Foreword
Dear Reader,
After 25 years of socioeconomic transformation driven by the Internet, we are now looking at the next wave of disruptive changes. The Internet of Things (IoT) is transforming the way we interact with physical products. Constant connectivity will enable new products and services that we have not even thought of today.
True to our own strategic imperative “Invented for Life,” many IoT use cases have the potential to significantly improve quality of life in our society. Connected health devices can help to improve medical care. Urban eBike sharing services help reduce pollution and are fun to use! eCall Services reduce the time it takes to direct emergency services to the site of a car accident. Our Digital Horizon technology meshes traditional map data with additional data like traffic signs and road conditions to enable driving with foresight. Autonomous driving and its many precursors will change how we look at transportation. Smart Cities, Smart Buildings, and Smart Homes will improve people’s quality of life and save energy.
For many companies, the IoT will accelerate the shift towards integrated product and service offerings. Connected Asset Lifecycle Management and digital services will become an integral part of this development. However, we have to be aware that in this context two very different worlds are meeting. On the one hand, we have the manufacturing and engineering companies that have traditionally been driven by very high quality standards ...