Discover Internet of Things editorial, inaugural issue

Abstract

The current times are perhaps among the toughest periods in modern history. The Covid-19 pandemic has deeply affected the world's population, affecting its way of life and impacting the economy as well as social priorities. There have been a staggering number of deaths and the burden on healthcare services is unprecedented, forcing us to adjust our ways of living, work and socialization. However, the Covid-19 pandemic, despite all the devastation it has wreaked, carries several important lessons. It may be a rude awakening, calling for greater connectedness, increased responsibility and more peace and harmony. Another remarkable cue left by this pandemic is that the role of computing has become more crucial than ever. We must be technologically more prepared to preemptively thwart similar or worse hazards in the future. While computing in general continues to make technological strides at an unprecedented pace, the COVID-19 virus is forcing us to switch our focus, redefine our priorities and realign our scientific and engineering directions. More than ever before, we have come to recognize the importance of computer-assisted collection, analysis, and dissemination of sensory data. We also need to invent means of remote healthcare and delivery of medicine and vaccines. Healthcare will be the most important consumer of IoT enabled technologies. Thus, IOT enabled infrastructure must be developed for healthcare and it will be crucial. The importance of IoT-enabled technologies is no less profound in other sectors. As well as the vast amount of fresh knowledge that is emerging from the analysis of big data, new ubiquitous applications for previously unconceived scenarios are also evolving at an explosive rate. In fact, the IoT revolution is transforming the entire spectrum of computing based services. A new wave of rapid infrastructure development is sweeping the globe, encompassing virtually everything digital ranging from data centers, supercomputers, clusters, embedded systems, servers, and networks to power grids, sensors, devices, appliances, mobile devices, and instruments. The IoT paradigm makes physical objects with sensing capabilities, including those with tags, smart meters, consumer electronic devices, health sensors and devices, mobile objects such as smart phones, drones, and vehicles, and home appliances such as microwaves, dishwashers, and televisions, a part of the Internet environment. New IoT infrastructures, enabled by the already ever-present Internet technology, are finding new means of making the world a connected place. According to statistica.com, over 10 billion devices will exist by 2022. Projections by Ericson estimate that by 2025, there will be an installed base of 75.44 billion IoT connected devices worldwide, a fivefold increase in 10 years. Worldwide spending on the IoT reached $745 billion in 2019, an increase of 15.4% over the $646 billion spent in 2018, according to research done by the International Data Corporation (IDC). Moreover, the IDC expects worldwide IoT spending to surpass the $1 trillion mark in 2022. Thus, IoT-based technologies may serve as a critical engine driving the new economy. IoT systems are being deployed in many capacities. Apart from healthcare, there is a rapid proliferation of smart homes, smart cities, offices, factories, etc. In bringing people and technology even closer, the IoT revolution is poised to lead