Here’s how the usual situation goes.
You’ll discover a fun new slang that everyone uses so you jump on the bandwagon without really understanding what it’s actually about.
It happens often, and you might have seen these two terms being thrown around a lot: Internet of Things (IoT) and Big Data.
These two keywords got a lot of attention back in 2012 in the eyes of the world and today, even our government officials are making use of the big data phenomenon to make our nation a smarter society.
But because it’s not really something tangible, a lot of us are still confused on what it actually does and how it affects our everyday lives (like how many of us know smart traffic lights that monitor car movements function with the help of IoT and big data?).
So this event happening in our homeland aims to change this by making these terms not only sound relatable but exciting.
The Smart City & Future Commerce Convention 2017 is a 6-in-1 event happening at the Setia Alam Convention Centre from September 7 to 9 centered around key themes such as Green Cities, Smart Cities (IoT & Big Data), and Future Commerce (DFTZ, Logistics, e-commerce).
In terms of the smart cities area, these are the main questions this convention plans to address.
Question 1: What does Big Data even mean?
Big Data’s not just about gathering personal information and using it to show pop-up advertisements tailored to your interests, though that’s one of the ways it can be applied.
Essentially, it’s about picking out the key metrics and aspects from a huge chunk of information and using it to improve society in terms of making our lives more seamless and as you guessed, smart.
How it can be used to impact our lives is actually the main reason why it’s become a buzzword.
There is a particular talk during this event called “Big Data in Smart Cities” which will feature a panel of experts within the big data realm such as Urbanetic (a developer of data management tools to solve real world problems caused by urbanisation) and ADAX (an initiative by MDEC to educate businesses on the power of Data Analytics).
Question 2: How does IoT fit into all of this?
IoT and Big Data actually come hand in hand.
They’re essentially two sides of the same coin—Big Data is a subset of the IoT discussion. The difference lies in that Big Data is about data, plain and simple. IoT is about data, devices, and connectivity. Data—big and small—is front and center in the IoT world of connected devices.
To help bring a clearer picture to the table, there will be a panel discussion called “Smart IoT: IoT and its role in Smart Cities” with specialists joining in on the discussion ranging from ATILZE (produces IoT built on Long-Range technology) and Pensonic Holdings Berhad.
Question 3: Okay cool, but how does this affect me?
Oh, if only you knew.
Many companies and government officials have already been planning for years the many cool ways that Big Data and IoT can be used to make our life not only more efficient but cooler. One day, the vision is to be similar to what we usually only envision in fiction.
Example, there’s a panel talk set during the convention called “DJI Drone Solutions for Smart Cities of the Future” where DJI, one of the leading brands for drones, will share the many cool ways drones can help us instead of just taking cool aerial photography.
So now you can join in on the loop.
Most of the questions you’d have about Big Data and IoT would probably be answered just from the myriad of exclusive content you can get from this 3-day convention.
Each speaker has their own extensive experience to share and it’s a rare chance for all these influential professionals to gather in an event so it’s not something to be missed if you’re one to know more about Smart Cities.
Tickets are still up for purchase priced at USD250 (RM1,000) for 3 days but SITEC is currently offering a 50% discount where the tickets are now RM500 for ALL 3 days.
Specially for Vulcan Post readers, SITEC is giving out 3 tickets that will give you entry for the entire convention. All you have to do is just share this article with the hashtag #SITECxVP and make sure your settings are on public. We’ll pick 3 winners and inform them via their Facebook account. Contest will end 7th September.
For more information, you can head over to their official website here.
This article was written in collaboration with SITEC.
Feature Image Credit: forbes.com