Virtual coffee: technical challenges of asset tracking

Put the kettle on and join CENSIS for a catch up over a virtual coffee and connect with other companies, researchers and stakeholders working in the same space.

Led by CENSIS Business Development Managers Jim Cockram and Stephen Milne, this coffee break will look at some of the technical trade-offs associated with IoT for asset tracking, e.g., power, performance, cost and security. This discussion follows on from an event we held in December 2020 about asset tracking more widely. You don’t have to have taken part in that discussion to be part of this one.

Please register via Eventbrite

Tracking assets – be that parts, equipment or people – and knowing where something is or how it is performing, often in real time, can help companies and organisations optimise resources, improve safety and compliance, generate operational efficiencies, or even identify new business opportunities.

While all these benefits are of course welcome, there are still trade-offs to consider. This discussion will look at some of the technical trade-offs associated with the asset monitoring, and also explore how some of these might diminish as IoT technology advances. They include:

• power consumption/battery life – the more data gathered, the quicker a battery or other power source will be depleted
• accessibility – if the device is in a remote or difficult location, reducing the need to change or recharge a power source is important
• cost v performance – deciding when to change or upgrade a device, perhaps before a ‘drift’ in performance is detected and functionality is affected
• communication networks – identifying the most appropriate network, based on accessibility, cost and performance (LPWAN networks/GSM/satellite/WiFi etc)
• the benefits of convenience and performance versus the need to retain cyber security protocols

The chat takes place online using Zoom. Please register via Eventbrite. After you register, and before the event takes place, we’ll send you a calendar invite that includes the Zoom link.

Register

Please register via Eventbrite.

This event takes place on Zoom. A calendar invite that includes the Zoom link to join the discussion will be emailed to all registered participants before the event takes place.

Our virtual coffees are very popular and we often have a waiting list, so if you sign up but can’t make it on the day, please let us know so we can release your place to someone else.