Welcome to the world of 'Reality Mining'! The billions of networked sensors that exist today are generating humongous streams of data. What about 'data mining' this big flow of data and discover our environment in a way that never existed before? Suddenly, sensors would look like pixels and we would start to browse reality as easily as we browse web pages today. Fascinating concept! Some fellows at Accenture Technology Labs are thinking about this and they already have designed some demos of reality mining software. Their demos include web agents, data modeling, GIS systems and much more. They also show how you could detect fires or how you would do virtual shopping. Read more...
Here is how Accenture defines 'reality mining.'
We call the data mining of sensor streams "reality mining" to emphasize the direct mining of insight from operations-relevant sensor data streams. Reality mining provides an insight infrastructure between detection and action, allowing businesses and other organizations to use sensor data in valuable ways. For example, adding sensors to stands of trees would allow experts in a wood products company to monitor tree growth for operational efficiency and yield. Combining these sensor data with models of tree growth and projections of product markets as the trees mature could let the company make resource allocation decisions today to maximize profits later.
And here is a sort description of their demos.
Our prototype of a Sensor Information System combines commercial off-the-shelf software with real-time sensors, custom web crawling agents, and data modeling. It combines geographic information systems (GIS) software, mission planning/terrain visualization systems, and sensor networks. Its data sources include live sensor data, publicly available Web information, and commercial financial data within a photo-realistic, 3D visualization of our office building and environs. The visualization environment (TerraExplorer Pro by Skyline Software Systems) seamlessly knits together satellite and aerial photography, digital elevation maps, 3D models, and data overlays.
Obviously, images are better than words to describe such a new concept. Below are two examples of 'reality mining' as seen by Accenture.
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"Live sensors show the temperatures of sensor-instrumented trees. Upon detection of a fire, an alert is displayed. The 3D environment provides high-fidelity contextualizing views, allowing more response planning to be performed before experts arrive on site." (Credit: Accenture Technology Labs) |
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"Virtual tourism or virtual shopping allows consumers to browse their local reality before leaving their homes. In this example, restaurant aerial views are augmented with their logos, which can be clicked to display live menus from the Web." (Credit: Accenture Technology Labs) |
Before reading its conclusions, please keep in mind that Accenture is a consulting company whose business is to make money.
While today's practitioners think about remote sensing and real-time operating systems, tomorrow's integrated reality online will support remote expertise, real-time teams, and insight-based feedback to decision-makers. Beyond a view of real-time supply chains, sensors and the sensor information systems built upon their data will create an Internet we use to share experiences and browse reality. How will you know when this future has arrived? When you can TiVo your boss's vacation and skip to the exciting parts.
So, even if it's a fascinating new use of technology, please take this article with a grain of salt.
Sources: Gary Boone, Accenture Technology Labs, for Sensors Online, September 2004
9:27:16 PM
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