With the coming tidal wave of data generated by the Internet of Things (IoT), a lot of organizations will find themselves connecting pools of data that never needed to be brought together before.

These data silos wind up becoming these stand-alone “containers,” hidden within one department and isolated from the rest of the organization.

See also: How smart cities will avoid data overload

Today, most data silos exist separately without sharing, cross-referencing, interpreting or adding to each other’s self-contained data sets. With data silos come the challenge of only being able to analyze each application individually without getting the whole picture of the business situation.

Capgemini Consulting reports silos to be standing in the way of efficient big data usage because of how it complicates business analytics. The question is, what needs to happen to transition from data silos to systems?

“IoT is shifting from a single purpose application connected to the Internet, to multiple applications working together in concert – connected and integrated in the cloud,” says Christian Renaud, research director at 451 Research.

During the IoT Global Council July session, which focused on IoT platforms, Renaud presented market research indicating how IoT is moving from silos to systems.

He used smart cities as an example. “Imagine if a smart street light were connected to public safety,” he said. “[Today] only 41 percent of our enterprise customers say they have IoT technology in-use.”

Dismantling silos will be a bigger theme in the future

Looking forward to the future, this relatively low number indicates a large enterprise potential in the use of IoT technology to fully move from silos to systems.

One step in transitioning from silos to systems is by gathering data together in a dashboard customized for your specific business. By bringing your data out of its silo and into one mutual platform, information will flow freely between departments, applications and systems resulting in aligning business goals and teams to make better decisions.

This is likely to lead to more efficient communication, which can affect total returns to shareholders by approximately 47 percent. And when systems are able to make sense of all data collected in your business, machine-learning models can identify patterns which can be used to make predications.

When these systems are able to predict with better efficiency, that’s when IoT will give true meaning.

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People are increasingly migrating from rural to urban areas. By 2050, about 86 percent of people in developed countries and 64 percent of people in developing countries are expected to live in cities. Because cities will absorb future population growth, it is crucial to use resources more efficiently. How will smart city technology make the urbanization process as smooth as possible?

1. Smart energy

Smart energy systems will monitor and control energy usage to more efficiently manage and conserve energy. Cisco estimates that cities that run on information can improve their energy efficiency by 30 percent within 20 years. By using renewable energy sources, manage water supply and have a waste management system, cities can reduce pollution and use less energy.

2. Smart mobility

Smart mobility strives to find more sustainable transport options. Deloitte reported that an average American is stuck about 34 hours in traffic every year. With rapidly growing cities, new transportation solutions need to be developed to keep mobility dynamic. This could save the US government for about 124 billion dollars every year. Walking, cycling and combined mobility are a few of the solutions that partially could solve the problem. By conducting big data drive projects, information can be gathered to identify driving and movement patterns and minimize the accident probability. Finding new and improved solutions will reduce costs and have a positive environmental impact. Last, but not least, a huge bonus is the improved health effect some of the solutions bring.

3. Smart infrastructure

Smart infrastructure creates the fundament for all smart solutions. By using new technology to convert raw data into information, urban and regional development can be planed and designed to fit future demand. Also existing systems can be improved by analyzing data from sensors, traffic patterns and tracking systems.

4. Smart public services

By connecting city residents and authorities using innovative communication technology, cities can become safer, cleaner and the general city standard will improve. If residents have the possibility to report trash or infrastructural problems, authorities can act faster to solve problems they otherwise would not be aware of.

5. Smart care

To adapt to changes in population demographics, the development of smarter healthcare services will provide quality services also in the future. Smarter care will reduce costs and connect users within the healthcare industry to provide necessary patient information. Giving caretakers access to patient information will help doctors collaborate in new ways to give the best patient care possible.

A smart city will respond better to emerging population challenges than traditional city management. By utilizing resources more efficiently governments can save money, improve life quality and meet the needs of future generations.

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