Global sensing will use clouds

David Fuller, director of R&D, LabView, National Instruments, speaking at the NIDays event in London, revealed that his company is investigating and putting money into a concept in which multiple sensors in different locations would provide input into a computing cloud. This cloud would then assimilate and analyse all the data, which could be accessed by users on the web, equipped with thin client applications. These can be written using a new tool, 'LabView Web UI Builder'. Applications, he said, include: studies of global climate change and pollution emissions, road, rail and civil engineering infrastructures, machines, smart utility grids and energy usage. We imagine this could be used to detect the magnitude of disasters as begin, such as water shortages over wide areas, or problems developing in a particular design of bridge, car or aircraft. The only barrier, is not technical – it could be implemented quite quickly, but deciding who is to pay for such services, and how.