"Our knowledge of the world grows with every connected sensor and device, but too often we are not acting on it, even when we know we can ensure a better result." - Bob Picciano, senior vice president, IBM Analytics
According to the Wall Street Journal, IBM (International Business Machines) announced plans on Tuesday to invest $3 Billion in a new sensor data unit. By partnering with the Weather Company, which owns information providers such as the Weather Channel, IBM will be able to interpret a multitude of data about weather conditions in order to help businesses make better decisions.
This approach will help IBM compete to manage vast streams of data from smartphones, Internet-connected cars, machine tools, smart home appliances, jet engines, and other sources, also known as IoT (Internet of Things).
An article on Forbes.com explains: “The suggestion here is that over the next decade, integration of IoT in business operations and decision-making will transform business. But today, it is estimated that 90 percent of all data generated by devices like smartphones, tablets, connected vehicles and appliances is never analyzed or acted upon – as much as 60 percent of this data begins to lose value within milliseconds of being generated.”