A smart home is a one of the classical applications of Internet of Things. It becomes
intelligent by applying cognitive computing to connected home IoT data to uncover insights to enhance convenience ─ and monitor wellness, security and energy use. An intelligent home can even “learn” about residents to recommend further improvements. Its key characteristics are shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1. Smart home’s
characteristics Home automation and convenience Integrate rooms, devices and services in the home while simplifying the life of residents. Whether in the connected, cognitive kitchen, living room or garage, residents can better manage their home and family life with IoT data. Energy and cost management The connected home uses IoT data to provide residents with greater transparency and the ability to analyze their consumption of energy and other home services or resources. The connected home can generate insights about these issues and even make recommendations to help residents conserve resources and manage cost. Health and wellness Connected home sensors, IoT data and alerts can improve the health and wellness of residents, and equip caregivers, health providers and concerned family members with the tools and insights they need to monitor and care for residents. Safety and security The connected home combines capabilities such as video and audio, biometric sensors, presence detectors, leak detectors, and smoke, fire and air quality sensors to reduce the risk of accidents or security problems. The connected home can use IoT data to detect an adverse event and even alert residents, first responders and insurers as needed.
Introduction to IBM Watson IoT Platform
IBM Watson IoT Platform is a managed, cloud-hosted service designed to make it simple to derive value from your IoT devices. Watson IoT Platform and its additional add on services - Blockchain service and analytic service - enable organizations to capture and explore data for devices, equipment, and machines, and discover insights that can drive better decision-making. Its key features are: Capturing data in real time: Process IoT data instantly to help identify valuable insights related to device behavior and operations in the field. Spot trends before they impact the bottom line. Optimizing operations and resources: Reduce operational expense by understanding your IoT devices to operate them more effectively and efficiently. Visualize your IoT data to better plan your operations and increase productivity. Increasing revenue: Use improved business insight and bidirectional communication with the end user to introduce innovative new products and services. Analytics Service: Enrich, augment and interact with your IoT data from the IoT Platform with the analytics service add-on. Blockchain Service: Increase trust and transparency by enabling IoT assets to validate provenance and events in a trusted, immutable ledger with the blockchain service add-on.