Turn real-time data into BI

Today, sensors are everywhere. They are used by food and pharmaceutical companies to keep temperatures and humidity stable during transportation and in warehouses; by government and civil engineering firms to monitor public infrastructure like bridges and dams for structural integrity; and by electric utilities and corporations to manage, distribute and use power more cost effectively. Now technology experts are looking at linking sensor data into the IT networks not just for tracking and monitoring, but to combine and analyze this data with other business indicators to identify long-term trends and gain competitive insight. Seems simple enough, but Jeff Platon, of Cisco Systems, said integration of such data is a complicated matter because of the technical issues and cultural barriers existing between plant mangers who control sensor data and CIOs who run enterprise IT.

For more on sensors:
 - check out this Computerworld.com article