Internet of Things is not limited to dry land. We already saw how they it inserted itself in the sea to improve the experience of bathers and ensure more sustainable tourism in the post 10 sensors that make the beaches smart.

However, the technology has gone even further into open waters with the help of smart buoys that measure the level of sea pollution or where to find larger schools of fish. They can also be used in pools to measure the level of deterioration of the waters, regardless if it’s salty or chlorinated.

These floating elements are already common for everyone. Until now their function has been to signal the safe bathing area, channels for entry and exit of boats, or specific points of reference at sea. However, with the application of IoT its functions can bring many more benefits to bathers, as well as coastal authorities, fishermen and others.

The function of smart buoys is determined by the programming of the sensor they carry. We can find different types of uses for these new connected devices both at the beach and in swimming pools:

• Beaches: In addition to facilitating monitoring the water temperature and its quality, they can help make the beaches much safer since they can be used to monitor the boats and / or control restricted access. It’s a very common problem this summer; bathers have denounced boats to get too close to the shore, crossing the security distance of 200 meters established by law. In this way, the relevant authorities can receive the signal with enough time to act and be alert.Likewise, the safety of swimmers will also be reinforced with these buoys, since they allow jellyfish banks to be monitored. Once detected they send a warning and can even reorient seaward to get a better reading, thus preventing the jellyfish from reaching the shore of the beaches where they eventually die, but not before causing problems among bathers.
• Fishing: This sector is also going through a digital transformation and adapting new technology to its daily tasks. For example, in fishing, sailors nowadays have satellite-connected buoys that can tell them where the schools of fish are located. These buoys were created by the company Marine Instruments, which places great emphasis on control standards to ensure that fishing resources are maintained for the next generations. However, they also make fishing more efficient, since they also manage to reduce the consumption expenditure of fuel to capture the same amount of fish, or have an estimate of the fish population in an area, which indicate how much fishing can be done and how they affect the environment.
• Detecting polluting substances: German researchers from the Karlsruhe Technological Institute (KIT) developed a smart monitoring project two years ago. They used a multisensory buoy that allowed them to make high-precision measurements as well as monitor bodies of water. In this way, they could measure the quality of water at different depths and configure parameters to measure things like oxygen concentration, temperature or the presence of greenhouse gases, then they analyze the captured data, either in the buoy itself or remotely, adding the information of many buoys. Its power supply is produced by wind energy and solar cells and the measurement system combines methane and CO2 sensors, flow direction, sample analysis systems and meteorological measurement station. This system was born mainly to detect the so-called blue-green algae, which grows uncontrollably in rivers, maritime areas and lakes; they release toxic substances and can kill the fauna of certain aquatic environments. This process has been evolving and, along the way, similar projects have emerged such as BRAAVOO (Biosensors, Reporters and Algal Autonomous Vessels for Ocean Operation), the project of buoys with biosensors that will monitor marine pollutants. It was born with the aim of trying to stop the degradation of marine water quality in a biological and chemical way thanks to buoys with chips that will monitor marine pollutants in real time thanks to three biosensors: bacterial, immunosensors and algae sensors.
• Swimming pools: the maintenance of swimming pools is a never-ending task. It’s stagnant water in which many people bathe during the day, chlorine and pH levels have to be controlled and regulated constantly. To do this, the sensors on the buoys are the most appropriate solution, since they can carry out exhaustive control in real time and send a warning to the responsible of the pool when the quality of the water is compromised. The message quickly reaches the wearable or the device that is connected to the buoy. Then the person in charge only has to see what level fails or if the temperature has risen or fallen above the indicated temperature and correct it. To this end, mobile apps have also been created so that private users who have a private pool in their homes can also be aware of the quality of their water at any time.

All these applications of connected sensors, with the help of the processing of collected information that allow to know the state of the water in detail, reflect the natural way in which we adapt our day to day to new technologies to any context, and how these improve our quality of life, as well as cities and natural areas that surround us. Together with them, it highlights the importance of Big Data and the importance of knowing how to analyze the data collected by these sensors in order to solve the indicated problems.

“The growing demand for energy from air conditioners (ACs) is one of the critical points in the debate about energy and sustainability. It is necessary to reduce their energy consumption, generate savings and avoid emissions. “These words were delivered by the Executive Director of the International Energy Agency (IEA), Fatih Birol in the presentation of the study “The Future of Cooling” this May.

Currently, the electrical consumption of air conditioners and air conditioning systems represents 20% of the total consumption of buildings and represents 10% of the total world electricity consumption.

In the coming decades, the huge demand for AC is going to become one of the main sources of electricity consumption worldwide due to the growth of the global population and the increase of income level in warm countries.

For example, in Mexico and Brazil the percentage of households with CA is only 16% while in Japan and the US it exceeds 90%. The predictions suggest that in 2050 two thirds of the world’s households could have air conditioning, whose electric consumption would represent more than 35% of the total.

the huge demand for AC is going to become one of the main sources of electricity consumption worldwide

For this reason, the IEA highlights the need to invest in efficient CAs, which would reduce the AC power consumption by 45% compared to the base case.

At Telefónica we have been working in the field of Energy Efficiency for several years, deploying Smart Energy IoTsolutions so that companies reduce energy consumption and therefore increase their competitiveness.

Specifically, the Smart Energy IoT solution allows intelligent energy management based on the measurement of consumption, remote control and big data through a cloud platform that facilitates decision-making by managers. Thus, the efficient management of lighting and air conditioners can save between 10% and 30%, contributing to the reduction in consumption that is so necessary in the medium and long term.

Energy savings and production costs, the large amount of connected devices, investment in this technology or the reduction of traffic accidents is just some of the data that shows the benefits of IoT for the society.

From the showers that clean our feet to sensors that measure the quality of the sand or sea water. The smart beaches are the next horizon, but they’re already a reality in the Valencian Community. A pioneering projectbetween the Turism Agency from Valencia and the Polytechnic University has made this possible in the sandy areas of Gandía, Benidorm and Benicassim.

The project consists in obtaining and analyzing data that allows us to improve our experience as bathers and achieve a competitive advantage in the tourism sector, a key industry in the Spanish economy. Likewise, it will offer information in real time not only to citizens, but also to the authorities.

But how do you do it? The new technologies of the Internet of Things will be present in this innovative management of the beaches, and thanks to them you will be able to obtain a great variety of indicators through different measurement sensors, among which are:

1. Substrate sensor. They are quantitative sensors that allow us to know the quality and temperature of the sand, as well as its cleanliness and the presence of unwanted remains.
2. Surveillance drones. They will watch over bathers or the presence of dangerous species such as jellyfish, significantly increasing the safety of these beaches.
3. Monitoring bathymetries. They help monitor the seabed in real time and control the species that cross it.
4. Smart buoys. They are In charge of controlling the limits of the bathing areas and the proximity of boats to prevent accidents. They also monitor the quality of the water, its temperature, and help detect the presence of jellyfish.
5. UVA sensors. They are the perfect aid for sunscreens. It measures radiation levels, their variation, and transfer information so that the screens advice how much we must protect our skin and eyes from UVA rays.
6. Shower. It helps control water consumption, which also has a timer and self-diagnosis sensor, thus allowing for better maintenance by reducing the cost.
7. Smart Parking. Parking control that provides information in real time of the places available to citizens and which in turn helps reduce CO2 emissions and fuel consumption.
8. Water supply. Sensors that allow, among other things, the detection of leaks in the supply network and carry out an appropriate maintenance of the same. They also help control water consumption, which helps the environment.
9. WI-FI. Besides being one of the favorite features of holidaymakers, who do not want to consume their data on the beach, the installation of Wi-Fi allows, among other things, to measure occupancy density.
10. Smart traffic lights. It is a critical tool to help with the arrival and departure of cars to the beaches. It facilitates traffic control and pedestrian prioritization, in addition to offering safety information.

This are ten IoT tools that are part of these beaches, but there are many more. They provide citizens and visitors with a safer, more efficient and more comfortable vacation, with new and better advanced services at our fingertips. The authorities allow them to ensure a sustainable tourism, without problems or accidents, from which they can obtain critical information that helps making better decisions in the future and improves the tourist experience. Smart cities are already a reality, and projects and initiatives like this are the most obvious proof.

Electronic commerce plays an increasingly important role in the business of companies. In fact, the number of people who buy online at least once a week has increased more than 10% in the last two years, and the number that does at least once a month is close to 60%. Companies that sell remotely must pay attention not only to the quality of their establishments (physical or digital) but also to other areas of business such as transportation or customer service.

When a purchase is made online, three objectives are usually pursued: efficiency, security and speed. The extent to which these three factors are combined will be decisive for customers to follow an online commerce page or seek better quality in the competition. The Internet of Things is the revolution of online commercebecause it offers many new possibilities to make your online purchase a success.

The IoT, linked to blockchain (simplifying a lot, it is a data structure in which the information is grouped in sets), offers a solution for tracking packages and merchandise that guarantees the traceability of the route and the estimated time of arrival, the registration of the conditions of shipmen allowing detection of deviations like temperature, vibration, etc., and the ability to assign responsibilities to each event.

These solutions, encompassed in what is known as Cargo Tracking or Asset Tracking, work through wireless sensors located in the cargo or transport element (container, pallet, etc.), cloud technology and predictive analysis tools. Not only can we know the exact location of the order, but we can also know the climate of the route in which is travelling, something that could allow to change the temperature of the package container, if necessary, to ensure that everything arrives in optimal conditions. Any minimum variation of the temperature or movement of the package due to a bump or sudden braking may alert the carrier and allow them to act immediately.

These solutions can be coordinated with the connected fleet services, known as Fleet Management, and increase the operational and service benefits for the final customer. A fleet of connected vehicles allows you to optimize the delivery of packages by being able to know, in real time, where they are at each moment, trace the most efficient delivery routes and solve problems and incidents such as a delay in the delivery.

In summary, thanks to the IoT, the transport company knows the conditions and variations of their journeys in real time, which allows you to increase the security of the merchandise, be more accurate in the estimated delivery times and minimize transport times thanks to the optimization of the routes used by the carriers.

In addition, the benefits are not limited to the road. Also on the rails and maritime transport the IoT is improving the tracking of goods. With this technology, the communication and coordination of the entire logistics chain will be improved, which includes cars, trains and ships, all sharing information between them and the different infrastructures to predict possible incidents. You can thus exchange information about your position, power and even composition, which will help assess and even deliver orders if necessary at the time of loading or unloading in stations, ports, etc.

These systems of management and optimization of shipments have a direct impact on the client, since the procedures are streamlined and allow a more personalized attention. Normally, the thing that makes consumers the most nervous is the fact that they do not know the state of the product they have just purchased, but thanks to the IoT the security, comfort and higher quality information go hand in hand.

Technological advances, and specifically IoT, are designed to give us more time, increase our comfort, and improve our quality of life. The digital transformation has managed improved our lives and to brought us closer to a society that we thought existed only in the future not too long ago. We also imagined that in this type of society crime would be greatly reduced because the general improvement of things would also extend to security. Although this is true as increasingly stronger systems against criminals are developed, the thing is human beings are very cunning and they always find ways to break those systems.

We have an example in a video created by Wired two years ago. In it we can see how two hackers take full control of an autonomous vehicle doing with it what they wanted. They reduced the role of the driver to a mere spectator of a possible tragedy. Luckily, this video was recorded only to show the dangers of certain IoT advances and there was no need to regret any incident. It shows us is that every digitalization is susceptible to a cyber-attack.

However, not all the examples are negative. Months ago the motorcycle brand Honda had a problem in Peru. The problem was that it was too good, incredible as it may seem. Their motorcycles, having a reputation for good quality, were the most stolen in the country, so customers began buying from other brands to avoid losing their motorcycles. To solve this problem, Telefónica and IoT came up with a system that, with the push of a button, located the lost motorcycle and returned it to its owner. It’s called Fleet Management. This way nobody had to face the thieves, which would give us all a bit of trouble, and the motorcycles would return as if by magic to their owner. It worked and Honda’s motorcycles were bought again.

Staying in the automotive sector, the incorporation of telemetry (measure magnitudes and send them to distant receivers) not only allows knowing the location of the vehicle, but also increases the speed of assistance in case of accident, it performs preventive maintenance, and shows the fastest route for every moment of the day. The implications go beyond the safety of citizens. These advances also allow significant improvements in trade. The fact that both the employer and the consumer are able to know the situation and location of the order positively affects the well-known customer experience (level of satisfaction of a user / client after testing the services of a company).

For reasons like this, Internet users of things should not be afraid to keep betting on innovation. Luckily for them, connected objects will increase almost three times its number in the future and so the investment in security will also grow.

So far, it has not been possible to develop a technology that eliminates the evil of the people and thus ends the crime. That said, it is reducing it or at least it is making it more difficult for the criminals. The future is here, do you want to be part of it?