Air Pollution Linked to Dementia

Air pollution may be linked to an increased risk of developing dementia, research in London has suggested.

A study shows a link between the condition and exposure to nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and toxic air particles.

Patients living within the M25 in areas with the highest NO2 levels were 40% more likely to develop dementia than those in areas with lowest levels, researchers said.

Alzheimer’s Research UK said the results should be treated with caution.

The study, published in journal BMJ Open, used anonymous patient health records from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink to collect data from 75 general practices within the M25.

Source: BBC News : https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-45572821

 

Colas wins Blue Circle Award with Airscan

The Blue Circle Trophy award was awarded to Colas Limited last night at the 2017 MPA Health & Safety Conference and Awards in Euston, London for  ‘Active Management of Diversion Routes’

The award recognised the innovative approach Colas took to using new sensor technology in the pro-active management of diversion routes.

“Airscan” developed by mobile technology specialist Iknaia uses cost-effective sensor technology and can be quickly and easily deployed on diversion routes. Airscan analyses anonymous data from Bluetooth and WiFi devices in passing vehicles then calculates journey time and provides real-time accurate information to VMS, whilst informing works supervisors of any traffic congestion.

IOT to grow to $267 billion by 2020

Consulting group BCG estimated that the spending for IoT will grow to $267 billion by 2020. This is a clear indicator that organizations in different markets are likely to increase their adoption of the technology and further their investments in these connected devices. In healthcare, IoT has enabled clinical staff to have better visibility over patient data by bringing them more patient-generated data for monitoring and analysis. Since these devices rely heavily on wireless communication to exchange data with other systems, hospital IT departments will see an uptick in IoT interest.

Many wearable devices in healthcare today rely on wireless communication to transfer the data to a host system or other device. This method of communication makes it convenient for patients and hospitals by eliminating the need for loose wires and costly infrastructure costs. Connectivity requires either Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, and connecting smartphones is one of the preferred uses for Bluetooth.

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IOT As a Healthcare Industry Distruptor

Based on research conducted by Accenture Consulting and published earlier this year, 73% of healthcare executives think the IoT will be “disruptive” within three years. In keeping with a broader theme impacting enterprise IoT adoption, the research further finds that only 49% of healthcare executives say “their leaders completely understand what” the IoT means for the industry. Despite an apparent hesitancy, digital research firm eMarketer projects an $163 billion value for IoT-related healthcare by 2020, representing a compound annual growth rate of more than 38% from a 2015 baseline.

An executive summary in the research report outlines a number of key use cases:

  • Internet-enabled devices and sensors seamlessly collect and analyze real-time health and fitness data
  • connect entire networks of medical devices
  • locate healthcare-related assets
  • streamline patient care and medical research.

It’s already tracking:

  • pharmaceutical inventory
  • helping elderly patients stay safe in their homes
  • powering prescription bottles that remind people when to take their medications

Despite the challenges of installing sensor networks into old buildings and integrating with existing technology, technnologies such as Bluetooth Low Energy, WiFi and LoRa are evolving to play a huge part in Connected Health.

Find out how Iknaia is already tracking assets in UK hospitals www.iknaia.co.uk

Technology will have a bigger impact on the Highways Sector than Brexit

The key findings of the inaugural FITZ Index survey suggest that technology and automation will have a more significant impact in the roads sector in the UK than Brexit.

FITZ Index polled over 200 respondents, drawn from across the highways sector, to find out what they thought about a range of current issues, six months after the referendum. 42% of the respondents were from Tier 1, 2 or 3 contractors, 28% were designer consultants and 25% were clients.

These results from the heart of the industry reveal a sector confident that political change will not affect growth, and instead is readying to adapt to technological change.

Sector will need to gear for structural change as a result of technology advances

The survey asked 10 specific questions about the impact of change in the industry. One set of questions looked into how Highways clients are now specifying or trialling replacement of labour intensive activities with automation or technology, such as drone surveys, or mandating the use of BIM in design, or the use of off-site construction.

Widespread development and take-up of these type of innovations (and there are many other examples) is driving change in the conventional composition of design teams, and will have a significant impact on construction productivity.

The consequences of these changes however raises questions about how such skills in our industry will be valued and paid for, and therefore brought to the market.

We wanted to know whether respondents felt this issue was important, and they do, and that’s where this stuff starts to get more interesting.

Brexit what Brexit?

What came back was a view from 65% of respondents that there would be no change arising from the Brexit decision in the next two years at least, and over 59% believe that there would still be no real impact five years out.

In total 80% of respondents believe that the highways workload will grow in the UK in the next five years, so confidence is high in the sector currently. No surprise there maybe, given the amount of investment going on.

Non fossil fuels to trump autonomous in the short term?

One of the most striking reactions was the speed at which the survey group expected electric or other new-fuel vehicles to become mainstream. A whopping 87% of respondents expected fossil fuel vehicles to give way to electric or other alternatives over the next five to 10 years, with delivery vehicles leading the way.

But fewer were expecting autonomous vehicles to be making such a big impact, despite all of the noise around them. 67% thought the concept was currently hyped up, 22% could see potential for only delivery vehicles becoming autonomous in the next 10 years, and just 11% thought that autonomous vehicles would be in use by the general public within 10 years.

58% of respondents believe that technology impacts will be felt first by ordinary drivers through the application of digital technology at road network level, and it is hard to argue that Smart Motorways will not make an impact on the driving public once fully rolled out.

Re-balancing the sector – an appetite for change

In response to the key question about improving the way the sector works, 50% felt that there should be a re-balancing of the funding between Highways England roads and locally funded roads. 27% felt that there should be a greater focus on maintenance funding as opposed to the funding of capital projects.

Since nearly 70% of all respondents to the Index were contractors and consultants, these responses might also suggest that suppliers want to reduce their risk exposure (or maximise opportunities) between strategic and local road clients as well.

63% of respondents believe a more direct relationship between road users and payments should be developed, which is a strong vote of confidence for the ambitions of the 2017 Wolfson Prize. Roads power our economy and reach every part of the country. They are a long-term investment but could be better funded, better run and better maintained, and the findings from the Index suggests the industry not only has an appetite for change but it also recognises that it is coming.

Change is coming 

The FITZ Index deliberately sought responses on issues such as composition of teams, standardised construction, autonomous vehicles, BIM and Road Pricing. Any or all of these pressures will directly influence the cost and value of work going on within the industry, and potentially lead to changes in its structure.

90% of respondents confirmed that design and construct teams will be made up differently in the near future, reflecting the skills and more efficient outcomes required as intelligent infrastructure technology becomes part of mainstream delivery solutions. 71% felt that this will necessarily drive different behaviours and improve collaboration between players on projects.

48% of respondents also believe that the supply chain could be better enabled to close the skills and resources gap if they were incentivised to do so, which in turn suggests that conventional resource-driven procurement and pricing needs to be re evaluated in roads, in favour of a more value-focused return for suppliers.

This is an interesting response and poses a challenge to straight line extrapolation of future resource need based on current supplier’s business models.

If more specialist skills are going to come to the fore as inferred by some of the responses, it follows that Tier 1 designers and constructors may seek to acquire those specialist skills, (since they will need to retain market share). That in turn creates a risk of a more consolidated and less diverse highways market, just at the time when we want to have access to more diverse skills going forward.

Final observations and thoughts

The FITZ Index responses arguably point to some fundamental issues in the sector, which will need to be addressed going forward, about how skills in our industry will be valued and paid for, and therefore brought to the market, and ultimately the degree of appetite for greater risk transfer between clients and suppliers.

The sector faces a far greater potential shakeup in areas such as procurement, contractual incentives, flexibility, innovation in the use of materials and application of processes, and in potential Tier 1 acquisition of specialist firms and skills, than it does currently from Brexit, and these pressures are starting to be felt now.

The next few years are shaping up to be a critical window for the industry. Future FITZ Index surveys will track the appetite of the industry to embrace such change, and our response to it, and inform future thinking. Polling on the 2017 Q1 FITZ Index is currently underway and will be published at the start of Q2, June 2017.

If you want to know more about the FITZ Index please email Brian Fitzpatrick

The Next Version of the Bluetooth® Core Specification has been adopted!

Bluetooth_CM_ColorBlack2 years of work with contributions from 47 working group members representing 22 member companies. That’s what it took to create the latest version of the Bluetooth Core Specification—Bluetooth 5, which was officially adopted on 6 December 2016.

With up to 4x the range, 2x the speed and 8x the broadcasting message capacity, the enhancements of Bluetooth 5 focus on increasing functionality for the Internet of Things (IoT). The improvements to advertising extensions allow more efficient use of broadcasting channels on the increasingly crowded 2.4 Ghz band, enabling richer connectionless solutions. For mobile phone developers creating the next generation of devices, the update to slot availability masks can detect and prevent interference on neighboring bands to improve coexistence and interoperability in a global environment. On top of all this, building products with Bluetooth 5 will support even better interoperability, as the team has incorporated over 440 performance fixes and enhancements.

“Bluetooth is revolutionizing how people experience the IoT. Bluetooth 5 continues to drive this revolution by delivering reliable IoT connections and mobilizing the adoption of beacons, which in turn will decrease connection barriers and enable a seamless IoT experience. This means whole-home and building coverage, as well as new use cases for outdoor, industrial, and commercials applications will be a reality. With the launch of Bluetooth 5, we continue to evolve to meet the needs of IoT developers and consumers while staying true to what Bluetooth is at its core; the global wireless standard, secure, connectivity.” Mark Powell, executive director, Bluetooth SIG.

Bluetooth 5 will transform the way people experience the IoT, making it more relevant, beneficial, and effortless. We can’t wait to see what you’ll create for the future of the IoT.

Learn more about Bluetooth 5

Iknaia Launches Starter Kit

iknaia-detector-v2Internet of Things (IoT) specialists Iknaia now offer clients the option to purchase an Iknaia Tracking demonstration starter kit, so they can experience the technology before rolling out on larger installations.

Iknaia’s tracking solution is currently being used by clients in the healthcare and construction market sectors. The solution makes use of Bluetooth low energy tags and a range of specially designed detector nodes. The tracking system can be installed and connected to an existing Ethernet or WiFi network, or it can be set up in complete isolation of any existing network infrastructure, using its embedded WiFi mesh detector nodes.

Julia McNally, Managing Director of Iknaia says “We’re starting to see a lot more clients interested in this new technology and now we’re offering the opportunity to evaluate the system before rolling it out. The demo pack consists of 4 detector notes, 10 beacon tags and access to our online self-service management dashboard where clients can load up floor plans and position their nodes.”

Within the Healthcare sector alone, NHS England has been tasked with delivering £30bn of savings per annum by 2020/21 (Five Year Forward View, NHS England). And its estimated that the health service is losing on average £13million annually with items such as life-saving defibrillators, ultrasound scanners, computers, tablets, being stolen or lost. Iknaia’s technology could save NHS England millions once installed.

Theft and losses on construction sites costs the industry £880m a year in the UK, Iknaia’ s technology could help keep track of valuable assets and help to increase productivity of the workforce.

For more information or to purchase the starter pack, contact Iknaia on 0203 751 2980 or info@iknaia.co.uk

 

 

£2 million fund launched to allow councils to capitalise on emerging technologies

carsA £2 million fund to allow councils to capitalise on emerging technologies and deliver better journeys for motorists has been launched and Iknaia is well placed to help deliver solutions!

Local authorities have been invited by the Department for Transport to apply for a share of the money to develop projects to greatly enhance journeys.

Proposals include using technology that will allow vehicles communicate with each other and roadside sensors to provide the drivers with real-time traffic information.

Councils will also look at how warnings about changing weather and traffic conditions can be sent directly to vehicles, so drivers can plan ahead – helping deliver quicker, more efficient and safer journeys.

Councils across England will have until the end of September to apply for the funding.

Roads Minister Andrew Jones said:

I want to deliver better, more enjoyable journeys and this £2 million fund will help councils invest in new technology to enhance the experience of driving.

Britain has a proud history of innovation and I am delighted that councils will be able to use this money to develop systems to make journeys easier and safer.

Bids are expected to range between £30,000 and £300,000 and councils are expected to provide at least 5% of their project’s cost.

They have until 5pm on Friday 30 September 2016 to submit their bids and successful councils will be revealed in November. Schemes would be expected to complete by March 2018.

To find out how to apply for grant funding.

To find out how Iknaia can support you in your bid contact us on 0203 751 2980

Arkessa partners with Airscan – an IoT-enabled solution to traffic jams

traffic

Life is a journey that must be travelled, no matter how bad the roads or accommodations.’ – Oliver Goldsmith, 1764.

 

 

 

Arkessa is proud to be the provider of seamless mobile connectivity for Iknaia’s journey time monitoring solution, Airscan. Airscan enables organisations such as Highways Agencies, Highways Maintenance and Infrastructure companies, as well as the Emergency Services, to monitor journey times on diversion routes, around road closures and incidents or accidents in order to make decisions regarding traffic rerouting or emergency routes.

Iknaia’s founder, Julia McNally describes the solution;

“The Airscan system is able to identify, in real time, incidents that impact on journey time reliability, and what’s more it is portable and easy to install. Using the online self-service dashboard you can control all your units in one place and view real-time reporting. Data can also be exported and fully integrated into existing monitoring applications.”

Transport and highways agencies are faced with the huge challenge of keeping traffic flowing across the UK, while the number of cars on the road is going up, (31.7 million in 2016). With voices in the press suggesting radical proposals such as making sections of the M25 around London ‘double decker’, the Airscan solution is a refreshingly simple one. Using seamless mobile connectivity via 3G or 4G from Arkessa, Airscan units can work independently of any networking installation, and an internal battery pack lasting up to 11 hours makes the units ideal for use in ‘pop-up’ installations. Data collected by the units is pushed to the cloud using the Arkessa connectivity solution and is presented in a dashboard format, optimised for PC and mobile devices.

Solutions such as Iknaia’s Airscan enable agencies and organisations responsible for traffic management to maximise the potential provided by the IoT. It is highly feasible that the Smart Cities of the future will utilise these kinds of solutions to improve driver and road worker safety, reduce travel times for passengers, and allow for free flow of traffic as much as possible.

For more information go to www.Arkessa.com