Wednesday, 27 June 2018
Tuesday, 26 June 2018
How Does Smart City Promise Big Improvement for Urban Ecosystems
Connected technology is ushering in a new era of “Smart Cities”, which promises to improve the quality of life for billions of people around the world.
Smart cities — which are using technology to make urban areas safer, more efficient, and more livable — represent the transformative power of the Internet of Things. Now, as the new 5G wireless standard is deployed, data transfer will be even faster and more reliable. The transition from 4G to 5G will facilitate the shift to ubiquitous connectivity.
“Our strategy at Intel is to focus on open-standards based data-centric solutions, including artificial intelligence and, more specifically, computer vision technology, which will be powered by 5G infrastructure,” says Sameer Sharma, General Manager for Intel’s Smart Cities IoT Solutions… “Our recent launch of OpenVINO™ toolkit to enable Vision-based intelligence at the edge across multiple architectures is a great example of this. Data from technologies, such as autonomous driving, will be analyzed instantly, providing real-time insights that revolve around IoT connectivity.”
Sharma says that 5G will unlock the potential for utilizing connected devices, from smart cameras to vibration sensors, to collect data that will enable better management of everything from city streets to transit systems.
Economic viability is important, says Sharma, because of the public policy imperative to find cost-effective solutions to the problems facing urban areas. “In general, cities are stretched in terms of their budgets,” he says, “They are thinking about how to efficiently utilize all of the assets they have. For example, better traffic management can be an economic alternative to building a new highway. The ultimate goal is not necessarily to build roads, it’s to improve mobility, and do a better job of getting people from point A to point B.”
Sharma says that social media and awareness of new technology is increasing the motivation of urban planners and politicians to implement smarter solutions to problems such as traffic congestion, parking shortages, security, and first-responder response times. “Citizens are demanding more from their leaders,” he says. “I think this will motivate policymakers, and result in the right decisions when it comes to using digital technology.”
A recently released report from Juniper Research, sponsored by Intel, looks at the evolution of smart cities in the context of mobility, healthcare, public safety and productivity. The report shows the potential to save city residents three weeks of time every year when smart technologies are deployed, underscoring why city-dwellers may soon be pushing for cutting edge IoT solutions.
According to the report, smart traffic systems, including dynamic traffic control and connected parking will yield a mobility savings of 60 hours a year. Better public safety, informed by machine learning algorithms that enable proactive policing of high crime areas, will yield a savings of 35 hours. Preventative healthcare apps and telemedicine will save urbanites nine hours a year. Finally, more efficient delivery of city services will improve administrative productivity, saving residents 21 hours annually.
Singapore tops the list of smart cities, according to Juniper. But other major metros, including New York, San Francisco, Chicago, London, and Seoul are all on the list of top cities implementing technology solutions to improve mobility, health, safety, and productivity.
Many smaller cities are also embracing IoT. For example, San Diego has deployed an intelligent network citywide in an effort to optimize traffic and parking, and facilitate better energy management.
“Fostering innovation and improving infrastructure are important to enhancing the lives of all San Diegans,” says San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer. “This new technology will give the city and developers the opportunity to make our neighborhoods safer and smarter.”
The network in San Diego will include 3,200 intelligent sensor nodes that are turning street lights into connected devices. These nodes run on Intel IoT technology, Intel Atom processors, and Wind River software. The system has the ability to extract massive amounts of data, and to produce intelligent analytics in near real-time.
San Diego’s use of smart technology is indicative of how connectivity can benefit a city. “San Diego did not just install cameras for public safety reasons,” says Sharma. “Their system has the potential to handle everything from traffic management and smart parking to license plate recognition and pedestrian recognition.”
Moreover, adds Sharma, San Diego has a scalable solution. “It will get better over time as computer vision and artificial intelligence updates are made over-the-air.” “So, instead of thinking of a camera as a camera, think of it as a combination of an eye and a brain for the city.”
More RFID BLOG AT http://www.asiarfid.com/blog/how-does-smart-city-promise-big-improvement-for-urban-ecosystems.html
Monday, 25 June 2018
Thursday, 21 June 2018
How Does Artificial Intelligence Transform Healthcare
Big Data, in all its many facets, is the quintessential component of data science. And, data science powers smart machines and applications the world over. Through Artificial Intelligence, computers are trained to emulate two human senses – vision (image recognition and processing), and listening (speech engines). Machine learning and natural language processing enable computers to carry out tasks just as the brain helps humans get things done. The most prominent of these algorithms is the Neural Network – very similar to the network of neurons found in the human brain.
Many industry practitioners are already harnessing the power of Artificial Intelligence, most notably in the healthcare industry. A U.S. News article reported that “Just six months after El Camino Hospital in Silicon Valley implemented artificial intelligence, the rate at which patients suffered dangerous falls dropped by 39 percent.”
Here are some other examples of how the healthcare industry is leveraging AI:
Advanced processing and assistance:
From X-rays, data capture, CT scans, MRI's and more, AI is creating sweeping change in the proficiency with which healthcare professionals can manage the patient relationship. Through its deep analytic capabilities, AI surfaces more sophisticated treatment options. For example, one does not have to wait for the radiologist to generate a report, and then take it to the doctor for review. Instead, an AI-enabled system analyzes the X-Ray and immediately captures vital information, automatically kicks out reports, and then sends alerts to the doctor within a matter of seconds. Moreover, AI can detect the onset of tumors, osteoporosis, arthritis, and other crippling diseases weeks before any visible signs occur.
Cardiology is another discipline in which AI is helping save lives with early detection of disease such as heart failure. The system identifies the risk and suggests plans to help individuals lead a healthy life.
AI-powered virtual assistance
Virtual Assistants can provide instant answers to queries. Patients can ask questions directly related to a drug, report information, and receive reminders. The virtual assistant can provide a vast amount of data in a matter of seconds.
Physicians can also benefit from virtual assistants because it tracks and follows up on patient records to ensure the best care. While capturing essential information, AI suggests vital parameters to which physicians should adhere.
For example, a patient might not know that he/she is allergic to a medication, but while prescribing a drug, the system alerts the doctor to check for medication allergies thereby making healthcare more accurate at the outset. Similarly, smart suggestions for HPI or histories are also available to the doctor on the fly while charting.
Research and diagnosis
Developing medicines and drugs through clinical trials take many years and can cost a fortune. AI is already speeding up the process and doing it cost effectively. The identification of a molecular structure of drugs that can cure a targeted disease, and then successfully testing it on a set of subjects is where AI can reduce the number of iterations drastically.
There are tons of healthcare records, mainly the patient records stored for analyses and future treatments. Artificial Intelligence is one of the most widely used programs for data management where it can save, format, collect and trace data to provide faster and consistent access to doctors or health institutions. Because of the ability to analyze the data, AI can also make the diagnosis faster, saving money and time. AI can help improve medical diagnosis, provide immediate support via healthcare bots, monitor health-related information, deliver digital consultation, and much more. Frost & Sullivan reports that AI has the potential to improve outcomes by 30- 40% and reduce the cost of treatment by as much as 50%.
New applications for AI in the making:
Apps like Babylon in the UK use AI to give medical consultation based on personal medical history and common medical knowledge. Users report their symptoms into the app, which uses speech recognition to compare against a database of illnesses. Babylon then offers a recommended action, taking the user’s medical history into account.
Genetics and genomics look for mutations and links to disease from the information in DNA. With the help of AI, body scans can spot cancer and vascular diseases early and predict the health issues people might face based on their genetics.
More RFID Blog information at http://www.asiarfid.com/blog/how-does-artificial-intelligence-transform-healthcare.html
Wednesday, 20 June 2018
Tuesday, 19 June 2018
Smart Agriculture Is Bringing Some Changes You May Touch
Smart farming, an extension of precision agriculture, can increase total yield by up to 5% and total profits by up to 20%.
In precision agriculture, “Internet of Things” devices, global positioning and new technologies are used. Their job is to measure and respond.
With this, we might be able to tackle the challenges of the future in enhancing how we produce and manage food.
As the global population is set out to increase, the total food requirements are likely to follow. The growth estimate for farming lies at 70% by 2050.
The main drivers are the population growth and the rise of average calorie intake. The increase of average calorie consumption lies at 10% (2010–2050).
Fewer Experts
A big challenge for the agriculture industry these days is the low profitability and industry attractiveness. This causes a shrinking number of experts, on whom the traditional agriculture depends on.
Low Efficiency
The cultivation of grains and vegetables suffer from inefficiencies in farming. One of the main causes is a of information and predictability. This leads to a loss of product, waste in irrigation, fertilizing, and pest control. With fewer experts in the field, results become more reliant on the skills. The environmental impact caused by the use of consumables and resources to be considered and minimized.
The keeping of livestock aims to realize yields in milk, wool, eggs, and meat. Specific challenges are the overview of livestock health. Otherwise, the spreading of diseases and lower fertility are possible results. Also, the strain on livestock needs to minimized for best yield and low mortality.
High Yield Risk
A general risk are the long periods between seed and harvest or birth and slaughter. During this time price fluctuations for the product are likely to occur. With the resulting uncertainty the future payout and profit is subject to risk.
If, at the time of sale, the price for cattle is lower than expected, the farmer is subject to a lower margin. The planning accuracy suffers from incomplete information and uncertainty.
Solutions
Farming accuracy is the result of the use of connected devices and new technologies. Benefits include:
Enhanced efficiency
Optimized yield
Higher planning accuracy
This leaves a higher profitability for agriculture, increases industry attractiveness, and provides tools to better handle future challenges.Grains, Fruit & Vegetables
Scouting
Scouting of land is an important factor in success in agriculture. For example, farmers need to think about how to position crops, how to rotate, when to seed and harvest. During growing season, scouting helps to coordinate fertilizing, irrigation, weed and pest control.
Data Sources
Satellite, plane or drone-based imaging technologies use visual scanning: Satellite imaging gives an image resolution of 0.5–10m. Drones, or “RPAS” (remotely piloted aerial systems) deliver up to 2–10cm image resolution.
The cameras deliver imaging in thermal, infrared and visible spectrum. Steve blank’s post about practical use of hyper spectral cameras and customer value is a great example.
A high scanning speed of up to 1000 acres/h makes RPAS suitable for large scale agriculture. They can gather data on moisture level, weeds and chlorophyll content in plants.
In-ground sensors can be installed at fixed locations or they can be attached to vehicles. Typical vehicles include smart tractors or “agri-bots” (ground based unmanned vehicles). Soil sensors can detect electrical conductivity, moisture, radiometric, and pH data. Fixed sensor installations can also include acoustic technology to monitor for larger pests.
The data pool can include more data sources such weather forecasts and climate data. An added benefit can come from interlinking data pools, for example, between neighbouring farms and with farming equipment providers.
Seeding
During seeding, the effectiveness of seeds can be enhanced with precise placement. The necessary field and soil analytics and can come from autonomous or guided agri-bots.
Cultivation
During cultivation, lower manual labour effort can come from remote controlled and automated equipment. Modern farm equipment can also feature maintenance prediction to reduce the inspection effort.
An excellent fuel economy comes from guided tractors that are able to choose the most efficient routing. Also, the field monitoring ensures that tractors are only deployed when needed. With these techniques, one tractor manufacturer reported a decrease of 40% fuel consumption.
The reduction of water, pesticides and fertilizer consumption has an immediate impact. First, on the profitability, and second, on the environmental strain. Information about moisture level and weather predictions by zones are gathered.
More RFID blog at http://www.asiarfid.com/blog/smart-agriculture-is-bringing-some-changes-you-may-touch.html
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