Things… How is it affecting your life?

Technology is advancing rapidly in front of our very own eyes. As we watch the advancements of phones, cars and many other things exceed what our expectations were 10 years ago, we can only imagine what the next ‘big thing’ is. An advancement I have found intriguing is the concept of “Internet of Things’ (IoT) whereby you can connect any device including mobile phones, coffee machines, headphones, lamps and almost anything else you can think of, with an on and off switch to the internet (Morgan,2014). This could be of great value to us as we live our ordinary lives. For instance on our way to work, our car could already be connected to a GPS that has analysed the best route to take, with minimal traffic. But this concept doesn’t just benefit individuals, it can have extreme value for cities, where it can connect to things like transportation networks, which could eventuate into improvements with energy use and efficiency. It is hard to imagine that something so well developed has still been left open for future opportunities which leaves us wondering where we could be and how it will impact our lives in the near future.

So how have we utilised such technological advancements to effectively ‘improve’ our lives? A company that is attempting to enhance the way we live is Nest. Today, lots of brands that we already use can connect to Nest, such as your Philips Hue lights and Wemo switches. An example with how Nest operates is when the music may be too loud to hear a smoke alarm, considering it is all connected to Nest it can turn the music down to help gain your attention when it detects smoke or carbon monoxide. And if that doesn’t interest you, Nest can also turn your lights or heater/air conditioning systems on using sensors that detect motion when someone enters the room. Also, in situations that may require action, Nest can turn on sprinklers outside if they detect smoke. Those days of flicking a light switch on and off manually are over, as we watch technology transform the way we live before our very own eyes (Nest, 2019).

Our daily activities leave a digital “footprint” whereby businesses can attempt to watch general traffic online. Big Data can be defined as the large volume of data- both structured and unstructured- that inundates a business on a day-to-day basis. Keeping in mind it’s not the amount of data that’s important, its what organisations do with the data that matters, which if analysed correctly can lead to better decisions and strategic business moves. So who uses big data? There are more industries than not using big data as it proves to be such an effective marketing tool. Industries like Banking, education, government, health care, manufacturing and retail all utilise Big Data in their own ways to benefit them. For instance, in the retail industry, customer relationship building is critical their operations. Retailers need to know the best way to market to customers, the most effective way to handle transactions, and the most strategic way to bring back lapsed business. Such accessibility provides many benefits for companies by understanding how consumers are using their digital platforms like social media, streaming data and publicly available sources, and if analysed correctly can lead to a very successful marketing campaign (SAS, 2019). A company that has used Big Data to great success is Netflix. Most people I know have a Netflix account, however all differ in slight ways as to watch they stream. Netflix develop trends based on our viewing habits to add and delete certain films to maximise the benefits for us as viewers to see more movies that interest us according to region, but also to maintain the amount of people subscribed. Moreover, they also use data to commission original programming content that appeals globally as well as purchasing the rights to films and boxsets that they know will perform well with certain audiences (O’Neill, 2016).

It’s interesting to think where we are headed in regards to such technology advancements, and the ways a company can utilise such activity to enhance their campaigns. Can you think of any opportunities that you can see developing in the near future regarding IoT, or think of a company that has used Big Data to great success? Let me know your thoughts below. Thank you again for reading this weeks blog posts. Look forward to hearing your thoughts.