Many observers predict that the growth of the IoT will bring positive benefits through enhanced integration, efficiency, and productivity across many sectors of the U.S. and global economies.

Among those commonly mentioned are agriculture, energy, health care, manufacturing, and transportation. Significant impacts may also be felt more broadly on economic growth, infrastructure and cities, and individual consumers. However, both policy and technical challenges, including security and privacy issues, might inhibit the growth and impact of IoT innovations.

The explosion of new connections joining the Internet of Everything is driven by the development of IP-enabled devices, the increase in global broadband availability and the advent of IPv6.

Transportation systems are becoming increasingly connected. New motor vehicles are equipped with features such as global positioning systems (GPS) and in-vehicle entertainment, as well as advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), which utilize sensors in the vehicle to assist the driver, for example with parking and emergency braking. Further connection of vehicle systems enables fully autonomous or self-driving automobiles, which are predicted to be commercialized in the next 5-20 years.

Additionally, IoT technologies can allow vehicles within and across modes?including cars, buses, trains, airplanes, and unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) to “talk” to one another and to components of the IoT infrastructure, creating intelligent transportation systems (ITS). Potential benefits of ITS may include increased safety and collision avoidance, optimized traffic flows, and energy savings, among others.

At this point, the easier question might be who isn?t working on an IoT product. Big names like Samsung, LG, Apple, Google, Lowe?s and Philips are all working on connected devices, as are many smaller companies and startups. Research group Gartner predicts that 4.9 billion connected devices will be in use this year, and the number will reach 25 billion by 2020.

The IoT is not separate from the Internet, but rather, a potentially huge extension and expansion of it. The ?things? that form the basis of the IoT are objects. They could be virtually anything? streetlights, thermostats, electric meters, fitness trackers, factory equipment, automobiles, unmanned aircraft systems (UASs or drones), or even cows or sheep in a field. What makes an object part of the IoT is embedded or attached computer chips or similar components that give the object both a unique identifier and Internet connectivity. Objects with such components are often called “smart”?such as smart meters and smart cars.

Internet connectivity allows a smart object to communicate with computers and with other smart objects. Connections of smart objects to the Internet can be wired, such as through Ethernet cables, or wireless, such as via a Wi-Fi or cellular network.

To enable precise communications, each IoT object must be uniquely identifiable. That is accomplished through an Internet Protocol (IP) address, a number assigned to each Internet-connected device, whether a desktop computer, a mobile phone, a printer, or an IoT object. Those IP addresses ensure that the device or object sending or receiving information is correctly identified.

Within the energy sector, the IoT may impact both production and delivery, for example through facilitating monitoring of oil wellheads and pipelines. When IoT components are embedded into parts of the electrical grid, the resulting infrastructure is commonly referred to as the “smart grid”. This use of IoT enables greater control by utilities over the flow of electricity and can enhance the efficiency of grid operations. It can also expedite the integration of microgenerators into the grid.

Smart-grid technology can also provide consumers with greater knowledge and control of their energy usage through the use of smart meters in the home or office. Connection of smart meters to a building’s HVAC, lighting, and other systems can result in “smart buildings” that integrate the operation of those systems. Smart buildings use sensors and other data to automatically adjust room temperatures, lighting, and overall energy usage, resulting in greater efficiency and lower energy cost. Information from adjacent buildings may be further integrated to provide additional efficiencies in a neighborhood or larger division in a city.

The Internet of Everything brings together people, process, data and things to make networked connections more relevant and valuable than ever before – turning information into actions that create new capabilities, richer experiences and unprecedented economic opportunity for businesses, individuals and countries.

The IoT can be leveraged by the agriculture industry through precision agriculture, with the goal of optimizing production and efficiency while reducing costs and environmental impacts. For farming operations, it involves analysis of detailed, often real-time data on weather, soil and air quality, water supply, pest populations, crop maturity, and other factors such as the cost and availability of equipment and labor. Field sensors test soil moisture and chemical balance, which can be coupled with location technologies to enable precise irrigation and fertilization. Drones and satellites can be used to take detailed images of fields, giving farmers information about crop yield, nutrient deficiencies, and weed locations.

For ranching and animal operations, radio frequency identification (RFID) chips and electronic identification readers (EID) help monitor animal movements, feeding patterns, and breeding capabilities, while maintaining detailed records on individual animals.

With so many companies working on different products, technologies and platforms, making all these devices communicate with each other is no small feat ? seamless overall compatibility likely won?t happen.

Several groups are working to create an open standard that would allow interoperability among the various products. Among them are the AllSeen Alliance, whose members include Qualcomm, LG, Microsoft, Panasonic and Sony; and the Open Interconnect Consortium, which has the support of Intel, Cisco, GE, Samsung and HP.

While their end goal is the same, there are some differences to overcome. For example, the OIC says the AllSeen Alliance doesn?t do enough in the areas of security and intellectual property protection. The AllSeen Alliance says that these issues have not been a problem for its more than 110 members.

It?s not clear how the standards battle will play out, though many believe we?ll end up with three to four different standards rather than a single winner (think iOS and Android).

In the meantime, one way consumers can get around the problem is by getting a hub that supports multiple wireless technologies, such as the one offered by SmartThings.

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