Isaiah Onwuanumba:
Vodacom Business Nigeria organised a two-day industrial visit for students from the Computer Science Department, University of Lagos, to introduce them to new technologies that will drive global trends in 2017 and beyond, a statement said Tuesday.
It added that the move is in line with its continued commitment to youth empowerment through ICT while giving them practical experience on how these technologies can be applied in everyday life. Some of these technologies, such as the Internet-of-Things, Augmented and Virtual Reality, Machine Learning, Big Data, Physical and Digital Integration and On-Demand are already being used by the students, but are technologies that their generation will advance on to create systems and solutions that will further develop their environment.
During the visit, the students had first-hand experience of Virtual Reality and Smart home technology which is powered by Internet-of-Things. IoT makes it possible to connect all kinds of assets, from industrial machinery to heart monitors, streetlights to chiller cabinets. These assets are equipped with sensors that monitor their environment and with a network connection they can communicate.
According to Mr. Lanre Kolade, Managing Director of Vodacom Business Nigeria, “Young people are the early adopters of technology. They see the possibilities of connecting; their desire to integrate everything into their ever upwardly mobile lifestyle makes them more adaptable to the technologies that will drive the world. We believe that bringing them into our environment will afford them access to the required exposure and entrepreneurial skills to excel in a technology-driven ecosystem and future.”
Mr. Sola Edagbami, Lecturer, Computer Science Department of University of Lagos said “through this visit our students have been exposed to the technology which is the driving force behind the smart cities of the future. IoT provides the foundation for these students to improve all kinds of public services like connected street lighting, public safety, and smart metering; technologies that will define their future careers and drive further development of our country”.
IoT can play a pivotal role in improving public services. Local government can use the data collected from IoT devices to provide automated alerts for extreme weather, flooding or even simply a delay in the timings of refuse collection. Businesses can use IoT to gather data about what’s happening in their operations in real time, supporting decision making.
