Internet of things (IoT) is about capturing and making sense of data from the physical world. Soon, every physical device will be a source of data and this data can potentially become a source of business value. We have all heard the predictions about the explosion of IoT data and the IoT data deluge. All this IoT data is useless unless it is collected, understood and used to make smart decisions.
Consider the operational complexity of today’s large sports stadiums and events. Managing large scale sporting events like football, baseball and soccer games and ensuring visitor safety creates unique challenges. Severe weather, mass transit delays, traffic congestion in and around the event venue can significantly impact the event experience. Additionally, handling large crowds with rapidly shifting excitement levels creates challenges for dealing with accidents, damage to property or medical emergencies.
Real-time visualization helps improve response and event management by aggregating numerous IoT data streams from various systems, sensors, vehicles and video, providing an integrated operational view across large physical environments – like a sports stadium.
Stadium operations teams can greatly benefit from a reliable real-time visualization system that displays vehicle and pedestrian traffic. This is particularly critical in emergency situations, where operations managers need to ensure a smooth and safe entrance and exit for event attendees. Operations teams can be instantly notified about changes in traffic patterns or parking, such as when a garage nears capacity, or when traffic jams are about to occur. Staff can respond to serious problems as soon as they happen and pro-actively respond to prevent problem situations from getting worse.
For IoT data streams to be useful and productive, visualization systems must execute the following: