1. #thingspeak red
ThingSpeak: Apps for Social Things
Hans Scharler
@scharler

2. Objectives
• Introduce “Internet of Things” Devices and
Drivers
• Introduce ThingSpeak as a platform
• Show you a pie chart
• Review existing ThingSpeak Projects and
Applications
• Answer what’s next and how you can help
• Answer questions

3. Internet of Things Devices
• Range from microcontrollers to computers
• Need to be able to push data to web services
• They might push “a lot” of data
• They might push data when they want
• They might be behind firewalls
• They want to talk to each other
• They like to have many standards and protocols
• They might not support SSL
• They hate lots of back and forth
• They need power

4. Internet of Things Drivers
• Low-cost technology
• Wireless pervasiveness
• Better marketing – don’t call it home automation
• The line between humans and things is blurring –
do you feel weird when you forget your phone at
home?
• Open Data + Thing Data = Web of Things
• The Apps will make this interesting and feasible
• Inevitability (spoiler alert… the things win)
• It’s cool

5. ThingSpeak App Platform

6. ThingSpeak Features
• All-purpose Data Storage and Retrieval
– Tweet-sized data
– Push data from devices
– Use data in apps
– Data Types:
• Sensor Data
• Text Data
• Geolocation Data
• Data Visualization
– Charts
– Maps

7. ThingSpeak Features
• Data Processing
– Min / Max Filtering
– Time scaling
– Summing
– Averaging
– Median
• Twitter Integration
– Send Tweets
– Use data collected by Twitter
– Twitter callbacks

8. ThingSpeak Features
• Integrated Web Apps
– ThingHTTP – Low-level access to high-level web
resources
– TweetControl – Monitor twitter for keywords and
react
– ThingTweet – Send Tweets without OAuth
• Open Source API and Web App
– https://github.com/iobridge/ThingSpeak

9. ThingSpeak Users
• DIY
• Product Manufactures
• Web Developers
• Mobile App Developers

10. ThingSpeak Stats
• 1400 Active Users • 2 Supported Languages
• 1400 Channels • 500 Private Server Installs
• 95% Private Channels • 160 Developers on GitHub
• 8 Active Countries
– 40% US
– 20% UK
– 10% Brazil
– 5% Spain
– 5% Switzerland
– 5% Japan
– 5% The Netherlands
– 2% France

11. Arbitrary Pie Chart

12. ThingSpeak Projects
• Sensor Data
– Sump pump monitoring
– Fitness device monitoring
– Thermostat monitoring
– Weather monitoring
– Server monitoring
– Someone is monitoring their water bed

13. CheerLights

14. CheerLights
• Worldwide synchronized color lights based on
social trends
• Build a light controller and follow “#CheerLights”
• More info at CheerLights.com
@CheerLights
Paint the world red

15. Twitter Enabled Toy
#thingspeak
#forward
Real-time Streaming
Triggers the ioBridge API Control Toy

16. Social Sensor Network

17. Social Sensor Network
• Web and mobile app used to collect data that
sensors can not sense
– “It’s hot in here”
– “Lots of ladies here”
• Social “meta” data on top of sensor data
• Built using the ThingSpeak API
• More info at SocialSensorNetwork.com

18. ThingSpeak Tech Stuff
• Ruby 1.9.2
• Ruby on Rails 3.0
• PhusionPassenger
• Ruby EventMachine
• Node.js
• Nginx

19. What’s next for ThingSpeak?
• ioAuth (OAuth for embedded devices)
• Upgrade to Ruby on Rails 3.1
• New “Reacts” app
• New Energy App and plugin
• Custom Channel Pages
• Upgraded Charts
• Update and add tests to GitHub version of
ThingSpeak

20. How can you help?
• Make things

21. #thingspeak blue
Q&A
Hans Scharler @scharler
hans@iobridge.com
http://www.iobridge.com
http://www.iamshadowlord.com