This document summarizes the fifth and final trend in a series on the top web trends of 2009 - the Internet of Things. It discusses how everyday physical objects like refrigerators are being connected to the internet and how this is generating new types of data. It provides examples of companies working in this area, like IBM partnering with transportation companies to monitor shipments, and Pachube, a startup creating a platform for sharing real-time sensor data from objects and environments. The trend is expected to lead to more information about products and better decision making for consumers.

1. 2009-9-12 Top 5 Web Trends of 2009: Intern…
Top 5 Web Trends of 2009: Internet of Things
Written by Richard MacManus / September 11, 2009 5:30 AM / 3 Comments « Prior Post Next Post »
This week ReadWriteWeb (http://www.readwriteweb.com) is running a series of posts analyzing the 5 biggest Web trends of 2009.
So far we've explored these trends: Structured Data
(http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/top_5_web_trends_of_2009_structured_data.php) , The Real-Time Web
(http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/top_5_web_trends_of_2009_the_real-time_web.php) , Personalization
(http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/top_5_web_trends_of_2009_personalization.php) , Mobile Web / Augmented Reality
(http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/top_5_web_trends_of_2009_mobile_web_augmented_reality.php) . The fifth and final part of our
series is about the Internet of Things, when real world objects (such as fridges, lights and toasters) get connected to the
Internet. In 2009, this trend has ramped up and is adding a significant amount of new data to the Web.
In this post we'll see how companies as big as IBM and as small as Pachube are building up this new world of Internet data and services.
What is The Internet of Things?
The Internet of Things is a network of Internet-enabled objects, together with web services that interact with these objects. Underlying the
Internet of Things are technologies such as RFID (http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/rfid_state_of_the_market.php) (radio frequency
identification), sensors (http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/when_sensors_and_social_networks_mix.php) , and smartphones
(http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/sense_networks_citysense.php) .
The Internet fridge is probably the most oft-quoted example of what the Internet of Things will enable. Imagine a
refrigerator that monitors the food inside it and notifies you when you're low on milk. It also perhaps monitors all of the
best food websites, gathering recipes for your dinners and adding the ingredients automatically to your shopping list.
This fridge knows what kinds of foods you like to eat, based on the ratings you have given to your dinners. Indeed the
fridge helps you take care of your health, because it knows which foods are good for you.
However, we're not quite at that level of sophistication yet in the Internet of Things. As we discovered in our Internet
Fridges State of the Market (http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/internet_fridges.php) in July, current internet fridges
are more about entertainment than utility.
IBM and The Internet of Things
One of the leading big companies in Internet of Things is IBM
(http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/ibm_internet_of_things.php) , which offers a range of RFID and sensor technology
solutions. IBM has been busy working with various manufacturers and goods suppliers in recent months, to introduce
those solutions to the world.
For example IBM announced a deal at the end of June with Danish transportation company Container Centralen (http://www-
03.ibm.com/press/us/en/pressrelease/27879.wss) . By February 2010, Container Centralen undertakes to use IBM sensor technology "to allow
participants in the horticultural supply chain to track the progress of shipments as they move from growers to wholesalers and retailers across
40 countries in Europe." Specifically this refers to transportation of things like flowers and pot plants, which are very sensitive to the
environment they travel in. Having sensors as part of the entire travel chain will allow participants to monitor conditions and climate during
travel. Essentially it makes the travel process very transparent.
Pachube: Building a Platform for Internet-Enabled Environments
IBM is a leading bigco active in the Internet of Things. At the other end of the spectrum is a small UK startup which
has impressed us a lot this year: Pachube (http://www.pachube.com/) . It was one of 5 Internet of Things
(http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/5_companies_building_the_internet_of_things.php) services that we profiled in
February and we followed up with an in-depth look at the service in May
(http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/pachube_internet-enabled_environments.php) .
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2. 2009-9-12 Top 5 Web Trends of 2009: Intern…
Pachube, (pronounced "PATCH-bay") lets you tag and share real time sensor data from objects, devices, buildings and environments both
physical and virtual. In a blog post (http://www.ugotrade.com/2009/01/28/pachube-patching-the-planet-interview-with-usman-haque/) by Tish Shute,
Pachube founder Usman Haque explained that Pachube is about "environments" moreso than "sensors." In other words, Pachube aims to be
responsive to and influence your environment - for example your home.
Conclusion
What's the point of all this new object data from the Internet of Things? As well as the new types of functionalities it will enable, such as health
monitoring by Internet fridges, the sheer amount of new data about an object should lead to better quality goods
(http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/consumer_electronics_20_internet_of_things.php) and better decision-making
(http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/rfid_fear.php) by consumers. For example when you buy a loaf of bread from the grocery store, it will have
its own RFID tag - which theoretically can tell you when it was produced, when it was packaged, how long it traveled to get to the store,
whether the temperature during its travel was optimal, the pricing history of the product, what the precise ingredients are and associated
health benefits (or dangers), and much more information.
That ends our look at the 5 biggest trends of the Web in 2009. First thing next week we will post a round-up, along with a downloadable
presentation.
ReadWriteWeb's Top 5 Web Trends of 2009:
1. Structured Data
2. The Real-Time Web
3. Personalization
4. Mobile Web & Augmented Reality
5. Internet of Things
Comments
Subscribe tojob on this series "5post OR Subscribethe comments for alllooked forward to reading this series everyday this last week. This was a great
1. Great comments for this biggest trends of to Web in 2009". I ReadWriteWeb posts
glimpse into the innovative up-and-coming technologies in the web. Thanks!
Posted by: Jonny Thompson | September 11, 2009 9:07 AM
2. Good post. I know a little bit about this and your right, we have a long way to go. I can't wait for all this data to be broadcast though. I particularly
enjoyed the post on "Personalization".
Posted by: Ilya | September 11, 2009 11:58 AM
3. It is great that you linked to that Tish Shute post she has really been on fire over the last six months - if you want a window into the future of the web,
ubicomp and then some - read her blog.
Posted by: Greg J. Smith | September 11, 2009 12:25 PM
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