Real-time data was first just used for navigation and for tracking things. Now with the advancement of computers, data transfer, and the web, real-time data is now technically feasible for doing about anything. Real-time data feeds and processing is what is behind augmented reality applications. What is happening with real-time data is that computers, the internet, and the real world are quickly converging into a real-time, augmented reality. Social media-type applications are only the beginning. What is making this possible is the integration of web-based technologies as well as real-world sensor technologies such as video, instrument sensors, RFID tags, and biometrics. To make this integration occur requires the real-time and near-real-time movement of data.
Real-Time Data Definitions.
Real-time Data Definition. Traditionally the definition of real-time data was “information that is delivered immediately after collection. There is no delay in the timeliness of the information provided. Real-time data is often used for navigation or tracking” (see A to Z GIS: An Illustrated Dictionary of Geographic Information Systems). Today the definition of real-time data has not changed, but it now involves more and more variations of data types, data transformation and mashups that are processed and delivered in real-time.
Augmented Reality Definition. Augmented reality is defined as “a live direct or indirect view of a physical real-world environment whose elements are merged with (or augmented by) virtual computer-generated imagery – creating a mixed reality”. See Wikipedia for more on Augmented Reality.
Trends With Real-time Data in Motion.
B2B Web Squared – Web Meets the World of RFID, GPS, and Sensors. This is an exciting time for anyone that follows information technology trends. There is not so much as a bunch of new technologies emerging, but there is a convergence of web-based technologies and real-world sensor technologies. The web is becoming real-time and it is converging with omnipresent sensors (video, GPS, cell phones, instrument sensors) in the real-world to create an augmented reality. Find out more about B2B Web Squared.
Real-Time Social Networks – Affecting Society and Commerce. Online social networking is upheaving mass media, Government, local communities, and business. Online social networking communities are and will soon become more important social influences and governance than our Governments, mass media, churches as well as local clubs and local community activities. Social commerce will affect how people and business pay for products and how products are distributed. See below for examples of how social networks and real-time data are changing our lives.
- Social Commerce. Examples of potential social commerce applications include people using a collective shopping cart to shop at several online stores at once, businesses providing open access and geo-coding to all their products and services for true supply chain visibility to all their business customers, and so on. Find out more about the The Social Networking Shift.
- Real-time User Generated Data. The social web consists of user-generated content, user-generated filtering, user-generated distribution, and user-generated context. Instead of waiting for a reporter to generate an article, editors to edit, and publishers to publish, real-time data and information is getting generated by everybody, everywhere, all the time. Find out more about The Anatomy of the Social Web.
- The Hyperactive Internet. Social media is causing the internet to becoming increasingly hyperactive. Some are calling this Web 3.0 or 2010 Web. See posting, The Internet Has Gone Hyperactive for more details.
Logistics Situational Awareness Technology. Situational awareness technology is not any new piece of technology, but it is the “mash-up” of various hardware, telecommunications, and applications to produce near-real-time information for better decision-making. For many logisticians, most decision-making cycles are based on quarterly reporting and at best weekly cycles. These are decisions like determining stockage levels, demand forecasting, and carrier selection rules. Historically, many of these extended decision-making cycles were based on the limitations of information technology and telecommunications. Now all of this technology can be integrated to find out what is happening along the supply chain in real-time and near-real time. Find out more about Logistics Situational Awareness Technology.
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Tags: Augmented Reality, Data Movement, Real-time Data, social media