ITU Launches New Challenge on Internet of Things for Social Good

ITU Telecom Young Innovators Competition has launched its fourth challenge in the 2014 edition. It calls for young people aged between 18 and 30 from around the world to submit ideas for concepts of start-ups aimed at using the Internet of Things (IoT) for social good in order to significantly improve the lives of people globally.

Run in partnership with the IEEE Internet of Things (IoT) Initiative Working Group, the challenge opens the way for two winning concepts for start-ups to attend ITU Telecom World 2014, the leading platform for debate, networking and showcasing for the global ICT community, that will be held in Doha, Qatar, 7 – 10 December 2014.

Challenge-4 seeks ideas on how benefits from the ‘Internet of Things’ can be used for social good and spread to countries around the world, especially to emerging economies where development is currently slower due to the cost of the technology, lack of underlying infrastructure and the need for strong, widespread connectivity.

Ideas may focus on methods to expand access to existing technology, such as near-field communication, RFID or QR codes, or might involve applying IoT technology to specific fields, such as agriculture, water management, transportation or other areas of particular relevance to developing communities. Ideas on developing an “Intranet of Things” – local networks of IoT devices functioning on a smaller scale to serve a concrete social purpose – are particularly welcome.

The IoT refers to the ability to connect and interact digitally with physical objects around the world, bringing together sensing, communications and information infrastructures with unprecedented potential to initiate a paradigm shift in areas such as agriculture, healthcare, manufacturing and customer services.

According to speakers at ITU Telecom World 2013, its market value is estimated at over USD 14 trillion, representing between 15 and 25 billion devices by 2015.

“The Internet of Things is one of the most exciting areas of technology today,” said Blaise Judja-Sato, ITU Telecom Executive Manager. “It is vital that its implementation and the benefits arising from it are not limited to developed, wealthy economies. The potential impact of IoT technologies, solutions and applications in emerging markets is tremendous – from reducing the risk of famine to amplifying currently scarce resources in healthcare or increasing efficient, sustainable energy production.”

“The Internet of Things offers tremendous business opportunities, but it also presents challenges for engineers, who must build ever more complex systems, deal with interoperability, privacy, regulatory and energy efficiency issues, and determine ways to analyse the deluge of data,” said Roberto Minerva, chairman of the IEEE IoT Initiative to drive the evolution and deployment of successful IoT solutions in academic and industrial environments, and speaker at ITU Telecom World 2014.

“IEEE is excited to be involved in the ITU Young Innovators Competition, as the need to identify the next generation of engineering talent to develop IoT technologies for the benefit of humanity is extremely important.”

Challenge-4 is a co-creation challenge calling for applicants to submit ideas and to discuss, exchange views and contribute collaboratively. The ideas with the greatest potential will be developed into concepts under the guidance of expert facilitators over the dedicated crowdsourcing platform at https://ideas.itu.int. 

Experts from the IEEE IoT Initiative, ITU and other prominent partners currently working on IoT will conduct online facilitation. Two winners of the Challenge will attend ITU Telecom World 2014 to pitch ideas before industry and government leaders, participate in workshops, benefit from a year of ongoing mentorship, and win up to USD 5000 in seed funding.