Hello Lamppost – talking to things needs open data

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Category: Blog

Created on Friday, 28 November 2014 09:00

The internet of things, automation and robotics - all of which are shaping the future of work- depend on access to data, and open data is at the heart of the piece.

You may not be that interested in databases and information systems because your work does not revolve around them but open data, as far as the 'open' part, does not sit alone in isolation from the rest of life. Among other context surrounding open data there is a whole 'open agenda' –  open government, open education, open research, open access, open knowledge, open source. All these 'opens' cross over with each other. Thinking about all this, all at once, in a practical and useful way is almost impossible and so quite sensibly those with interests in specific areas stick to those areas, going one step at a time in 'opening up'.

One of the reasons I feel that we should be taking a close look at open data, however, relates to the development of the 'Internet of things' - defined by Wikipedia as 'the interconnection of uniquely identifiable embedded computing devices within the existing Internet infrastructure'. Typically the Internet of Things (IoT) is expected to offer advanced connectivity of devices, systems, and services that goes beyond machine-to-machine communications and covers a variety of protocols, domains, and applications. The interconnection of these embedded devices is expected to usher in automation in nearly all fields, while also enabling advanced applications.

The full article by Judith Carr on The Information Daily