Product Development Strategies: WSN

In this post we talk about the main issue we face when developing a new product: integrating technologies or develop your own product.

Both options have their advantages and disadvantages, but have important implications for the strategy in the medium/long term product life and must be taken into account. In this post we will address the specific case of the wireless sensor network products.

Lets first talk about the option of integration.

This option is characterized by OEM solutions that facilitate and accelerate our product development. Modules are usually used to give us an almost complete functionality through a programming API. The prime example in the case of wireless sensor networks would XBee modules from Digi. These modules provide almost complete functionality in terms of wireless communications, we get solved complicated issues such as programming of standard communication protocols (Zigbee in this case) and the always sensitive RF electronic development.

The advantages of the integrated option are obvious. This option allows us to significantly reduce the Time-To-Market of the product, while moved much of the communication problems to a specialized manufacturer. The disadvantages are the benefits of development option which we shall detail.

The development option changes the approach in comparisson to the intregration option, mainly in the scale at which we bring to design. This option will attempt to address the product development using elements of the lowest technological possible level . Obviously there is a financial limit under which technological development investments soar, which is the manufacture of integrated circuits. From here, the product developer will create its own electronic product itself and will face a long list of development stages, including radio communication designing and communication protocol implementation.

In general it is a long and complicated way, as greatter challenges are assumed than during integration of third party technologies. With the same effort expended, the Time-To-Market will be greater than in the case of the integration option but has a great advantage in the medium/long term: flexibility. This flexibility is found in two fields:

• Technological flexibility: The resulting product may be quickly adapted to market changes/demands. Needs response is faster, which is especially important in a growing market.

• Flexibility in costs: The fact of working at a lower level allows, having done the development, to offer a product whose manufacturing cost is significantly lower than the integration option. Furthermore, dependence on suppliers is smaller by having more supply and cost of product can be maintained and even improved by making a good supplier management.

At SAYME we have opted to develop our own product. It was a way not always easy, but both the team and the company have acquired a deep knowledge in product development whose result is the product SENSbee.

In any case, we work hard every day to make our product a better system that meets the needs of our customers and provide them a user experience as satisfying as the one we have had during product development.

Smart-cities, technology and business models

Lately, we are attending an explosion of the concept “smart” specially applied to the urban environment. This way, the concept of “smart-city” arises as great smart ecosystem composed by effective and efficient systems and services, connected and integrated, that allows the optimization of resources consumption and improve their quality.

These systems and services cover the different fields in a city: energy management, transport and mobility, security, citizen participation, knowledge management, environment, health, etc.

According to Wikipedia: “A city can be defined as ‘smart’ when investments in human and social capital and traditional (transport) and modern (ICT) communication infrastructure fuel sustainable economic development and a high quality of life, with a wise management of natural resources, through participatory governance”. [1]

The concept “smart-city” is being tackled in different ways by the diverse agents implied in its value chain: research groups, technology companies, public administrations and the citizens themselves. While the first are specially focused on developing technology, tech-companies give sense to applications, services and their associated business models that will be deployed by city-halls and public administrations to provide service to the citizens.

Despite of the fact that citizen take of special relevance due to services are addressed to them, it is indispensable to take into account those business models that allow the administrations to afford required investments and make the services to be financially sustainable.

The business aspect has an essential role, since it is necessary to reach sustainable models that facilitate the maintenance of implemented infrastructures. The technological deployment must not be an end in itself, but it must be perfectly complemented by a financial model that facilitates the consecution of objectives in terms of efficiency improvement and economic promotion.

As consequence, a smart-city must be strategically planned, be conceived as a great ecosystem, y count on a business model that facilitates the financial sustainability of technology infrastructures, that might be deployed not as a series of R&D or isolated projects, but with global vision as an integrated whole.

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smart_city

Welcome to SAYME's blog

Welcome to SAYME's Blog! In this first post, we want to start explaining who we are and we look for with this blog.

We are a Spanish company whose activity is focused in the design and development of applications based on SENSbee, our wireless sensor network platform.

We provide our clients with our huge knowledge and experience acquired during more than 7 years in the wireless sensor network field: from electronics design and communications protocol, to the management and operation of information with a web-based software and SCADA systems.

In this blog we will talk about different topics related to wireless sensor networks, their applications fields and everything surrounding it. All the post will be publish both in Spanish and English to facilitate its reading.

Thanks for visiting us and don't forget to follow us in twitter @saymesensors