Microsoft Releases Azure IoT (Internet of Things) Suite


Tech giant Microsoft has released its Azure Internet of Things suite to the general public, allowing customers to use preconfigured data and machine learning solutions to better run their businesses.
Microsoft said a number of companies understand the benefits of IoT, the term used for the network of physical objects embedded with sensors and network connectivity, but encounter roadblocks to deployment.
Microsoft Australia’s business group lead for IoT Lee Hickin said the Azure IoT suite would take the heavy lifting out of IoT, and would allow businesses to quickly pilot and prove its value.
One early customer is Manly Council, which used Microsoft Azure Machine Learning technology with a number of its CCTV cameras in parking areas, which use software to ensure its parking rules aren’t violated.
“A few months ago Microsoft released a demonstration into what was possible, it was a website to upload a photo to see how old you are,” said Manly Council CIO Nathan Rogers.
“I saw that and I know we have a lot of cameras on the internet, so I wondered what we could do with that technology for our council. It took us a couple of hours and we set it up with our beach at Manly.
“We want to make sure the tourist buses aren’t parking improperly, so they’re not ruining the view or leaving their engine running, things like that.
Mr Rogers said his team receives photos via email, and the machine learning technology means he’s only alerted if there’s an anomaly.
“Azure Machine Learning has been previously trained on 10,000 ‘normal’ or ‘control’ images from the camera, so each time we upload an image it makes a judgment as to whether it’s normal or whether there’s some sort of anomaly,” he said.
“If Azure Machine Learning tells us there’s an anomaly, we have a script on our end that will email the right people so they can immediately go and check out what’s happening.”
He said the team can now have more of a response model to working, rather than need to patrol for incidents, therefore saving ratepayers a significant amount of money that can be used elsewhere.
Mr Rogers also said he was planning on using the technology to predict surf conditions, given Manly’s title as the birthplace of surfing in Australia.
The city attracts around eight million visitors each year.
Darren Younger, Founder of TechBeach in Manly, said “it is great to see Council working to bring positive change to their community through adopting this type of technology. They are obviously a very innovative organisation and are showing strong leadership in adopting this new technology”.
Microsoft said its Azure IoT Suite pricing averages at roughly $1.50 per device/month.
It also announced today the launch of its Microsoft Azure Certified for IoT program, an ecosystem of partners including Intel, Raspberry Pi, and Texas Instruments among others.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Uniben Part-Time/Sandwich Degree Programmes 2015/2016 Session

Image
Part-Time Degree Programmes 2015/2016 Application Start Date: 11/09/2015 13:00:00 Application Closing Date: 30/11/2015 00:59:00 NB: exams had already been conducted before for those who bought the form earlier Application are invited from suitably qualified candidates for admission into Full-Time diploma Programmes for the 2015/2016 academic session.  ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS The General University Admission Requirements that apply uniformly across the faculties as well as the Specific Faculty Admission Requirements are displayed on the University websites: https://uniben.waeup.org or uniben.edu to qualify for the entrance examinations into the various part-time degree programmes, candidate must satisfy the stated general and specific requirements for admission.  METHOD OF APPLICATION All applications should be done between Friday 11th September 2015 and 30th November, 2015.  The procedure for applicati...
Read more

How to Turn On/Off Damaged Power Button on iPhone/iPad

Image
If you're an iPhone or iPad user, then you might not realise just how much you end up using the power on your phone. The home button is essential to navigate through your device, and the use of the volume buttons and the mute switch on the side is pretty obvious too, but if your power button stops working, you can't turn your phone off - or back on again for that matter. It's also pretty easy to damage, with external factors such as excess humidity or dust that can make it stop working. You can get by without switching off the iOS device, but it is always good to be able to turn the phone off if needed. These simple steps to switch off the device without touching the power button could come in really handy. Open Settings . Go to General > Accessibility . Scroll down to the section labelled INTERACTION and tap on AssistiveTouch . On the next screen, toggle AssistiveTouch to the green On position. A white circle with a grey box will appear...
Read more

Uniben Diploma (full time programmes) 2015/2016 Seesion

Image
Diploma Full-Time Programmes (MARITIME; DHAM; DNAM; DHE) 2015/2016 Application Start Date: 17/08/2015 01:00:00 Application Closing Date: 30/11/2015 23:59:59 Instructions Note that this application concerns only this subject Diploma in Maritime Studies, Information and Communication Technology(ICT) Diploma in Health Administration and Management(DHAM). Diploma in Nursing Administration and Management(DNAM). Diploma in Primary Health Care and Statistics(DPHCS). Certificate in Early Child Health and Development(CECHD) METHOD OF APPLICATION All applications should be done between Monday 17th August, 2015 and Monday 30th November, 2015 (12 Midnight). The procedure for application is as follows:  Visit  www.uniben.edu  Or  uniben.waeup.org Candidates are advised to have a valid e-mail account before starting the application process (not the cyber-cafe’s mail). Click on “DIPLOMA FULL-TIME PROGRAMMES...
Read more