Internet of Things is Enabling All Industries

The Internet of Things (IoT) is a network of devices that gather and share information directly with each other and with remote systems through the internet, making it possible to collect, record and analyze data faster and more accurately to solve a customer need. Whether measuring health progress from a wearable device, providing a seamless purchasing experience or improving factory production, IoT is transforming the way consumers live and businesses work.

Ohio is well-positioned to support and benefit from IoT. As a state known for manufacturing, Ohio already makes things. Now, companies in Ohio are making things even better by developing and using IoT technologies.

Four Ohio regions have particularly impressive IoT assets that can support nearly any industry, project or organization. The Cincinnati region, for example, has a considerable startup ecosystem, strong analytics education programs and a large demand for IoT capabilities from companies in health care, manufacturing and retail consumer goods.

The Dayton region benefits from its position as headquarters to several defense institutions, which are creating IoT applications for their work in cybersecurity and unmanned aerial vehicles.

The Cleveland region offers universities engaged in IoT R&D, accelerator programs encouraging IoT innovation, and manufacturers and health care organizations that are using IoT to improve their operations. The Cleveland Foundation, Case Western Reserve University and Cleveland State University have formed a collaboration around IoT to transform the region into a national model of workforce, research and innovation.

As the nation’s first Smart City, Columbus is using IoT in R&D centers to create smart vehicle technologies. In addition, it has companies that make the hardware necessary for IoT as well as companies that use IoT to discover life-changing innovations.

While all industries are using IoT to some degree, health care, manufacturing, agriculture and retail consumer goods are just a few in Ohio that have been particularly successful in adopting IoT. In health care, the move to outpatient care and telemedicine is driving an increasing demand for IoT applications such as wearable devices and intelligent and connected systems. Manufacturing companies are optimizing operations, managing maintenance and creating new services to enhance product experience using IoT. Fueling this growth, Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) global funding activity has grown from $730 million in 2013 to $2.8 billion in 2017.

Agricultural companies are taking advantage of IoT to remotely monitor crops, livestock and equipment. Retail consumer goods operations use IoT to enhance their supply chains and give consumers seamless purchasing experiences.

IoT offers unlimited opportunities for all industries in Ohio. JobsOhio will continue to support this cross sector strategy, finding ways to connect companies with the resources that will help them use and advance their IoT capabilities.

This article originally appeared in the JobsOhio 2017 Annual Report and 2018 Strategic Plan.