First, what is the Internet of things?
The so-called Internet of Things (IoT) refers to a huge network of items that are connected to the Internet through various information sensing devices (such as radio frequency identification (RFID), infrared sensors, global positioning systems, and laser scanners). . The IoT itself is not a simple network and involves many industries such as IT hardware manufacturing, software service industry, and information processing, and can be applied to many fields such as transportation and logistics, public safety management, medical care, and urban management. Specifically, we can divide the industry chain of the Internet of Things into five links: item identification, object perception, data processing, information transmission, and business processing. The key technical conditions involved include RFID, sensors, smart chips, and wired (wireless) technologies. Transmission networks and business processing systems including hardware and software. Therefore, through the Internet of Things, in the future we can connect all the world's goods and identify and manage remote objects, which will have a major impact on economic and social development. Undoubtedly, the Internet of Things will become another wave of information industry following the computer, Internet, and mobile communications networks.
Second, the Internet of Things boom
In fact, the development of the Internet of Things has gone through a long process. The RFID technology, which is the vanguard of the development of the Internet of Things, appeared as early as World War II and was later used extensively in the Iraq war in the United States to manage military supplies logistics. In 1999, the International Conference on Mobile Computing and Networks held in the United States proposed the concept of a sensor network, saying that "sensing network is another development opportunity facing mankind in the next century." In 2003, the United States "Technical Review" will sense Network technology is seen as the top ten technologies that will change people’s lives in the future; at the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) held in Tunis in 2005, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) released the “ITU Internet Report 2005: Internet of Thingsâ€. The concept of "Internet of Things" was formally proposed. In 2008, IBM based on the "Internet of Things" proposed the concept of "Smart Earth."
On August 7, 2009, Premier Wen Jiabao of the State Council visited the Wuxi Micro-Nano Sensor Network Engineering Technology R&D Center to inspect and deliver an important speech, stating that “in the development of the sensor network, it is necessary to plan the future as early as possible and break core technologies earlierâ€; In the country's major scientific and technological special projects, we will accelerate the development of sensor networks." "Establish China's sensor information center as soon as possible, or call the 'China's Center'." Premier Wen Jiabao’s call has further opened the curtain for China’s comprehensive attention and research on sensor networks. Recently, Beijing, Shanghai, Fuzhou, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Chongqing, Kunshan, Chengdu, Hangzhou and other cities have all accelerated the layout of the development of the Internet of Things. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology also stated that it is preparing a special plan for the development of the “12th Five-Year†Internet of Things.
There is no doubt that the current Internet of Things is hot.
III. Misunderstandings and Dilemmas in the Development of China's Internet of Things
However, although RFID technology has been used for some years, we know very little about the much more complex Internet of Things. Those developed countries are still trying to find out. Therefore, in the current upsurge of this kind of Internet of things, we must especially think calmly and we must not be overheated; otherwise, once we make improper or even wrong decisions, we will bear the huge losses caused thereby. In fact, from the current situation, our understanding of the Internet of Things has many misunderstandings, technical and management difficulties. Before making scientific decisions, we must have a clear understanding and understanding of these misunderstandings and difficulties.
These errors and dilemmas are specifically expressed in the following aspects:
First of all, our understanding of the Internet of Things is still confusing. Since we are still in the early stages of development, we still have a lot of inconsistencies in our understanding of the Internet of Things. There are many elements of conceptual hype. Our concept of the Internet of Things has several concepts, such as sensor networks and smart worlds. In particular, in many statements, some people oppose the Internet of Things and the Internet, thinking that they are two completely different things. For example, IBM's senior Chinese executives believe that the smart planet = Internet of Things + Internet. In fact, the Internet of Things is a network complex that is more complex and contains a wider range of people, people, things, things and things than the current Internet. It puts forward higher requirements for network transmission. Therefore, we It can be argued that the Internet of Things should be an expanded, upgraded version of the Internet.
Second, we only understand and understand the Internet of Things from the perspective of technology and industry. From the deployment of related departments and the actions of local governments, we mainly deal with the Internet of Things from sensing and sensing technologies. We hope to take the lead in gaining international advantages in the standardization of hardware manufacturing and production costs. To this end, the establishment of industrial manufacturing alliances, the establishment of related industrial parks and their standardization working groups, and other forms to strengthen the Internet of things. In fact, hardware manufacturing is only the front end of the development of the Internet of Things, and the back-end data transmission, information processing and business system management are the high-end and core parts of the long-chain of the Internet of Things. These are precisely the weaknesses and disadvantages of our country. We should Focus on breaking through. In fact, if we really want to change the mode of growth, we should break through this habit of blindly sticking to the manufacturing sector and the advantages of low cost.
Third, China's current software industry policy is seriously lagging behind, which is not conducive to the in-depth development of the Internet of Things. Its concrete manifestation is that China's technology and industry lacks the importance it attaches to the importance of cloud computing to the development of the Internet of Things. Cloud computing is a very special field. It can be developed independently as a software information service industry, and it is also an important link for the full development of the Internet of Things in the future. If we do not gain control in the field of cloud computing, then the future of the Internet of Things will continue to be constrained by others just like the Internet.
However, over the past few years, China's software information service industry has been emphasizing the construction of animation industry bases and attaching too much importance to undertaking software outsourcing businesses from Japan and the United States. There is hardly any work in the software core technology field. The basic starting point for the development of the local software industry is to increase local GDP and increase tax revenue. As a result, domestic software companies and the software industry are not making progress in the development of core technologies, and they are willing to do the wedding for others. The entire society is developing a system with independent intellectual property rights. Software, database management software, and important application software have adopted an attitude of indifference and indifference. It can be imagined that if the current development of this kind of arrangement continues, our country’s Internet of Things will be doomed to fail.
Fourth, the Internet of Things is detached from the information development strategy. Since the revocation of the original Office of Information Technology of the State Council, the information-based development strategy has disappeared from people's perspectives. Therefore, when people talk about the Internet of Things, they are no longer linked to informationization. In fact, if we regard the Internet of Things as an upgraded version of the Internet, we will find that we have to do too much and too much work to develop the Internet of Things. On the one hand, we must go back and continue to examine our lack of informationization. We must, on the other hand, catch up, strengthen coordination, renovate our information-based development strategy, and further overcome the drawbacks of redundant construction and information islands. .
In fact, compared with the traditional Internet, the Internet of Things is able to more closely integrate informationization and industrialization, so that the “integration of the two systems†finds practical tools and tools. There is no doubt that the return to informationization is the right choice for the development of the Internet of Things.
Fifth, the lack of integrated management of the Internet of Things. As an upgraded version of the Internet, the development of the Internet of Things needs more coordination and coordination at a high level of the country, and more powerful departments need to push forward all aspects of work. However, since the revocation of the Guoxin Information Office, the informationization construction has regressed to the traditional industrialization thinking. The phenomenon of “repetitive construction†has been re-emerging, and all departments have only proceeded from the work of their own departments to carry out their own informatization construction. In fact, at present, the development of the Internet of Things in all parts of the country does not have an appropriate co-ordination agency. The level of the Internet of Things industry development alliance established in some places is too low, and it is difficult to assume such an important task. It can be imagined that with the deep development of the Internet of Things, the shortcomings of this kind of organization will soon be revealed, and the current strong momentum of the development of the Internet of Things will be broken.
Sixth, the security issue still has no solution. The security issue has always been a chronic problem that has plagued the development of the Internet. In the era of the Internet of Things, this disease will continue to threaten its survival and development. Technically speaking, almost all Internet root servers are in the United States, and all countries are under the control of the United States. Therefore, the United States’ attitude and policies on Internet space have a direct impact on Internet users in various countries. Recently, the United States Senate proposed a proposal called "The Protecting Cyberspace as a National Asset Act." According to the proposal, when an emergency occurs in the United States, President Barack Obama can order Google, Yahoo, and other search engine operators to suspend Internet services; other U.S.-based Internet service providers in the country when an "Internet security emergency" occurs Will be controlled by Obama. If that is the case, then Obama will become the world’s highest global mastermind. This will be a lingering shadow for all countries outside the United States and a fundamental issue facing China’s future development of the Internet of Things. It can be imagined that if the security of the Internet of Things is not effectively resolved, China’s industrial security, economic security and even national security will all be placed in a huge bottomless pit.
Li Guangqian, PhD, Peking University, associate researcher of the Development Research Center of the State Council. Has long been engaged in IT industry, national informatization, especially e-government construction policy research, participate in some informatization related documents drafting work, presided over many national and provincial level research, related research results on China's informatization and e-government construction Have a positive effect.