Used with permission from: Microsoft IoT
An intelligence revolution is under foot, and it’s changing how we think about travel at every altitude. Using the latest Internet of Things (IoT) solutions, leaders in the transportation industry are reaching new heights in business performance, whether they’re operating right here on the ground or 30,000 feet in the air.
The latest innovations that transform businesses and improve safety, from jet engines to streetlights, are on display at the Hannover Messe industrial conference this year. Microsoft is in the thick of it, collaborating with Rolls-Royce, EnBW, ABB, IAV and others to harness the power of IoT in new ways and help people and products get where they’re going.
Rolls-Royce, for example, is using Microsoft Azure cloud-based services for information gathering and storage of gigabytes of flight data from each of its Trent engines, which power planes flown by more than 85 airlines. Then Microsoft Azure Stream Analytics, Azure Machine Learning and Microsoft Power BI take over, enabling Rolls-Royce to analyze data for informed decision-making about how to cut fuel use, better plan maintenance, decrease downtime and enhance the passenger experience. The payoff: Cutting fuel usage by 1 percent could save $250,000 per plane per year. The vision is to move beyond simply monitoring engine health to avoid problems, and be able to proactively promote efficiency across fight operations, while retaining the engine’s asset value and avoiding disruptions to an airline’s schedule.
Another bright idea: Street lamps from SM!GHT smart.city.light, from the German electric utility company EnBW. These street lamps do far more than illuminate: They enable an intelligent infrastructure for electric-vehicle charging stations, Wi-Fi and buttons via a Microsoft Azure cloud-based network. Not only that, they can sense pollution, noise, temperature, humidity and traffic congestion. Crunching the system’s real-time data involves Azure Stream Analytics and Azure Machine Learning, and the results can be used to reroute or calm traffic and improve air quality. SM!GHT streetlights have already been deployed in four countries.
We’ve got a number of other great examples on display at Hannover Messe that demonstrate how customers are revolutionizing transportation with Microsoft IoT, including:
- Intelligent, connected devices running on Azure are managing electric vehicles charging networks operated by ABB and Microsoft.
- German automotive supplier ZF Friedrichshafen AG and its connectivity specialist, Openmatics, use sensors managed by Microsoft Azure IoT Hub to help customers monitor cargo shipments.
- Automotive engineering company IAV and Microsoft aim to make foot travel safer using Azure IoT Suite and Cortana Analytics Suite. Wearable devices on pedestrians send their positions to traffic lights connected to an Azure cloud-based service, which alerts vehicles to where people are, even when drivers can’t see them.
To find out more about how Microsoft IoT can help transform your business, visit www.InternetofYourThings.com.
