software systems

How IoT is Reshaping Transportation

IoT technology has changed the landscape when it comes to how consumers interact with technology. Whether we’re talking about 5G networks, edge computing, machine learning, smart home devices, wearable devices, or connected cars, this is something that’s changed data analysis and decision-making at the device level for everyone forever.

Key industries such as Healthcare, Manufacturing, Transportation, and even Agriculture have largely embraced IoT technology and made the move to integrate custom software into their operations. The flow of data provided by IoT devices has revolutionized these industries. In healthcare, IoT enables remote patient monitoring and even helps with diagnoses. 

Manufacturing industries use IoT to manage inventory and monitor equipment performance. Transportation companies often use IoT for fleet management and route optimization. Agriculture benefits from IoT by using sensors to do things like monitor soil moisture, temperature, and crop health. 

As IoT continues to evolve, its ability to influence the way services are delivered and how businesses operate internally will get much stronger. But out of all the industries we’ve mentioned, transportation is the focus of this blog. 

IoTransportation

IoT is a huge force in transforming the transportation sector as it facilitates data exchange between vehicles and infrastructures. Here’s some of the main things it’s bringing to the scene:

Connected Vehicle Solutions: IoT empowers vehicles with sensors, communication systems, and embedded technology to exchange data in real time. This connectivity enables vehicles to communicate both with each other and the surrounding infrastructure, thus enhancing road safety, optimizing traffic management, and boosting overall efficiency.

Intelligent Infrastructure: IoT integrates into transportation infrastructure, including bridges, roads, and traffic lights. This monitors the conditions of the infrastructure, such as structural integrity, traffic patterns, and environmental factors. By collecting and analyzing this data, authorities can make decisions regarding maintenance, repairs, and infrastructure updates.

Fleet Management and Logistics: The incorporation of IoT into fleet management enables operators to efficiently monitor and manage their vehicles. Leveraging sensors and GPS devices, fleet managers gain access to real-time information on vehicle location, fuel consumption, engine performance, and maintenance needs.

Intelligent Traffic Management: IoT plays a critical role in optimizing traffic flow by collecting data from diverse sources, including GPS devices, traffic sensors, and surveillance cameras. This data can also be used to monitor traffic conditions, as well as identify congestion points and better manage traffic.

Better Passenger Experience and Safety: IoT technology plays a key role in boosting the passenger experience. It gives real-time updates on arrival and departure times, potential delays, and alternative routes. Passengers can easily stay informed through user-friendly mobile apps or even in-vehicle displays, contributing further to their safety and convenience.

What’s Next?

With any new level of innovation, the question inevitably becomes “So what now?”.The future of IoT in transportation is currently leaning towards smart transportation, which requires effective utilization of resources. IoT is solving many problems faced by the transport industry, such as increased fuel consumption, vehicle maintenance, and truck driver shortages. But there are still unsolved issues like traffic accidents, parking problems, congestion, and vehicle emissions. 

As the innovation gets better, here are some aspects of IoT to look out for in transportation:

Expanding Horizons of Industrial IoT (IIoT): The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) is poised for continuous expansion, ushering in heightened levels of automation, optimization, and efficiency across diverse industries like manufacturing, energy, transportation, and agriculture. IIoT applications use predictive maintenance, asset tracking, supply chain streamlining, and orchestrating smart grids.

AI and Machine Learning Fusion: The convergence of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) with IoT gadgets stands to elevate their capabilities significantly. AI can scrutinize big datasets produced by IoT devices, take meaningful insights, and aid in decision-making processes.

Sustainability: IoT technology can help to reduce emissions and improve sustainability in transportation. This includes applications such as smart routing, which can help to optimize routes and reduce fuel consumption.

Autonomous Vehicles: The development of autonomous vehicles will continue to be a major trend in the transportation industry. IoT technology will play a crucial role in enabling these vehicles to communicate with each other and with the surrounding infrastructure.

The Takeaway

With artificial intelligence and machine learning setting the pace for industries around the world, nothing is off the table when we’re talking about automation and augmentation. It’s difficult to predict what will come next, but it’s less difficult to prepare as best as you can by looking for opportunities to integrate AI and machine learning into your business. We’ve made a tool to help you understand just how ready you are for this. 

In the meantime, be mindful of and open to change. Technology is coming at us all, and it’s not slowing down anytime soon.

Written By Ben Brown

ISU Corp is an award-winning software development company, with over 17 years of experience in multiple industries, providing cost-effective custom software development, technology management, and IT outsourcing.

Our unique owners’ mindset reduces development costs and fast-tracks timelines. We help craft the specifications of your project based on your company's needs, to produce the best ROI. Find out why startups, all the way to Fortune 500 companies like General Electric, Heinz, and many others have trusted us with their projects. Contact us here.

 
 

The Importance of ESG in Software Development

ESG is a massive movement in the global market that’s forcing businesses to adjust their approach to sustainability and corporate practices. ESG (environmental, social, and governance) practices are measured in scores that are beginning to dictate whether people invest in the company or not. 

The scores generally go from 0-100; anything below 50 is bad and will impact the company's reputation, bottom line, and long-term potential. Anything above 70 is great and consumers will look at the company as though supporting them is supporting the good of people and the planet.  

This recent commercial from Apple will give you a good idea of how that looks:

When it comes to software and technology, companies are under a ton of pressure to minimize their carbon footprint, reduce energy consumption, and implement eco-friendly practices throughout the software development lifecycle. 

The “S” or the social component is measured based on the work environment (diversity and inclusivity). This is going to be crucial for attracting and retaining talent. 

And lastly, when it comes to the governance of technology - the focus is on using data ethically and being transparent when making decisions. Data privacy is a focal point, especially now with six million data records being exposed in the first quarter of 2023.

Finding Your Solution

Sustainable IT isn’t an easy or replicable task but it’s absolutely necessary for companies to prioritize as we go forward with heightened environmental and ethical awareness. Custom software is a massive influence in this sense as it’s the focus of sustainable technology and can completely change the image of a company looking to improve its ESG.

These are some ways custom software enhances this process:

ESG practices for custom software development are like an umbrella that encompasses the process of tracking, managing, improving, and repeat. Microsoft is one of the best examples of this, and they check each box adequately:

Environmental sustainability: Microsoft wants to become carbon-negative by 2030 and to remove all the carbon it has emitted since it was founded by 2050. The company also invested in renewable energy and has implemented sustainable practices in its offices and data centers.

Social responsibility: Microsoft has implemented a handful of social responsibility initiatives, like giving $3.2 billion in donated and discounted technology to over 300,000 nonprofits serving over 1.2 billion people globally.

Governance practices: In the ESG report from Microsoft, they talk about prioritizing transparency, accountability, and ethical decision-making (As you would hope). In addition, the company has also set goals to improve its cybersecurity and data privacy practices. 

Managing and tracking this entire process in addition to the logistics aspect of technical adjustments are made possible through custom software. KPI monitoring, automating workflows, IoT tracking of energy usage, scalable metrics, and accessible data storage systems, all fall under the IT umbrella. 

Not Investing in Technology 

One way or another, the market is headed in this direction - companies who don’t pivot can expect the following: 

Missed Opportunities: Stakeholders are looking at ESG as a benchmark of a company's longevity. Without it, companies are going to struggle to attract environmentally and socially conscious customers as well as investors.

Increased Risk: Without adequate technology investments in data security and privacy, companies run the risk of data breaches and cyberattacks. These incidents can not only damage the company's reputation but also lead to financial losses and legal liabilities.

Competition: Imagine your competitor not investing in ESG practices, but you do. Would you say you have a leg up when it comes to marketability? If your answer is yes - why are you still in the reversed role?

ESG Going Forward

The futures for both ESG and technology are promising, and their relevance in the marketplace is only expected to grow. How will the two merge? Will AI embody quality assurance managers for companies' ESG practices? How will your company leverage each component?

Most companies don’t know where to begin, which is why we created this free tool to get you started on the right foot. While it won’t create an ESG plan for you, it can help you make informed decisions and navigate the dynamic landscape of sustainability and technology.

Written By Ben Brown

ISU Corp is an award-winning software development company, with over 17 years of experience in multiple industries, providing cost-effective custom software development, technology management, and IT outsourcing.

Our unique owners’ mindset reduces development costs and fast-tracks timelines. We help craft the specifications of your project based on your company's needs, to produce the best ROI. Find out why startups, all the way to Fortune 500 companies like General Electric, Heinz, and many others have trusted us with their projects. Contact us here.

 
 

Meet GitHub Copilot - The AI That Codes For You

2 years ago, GitHub announced they were teaming up with OpenAI - where they showed a technical preview of what they call “GitHub Copilot”. GitHub Copilot exceeded 1 million users in just 6 months and it’s popularity is no accident. 

GitHub Copilot is an extension for Visual Studio that takes the code you’re writing and gives you suggestions to complete lines or even entire functions that change while you write. The tool expedites finding alternative problem-solving approaches, writing tests, and delving into new APIs, all without having to search the internet or Stack Overflow. It will also adapt to your coding style, which is going to make your workflows perform much more efficiently.

Since it was created with OpenAI, GitHub Copilot relies on OpenAI Codex. Codex has extensive knowledge of coding practices and is great for code generation, primarily because of its training on a dataset rich in public source code. While Copilot is compatible with an array of frameworks and programming languages, it really shines when working with JavaScript, Python, Ruby, TypeScript, and Go.

Let’s look at an example:

As you can see in the video, writing code looks a lot faster with Copilot and not once did he have to look on Stack Overflow or GitHub to find solutions or code snippets. Some are even saying that the tool speeds up the coding process by 55% and handles 40% of writing the actual code.

So we have to ask then; Is this a revolution that will condense the scope of work for developers? Or at this moment, is it too good to be true?

What’s The Word Among Developers?

Even with how advanced GitHub Copilot is, developers seem to have mixed opinions on its implications and usefulness. Some of the main concerns about Copilot stem from security and copyright. Specifically, whether or not the system has access to the codes on GitHub, API keys, passwords, etc. This has actually landed Microsoft and OpenAI in some hot water - in the form of a lawsuit from developers who claimed that the system violated copyright laws.

Another key concern is that the quality of code the tool suggests for users is inaccurate, or not relevant to what the programmer is trying to accomplish. 

These are the two main pain points, but from a technical perspective, they don’t seem like anything that can’t be addressed and improved over time.

With that said, the main draws for developers obviously stem from the speed and precision with which Copilot can complete code. What’s more interesting though is that Copilot can keep the project's code consistent - for developers, this is huge because it means an easier debugging and maintenance process.

The other big attraction is how it aids in working with new frameworks and libraries that developers may not be completely familiar with. Often when developers are working in an unfamiliar environment, they’ll run into issues with the architecture, the codebase, what the business needs, and sometimes legacy code, all of which is very tedious work for developers. For this reason, Copilot is a great resource since it can synthesize code to fit the needs of the project.

Who Are GitHub Copilot’s Top Competitors?

Considering that the tool is still new and that it has strides to make before it reaches its maximum potential, it’s quite remarkable what it’s been able to accomplish. This “Copilot” movement with AI suggests a new future for software development, which we’ve always known was going to change dramatically as soon as mainstream AI tools caught momentum. The great thing about having tools is having options, and when we’re writing code in the 21st century we have tons of options.

Here are some code completion tools that are similar to GitHub Copilot: 

  1. Tabnine: This is a top competitor for Copilot, and it also uses machine learning to complete code and offer suggestions. It too integrates with Visual Studio and other various IDEs and code editors like IntelliJ IDEA or PyCharm.

  2. Codeium: Codeium supports multiple programming languages and can be used with editors like Visual Studio, Atom, and Sublime Text.

  3. CodeGeex AI: CodeGeex AI is an AI-powered code completion tool that uses machine learning to suggest code completions. It too supports various programming languages and can be used with Visual Studio, Atom, and Sublime Text.

  4. Code Whisperer: Code Whisperer is the same as the last two, it suggests code completions and also works with Visual Studio, Atom, and Sublime Text.

  5. ChatGPT: ChatGPT is what we’re all likely most familiar with. It’s an AI chatbot that can help developers write code. It will suggest code completions and can also be used with Visual Studio, Atom, and Sublime Text.

  6. Ask Codi: Ask Codi is another chatbot that can help developers write code. It performs the same functions as the rest and integrates with Visual Studio, Atom, and Sublime Text.

  7. Google Bard: Google Bard is an AI chatbot that… You guessed it! Writes code for developers. It will also work with Visual Studio, Atom, and Sublime Text.

This list could go on seemingly forever and they’d all pretty much have the same descriptions. The point is that in a growing pool of so much competition, what is it that will give GitHub Copilot the upper hand?

Immediately what sticks out is it’s partners; GitHub, Microsoft, and OpenAI - the biggest names in artificial intelligence and software development. This inevitably raises the bar right away for GitHub Copilot. To meet the expectations of the market, Copilot is going to have to leverage being trained on the code from GitHub so it can generate original code more easily. It should also finalize, and effectively implement the experimental features such as Copilot Labs, Copilot Chat, and Copilot Voice. 

The Takeaway

The average computer science degree is around $20,000/year. Chat GPT is free along with most other AI tools. The highest you’ll get with code completion tools is about $20 per month, you see the pattern here?

More people can learn to code and do it a lot easier, perhaps even at scale, than ever before. Tools like GitHub copilot aren’t just “Shortcuts” - every developer should absolutely familiarize themselves with these tools and leverage them as much as they can before they are replaced by someone who’s already beat them to it. 

Written By Ben Brown

ISU Corp is an award-winning software development company, with over 17 years of experience in multiple industries, providing cost-effective custom software development, technology management, and IT outsourcing.

Our unique owners’ mindset reduces development costs and fast-tracks timelines. We help craft the specifications of your project based on your company's needs, to produce the best ROI. Find out why startups, all the way to Fortune 500 companies like General Electric, Heinz, and many others have trusted us with their projects. Contact us here.