A lecture about developing an 'Internet of Things' ( IoT ) technology cluster in Brighton. However, the lessons are applicable to anyone that has ambitions to build a cluster in their own locality. This presentation was first given to Computer Science students at the University of Brighton on February 17th, 2016. It provides an overview of the current state of IoT and examines what kind of skills and policies are necessary to develop an IoT technology cluster in Brighton. It then proposes an 8 step programme to develop an IoT technology cluster, advocates the need for long-term vision and describes a strategy for developing Brighton as a major center for research and entrepreneurship in IoT and other emerging technologies. Overview: - A brief history of Connected Things - The Internet of Things explained - Policies and Frameworks - Anatomy of a Technology Cluster - Stages of IoT development - Building a Brighton Cluster - Long term vision

1. Building an IoT Cluster in
Brighton
Needs, vision and strategy
A presentation by Bill Harpley
1

2. Linux | Cloud | Wireless | IoT
www.astius.co.uk
16/02/2016 Bill Harpley2

3. Who am I ?
Bill Harpley MSc MIEE
Founder and Principal Consultant
Astius Technology
bill.harpley@astius.co.uk
16/02/2016
Bill Harpley3

4. Overview
1. A brief history of Connected Things
2. The Internet of Things explained
3. Policies and Frameworks
4. Anatomy of a Technology Cluster
5. Stages of IoT development
6. Building a Brighton Cluster
7. Long term vision
16/02/2016
Bill Harpley4

5. A brief history of Connected Things
16/02/2016 Bill Harpley5

6. Mont Blanc 1874
● French engineers built a
system of weather and
snow-depth sensors on
the slopes of Mont Blanc.
● Real-time information
about mountain
conditions was
transmitted to Paris.
16/02/2016 Bill Harpley6

7. Telemetry
“The use of electronic devices to record or
measure a distant event and transmit data to a
receiver” - Collins Dictionary
● Remote monitoring is nothing new
● Earliest examples exploited the 19th century
telegraph network
16/02/2016 Bill Harpley7

8. Telemetry applications
● Drilling wells for oil and gas
● Space exploration (e.g. Mars Rover)
● Water quality and flow management
● Energy system monitoring (e.g. electricity grid)
● Irrigation systems in agriculture
● Remote monitoring of patients
In fact, the modern world could not function
without Telemetry!
16/02/2016 Bill Harpley8

9. Machine communications (M2M)
Direct communication between devices over
a communication channel (wired, wireless,
satellite).
Examples:
– Vehicle tracking, management and routing
– Meter reading (e.g. electricity)
– Security (video cameras, event detection + alarming)
– Retail point-of-sale (POS)
– Health monitoring of patients in their homes
16/02/2016 Bill Harpley9

10. M2M apps map
16/02/2016 Bill Harpley10

11. The Internet of Things explained
16/02/2016 Bill Harpley11

12. Old technology, new ideas
• The basic concept of creating a hyper-connected world
of people and objects has been around since at least
the mid-90s
• Kevin Ashton – a British academic at MIT in Boston U.S.A.
– coined the term “Internet of Things” in 1999
• Much of the basic technology used in IoT has a long pedigree
( > 30 years ). Examples: computers, sensor networks,
databases, wireless networks
• It's real power comes from a combination of mature and
novel new technologies. Examples: cloud computing,
machine learning, data analytics
16/02/2016 Bill Harpley12

13. IoT is very ambiguous
● Gartner - " The IoT is the network of dedicated physical
objects (things) that contain embedded technology to sense
or interact with their internal state or external environment.
The IoT comprises an ecosystem that includes things,
communication, applications and data analysis."
● EU-IERC - "A dynamic global network infrastructure with self-
configuring capabilities based on standard and interoperable
communication protocols where physical and virtual “things”
have identities, physical attributes, and virtual personalities
and use intelligent interfaces, and are seamlessly integrated
into the information network."
One broad vision. Many competing definitions.
16/02/2016 Bill Harpley13

14. Sensing the Physical World
16/02/2016 Bill Harpley14

15. Connecting the Physical World
16/02/2016 Bill Harpley15

16. People & processes
16/02/2016 Bill Harpley16

17. Boundless possibilities of IoT
16/02/2016 Bill Harpley17

18. How many devices?
16/02/2016 Bill Harpley18

19. What's the market worth?
16/02/2016 Bill Harpley19

20. IoT hypermania
No change on 2014: IoT is still at 'peak hype'
16/02/2016 Bill Harpley20

21. Journey through the hype-cycle
Table shows different stages of progression through the
hype-cycle for a range of IoT & related technologies.
16/02/2016 Bill Harpley21

22. M2M v. IoT: what's the difference?
● M2M – short for “Machine to Machine”
 may use 'old' proprietary technologies and communication
protocols
 focused on monitoring (and perhaps controlling) the operation of
a single asset or physical phenomenon
 typically leads to 'silos' of data (inaccessible to other applications)
16/02/2016 Bill Harpley22

23. 16/02/2016 23
M2M v. IoT: what's the difference?
Internet of Things (IoT) – similar to M2M but with
important differences:
● Utilises common Internet protocols and
infrastructure
● IoT will evolve to the point where physical objects can
connect, communicate and interact with each other
● Data can be combined from multiple sources (e.g. social
media, geolocation, CRM, Weather forecasts) to improve
decision models
● Often defined in terms of vertical markets (e.g. Smart
Agriculture, Smart Cities, Smart Utilities)
Bill Harpley

24. Smarter decision making with IoT
16/02/2016 Bill Harpley24

25. M2M v IoT compared
16/02/2016 Bill Harpley25

26. Open Data
● Movement towards public and private sector bodies
making their data available for public use
● Such data can be used to build useful applications
for citizens
● Just a few examples (click on links):
– Open Glasgow
– London Data Store
– Brussels
– New York
● Nothing much in Brighton
16/02/2016 Bill Harpley26

27. Further reading
• The Internet Society have
produced a handy briefing
paper ( 53 pages) which
you can download here
16/02/2016 Bill Harpley27

28. Policies and Frameworks
16/02/2016 Bill Harpley28

29. A global view of the Internet of Things
● IoT has many transnational champions:
– World Economic Forum (“The Fourth Industrial
Revolution”)
– European Commission (sponsored research projects)
– ITU (International Telecoms Union)
– Major corporations such as Google, Facebook,
Microsoft, Cisco, Intel
● Governments around the world see IoT as an
engine for future growth of businesses,
employment and tax revenues
16/02/2016 Bill Harpley29

30. UK Government funding for IoT
● Government funding seen as
crucial to stimulate market for
IoT
– seed funding for IoT startups
– funding for HyperCat (£10m)
– funding via InnovateUK
– funding via EPSRC (e.g.
proposal for £10m IoT hub)
● Further funding from EU
collaborative programmes
and competitions
(e.g. Horizon 2020)
16/02/2016 Bill Harpley30

31. IoT Clusters in the UK
● Major clusters in London, Cambridge, Bristol,
Milton Keynes (and now Manchester)
● Other cities aspire to create clusters
(e.g. Glasgow, Belfast, Sheffield, Liverpool,
Birmingham, Oxford, Guildford)
● IoT is seen as an engine of future growth for
jobs, businesses and civic pride
● Nothing much in Brighton at the moment
(but this is about to change!)
16/02/2016 Bill Harpley31

32. 16/02/2016 32
Anatomy of a Technology Cluster
Bill Harpley

33. The birth of Silicon Valley
● Photo shows famous
garage where Dave
Packard and Bill Hewlett
founded the HP
company in the late
1930s
● Formally recognised as
the Birthplace of Silicon
Valley
● California Historical
Landmark #976
367 Addison Avenue, Palo Alto, California
16/02/2016 Bill Harpley33

34. Silicon Valley: the roots of success
● Many reasons cited as to how Silicon Valley
took root:
– Government spending in the early days (e.g. NASA
space programme)
– Free-wheeling, libertarian, hippie culture of the late
60s and early 70s
– Easy access to capital (and growth of VC community)
– Ability to attract talent from all over the world
– 52% of Silicon Valley startups are now founded by
immigrants (not born in US) – figure from 2012
– Read this story from Forbes (and watch the video)
16/02/2016 Bill Harpley34

35. The Silicon Valley business ecosystem
● Think of this as a
complete 'ecosytem' to
support technology
ventures
● This has evolved over
half a century to
become Silicon Valley
● Not easy to reproduce!
16/02/2016 Bill Harpley35

36. So what's the secret?
● Governments around the
world have tried to
emulate the success of
Silicon Valley
● More recent research
shows that the critical
factor is corporate culture
– Intense focus on customer
needs
– Strong alignment between
Innovation and Business
strategies
– Prizes fresh talent and new
ideas
16/02/2016 Bill Harpley36

37. The Influence of Culture
● Booz & Company’s 2011 Global Innovation 1000 study
describes three core profiles that characterise:
– a company’s approach to incremental versus breakthrough
innovation
– the role that end-customers play in defining future product needs
● Categories of profile are:
– Need Seekers
– Market Readers
– Technology Drivers
● Let's take a closer look ...
16/02/2016 Bill Harpley37

38. Need Seekers
● Need Seekers: adopt a first-mover
strategy.
– Actively and directly engage both current and potential
customers to help shape new products and services
based on superior end-user understanding.
– Often address unarticulated needs and then work to
be first to market with the resulting new products and
services.
– Apple would be a prime example
16/02/2016 Bill Harpley38

39. 16/02/2016 39
Market Readers
● Market Readers adopt a second-mover
strategy.
– They closely monitor both their customers and
competitors, but they adopt a more cautious strategy.
– They focus largely on creating value through
incremental innovations to their products and being
“fast followers” in the marketplace
Bill Harpley

40. Technology Drivers
● Technology Drivers follow the direction
determined by their technological capabilities:
– Leverage their sustained investments in R&D to drive
both breakthrough innovation and incremental
change.
– Theirs is the least proactive of the three approaches in
directly contacting customers.
– They often seek to solve the unarticulated needs of
their customers through leading-edge new technology.
– Intel would be a prime example.
16/02/2016 Bill Harpley40

41. Which category performs best?
● The Global Innovation 1000 study showed that
Need Seekers were noted for:
– Facilitating the strongest alignment of innovation and
business strategies with corporate culture
– Achieving superior financial performance over time.
● Some 46 percent of Silicon Valley companies
follow this model, compared with only 28 percent
of U.S. companies in the Global Innovation 1000.
16/02/2016 Bill Harpley41

42. Stages of IoT Development
16/02/2016 Bill Harpley42

43. Model for IoT evolution
● Before we talk about building an IoT cluster we
need to understand:
– The building blocks of IoT technology
– How we can bring 'connected' products to market
● Here is a three-stage model to help us:
1) Foundation
2) Enablement
3) Marketization
● Note that business opportunities exist within
each of these stages
16/02/2016 Bill Harpley43

44. Stage 1: Foundations
● This phase creates the essential technologies which
can help us to create IoT products and services
– Sensor technology: needs to be low cost and small form factor
(e.g. surface mount packaging) and capable of sensing physical
phenomena to required degree of accuracy (e.g. position,
temperature, pressure)
– Low-power processors and MCUs: much IoT hardware will be
powered by batteries
– Connectivity everywhere: wireless and cellular connectivity will
dominate the IoT landscape (e.g. Bluetooth, LTE)
– Power efficiency: benchmark for IoT is now 10+ years for
battery life. Will be achieved by improved battery technology,
energy harvesting and low-power hardware design
16/02/2016 Bill Harpley44

45. Stage 2: Enablement
● So far, we have a bunch of interesting
technologies. This phase is about building
scalable infrastructure to enable IoT:
– Security, Identity and Privacy
– Interoperability between connected devices and systems
– Systems and device management (complex system!)
– Development of smart, low-power algorithms
– Reliability engineering
– Implementation of IPv6
– Low cost data storage in the Cloud
16/02/2016 Bill Harpley45

46. Stage 3: Marketization
● By this stage we have built the infrastructure to
support ubiquitous IoT
– Smart devices will possess intelligence and
connectivity to the Internet
– P2P co-operation between devices may be enabled by
edge-computing
– Data may be blended from many sources to build a
comprehensive picture using data analytics and
visualisation tools
– Applications limited only by our own imagination!
16/02/2016 Bill Harpley46

47. Smarter decision making with IoT
(revisited)
16/02/2016 Bill Harpley47

48. What skills do we need?
● Wireless / mobile networks
● Hardware design
● Cybersecurity
● Cloud computing
● Databases (SQL / NOSQL)
● Data analytics
● Machine learning
● Data visualisation
● Software development
● IPv6 networking
● Marketing
● Social media
● Business model design
● User Experience (UX)
● Service Design
● Product Design
● The 3-stage model is a useful guide to helping us
decide what kind of skills are needed to build an IoT
cluster
16/02/2016 Bill Harpley48

49. 16/02/2016 49
Building an IoT cluster in Brighton
Bill Harpley

50. The First Digital Revolution
● The digital boom of the last two decades was fuelled by growth of
content
– Email, video, web, social media, voice
– But signs of maturity in this sector!
– Innovation mainly incremental (but can still be disruptive)
– Many people in Brighton have done very well of this boom!
– Real danger of complacency and reluctance to change!!
● Prime source of innovation over the next decade will be fuelled by
mining of raw data – using technologies such as:
– Sensor networks
– Data Analytics
– Machine Learning
– Data Visualisation
16/02/2016 Bill Harpley50

51. The Second Digital Revolution
● Tech scene in Greater Brighton area can ride the wave of the
Second Digital Revolution by embracing emerging
technologies and business models:
– IoT, 3D Printing, Blockchain, 5G, Robotics, AR/VR, Wearables
– Business Model Design
● Why embrace these new technologies?
– Graduates need jobs (possible “brain-drain” otherwise)
– These technologies offer best hope for long term business growth
and employment
– Broaden the local skills base
– Provide jobs for people displaced by “white collar” automation
– Attract inward investment from big industry players
– Need to compete for talent with other tech hubs (e.g. London)
16/02/2016 Bill Harpley51

52. Greater Brighton v. Silicon Valley
16/02/2016 Bill Harpley52

53. 16/02/2016 53
IoT in Brighton looks doomed?
● Oh dear, the outlook for IoT in Brighton
looks pretty dismal
– We can't compete with Silicon Valley
– London sucks in a lot of our resources (talent, ideas)
– Brighton & Hove Council is broke
– We have no Smart Cities programme
– We are not in receipt of cash handouts from
Government
● Maybe it's time to admit defeat.
● Or maybe it's time to find another way ...
Bill Harpley

54. “I did it my way.”
16/02/2016 Bill Harpley54

55. 16/02/2016 55
Finding our own way forward
● Here are 8 practical steps we can take to
make Greater Brighton a central hub for IoT
activity and research
● Think of it as the ultimate “need finding”
exercise!
Bill Harpley

56. 1. Support the DigiCat programme
● Brighton Digital Catapult has a long-term
programme to develop skills in:
– 'Internet of Place'
– Blockchain
– Data analytics
– Retail experience
● Organises many events and meetings
● Fosters collaboration between business and
academia
16/02/2016 Bill Harpley56

57. 2. Support the IoT Forum
● I launched Brighton IoT Forum meetup group June 2016 aims
of:
– Developing IoT capability within Greater Brighton and mid-
Sussex area
– Helping foster collaboration between business and academia
– Attracting big industry names to city (e.g. Samsung, Google)
– Encouraging more participation by women in tech sector
– Building bridges between the artistic, design and technology
communities
– Long-term construction of a business eco-system which supports
‘need finding’, innovation and risk-taking
● Membership currently stands at 400+
16/02/2016 Bill Harpley57

58. 3. Support the Everynet project
● Work has started on the Everynet project
● Aim is to build a dedicated low-power network (LPWAN)
of sensors and actuators (switches )
– Open source hardware and software
– Open standard developed by the LoRa Alliance
– Crowdfunded and crowdsourced
– Inspired by the global Things Network
– Open platform for innovation
– Develop new technology skills within the community
● Public workshops will be organised in the near future
● Everynet should be operational by September
16/02/2016 Bill Harpley58

59. 4. Harness the tools of Social Innovation
● We do not have the resources to build a
Smart City (expensive infrastructure!!)
● But we do have the tools to build a
Smart Community
– Civic Engagement: social media and open meetings
– Open Data: used to promote accountability and
develop useful applications for the local community
– Hackathons: use as an open exercise in
'need finding' to discover how data can be leveraged
for the social good
– Crowdfunding & Crowdsourcing: funding for
community projects and local tech businesses
16/02/2016 Bill Harpley59

60. 5. Deploy Brighton's secret weapon
● Brighton has a large community of artists and
designers
● It also has a large community of technologists
● But they don't talk to each other very much
● 'Internet of Things' is multi-disciplinary, which
opens up interesting possibilities for collaboration
between the different communities
● More about this later ….
16/02/2016 Bill Harpley60

61. 16/02/2016 61
6. Organise an IoT conference
● An IoT conference would do much to put
Brighton 'on the map'
● Just an idea at this stage but I will definitely
organise one in either:
– Autumn 2016
– Spring 2017
● Watch this space for further announcements!
Bill Harpley

62. 7. Look for new synergies
● IoT Forum Meetup No. 4 was devoted to 'Connected Cars and
Autonomous Vehicles'
● Pattern of convergence between "information businesses" (e.g.
Google) and "automotive businesses" (e.g. BMW).
● What makes this significant is that in the Brighton and mid-Sussex
area, we have all of the skills to capitalise on this trend:
– Talented academic researchers in our universities
– Good companies in the automotive sector (Continental, Tesla, Ricardo)
– Communities of practice in Product Design, UX, Service Design,
Software Development
– Major insurance company (RSA in Horsham)
● Meetup brought people from these diverse groups together to meet
and talk to each other (possibly for the first time!)
● Potential for collaboration and new business opportunities
16/02/2016 Bill Harpley62

63. 8. Bring stakeholders together
● It's important to engage with all key
stakeholders in order to define a common vision
and set of goals
● Universities
● Technology
Businesses
● Local authorities
● Non-tech businesses
● Community groups
● Digital Catapult
● Wired Sussex
● Chambers of
Commerce
● Coast2Capital
16/02/2016 Bill Harpley63

64. 16/02/2016 64
The long-term vision
Bill Harpley

65. Alternative Futures
● Many cities in the UK have a clearly defined
strategy for the future
● Here are a few examples (click to follow links):
– Bristol is Open
– MKSmart (Milton Keynes)
– Glasgow Future City
– Manchester Corridor
– Birmingham Smart City
● To the best of my knowledge, no such vision
exists for Greater Brighton
16/02/2016 Bill Harpley65

66. 16/02/2016 66
Brighton Powerhouse
● It's important to realise that we have a choice:
– Become an insignificant branch office of London's
Silicon Roundabout
– Develop a vision of Brighton as a major centre for
research and development of cutting-edge
technologies & tech businesses
● I repeat, we have that choice!
● So what follows is my own personal vision of
how to develop Brighton into major hub for the
Second Digital Revolution
● I call this programme Brighton Powerhouse
Bill Harpley

67. Brighton Powerhouse: phase 1
● We need to implement the 8 step programme which I
outlined previously
● Of critical importance is the Everynet project
– Phase 1 would provide a pilot sensor network along a
corridor from Brighton Pier to Lewes (past both University
campuses)
– Provide an opportunity for businesses & other stakeholders
to explore the capabilities of new data-driven technologies
– Develop showcase projects to demonstrate to the world
● Develop a global outlook by collaborating with similar
projects in other parts of the world
16/02/2016 Bill Harpley67

68. Project No.1 : Thingbook
● 'Thingbook' is a concept which is analogous to
Facebook
– Can we develop new ways of interacting and
manipulating hyperconnected objects?
– How to we give a “face” to the 'things'?
● Provides a perfect platform for collaboration
between artists, designers and technologists
● Often known as the Social Internet of Things
16/02/2016 Bill Harpley68

69. 16/02/2016 69
The 'Thingbook' lecture
http://www.astius.co.uk/2016/social-internet-of-things-sociot/
Bill Harpley

70. Project No. 2 : the Silicon Mile
● Promote the area from Grand Parade up to Preston Park
as a high-tech hub for technology businesses
( the “Silicon Mile”)
● Takes inspiration from:
– Shoreditch High Street in London (centre of Tech Universe)
– Ibeacons Living Lab project in Amsterdam
● Everynet would play a pivotal role in this project
● Silicon Mile would help to regenerate the London
Road area
● Fusebox and new Sussex Innovation Centre would
provide strong technology focus
16/02/2016 Bill Harpley70

71. Brighton Powerhouse: phase 2
● Phase 1 would take 18 months to complete
● In this next phase the goal would be to scale out
– Expand the Everynet project from a pilot to a
sensor network which covers the whole
Greater Brighton area
– Continue to build up the Silicon Mile as a hub
for technology businesses
– Promote Brighton as “Tech City by the Sea”
– Develop support infrastructure in Finance & Legal
to make us less dependant on London
16/02/2016 Bill Harpley71

72. Brighton Powerhouse: phase 3
● Phase 2 would take 24 months to complete
● In this next phase the goal would be to scale up
– Provide better support to technology companies to
help them scale to 100+ employees
– Work hard to attract inward investment from big
players in the industry
● Acid test would be whether we can persuade
Google to set up shop in Brighton
– I even have a name for it: Google Pavilion
● Phase 2 would take 3 years to complete
16/02/2016 Bill Harpley72

73. Key take-aways from this lecture
1) We have reviewed the technological basis of M2M and IoT
(and discussed the differences between them).
2) IoT develops in 3 stages – Foundation, Enablement and
Marketization – business opportunities exist at each stage.
3) Governments around the world see IoT as a strategic source of
growth in tax revenue, employment and economic activity
4) We have identified 8 key steps to develop the kind of skills and
business environment required to nurture the growth of an IoT cluster
in Brighton
5) I have outlined a 3-phase programme called Brighton Powerhouse
which could totally transform the technology scene and make the city
a major hub for IoT & other emerging technologies
6) Most important of all, we have a choice as to what happens
in the future! We can all play a part in determining that future.
16/02/2016 Bill Harpley73

74. Useful resources
● The Internet of Things Report
● Postscapes
● Thingful
● IoT Forum
● EU IoT Digital Market agenda
● IERC Research Cluster for IoT
● The Blackett review
16/02/2016 Bill Harpley74

75. FREE Event
March 2cnd 5:30 – 8:00pm Brighton Digital Catapult
“Tech Beyond the Screen”
We will be talking about low-power community IoT
networks, inspired by the Things Network of
Amsterdam.
I will be introducing people to the Everynet project
and talking about how the local community benefits
will benefit.
16/02/2016 Bill Harpley75

76. 16/02/2016 76
Journey's End
Any questions?
Bill Harpley