The internet of things is going to have a dramatic and far-reaching impact on the world that we can’t even imagine. By the year 2020, there will be somewhere in the vicinity of 28 billion sensors online. That’s more than four per person. And from there it will only multiply.
That means that there will just be tremendous amounts of data pouring in. More data then we can, at this point, process. In fact, we might never be able to process it as even as ramp up our ability to process data, the number of sensors is going to keep growing. You can almost see it as an arms race between the data and the ability to process it.
Even if we can’t process that data, it won’t just disappear. Instead, it will get dumped into huge servers, as the storage space for information continues to plummet and it becomes easier to just put things on disk than to do anything with them.
So what does all this mean for big data?
For one thing, it means that if you want to make sure that you can use this incredible river of data, you’ll need to start early. You’ll need to start picking and choosing what data to keep track of. After all, as all these sensors come online you can only pay attention to so many.
Here it will help if you’ve already got an experienced data team on call. Preferably, these aren’t just drones either, but people that can think innovatively and stay ahead of the curve in terms of what information comes in. In that way, they will be able to see the value of information for your business even as it starts coming online. In that way, you’ll know where it is “ preferably it will be on your own drives.
Data sensors will be everywhere
Though the majority of sensors will be in cities and close to natural internet hotspots, that won’t be all of it. There will be plenty of sensors that will be in the wild, like on farms, natural parks and everywhere else. Add to these that there will also be numerous mobile sensors on planes, trains, and automobiles (and let’s not forget about drones) and you can see that it should be possible to gather information about nearly anything that’s out there.
The trick will be knowing what information will be relevant to you. For that reason, you’ll need to start making a plan right now as to what you care about and why you care about it. Don’t stop there. Make sure that you revisit this question again and again as you get a better grasp on what the internet of things actually means.
Start planning for how you’ll receive that data
As I mentioned above, the amount of information that will be coming in will grow nearly exponentially in the years that are to come. For you to be able to deal with that information, you don’t just want a plan to know what to watch out for, but also a plan as to how you’re going to receive that data. Some strategies to consider are:
- Do you filter information before it gets sent out? This is a good way to limit the information that comes in but obviously, does mean that some information gets lost. And once it’s gone, it’s gone.
- Send data in packets. Another system is to wait for the data to reach a certain threshold before it is sent “ preferably at times when the network can handle it, like at night when the office isn’t overloaded.
- Use lossless algorithms. Then you can have people start working on algorithms today to compress data without actually losing any of it. Yes, this will mean you’ve got to divert some resources to having people create such an algorithm, but as it will mean much less strain on your network as well as mean you’ll be able to store the data more compactly, that should earn itself back. Sound like something your team can’t handle, then think about GetAcademicHelp to make sure you’re well prepared.
Whatever you do, don’t throw out data! There is no reason to do that and you never know what data will be good for in the years to come.
Focus your efforts on time series
One of the things that the internet of things will do is give you seniors who will constantly be sending your readings over time. That’s the best place to look for the potential to compress data. After all, you’ll rarely need the actual granularity that your data stream will offer.
For that reason, if your sensors are taking a thousand readings in 10 minutes, this might be a great place to compress your data. Perhaps, make it one reading per minute, or even one per five. This will cut your data by 100 or 500, depending on what choice you make. And that, In turn, will make it far easier to process that data at the time and afterward.
Consider where you’re going to store it
Another thing to think about is where you want to store the data. You see, considering how absolutely massive these files are going to be, moving them will be an incredibly time-consuming process. In fact, you might at one point reach a point where the data comes in faster than you can move it over!
Don’t let that situation occur. Instead, decide early where you want to store your data. There are two things that you’ll want to keep track of.
- How long will your data survive there? Not every type of data storage is created equal. If you want your data to stay around for a long time, make sure that you store it in the right place.
- How expensive is it? This is another important question. Particularly as the amount of data you’re collecting scales upwards even a cent can start to makes huge difference. So find a good plan and negotiate a good price.
On one of the best places to look for storage is probably a data lake. These will give you cheap storage that is long lasting.
What the future holds
You might think that sensory data is the same as other kinds of data. To some degree you’re right. There are some similarities. Don’t count on that meaning that everything will be the same however and that you can just continue as you are.
Here are some important points to consider:
Your data sensors will be incredibly dispersed, so you have to make sure that you take that into consideration when you’re designing your architecture. Some sensors might be out of touch for a long period of time. Is your program capable of taking these sensor’s data and incorporating them into the whole?
Make sure your algorithms are as lossless as possible. This will save you a huge number of headaches in the future, as you realize that there was something you could have been doing with that data all along but you didn’t because you weren’t aware of it. And now that you are? Well, the data is gone! Don’t end up there. Find ways to keep as much data as possible “ preferably all of it.
Math will be essential. As this kind of data and we’re not yet aware of what it all means and what it can all do, a lot of the software and algorithms that you’ll want to use haven’t been written yet. For that reason, make sure that you’ve got some strong mathematical people on your team, who can help you create the new algorithms that you need. In that way, when you chance on new ideas, you can actually execute them.
Find the right place to store it. As I previously said, as the amount of data you’re collecting stars, you really want to make sure that you are storing it in a place that’s both affordable and long lasting. Probably the best place is in a data lake, but if you can do things differently, then obviously be my guest.
Last words
The internet of things is going to change big data in ways that we can’t even imagine. We’re going to start collecting torrents of information that we initially might not know how to do with but will certainly be advantaged if handled correctly. For that reason, it’s important that we are ready to use them.
In that way, when you come up with a new solution and you’ve got a new idea, you’ll be able to execute immediately instead of playing oh, if we’d only done that’ game. In this way, you’ll be in a position to change your company and perhaps help change the world. Sound like too much? You just wait and see. The world is about to change in a big way. Now you can either take part or stand on the sidelines. It’s all up to you.
