FreeWave – IWCE Booth #768
If you plan to attend IWCE 2017 this year (March 27-31, 2017), don’t forgot to stop by Booth #768 to learn more about our new products: ZumLink 900 Series, ZumLink IPR, WavePro and WAVECONTACT. We’ll have some very exciting announcements at IWCE, so please stop on by!
Seismic Shift in IIoT Monitoring
There’s been a seismic shift in monitoring earthquakes via the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) with advanced Machine-to-Machine (M2M) technology have reshaped the industrial communication industry. Every device or machine along the network, even at the outermost edge, now has the opportunity to be fully-connected for automated collection and delivery of information. As Sensor-2-Server (S2S) communication technology evolves to keep up with the demand for this connectivity paradigm, new efficiencies are created and Big Data is available to drive actionable intelligence. Seismic Shift Data that Saves Lives The sheer quantity of available data, combined with the speed of automation can support mission critical applications that are designed to save lives. Research centers can leverage IoT networks to relay critical data in real-time from areas where earthquakes are a common threat to people living nearby. While natural events like earthquakes and volcanos are not avoidable or fully predictable, an IoT network can potentially help reduce the level of devastation through close, reliable seismic monitoring via highly sensitive and advanced sensor technology. S2S communications monitor and send data from remote areas where Earth changes are first detected, to the monitoring authorities who are closely tracking seismic activity. S2S solutions leveraged for early detection of these events can enable authorities to warn citizens in advance to take appropriate precautionary measures. When robust, rapid, real-time monitoring is combined with effective emergency communications, human casualties can be significantly decreased. Seismic Shift and the Ever Changing Landscape IoT has been adopted at such a rapid pace that the demand for modern, sophisticated communication technology is driving constant changes in remote, industrial communication networks that will further advance applications like seismic monitoring. These changes have clearly disrupted the traditional Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) market. While SCADA systems are not obsolete, industries like environmental monitoring will continue to leverage new technologies designed to help seismologists make more informed decisions than with just SCADA alone. Now, network operators can evolve and adapt their monitoring programs over time through the IoT with edge devices that allow third-party software applications to be deployed network-wide. This has not only opened new doors for software developers, but it opens up the opportunity for advancements in environmental monitoring to further improve natural event monitoring. Fast and accurate data transport from the sensor networks in seismic monitoring therefore requires robust and reliable technology that doesn’t fail in remote and sometimes harsh environments. RF technology, for example, is advancing to help field crews make intelligent decisions and closely monitor the elements that can help delivery early warning for natural events. Find us at JavaOne this Week
Lifeguards Use Drones?
By Patrick Lazar, VP of Engineering at FreeWave Technologies Drones have actually been around for quite some time, even though the recent “lift-off” of commercial applications has vaulted the technology further into the spotlight. I’ve started seeing some incredible uses of the technology and how not only businesses will benefit, but people as well. For example, lifeguards and emergency responders have started flying drones as another means to quickly assist swimmers in trouble. By dropping a life jacket as soon as possible, distressed swimmers can get assistance quickly while further assistance is in pursuit of reaching the swimmer in the water. In the same vein, another reason lifeguards are flying drones is to identify and monitor other threats to beachgoers such as sharks. This will lead into drones enabling automatic warning systems when sharks get closer to the swim zones, and warn lifeguards to deploy means to both repel sharks and notify others in the surrounding area. My Take: Dropping life preservers are the most natural use case that comes into mind. However, once the use cases start being thought through with detection, prevention and lifesaving goals, a more intelligent system will be needed to sense events, deploy drones to assist, audible two way communication to help victims all the way through to safety, alert authorities to bring needed medical help to the closest recovery location and of course, warning other population nearby to prevent others falling victim to the same conditions. In all these cases, visual, audio, sensor info, command and control information must be sent back and forth to the drone, which will require reliable, long range communications. Furthermore, the payloads of these communication devices must be light/small enough to not affect the drones performance.