Getting started with IoT

People flow
Challenge:
Counting and understanding the flow of people,
e.g., in buildings, city centres, at sports events and on
public transport. Understanding how groups of
people interact with public transport systems could
improve infrastructure planning. Crowd management
at large events could be optimised.
Could an IoT system solve this?
Low cost distributed sensors could be deployed
across a transport network to anonymously count
and understand the flow of people.
Method:
There are multiple sensor methods that can be used
to track people using or moving through
a space, e.g.,by measuring footfall
or by using vision systems to
anonymously count people.
Crowd behaviour
Challenge:
Enhancing the visitor experience at historic sites and
tourist attractions .
Could an IoT system solve this?
Indoor and outdoor location tracking could guide people
round tourist attractions and cities and give relevant
information at places of interest.
Method:
Small beacon sensors can be placed around attractions
to give people relevant information at set locations
through smartphones or other devices.
Result:
Better visitor experience and understanding of people
flow throughout attractions.
Result:
An understanding of demand/
capacity around the network
can support long-term
transport or infrastructure
planning.
Water monitoring
City waste collection
Challenge:
Monitoring water supplies in large buildings and
distributed estates, particularly in remote and rural
areas. Bacteria in a building’s water system could
cause harm to the occupants.
Could an IoT system solve this?
An IoT system could check whether water temperature
in pipes could encourage harmful bacteria growth.
Currently, many water quality tests are conducted
manually. Automating this could save time and money,
provide clearer results, and identify trends
Method:
Sensors are deployed throughout the water system
to measure water temperature in real time.
Result:
Water temperatures are recorded around the building
enabling the building owner to reduce risk and report
health and safety compliance.
Challenge:
Optimising resources for waste collection; understanding
when bins are full, or if certain bins do not need to be
emptied.
Could an IoT system solve this?
An IoT system could detect which containers are full
and plan the route to maximise efficiency.
Method:
Battery-powered ultrasound sensors are fitted to the top
of each container to measure the level of waste and relay
this information back to the dashboard.
Result:
A dashboard shows which containers need emptied
and plans the vehicle route accordingly. In turn, fewer
vehicle emissions helps to reduce environmental impact..
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