Page 50 - Frontier Technologies to Protect the Environment and Tackle Climate Change

Frontier Technologies to Protect the Environment and Tackle Climate Change

b. Internet of Things (IoT) for smart energy infrastructure management to help
reduce carbon dioxide and greenhouse gas emissions

ITU has defined the Internet of Things (IoT) as ‘a global infrastructure for the information society,
enabling advanced services by interconnecting (physical and virtual) things based on existing and
evolving interoperable information and communication technologies’ (Recommendation ITU-T
Y.2060/4000). The concept of IoT encompasses M2M (i.e. communication directly between machines
and devices), M2P (i.e. communication directly between machines and people), as well as other
technologies related to ambient intelligence and smart environments. Big Data is also an organic
byproduct of IoT due to the ability of machines to generate, process and analyse large volumes of
data at high speeds. 141

The Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development was established by UNESCO and ITU in
2010. Its recent report on ‘Harnessing the Internet of Things for Global Development’ highlighted
two main factors contributing to the rapid mobilization of IoT systems:
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1) the exponential increase in IoT-enabled devices; and
2) the decrease in the cost of computing.

The corresponding rise in wireless technologies is also considered a symbiotic factor in the rapid
and evolving proliferation of IoT as a distinct frontier technology. It has been reported that the IoT
industry could add USD 14 trillion in global economic value by 2030, and that 84 per cent of IoT
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deployment has the potential to successfully address the SDGs. The cost affordability of IoT-enabled
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devices and IoT-based systems has particularly benefitted developing countries over recent years by
opening up new opportunities.

IoT can help scientists from developing countries to bridge the so-called scientific divide. If we define
the digital divide as being the gap between those with access to digital technologies and those without,
the scientific divide can be defined as the gap between those with access to scientific data and those
without. Today, scientific data is collected mainly using a limited range of expensive equipment that
uses wired infrastructure, particularly when it comes to environmental applications. Data collection

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