We live in a connected world, where converged networks are changing the way we live, says a new CSC report, Connected World: Redefining the Geography of Business and How We Work and Play. (Download the report.) This is the second in a series of four articles in which csc.com examines eight connectedness trends identified by the report.
Networks in New Places
Wireless technology is pushing the network into places where it never made sense to have a network before – places where installation was too expensive or the environment too inhospitable to sustain wired networks. "These networks are not constrained by wires and other physical infrastructure needed for wired networks, and in most cases can be easily moved," Connected World says.
Wireless mesh networks are one of the main technologies pushing network growth. Sensors can be distributed throughout an area to create a large self-healing, self-organizing, wireless mesh sensor network. (See diagram below.) With the sensors, the network can monitor, control and adjust systems that once required manual intervention.
Sensor nodes can increasingly "think" for themselves, analyzing massive quantities of sensor data and transmitting only the most important data. This minimizes network traffic and makes data easier to manage. "Sensors can bring intelligence to the network edge," the report says.
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In harsh environments such as oil refineries, where wired networks are too costly or plain Wi-Fi too limited, mesh network nodes can monitor crucial processes and allow full network communication among employees. Wireless sensors provide a low-cost way to detect changes in temperature and vibration that signal manufacturing equipment is close to breaking. The parts can then be serviced in a way that minimizes disruption at the plant.
Wireless mesh can also be installed on moving vehicles, which form a rolling network. In Cedar Rapids, Iowa, a mobile mesh network turns each city bus into a wireless router. Transit officials can see video surveillance cameras, and riders get a mobile Internet café. A mesh network in a race car at the 24 Hours of Le Mans race helped the pit crew track tire wear and gas consumption closely, eliminating a single pit stop and winning the race.
As wireless sensors become smaller and cheaper, they will start creating networks everywhere. The challenge, Connected World says, will be for organizations to harness the power of those networks to serve the customer.
Connected Things
"As the connected world weaves an ever-growing web of interconnections," the report says, "anything that can be connected will be connected." These newly connected things include everything from washing machines to highway toll readers. And with those things connected, our daily lives could change radically.
These networked objects switch the focus of the network from human interaction to machine-machine connectivity: an Internet of things. When machines can communicate directly with each other, people can focus on problems, not routine activities.
Many of these connected things are already in your local consumer electronics store. Networked TiVo lets you not only record TV shows, but also access Internet sites and photos and videos on your home network. Hand-held game players such as Sony PSP come with built-in connectivity so that kids can play games with each other over the Internet.
Something that’s less fun but more useful is eSuds, which links to washers and dryers around college campuses. Students can log in to see when machines are open, and receive alerts when their clothes are done. In healthcare, medical facilities can track remote patients through telemonitoring devices.
CSC has helped the Colorado state transportation department to integrate more than 350 devices, including radar devices, ramp meters, toll tag readers and message signs. The resulting Colorado Transportation Management System (CTMS) can analyze traffic flow trends and then alert drivers to avoid trouble spots through dynamic message signs. Colorado can issue a statewide Amber Alert, an emergency alert that a child has been abducted, in just 10 minutes – down from 2.5 hours.
The ability to link this array of devices helps Colorado use its roads smartly. The highways increasingly echo the realities of their users’ lives off the road. According to Rod Mead, Colorado Traffic Management Center operations manager, "In this time of instant information, commuters and travelers are expecting more and more, faster and faster."
Connected objects will continue to come into use, from transportation systems to households to battlefields. In the Internet of things, human users may become the minority as connected things handle our mundane tasks. As Connected World claims, "The Internet of Things will lead to increased use of technology – often invisible – and new levels of service and productivity."
We live in a connected world, where converged networks are changing the way we live, says a new CSC report, Connected World: Redefining the Geography of Business and How We Work and Play. (
