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transmit and use this data, wearables are
one of the most promising IoT applications
in healthcare.
Can smart cities be scaled? A team of
tech providers (including Cisco), the UK
government and the city of Manchester are
trying to answer that question with a project
called CityVerve. CityVerve is developing IoT
infrastructure for everything from culture,
healthcare, energy and travel, making
Manchester a more sustainable city while
also providing a blueprint for others.
3. SMARTER AGRICULTURE
From massive agribusiness players like Cargill
to small organic farmers, growers all over
the world are using the Internet of Things
to reduce their consumption of water and
fertilisers, cut waste and improve the quality
or yield of their products. Examples range
from tracking microclimates across cropland,
to closely monitoring temperature changes
and humidity levels as perishable goods move
from field to warehouse to store in order to
extend their shelf life and eliminate waste.
California’s recent historic drought forced
many growers to search for ways of using
less water. Tech providers are helping them
with tools such as drone imagery and soil
sensors, which measure real-time conditions.
According to The Nature Conservancy, such
precision agriculture can enable farmers to
cut water and fertiliser use by up to 40%,
without reducing yields.
4. CUTTING FOOD WASTE
Around one third of all food produced for
human consumption every year is lost or
wasted somewhere along the supply chain,
according to the Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations. That’s
1.4 billion tons of lost nutrition for a growing
planet. The Internet of Things can minimise
crop losses and increase productivity.
For example, through a combination of
advanced cameras, sensors, weather stations
www.intelligentcio.com
“
THIS NEW
TECHNOLOGY IS
EMPOWERING
USERS TO MAKE
MORE INFORMED,
DATA-BASED
DECISIONS ABOUT
OUR SHARED
RESOURCES.
and artificial intelligence, Israeli startup
Prospera can help farmers respond quickly
to problems while also boosting productivity
by as much as a third. Shrini Upadhyaya,
a Professor at the University of California,
Davis, devised a wireless sensor system to
continuously monitor leaf health, which
helps farmers know exactly where and how
much they need to irrigate. And throughout
rural Africa, startups such as Farmerline and
ArgoCenta are using mobile technology and
Big Data platforms to empower smallholder
farmers who need access to market data
quickly in order to cut waste, improve
operations and digitise their supply chains.
5. CONNECTING PATIENTS
The Internet of Things can transform the
healthcare industry by helping doctors gain
faster access to patients’ data. Wearable,
Internet-connected sensor devices that
track a patient’s heart rate, pulse, or even
blood pressure, are increasingly affordable,
compact and accurate. While there is still
some debate over how to safely collect,
Increasingly, technology is also helping
doctors and other medical professionals
monitor the well-being of patients who live
independently. Sensors, or even robotic
assistants, can alert caretakers if patients
forget to take their medicine or do not leave
their bedroom by a set time.
As mobile technology proliferates across
the developing world, healthcare workers
are finding new solutions for profound
challenges. In response to the 2015 Ebola
outbreak in West Africa, Scripps Translational
Science Institute brought together medical
device companies to test a patch with
integrated sensors to track heart rate, blood
oxygen saturation, respiration rate and
temperature. The device, which transmits
data over Bluetooth, reduces physical
interaction with people who may be infected.
6. FIGHTING BREAST CANCER
Breast cancer is the most common cancer
among American women. While screening
and treatments have improved survival rates,
traditional mammography may not detect
a tumour until the disease is advanced. The
iTBra, developed by Cyrcadia Health, could
help doctors diagnose breast cancer much
faster. It consists of two breast patches with
embedded sensors that track temperature
changes in breast tissue over time. The
data is transmitted wirelessly to the user’s
mobile phone and shared securely with her
healthcare provider. By applying machine
learning and predictive analytics to this data,
doctors could identify abnormal patterns
indicative of early stage breast cancer.
Cyrcadia is beginning to test the product
in Asia, where breast cancer rates are
exceptionally high, but the technology holds
promise for women across the globe.
These are just some examples of how the
Internet of Things is helping cities, farmers
and healthcare providers improve lives
around the world. This new technology is
empowering users to make more informed,
data-based decisions about our shared
resources. Whether those users live in a
crowded city or on a remote farm, the
Internet of Things can connect them to a
better future. n
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