Friday, August 14, 2015

The Internet of everything sets sail

On the deck of a regatta-winning yacht, the #InternetofEverything inspires innovation. 

From CISCO

Countries, cities, and industries around the globe are becoming digital to capitalize on the unprecedented opportunity brought about by the next wave of the Internet: the Internet of Everything. Today’s competitive marketplace demands informed collaboration and instant access to accurate information.
Real-time data collection and analytics are crucial for effective performance, as are the connections between people, processes, data, and things.
This is the Internet of Everything, connected by Cisco.

On the deck of a world-class regatta-winning yacht sponsored by the Cisco Powered program, the Internet of Everything gives the crew a competitive advantage.
Network sensors use real-time data gathered by the Internet of Everything.
The yacht’s ruggedized platform combines boat sensor data; GPS, wind, and weather information; and a local Wi-Fi network to help the crew make critical decisions quickly.

In sailboat racing, as in business, crews are constantly responding to changing circumstances. Unpredictable conditions call for situational tactics, plus a long-term strategy for the race. Environmental factors such as wind shift or unexpected currents can completely change the game.
Although a slow boat may occasionally win with a lucky break, successful crews finish a regatta on top because they can make smart decisions in real time.

Cisco recently took IoE to the decks of the Foxy Lady 6 – a fierce competitor in the Asia Yachting Grand Prix, which takes place over the span of six months.
In a timeframe of two weeks, a series of IoT sensors, routers and wireless set-ups, and IoE advancements were installed to help the boat’s skipper and crew guide their race strategy and differentiate the Foxy Lady 6 as the competitor to watch.
Sponsored by Cisco Powered, the yacht was outfitted with a sensor network of components that used real-time, IoT-enabled data.
Mast and rig pressure, wind strength, boat speed, tidal current strength, and water depth measurements were just a few of the Big Data measurements the team was able to use to monitor race conditions.
(see Cisco blog)

Everything is Connected

On the boat, an immense amount of sailing data is collected and analyzed.
In the past, data was pulled from a variety of sources with disparate interfaces, formats, and protocols, which was time-consuming to organize and cumbersome to analyze.
Today, the entire network is an Internet of Everything solution, and the yacht’s big data is generated from an efficient on-boat network that sends real-time data to the crew locally and over Wi-Fi and cellular networks.

The yacht's data is fed through a B&G main processor and loaded via a Cisco IR910 Wi-Fi/cloud router to a laptop in the chase boat.
Mobile routing technology links the sensors in the boat and pushes data to the edge of the network—what Cisco calls the fog layer.
Here, the sensor data is efficiently analyzed locally in real time.
The racing vessel is also connected to cloud applications for data analytics, storage, and reporting.

Once everything is connected everywhere, analytics become the focus for innovation.
Sensors collect, store, and analyze data to optimize the boat’s speed in varying wind, sea-state, and tidal conditions. This integrated Internet of Everything platform provides a combination of fog computing, local Wi-Fi access, sensor aggregation, and 3G backhaul.
Interestingly, this new onboard technology was implemented in just two weeks.
Hundreds of thousands of measurements have been captured since that time, which allowed for ongoing analysis that helps the crew optimize the boat’s speed, sail-trim, and hull efficiency.

Technology has always played a role in the America's Cup.
But in the 34th edition, technology could be the difference between winning and losing.
Discover how Oracle Team USA deploys extreme technology for extreme performance.

Dramatically changing business by sea

The future-forward technology that enables a racing crew to make the real-time informed decisions that enhance a yacht’s performance in a regatta can be implemented by organizations with assets that are on the move, whether by sea, land, or air.

Imagine not just one sailboat, but rather fleets of cargo ships, trucks, and trains.

The Internet of Everything connects the unconnected, bringing together people, processes, data, and things to create new revenue streams, compete with disruptive competitors, deliver better experiences, and deploy new operating models that increase both efficiency and value.

When organizations re-invent themselves and see what’s possible when technology and business strategies come together, digitization becomes reality and innovation accelerates, turning data from anywhere into insights everywhere at sea.


Internet at sea with LEO micro-satellites :
Samsung theorizes globally affordable 5G Internet using low Earth orbit satellites

In the same time, the Internet at sea might soon become a lot more accessible, thanks to a proposal issued by Samsung that would loan the world an extra zetabyte of bandwidth every month.

The proposal describes a system requiring the deployment of 4,600 inexpensive Low Earth Orbit micro-satellites (LEO) positioned about 1,500 kilometers from Earth’s surface, much lower than a typical geostationary satellite. (see DigitalTrends article)

Links :
  • Microsoft : Royal Caribbean sets sail with IoT (YouTube)
  • Terepac : One Marine
  • Forbes : 7 Ways America's Cup champions sail like successful IT teams
  • TechWorld : Hyundai building smart ships for data-driven sailing

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