Sensors

• Deploying sensors on specially designed networks to monitor conditions detect changes early and predict outcomes can provide an even richer data set than aerial monitoring.
• Technological advances will usher in more prominent self-repair network attributes.
• Stacking smart devices and the Internet on top of the energy delivery system will allow for greater monitoring, control, and optimization.
• Monitoring water productivity will ultimately enable countries to report on new Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), including SDG 6.
• Bins, toasters, washing machines and lights will be able to talk to each other for automatic, more efficient control and monitoring.
• Monitoring software that can speak to a wide range of devices and provide real-time dashboards with notification triggers and reporting to drive down costs and drive up productivity in a secure and predictable way will be the heart of the Industrial IoT.

Health

• Wearable devices will play a large role in the healthcare industry delivering improved healthcare services through real-time, remote patient monitoring and post-surgery rehabilitation.
• Freewheel will be able to transmit data to wearable devices via Bluetooth for heart rate monitoring and will connect to smartphones to send notifications and alerts to the users.
• Insights generated by Watson could help health care providers in fields including radiology, cardiology, orthopedics, and ophthalmology to pursue more personalized approaches to diagnosis, treatment, and monitoring of patients.
• Portable sensors that can be integrated directly onto mobile devices to track specific illnesses will have a high impact on developing nations.
• Reporting and monitoring of patients through clinical registries will enable collection of specific data on serious adverse events in both gastroenterology and rheumatology.
• Researchers have created software that can predict which patients are most at risk for sepsis using information collected by their bedside monitoring devices during their hospital stay.

Antennas

• A newly developed generation of antennas provides broadband connections in wireless technology for trains and will meet the requirements of the multiband systems of the future.

Imaging

• Thermal cameras monitor rail temperature as well as high quality digital technology to provide images of the track that will be fed back to computers on the train for the on-board.
• Imaging data management will be a major area for investment as vendors design enterprise-wide solutions that allow a comprehensive view of all the data available to an organization.

Security

• Security guards could lose their jobs as drones and other systems let one person monitor multiple locations.
• The addition of biometric technologies linked to body, location, behavioural pattern recognition and health monitoring systems will allow for robust security via the phone.
• AT&T and Permobil will continue to enhance the connected wheelchair concept and add services like access to home controls and remote monitoring to increase user independence and freedom.
• Intelligent robots building new infrastructure and constantly monitoring assets to allow predictive maintenance could avoid lengthy line closures.
• Continuous monitoring provides visibility into assets and leverages use of automated data feeds to quantify risk.
• Accurate measurement of the effectiveness of ecosystem-based options could help ensure that the environment receives more attention in international frameworks.
• TVs could capture ambient audio collected from its customers and transmit that to "third parties"!

Sustainability

• Achieving 100 % on a sustainable basis will ultimately require advanced system monitoring as well as dynamic dispatching capabilities such as demand response to continuously adapt to short-term fluctuations in supply and demand.
• Accurate measurement of the effectiveness of ecosystem-based options could help ensure that the environment receives more attention in international frameworks.
• Mobile phone data could be a valuable tool for monitoring food security in low and middle-income countries.

Social networks

• Citizens, corporations and governments need to work together to ensure that they leverage new technologies and data to help mitigate and prevent threats to financial systems, nations, people and more.
• Smart technology will not only take care of an indoor environment, but external aspects of life will also be enhanced, such as receiving an open parking space alert or notification if unauthorised individuals have entered restricted areas of the workplace.
• Monitoring social posts for mentions or pictures of fire or smoke from at-risk locations could be an important data stream.

Fitness

• New innovations involving integrating electronics directly into the fabric of clothing could be first step towards creating smart technology that could revolutionise remote healthcare.
• Consumer health measurement technologies will help to promote preventative health practices and identify risk factors while emergency response communications can provide near-instant care in life-threatening situations.
• Muscle stimulators, neurotransmitters, bionic limb devices and other implanted or wearable devices not yet invented will be connected wirelessly.
• Expect to see smart bras (to monitor health and fitness).
• Chronic disease patients will be connected to devices that monitor blood pressure, weight and other biometrics.
• Over the next five years the traditional 'doctor-patient' model will completely open up as self-monitoring devices do away with the need for routine check-ups and appointments.
• Insurance companies could offer reductions on monthly premiums, special rates and promotions to consumers who monitor their health with particular apps.
  

Learn More
What future opportunities and risks could arise for your organization from advances in monitoring? Develop your answer and response here.

Find the sources and more resources on Shaping Tomorrow’s ‘If it moves, track it!’ some of which were used in this Trend Alert, or ask us for our ready-made and free, in-depth PowerPoint report or more detailed GIST briefing on this or any other topic of interest to you.

Also, click here to find out how Shaping Tomorrow can help your organization rapidly assess and respond to these and other key issues affecting your business.