Published on the 31/08/2016 | Written by Donovan Jackson
Visibility and insights can transform performance, according to EROAD…
It might seem that the internet of things (Iot) is a lot of talk and less action, but there are organisations which have been using the concepts to great effect for some time. Among them is EROAD, a Kiwi company which operates a satellite and cellular solution for road charging and tolling across the nation and in several international markets.
Jarred Clayton, COO, who is presenting at the Internet of Things Conference this November said its automated platform for handling tolling and other information necessary for the operation of vehicle fleets with reduced hassle is an indicator of what the IoT can do. “The most powerful potential that IoT offers is the ability to get insights around moving assets which you could never achieve before. That level of visibility helps to drive results.”
What those ‘results’ are differs from one business to the next, he noted. “Within our customer base, for example, the indicators they look at differ on the basis of maturity, size and goals.”
And while IoT deployments deliver advantages through ‘internal’ data, there is a bigger picture play, too. “Again, using our own organisation as an example, we do a lot of data gathering as we provide a similar service for a large number of clients. By gathering that data, anonymising it then applying analysis, we’re able to benchmark individual clients and put them on something of a ‘bell curve’.”
Clayton makes the point that the collection of data (whether facilitated by IoT sensors or otherwise) in and of itself is of little value. “Just receiving data and putting it into a report is not that useful. When you get data, like the benchmarking we’re doing, it provides actionable insights – so, if your company is on the wrong end of the bell curve, it tells you that your peers are performing better and can give you the necessary metrics where they are outperforming. You can identify what’s wrong and address it.”
More broadly speaking, Clayton said infrastructure developments which support IoT rollouts, such as Kordia’s SigFox network, as well as the continued advancements in sensor and software technologies, means deployments are rapidly becoming not only less costly, but also more viable for businesses of any kind. “These developments make it more practical and more achievable. As the cost comes down, options open up and the ROI becomes more compelling.”
Anything that can drive down cost and availability – so makes more practical and achievable, as the cost comes down options open up and ROI more compelling. One possible application could be the ability to accurately track maintenance and the performance of engines and other components, particularly in remote locations. “By detecting ‘breakdown’ conditions before they happen, substantial advantages could be gained,” he said.
The Internet of Things Conference takes place on 1 November 2016 at the Rendezvous Hotel in Auckland.
