FEATURE : IoT pesticides should be sprayed with accuracy . From a health perspective , by analysing health and testing data patterns collected by IoT devices , AI can be critical for faster and more accurate diagnoses . Using image recognition and classification AI models , health professionals can now identify the right tumour or cancer in seconds as well as the stage it is in .”
Odeh said adopting IoT technology can enable businesses to enhance their productivity and performance . He said IoT devices streamline activities , collect data , monitor activities and provide useful insights . “ Businesses can benefit from the automation and inter-connectedness brought about by IoT devices and enjoy reduced costs , optimised operations and enhanced capabilities . IoT technology enables businesses to streamline their operations and utilise their resources effectively while gathering real-time information , allowing companies to explore and pursue new opportunities ,” he said .
Countries leading the way
While IoT adoption in Africa faces many hurdles at present with Internet penetration rates still low , there are some countries which are leading the way despite these challenges .
According to Van Rensburg , Africa ’ s lack of infrastructure , expensive hardware , and limited technological background are all issues impacting IoT deployment . “ Further complicating matters is bad connectivity and unreliable electricity supply ,” he noted .
“ If IoT is to be successful , especially in rural areas , four issues must be addressed : more extended range for rural access , the cost of hardware and services , limit dependency on proprietary infrastructures and provide local interaction models . Mobile connectivity in rural areas is very costly for IoT devices . Instead , short-range technologies can be used by administering multi-hop routing .”
He pointed out that despite these and other challenges , Mauritius , South Africa , Seychelles , Rwanda and Kenya have been addressing IoT as a priority .
Looking ahead , industry experts believe IoT will impact the future of virtually every industry and every human being not only in Africa , but the rest of the world . As part of this , AI has acted as the primary driver of emerging technologies like Big Data , robotics and IoT . IoT technology will continue to work as a technological innovator for the foreseeable future in Africa . p
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