What is Wearable Technology?

It is an umbrella term used for all types of electronic devices that can be used as a material in clothing or worn directly as an accessory to record or provide access to specific user data. These devices are further capable of connecting to the internet and enable data sharing between network and the device. Data sharing has brought Wearable Technology to the forefront of Internet of Things (IoT).

Today, Wearable Technology has expanded its wings to a spectrum of types such as Implantable, Smartwatches, Smart Jewelry, Fitness Trackers, Smart Clothing, Smart Shoes and Head-Mounted Displays, to name a few. Increased scope of Wearable Technology has paved way for an array of advantages. The advantages span from offering easy connectivity to enhanced health and fitness tracking.

Here are some major advantages of Wearable Technology:

Fitness: Fitness bands, watches or fitness socks record data related to diet, physical activity, heart-rate, calories burnt etc. Companion fitness apps encourage the users to make healthy diet choices by providing information about content and nutritional impact of diet. These apps also offer personal benchmarks as well as challenges among the app users to encourage physical activity.

Health: People are more engaged in their own healthcare, if they can monitor themselves. Wearable Technology fills this gap. The bio-sensors allow people to keep a tab on their blood pressure, blood sugar levels, pulse rate etc. They help in adapting a proactive approach towards health issues to counter the problems at an early stage. Data can be used to detect emergencies and devices can be set to notify healthcare professionals and family members.

Lifestyle: Many high-end lifestyle brands have partnered with technology developers to launch trendy wearable devices like watches, jewelry, glasses or head-gear. These devices are equipped with LED screens to assist in calling, messaging, checking emails, recordings and camera functions. Devices like smart watch grant the freedom to set GPS navigation without stealing a look at your smartphone time and again, while driving. Some devices are capable of recording concentration and stress levels of the user.

Safety and Security: Functions of Wearable Technology have added security benefits. On-the-go GPS navigation and calling facility without accessing your phone can be a boon in tricky situations. Watches with GPS/WiFi positioning and worldwide connectivity offer location tracking of children. The devices can also be used to send an SOS alert to the family in a discreet manner. Some devices are capable of detecting any force applied to the user and automatically connect with the smartphone to turn on location detection and recording mode.

For more information, contact Centex Technologies at (972) 375 - 9654.

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Data has a huge potential if the right value is derived from it. Big data is the voluminous repository of data which is used to form inferences. It is a relatively new concept.

It is a wide field and encompasses a number of terms in itself. Here we have listed certain terms which are used in tandem with big data that one must know to gain a detailed insight over this subject of study.

• Algorithm – It refers to a mathematical formula that is generally used to analyze data. It is usually run by a software.

• Data Lake – Huge source of information in its raw form is known as Data Lake. This information is used to form inferences.

• Data Mining – The process of delving into available information to derive meaningful insights is known as data mining. Experts use a variety of statistical techniques, machine learning algorithms, sophisticated software’s meant for data analysis to generate significant conclusions.

• Distributed File System – It is not possible to store large volume of data on a single system as it is complex, costly and infeasible. So, it is generally stored across various storage devices. This mechanism of storing data on multiple devices is known as distributed file system.

• ETL – It is an acronym which means extract, transform & load. It is a three step process which is used while ingesting information over big data systems in a structured manner. First of all, raw data is extracted, then it is converted into a meaningful form. Finally, it is loaded onto the system for use.

• Hadoop – It is a programming framework. Hadoop enables storage and processing of huge chunks of data.

• Data Scientist – They are people who are experts in analyzing data and are well versed with science, statistics, mathematics and other data analysis techniques.

• Data Cleansing - There might be certain sets of information which are incorrect. Data cleaning is the process of removing incorrect or irrelevant information from the database. This is done to maintain the quality of data as it is further used for analysis.

• Dark Data – This is that kind of data which is there in the company’s data repository but has never been put to use.

• NoSQL- It is a database system which means ‘Not Only SQL’. It is designed to handle large volumes of unstructured data without any schema.

• IoT – Internet of Things is the growing trend these days. Since so many devices are connected to the network, large amount of data is collected through them which can be used for further analysis.

To know more about big data, contact Centex Technologies at (972) 375 - 9654.