The Internet of Things: promise of a better connected world

The progressive adoption of Internet-enabled devices and technologies may yield significant social and economic benefits for countries, organisations and individuals able to leverage the enhanced communication, integration, and data synthesis capabilities lauded for these developments. This chapter considers the varieties of application that are emerging and discusses the likely merits and demerits of such progress. Although the technological advances seem to be inevitable, the economic and social benefits are less assured. In particular, issues of availability, security, and privacy raise prospective concerns that may curtail the ultimate gains from the Internet of Things.