Leveraging the Eco System of Internet of Things

More and more devices are getting sensors embedded in them to sense their current state of internal and external status. There are many examples like intelligent energy saving lighting systems, keyless entry systems in a car, internet enabled microwaves, refrigerators, home security systems, automatic focus or illumination detection in cameras, temperature and air-conditioning control in rooms, global position location systems in cell phones, other location sensors, smart cards for keyless entry systems, credit cards etc. Sensors and sensory devices are also commonly attached or embedded in living beings for monitoring or supporting life like the pacemakers that detect the arrhythmic heart beat and compensate for the same, drug delivery systems for pain relief in terminally ill patients, monitoring systems in people released on payroll, alarm systems put on elderly or very young to enable near and dear ones to monitor any sense of distress in them.
Imagine if all such sensors existed in all living beings and non living were objects and were connected online and available 24 by 7 on a mobile device using internet and we had unlimited or secure and restricted access to all this information to leverage as per authorizations. The possibility of leveraging this information for decision making in real world will open unlimited possibilities for newer applications and provide a huge amount of comfort and relieve humans of many mundane activities. This is the concept of internet of things. It has already started to attract attention for many large leading companies.
Companies are working on making sensors which can be embedded or attached in all living beings and non living objects and gather their conditions and be ready to communicate with the rest of the world. Companies are working on embedding such devices in objects or implants in living beings. Companies are working on creating communication protocols for connections with the internet. Companies are working on integrating this information and accessing them on the web with user owned devices to leverage the same.
Applications are many. A property and casualty insurance company can integrate tsunami, hurricane, storms sensors with the demographic information of properties to assess likely impacts and issue preventive action warnings to their insured. Life insurance companies can monitor medication and conditions of elderly and elongate life spans. Motor insurance companies can view driving patterns of drivers as well as advise personal insurance plans. The cars can regulate and detect possible collision scenarios and navigate themselves out of the same. One can manage and operate all home appliances from remote or automate the operations based on alarms and thresholds set.
This is the new world of internet of things where the level of automation is such that lot of human interventions will only be to define the rules and leave all regular operations to the sensors and devices of the world.