From IoT to IoB, a trend that seems unstoppable. By 2025, there will be more than 75 billion connected devices in the world according to Statista's estimate. They were 15 billion in 2015, if forecasts are confirmed we will see a 400% growth in the number of connected objects in a decade.
This growth will be facilitated by the progressive deployment of 5G technologies to overcome the current saturation limits of connectivity. Juniper Research's study estimates more than USD 8 billion in global revenues from 5G connectivity for IoT.
70% of 5G IoT connections will concern automotive and smart cities worldwide. In fact, Gartner estimates that by 2023 the automotive industry will represent the largest opportunity, accounting for 53% of the entire 5G IoT terminal market, with 740,000 vehicles ready for autonomous driving.
Forecasts for the future based on the growth observed in the recent past: according to data from the Observatories of the Politecnico di Milano, in 2019 the Italian Internet of Things market reached a value of €6.2 billion, +24% compared to 2018, driven by mobile connectivity (€3.2 billion, +14%), and other communication technologies (€3 billion, +36%). Smart meters (for gas, electricity, etc.) and connected cars represent about half of the market.
In a highly transformative and high-performance scenario, the implications are multiple: one of the most interesting is the evolution towards the 'Internet of Behaviour', i.e. obtaining detailed data on people's behaviour as they interact with Internet of Things. Learning more from users' decisions (IoI) in order to guide them towards virtuous behaviour (IoB).
Studying users and consumers through their fingerprint is certainly not a new idea, but compared to the past the novelty lies in the breadth of the sources involved, being able to think in terms of an ecosystem of analytical processes that collect and interpret large amounts of data generated by all online activities. Ecosystem means a growing integration of machine learning, artificial intelligence and data analytics.
Internet of Behaviours (IoB) will enable more advanced psychological behavioural analysis, advanced use of data to guide user behaviour, generating new approaches to user experience, optimisation of companies' products and services.
An evolution to better understand reality, refine decision-making processes, help companies to undertake innovation paths and people to adopt correct behaviours.
Let's take a few examples, thinking about mobility, insurance telematics and our innovative value-added solutions for cars, homes, wellness and health: the adoption of an approach, which could be defined as behavioural, through the use and interpretation of the big data that can be extracted through IoT and declined on IoB, could encourage the adoption of correct behaviour by users, and limit the risk of insurance fraud. It will be possible to improve the efficiency of claims management processes and the assistance service, through new customisable services in the mobility ecosystem, all starting from the centrality of data that generate behaviour.
In-vehicle sensor technology will give us valuable information about drivers' driving styles, guiding them towards safer behaviour behind the wheel. Data collection on commercial vehicles to verify the correct way for drivers to drive, improving their performance, optimising routes and safety.
If we think about the management and containment of the pandemic currently circulating, important information can be gained about the use of masks in the workplace. Wearable devices will be able to transmit data that can be used to decipher patients' lifestyles, with the aim of offering suggestions for good behaviour.
Consider a health app on your smartphone that tracks your diet, sleep, heart rate or blood sugar levels. The app can offer us valuable suggestions to improve our food choices.
Think about the use of web platforms: when a user interacts with a laptop or a smartphone, the data will tell us how they interact with the resource, which buttons they click on, how they move around the page.