Thymo Alliance

Thymo Bulletin January 2010

// January 2nd, 2010 // No Comments » // Uncategorized

The decade of the Internet of Things

The first Thymo bulletin was opened by 90% of the sixty people it was sent to. A small group, yes, but clearly one consisting of individuals who appreciate that the Internet of Things will play a pivotal role in defining their organisation’s marketplace and success this decade*, and perhaps their personal success too.

You may have been amongst the early adopters and experts in so-called Web 1.0, or latterly Web 2.0, and you are now part of a group that will form the leading edge of the Internet of Things and all its ramifications, both in thought and in action.

In our second bulletin here we have collated some of the most interesting news and projects focusing on the sensor facets of the IoT.

If this bulletin has been forwarded to you by a colleague, you can subscribe directly to future editions here (indeed, the circulation this time includes a dozen new subscribers).

We’ll be in touch shortly to let you know of our first face-to-face event… an opportunity for you to meet your peers here and help set the agenda.

Best regards, Philip and the Thymo Alliance team.

* apologies to the numerate who recognise the new decade doesn’t start for another twelve months… we’re just going with the populist concensus here!

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China establishes standard framework for IoT

China Daily reports that an official with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) says China has established a basic standard framework for wireless sensor networks.

TMC reports that Li Yizhong, minister of MIIT, has asserted that the IoT industry will be emphasised in the country’s IT industry development this year.

China’s expressed intent to lead the world in the development and exploitation of the Internet of Things has prompted China Research and Intelligence to publish “Research Report on Chinese Internet of Things Industry, 2010-2012“.

China Telecom gets serious about IPv6

We’re less than a couple of years off running out of unallocated address space for the current Internet Protocol, IPv4. Its successor is IPv6, and China Telecom has just announced a relatively aggressive timescale for full commercial launch.

Why is this important here? Well, whilst an Internet of Things can be architected with IPv4, IPv6 makes it a whole lot easier.

The Thymo Alliance’s Philip Sheldrake has consulted to the global registries responsible for IP address allocation, and is currently working with the UK government, Intellect, the CBI, IET and BCS in preparing the UK for the change.

He has written a non-technical guide and a technical project planning guide to be published shortly. We’ll keep you posted.

HP CeNSE

HP earned acclaim from the digerati in the last quarter of 2009 as it ramped up the marketing communications for its HP Labs’ CeNSE project.

The Central Nervous System for the Earth (CeNSE) is “a new information ecosystem… consisting of a trillion nanoscale sensors and actuators embedded in the environment and connected via an array of networks with computing systems, software and services to exchange their information among analysis engines, storage systems and end users.”

Forbes was first off the mark however, publishing an excellent article back in May.

Pachube

Another sensor related Internet of Things innovation comes from Pachube (pronounced “Patch-bay”). This UK startup lets you tag and share real time sensor data from objects, devices, buildings and environments both physical and virtual.

A project given critical exposure courtesy of its fans at ReadWriteWeb (links below), the best way to understand it is to configure and register a sensor yourself. Else just go and have a look at the Google Map mashup on the Pachube website and have a play.

Pachube Adds Real-Time Notifications

Business Models of The Internet of Things – An Analysis of Pachube’s Open Source Platform

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Do get in touch if you’d like to contribute to the next bulletin… philip.sheldrake@thymoalliance.org / @sheldrake

The first Thymo Bulletin

// October 26th, 2009 // No Comments » // Bulletin

Welcome to the first Thymo Bulletin… aiming to keep you abreast of the issues encompassed by the Thymo Alliance and the Internet of Things. The Bulletin is sent out as an email to subscribers, and published here on our blog.

Click here if you would like to subscribe to future bulletins. And if the content spurs you to respond, you can comment or linkback to the bulletin as it appears here.

Lastly, I’m delighted to have been invited to help establish the viewpoint and develop an executive briefing for Intellect and CBI members on IPv6, and feed this perspective to BIS in advance of the meeting of the Government Advisory Committee to the Internet Governance Forum. If you have any questions about IPv6, so central to the Internet of Things, or just wish to chew the cud, do get in touch.

Best regards, Philip Sheldrake, www.thymoalliance.org.

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Our definition of the Internet of Things

n. Connecting four kinds of things: the device containing electronics in order to fulfil its primary function, such as the washing machine, car and air conditioning unit; the electrical device traditionally absent of sophisticated electronics, such as the ceiling light, electric heater and power distribution; environmental sensors feeding back data continuously on local parameters such as temperature, light and noise; and non-electrical objects such as clothes, and food and drink packages.

n. A multi-faceted IT led revolution that will impact commerce, government, education, entertainment, transport, healthcare, environmental management and the efficient use of finite resources; it will help humanity meet some of its biggest challenges, and throw up some new ones!

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Viviane Reding and what the people think

Future Internet Privacy Worries Europe, Business Week, 9th Oct 2009

There is a dark side to some of the impressive new online technologies that are appearing, from social networking to behavioural advertising to RFID ’smart chips’, the European Commission’s Internet chief has warned.

…”The ‘Internet of Things’ will only work if it is accepted by the people” [she said].

…Before the end of the current commission’s mandate, she said, she and internal market commissioner Charlie McCreevy would publish a “reflection paper” over a set of possible legislative options to create such a single digital market.

Read the article here…

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Nokia’s Adam Greenfield gets Wired

Digital Cities: Words on the Street, Wired UK Edition, Nov 2009

But as is so often the case, there’s a catch: the technologies that the networked city relies upon remain opaque, even to those exposed to them daily. In fact, it’s hard to be critical and make sound choices in a world where we don’t understand the objects around us.

…In the networked city, therefore, the pressing need is for translators: people capable of opening up these occult systems, explaining their implications to the people whose neighbourhoods, choices and lives are increasingly conditioned by them.

Read the article here…

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Useful links

The Wikipedia entry for the Internet of Things

Intel’s “15 billion” vision

“The Internet of Things”, a free book from the Waag Society

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Do bookmark or forward a link to anyone you think is or should be interested in the Thymo Alliance.

And do get in touch if you’d like to contribute to the next bulletin. FYI, the distribution currently consists of dozens of people, mostly in the UK and mainland Europe, for whom the issues encompassed by the Thymo Alliance are looming large.