CityNext allows Microsoft to bring the IoT to the London Underground

Ron

The Internet of Things (IoT) has become the catchphrase in today’s technology. It’s a generic name for the convergence of all sorts of devices that will find their way onto your home network. Refrigerators, light bulbs and more will be remotely controllable — we even saw a crockpot back at CES earlier this year. 

Now Microsoft has unleashed its Internet of Things on the London Underground, which is the name given to the subway system within the city. The company is working with Telent and CGI to modernize the system. The improvements run on Azure and allow for monitoring of all sorts of system utilized by The Tube.

The three entities plan “to modernize the systems that monitor London Underground’s critical rail assets by harnessing data from thousands of devices and sensors. The system streamlines manual monitoring processes, securing and integrating disconnected systems, and spotting equipment issues in real-time using Microsoft Azure Intelligent Systems Services” states Microsoft’s Jesse Stanchak. 

There’s a video below that shows what is going on in the UK city. Microsoft can’t make the trains run on-time, but it can help travellers in other ways.