Yes, the Public Sector Is Embracing IoT!

By Tim Larkins, director, market intelligence

Most analysts agree that by 2021, over 20 billion Internet-connected devices worldwide will make up a market for the Internet of Things (IoT) worth over $2.5 trillion. That means a huge market opportunity for vendors providing technology at every point — from the user device to the platform itself.

In a nutshell, IoT allows devices to link and exchange data. It’s not a discrete technology like business applications or infrastructure or even cybersecurity. It’s more like a wrapper around all other technologies and is comprised of five major elements:

• The Edge: The devices, nodes and sensors actually collecting data
• The Gateway: Either a physical device or software that allows data to flow from the edge to the platform
• The IoT Platform: The operating environment, storage, computing power and development tools that receive data from the gateway
• Software Applications: Programs that let users solve business problems, working with data stored in the IoT platform
• Cybersecurity: The tools that protect all the nodes/sensors/devices at the edge and data transmitted through the gateway, platform, all the way to the user

Today, IoT opportunities in the public sector total well over $30 billion – and that number will continue to increase as IoT globally is expected to grow at a 20 percent CAGR over the coming three years.

Here’s what’s going on in government, creating opportunities for IoT providers:

Department of Energy – Waggle. The Waggle program funds a wireless environmental sensing platform created at Argonne National Labs. Data collected by sensors is processed at the gateway before being sent to the IoT platform. Waggle uses machine learning to reduce the amount of raw data sent to the platform with more effective edge analytics.

Department of Transportation – Terminal Automation Modernization and Replacement. TAMR is a perfect example of an IoT program under another name. Long part of the FAA’s NextGen initiative, the agency has made strides towards replacing legacy monitoring systems, leveraging new sensors, gateways, cloud platforms, analytics and cybersecurity tools to improve the effectiveness of the FAA’s mission.

Navy – Information Warfare Research Project. IWRP is a six-company consortium run by the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command to help the Navy adopt innovative solutions in 14 major technology areas, including embedded systems in the IOT.

Miami-Dade County – Strategic Miami Area Rapid Transit Plan. The SMART program exists to create and improve rapid transit corridors across Miami-Dade County. The county is pushing for a vehicle to infrastructure (V2I) connection to identify when a traffic signal is approaching, when an accident has occurred nearby or to use an alternative route to improve traffic flow.

State of North Carolina – North Carolina Government Data Analytics Center. The NCGDAC is evaluating sensors and connected devices to collect real-time information to improve traffic patterns, using machine learning for better freight management and artificial intelligence to defend against cyberattacks.

Over time, the public sector will need to set consistent standards and governance, and that will a long-term issue for vendors to consider. But today, technology vendors will have to consider the cost of not establishing a presence in the IoT space.

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This blog is adapted from an article published in Washington Technology magazine. The full article can be found here.