Chamber Insider Blog

Thank you to Paul McNeal, a member of our Loudoun Technology Coalition, for this post!
Be sure to check out the LTC upcoming event, October 21st at AOL – The Internet of Things: As More of the World Connects Online, Will Your Business Keep Up?

In the year 2020, we could possibly have nearly 50.1 Billion connected devices and that number will only continue to grow as time passes on. There is a shift in how we live – taking place and I believe in the next 5 years we will see a transformation in Loudoun County unlike ever before.

Enter the Internet of Things (IoT) or the Internet of Everything (IoE).

Let’s take a city like Gramercy which will be the first Smart City in Loudoun County. It will be located directly in front of Loudoun Station and the Terminus of the Silver Line metro. According to their website there will be 22 embedded technologies. They will have over 150,000 SF of connected retail, smart adaptive office space, full service hotel linked with local community experiences, and I am sure the list will go on as to what the possibilities will be there at Gramercy.

We can already feel the groundswell that is happening just with simple things like our mobile devices. It’s practical the central control device for everything in your life. It used to be said that there are three things a person would never leave home without: Keys, Wallet, and Phone. Soon it will just be your mobile device. Why? Because your mobile device will interact and control everything around you.

Commerce. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, I am sure you are aware that there are several apps that will allow you to pay with your phone. Bitcoin Wallets, Paypal, Venmo, Dwolla, Google Wallet, Apple Pay, Starbucks app the list goes on. No longer do we need dollars and cents, we just need our mobile device.

Identification. I believe soon the DMV will partner with a startup to make it possible for us to no longer need a Driver’s License or any form of paper/plastic identification. It will be on our mobile devices and if the systems are connected property, you would be able to send your license to law enforcement or anyone else needed proof you are who you say you are.

So bye bye wallet. Next how about your keys, I mean we need keys right? Nope.

Home. With today’s connected technology, gone are the old boring key locks. Today you can install an August Lock, and control it from your mobile devices. You can grant visitors permission to enter your home when they arrive or provide them a one time code (for cleaners, or house sitter) to enter. When you approach your door with your mobile device the door automatically unlock.

Office. Currently, I do not have a key to my office. I use a key card that I scan in front of a device to gain access. Soon – the key card will be replaced by my mobile device and an app that is connected to my building. It will recognize my level of access within the building and again, all I need is my mobile device.

Car. With cars like Tesla and soon others, we no longer need keys. With a Tesla, as long as the car is connected to the internet you can access it and even start it without your car fob just your mobile device.

So long keys.

Now the fun begins. The following is simply my vision of what I believe Gramercy could mean as it applies to the IoT. Let’s take a simple devices like the Amazon Echo. This device is amazing and if it’s connected to Gramercy, what could be possible? #LoudounPossible

When I wake up, I can ask Alexa, when is the next train leaving Terminus? I could ask Alexa to remind me that I have a trip to Dallas in two weeks and to coordinate my travel plan. Alexa will be connected to my calendar via my mobile device. She will recognize that the day I am due to leave that I have a meeting that based on the metro schedule and my flight that will need to reschedule that meeting.

I can ask Alexa what restaurants will have specials and it will be connected to all the restaurants around Gramercy and will recommend the best choice based on my eating habits over the past few months. While lounging in the house on the weekend, Alexa will notice and recommend social events that are coming soon. Or Maybe it will notice I haven’t left the house for fitness related activities and suggest that now would be a good time. It will noticed that I hadn’t used the water from the refrig for a while and recommend I should drink more water. These are little things that I simply forget and don’t really think about until it’s hindsight.

This is just the tip of the iceberg, the possibilities are endless with what can transpire in and around Gramercy. As I said before this is about to get FUN!

Thank you to Paul McNeal, a member of our Loudoun Technology Coalition, for this post!
Be sure to check out the LTC upcoming event, October 21st at AOL – The Internet of Things: As More of the World Connects Online, Will Your Business Keep Up?