The telematics sensors on its rolling stock of vehicles capture data between every three and 30 seconds. "Every two weeks, we get the equivalent of all the data we've accumulated in the last twenty years," says Bill Powell, director of enterprise architecture for the Mt. Laurel, N.J.-based firm.

It's a carousel of information: ARI can tell from its gyroscopic sensors if drivers are jackrabbiting from stops or slamming on their brakes; it can tell from engine sensors that they're letting the engines idle too long.

One of the most intriguing and granular pieces in all these terabytes of data is the one that compares where a gas credit card was used, based on the geocode of the vendor, and where the vehicle was at the time. If the differential is more than 20 feet, an ARI audit can show that someone was fueling an unauthorized vehicle.

As that example shows, the internet of things (IoT) isn't just about sensors and data, it's about using data in context. That makes it an interdisciplinary challenge for IT executives, one that encompasses information technology, operations and business processes.

Read Full Article