As the world's supply of IPv4 addresses runs out, there is a need to transition to a new version of Internet Protocol technology: IPv6. As an industry-wide “test drive” of this new technology, World IPv6 Day started today. Major technology organizations- AT&T, Cisco, Facebook, Google, Yahoo and more - will offer content over IPv6 for a 24-hour testing period.
Now that IP technology supports the Internet of Things, smart-phones, tablets, sensors on bridges and roadways, security cameras, IP phones and all other Internet-connected devices need an IP address. IPv6 provides the additional addresses for this next phase of the Internet, which shifts the world from an Internet of People and Places to an Internet of Things.
As people go about their daily lives, they create data that can be captured by wireless sensor networks connected to the Internet. This provides an interesting opportunity for smart connected cities as they use these sensors to collect real-time data on transportation, public safety and security, buildings and energy consumption, environmental policy and waste management.
Many projects are underway using sensors to collect data. Cisco's Planetary Skin provides real-time information about the planet, which allows a proactive response to climate change and natural disasters. Other possibilities include placement of sensors across infrastructure, such as bridges and tunnels, allowing city planners to monitor infrastructure usage and stay abreast of developing problems. Four companies recently came together to enable a solution showcasing how sensors can work specifically with city parking, a large challenge for urban dwellers and city managers and planners.
Smart Parking Solution Project Summary
While many firms are just starting to explore IPv4/IPv6 dual stacking, Pachube, Worldsensing, Cisco and AT& T are testing and implementing future technologies using IPv6. The four firms collaborated on a pilot project using the IPv6 protocol to connect sensors that report the availability of parking spaces to citizens and city management officials in a major European city. Sensors from Worldsensing send the data to a Pachube platform, and AT&T provides redundant IPv6 Internet services to both companies. Cisco is providing networking equipment to enable this showcase.
Providing access to sensor information in public environments is quickly becoming the foundation for creating urban landscapes that adapt in real time to the needs of the users. The example of using sensor data for parking applications demonstrates how citizens can use this information to make better decisions in real time.
For this smart parking solution sensors were deployed into the asphalt for a car parking detection scheme based on advanced wireless sensor networking technologies. This allows the city to offer citizens ways to significantly reduce the parking search times in congested zones and during rush hour. Citizens have access to 24-7 data about available parking spaces. In addition, it provides city management with information about parking space usage.
The information from the parking sensor data in this showcase is stored in Pachube’s cloud and is accessible to end users via IPv4 or IPv6. IPv4 has proven it is capable to build today’s Internet, a network with billions of endpoints. IPv6 aims to increase the number of endpoints, and therefore, increase the value of the network by several orders of magnitude.
To see the live data feed and sensor locations, click here.
AT&T Perspective
AT&T has been involved in testing and standardizing IPv6 technology for nearly a decade. The company strongly advocates IPv6 preparation for businesses, and offers a range of enterprise IPv6 services globally, including its Virtual Private Network, Managed Internet Service, and consulting services.
AT&T believes that moving from an environment where there is a shortage of IP addresses (IPv4) to one in which addresses are plentiful (IPv6) may spur a new class of applications that people haven’t yet conceived – and the company stands ready to support customers with such applications.
Sensor-based technology is a perfect example of a technology that will benefit from the transition to IPv6. Because each sensor requires an individual IP address, thousands of IP addresses would be needed for just one large-scale deployment of sensor technology – something that would be difficult given the current shortage of IPv4 addresses. But because IPv6 technology supports a virtually unlimited number of IP addresses, and thus connected devices, there is great opportunity for large-scale deployments of sensors and other connected devices.
For the sensor technology demo with Cisco, Pachube, and Worldsensing, AT&T provided IPv6 transport services using the AT&T global IP network, as well as expertise in configuring the IPv6 end sites.
Cisco Perspective:
Cisco is providing the networking equipment to enable this event. Cisco routers connect the various locations and Cisco IOS software is delivering the intelligence to keep the data flowing without interruptions. Cisco believes that the Internet of Things enables Smart Connected Communities to use resources more efficiently and enables them to provide better services for their citizens.
For over 25 years, Cisco has been central to the development of the Internet Protocol (IP) that has helped fuel the incredible growth in global connectivity. Cisco has supported the IPv6 protocol since the inception of the 6Bone in 1996 and has been including IPv6 capabilities in several existing products, services and solutions. Since over 70 percent of the Internet runs on Cisco technologies, Cisco intends to help customers transition to IPv6 by actively building IPv6 across its solutions.
Cisco Smart+Connected Communities uses intelligent networking capabilities to weave together people, services, community assets, and information into a single pervasive solution. As the network helps to transform physical communities into connected communities, it takes advantage of real-time information, applications and services for home, work, school, hospitals, malls, stadiums and government and spurs growth, a better quality of life and a greener society.
Community+Exchange is a back-office operations center helping with the planning and day-to-day operations and management of a community. By providing the network as a highly secure and resilient service delivery platform, cities can share information and collaborate across a community ecosystem of government agencies and private sector partners to facilitate utilities, transportation, telecommunications, safety and security, building systems, health, and government social services.
Pachube Perspective:
Pachube is a web-based service that connects people to devices, applications and the Internet of Things. As a web-based service built to manage the world’s real-time data, Pachube gives people the power to share, collaborate and make use of information generated from the world around them.
The Pachube platform is now fully IPv6 enabled with redundant IPv6 Internet services from AT&T. In addition to being IPv6 accessible, users can also have Pachube pull data from devices with IPv6 addresses and fire triggers at IPv6 URL's (for applications built around real-time response) with no changes to how they use the system or their applications. Enthusiasts, developers, and device manufacturers can now manage and share real-time sensor data globally over the Internet's next generation protocol.
“IPv6 dovetails perfectly into our vision for an open Internet of Things, as every object and sensor can now have its own identity without being abstracted in any way," said Usman Haque, CEO of Pachube. "To realize the full potential of an open system, we're ultimately going to need direct access to data sources, and we are here seeing the first steps in that direction with IPv6 support.”
Worldsensing Perspective:
Worldsensing’s real-world smart city applications are now fully IPv6 enabled with networking equipment from Cisco and redundant IPv6 Internet services from AT&T. Sensors deliver 24/7 real-time information about the state of a city via IPv6 and feed into Pachube’s platform where it can be shared and mashed-up with other systems.
Applied to parking, one of the largest concerns in urban living, Worldsensing’s solution allows the availability and location of vacant parking spaces to be signaled to the driver via a smart phone or panels along the street. Benefits can be realized not only by drivers, but by businesses and city managers as well.
“We are proud to feature the world’s first commercial smart city machine-to-machine application over an IPv6-enabled network,” said Ignasi Vilajosana, CEO of Worldsensing. “IPv6 for us is not only about reachability and scalability, but is also about peace of mind, since IP-enabled networks have been successfully engineered and deployed for decades now. This is an advantage for us over proprietary solutions.”
IPv6 is Worldsensing's lifeline as its business is built around a huge amount of sensors in the field providing real-time readings of critical data to data centres around the globe. IP is the only viable facilitator for these needs as it has long been the unique networking "language" unanimously spoken by all connected machines, and sensors - with the emergence of the Internet of Things (IoT) and machine-to-machine (M2M) - are no exception to this. For Worldsensing, it is hence of great importance and pride to showcase a working IPv6 end-to-end networking solution, providing real-time parking availability information via IPv6-enabled sensors, core networking technologies of ATT and Cisco, and service platform of Pachube. Implementing IPv6 onto low power embedded sensor nodes has been challenging, mainly because the IPv6 header is already larger than the typical packet transmitted over such networks; however, latest Cisco-driven developments in the IETF, such as 6LoWPAN and ROLL, have allowed Worldsensing to enable the world's first standards-compliant IPv6 commercial parking deployment. IPv6 however means more to Worldsensing than just the basic networking capabilities: it is a great asset in guaranteeing global reachability, true scalability, reliable security and, since IP-enabled networks have been successfully engineered and deployed for decades now, the same engineering skills maintaining and troubleshooting these type of emerging networks. This is an enormous advantage over proprietary solutions!
About Worldsensing
Concentrating on major markets with increasing needs to enhance their efficiency, such as construction, oil/gas and cities, Worldsensing provides 24/7 real-time information of critical points monitored by sensors in the field and connected to the Internet using robust, scalable and secure wireless connectivity. Worldsensing serves some of the largest companies in the world and has won IBM’s London SmartCamp competition in 2010 and Stockholm’s Global Labs Living award in 2011. Recently, Worldsensing was featured in Pike's prestigious market research study as one of the 17 globally leading companies in the smart city eco system.
