23 January 2014

Radar7 is our recurring feature where we’ll highlight the top seven pieces of thought-provoking industry commentary that should be on your radar.

1. Global M2M revenues to reach $44.8bn by 2018

Total Telecom looks at recent research from analyst firm Ovum which predicts that machine-to-machine revenues will grow to $44.8 billion by 2018 from $13.6 billion in 2012.

2. The race to market the connected car

The number of cars connected to the internet is predicted to grow from 23 million today to 152 million by 2020. But, as this piece from Automotive News asks, how are manufacturers going to market these vehicles in an increasingly crowded market?

3. Target to invest $5 million in cybersecurity education

After Target disclosed that up to 110 million people may have been affected by a data breach, the retailer has announced it is working with several organisations to invest $5 million in a multi-year campaign to educate the public on the dangers of scams. PCWorld finds out more.

4. The Open Data 500 and Understanding How Open Data Helps the American Economy

By the end of 2009 the US and the UK had the only two open data one-stop websites where agencies could post and citizens could find open data. Now there are over 300 such portals for government data around the world with more than one million available datasets. Forbes looks at how open data is helping large economies.

5. Japan eyes smart meters

Bloomberg reports that Japan is set to follow in the UK’s footsteps by rolling out smart meters to every factory and residence by 2020.

6. The intelligent drones of the future will cut their teeth scanning forests in Finland

Amazon scored the PR coup of last year with its deliveries-by-drone news, but the stunt was just the tip of the ever expanding iceberg of drone innovation. This fascinating piece from Quartz explores how one Finnish company could soon be producing some of the world’s most advanced machines.

7. Why Wearable Tech Will Be as Big as the Smartphone

Wearable tech has been hailed as the next big thing for years, but will 2014 be the year that it finally reaches its tipping point? This extensive piece from Wired refuses to be drawn on a year, but predicts the industry will be as big as smartphones in the near future.