The first IoT Waikato event for 2021 was hosted as part of the international celebration of World IoT Day with attendees from across industry, local government, academia, the technology sector and members of the general public.
A highlight of the event was Smart Cities Council ANZ partner Smart Access Enterprises formally launching their new App, a tool designed to support members of the disabled community with mobility.
NZ IoT Alliance Executive Council member Vimal Kumar then spoke about the importance of considering security when it comes to leveraging the Internet of Things and plans for a security focused working group led by researchers at the University of Waikato.
This was followed by a presentation on the use of IoT for hazardous industries from researchers at the University of Waikato including Jemma Konig who provided insights into the work the team was doing using wearables for risk identification as well as devices and connectivity to support proximity detection and geo-fencing.
The last speaker of the evening was regional partner Civic Analytica with Merrick Spain engaging the audience with a presentation focused on the why and how of democratising data driven decision making.
Audience members were curious as to how data would be collected for use in the accessibility app, including leveraging artificial intelligence, whether there were plans for expansion and if incorporating the measurement of the impact on disabled persons journeys as a result of using the tool had been considered. When it came to security the key question was where do we start, and for forestry workers using devices for risk identification the audience conversation was focused on the importance of ensuring positive reinforcement as much as alerting someone to a negative.
“It was great to participate in the IoT Waikato event hosted by SCCANZ recently, to provide a broader data-centric perspective on how organisations can fully leverage their IoT investments. In spite of growth in IoT deployment, data remains a largely untapped resource for creating value. The ability to address the underlying challenges which organisations and their ecosystems have in leveraging data to create value is a critical enabler to scaling IoT and enhancing its ability to drive socio-economic benefits.” Merrick Spain, Civic Analytica
Suffice to say there was definitely interest from the audience in having follow up conversations with our presenters including some wanting to have a closer look at the Civic Analytica platform.
IoT Waikato is a bi-monthly event held in collaboration with our newest Research and Knowledge Partner Wintec, in Hamilton, New Zealand.
