Reading time ( words)
It seems that whenever I'm working on a magazine topic, suddenly it's everywhere. So much so that I begin to wonder who was in on our topic discussion. It was that way with this month's theme, "The Data Factor(y): The Power of Data." Articles suddenly seemed to be appearing all over the place, especially on the topic of the Internet of Things (IoT). Yeah, they were always there; I just started noticing them.
Speaking of the IoT, I found myself wondering, "What does that really mean and how does it affect us?" I read an article at Forbes.com, "A Simple Explanation of the 'Internet of Things'" that offered a solid explanation, which really helped. Basically, it's all about connections connecting… electronically, of course. Personally, I haven't felt a great need to wear an armband or have my front door lock automatically (I don't even like my car's locks activating automatically) or have my washing machine start up at some odd time. I have timers on lamps, and I use a few auto sensors for other things. Isn't that enough? Apparently, not anymore!
We did a survey on our topic this month, as we do every month. We also asked an open-ended question about your "largest issues" with data. Your answers seemed to revolve around the accuracy of data collected (and whether it is the right data), lack of time, collecting in real-time, and then how to organize and analyze what has been collected.
We also asked how you turn data into useful and right action. Most of these answers were a little vague, suggesting that many of you aren't quite sure what to do with the data you collect. And some of you mentioned, "Too much data!"
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the November 2015 issue of The PCB Magazine.
