You don’t have to look further than the news to see how technology is transforming the way law enforcement fights crime. Take the NYPD’s 2018 arrest of the “Tip Jar Bandit.”  After a theft at a Staten Island deli, police used surveillance video to capture the perpetrator’s image and circulate it via social media to publicize it across the command and community. This spurred new info. When officers received a report of a person stealing a tip jar at a local tea shop, they were able to quickly apprehend the woman, using their smartphones to establish her identity and collaborate with other precincts to put an end to a cross-city crime spree.
 

When you think tourist, the stereotype of the sunburnt, sandal-wearing American is often the image that often comes to mind. But as China’s middle class experiences strong growth, look for a new wave of tourists and businesspeople to influence world travel. Already, China is reporting record travel numbers. Last year, its citizens took a reported 4.5 billion domestic and international trips. That’s nearly three times the country’s total population. 

China’s travelers with disposable income are a top reason why the country is expected to replace the U.S. as the world’s largest aviation market by 2022, according to the International Air Transport Association’s 20-Year Air Passenger forecast.

5G is on its way and its many capabilities are expected to benefit the mobile lifestyle including inflight travel. Imagine the possibilities: exploring the aircraft via virtual reality, downloading a movie in seconds, or transferring data in real-time at 32,000 feet. All this hyperconnected internet awesomeness means more travelers will be using more personal electronic devices than ever before. This rise in electronic devices presents airlines with a unique challenge: How to keep customers happy by maximizing the onboard power supply — without straining flight-critical systems. Already airlines are working on ways to keep passengers plugged in throughout flights, and face some complicated issues. For instance, what kind of power system to install.

Passengers are traveling with devices that require a variety of outlets: 115V AC and high power USB outlets are most common, but wireless charging such as Qi is also getting some attention.

The right connections

According to SITA’s 2017 Passenger Trends IT Survey, the vast majority of airline passengers fly with at least one electronic device, and more than half carry two or more devices.

Meanwhile, consumer trends show that while laptops – which require AC outlets — are still popular with a large number of flyers, most passengers use one or more USB-enabled devices during their journey.

Does that mean getting rid of AC power altogether? Not necessarily, says Panasonic Avionics Product Marketing Manager Gary Kaplan. He explains that AC power still has a role to play in powering thirsty laptops. What’s changing the game is the development of USB Type-C power outlets. These allow larger tablets to be used inflight and also support fast-charging for smartphones.

Figuring out what power outlets will work in the future is one challenge. Another is overall power distribution. Aircraft electrical supply is limited – so ensuring critical aircraft operations is a top priority.

For safety reasons, original-equipment manufacturers set limits on the power distributed to passenger applications. Aircraft power-management systems dynamically distribute the power supply to seats; during periods of peak demand, power will go into “restricted mode” by cutting-off supply to non-critical electrical equipment.

In Panasonic’s case, the company works with manufacturers to ensure its equipment offers optimal power delivery and aircraft safety, while keeping as many passengers plugged-in as possible throughout the flight.

Learn more in Keeping up With Growing Passenger Demand for Inflight Juice

First came the sky warriors—those frequent business travelers, who would pay up to be able to work in the clouds. They wanted things like always-on email access, uninterrupted conference calls and live streaming webinars more than they wanted creature comforts like on-board showers and champagne. Today a solid connection remains especially important for those passengers who want to work as they fly.

Meanwhile consumer demand for inflight Wi-Fi services is growing in leaps and bounds. The airline industry is meeting it with more connected flights, faster connection speeds and new technologies. “With availability of Wi-Fi connectivity continuing to have a direct impact on the overall air-travel experience, adopting the latest onboard Wi-Fi technology remains an effective way for airlines to distinguish their brand,” noted the International Air Travel Association in its 2016 Global Passenger Survey.  

In a recent blog article in UP, Panasonic Avionics Sr. Director for Global Satellite Capacity Planning Todd Hill says passengers on the best-connected flights are able to access average speeds up to 12 Mbps in a speed test, with a maximum 20 Mbps burst speed. This offers business travelers better options for both work and play. “Video and audio plays quickly. Once their work is done, business travelers do the same thing we all do. You can actually access Netflix.”

New satellite systems

Much of the credit for improved service goes to a growing fleet of specialized communications satellites. Over the past two years, operators have placed into orbit nearly a dozen high-throughput satellites that use spot-beam technology to carry higher data loads than conventional satellites. For instance, last June Eutelsat launched a new high-powered satellite that connects air routes in a broad geographic area over the Asia-Pacific region.

Satellites have two distinct advantages over the air-to-ground systems that dominated the early days of inflight Wi-Fi.

First, air-to-ground systems rely upon a network of land-based cell towers, each with a limited geographic range. Aircraft flying over an ocean are too far away from towers, so these systems can only service overland flights. Satellites, hovering in geostationary orbit over the water, can bridge that gap between continents. Satellites can provide overland service, as well.

Second, the newer satellites have faster connection speeds than the aging ground networks. That’s translating into lower cost and increased capacity for things like checking Facebook and watching movies.

Airlines are gradually adding connectivity services to their fleets. Global available seat miles (a measurement that quantifies an airline’s passenger capacity) that “have at least a chance of Wi-Fi on board” increased to 39 percent in 2016, a 10% year over year, according to Routehappy. It estimates for U.S.-based airlines alone, available seat miles rose to 83 percent, up from 77 over the same period.

And as our world becomes ever more mobile those numbers are expected to continue to rise. Today just over 5,200 commercial aircraft offer Wi-Fi services. In the next few years, more than 14,000 commercial aircraft will offer Wi-Fi services, representing over half the global fleet, according to Juniper Research. Read more in The Future of Inflight Wi-Fi 

As the world is digitized, there is rising concern among consumers about the security of their information. The Internet of Things (IoT) is bringing forth a plethora of products that record and transmit details about our daily lives, from our health and behaviors to our search habits and whereabouts. Perhaps nowhere does the people’s trust hang more in the balance than in the public sector. Federal, state and local agencies collect and store some of the most sensitive personal data there is, from Social Security numbers to tax reports to motor vehicle information, background checks, medical exams, voting records and public surveillance footage. 

An article from Deloitte Insights spells out the challenges. “Government stores far more data than the private sector and often keeps it on older, more vulnerable systems. Agencies are regularly targeted not just by opportunistic hackers but by teams funded and trained by nation-states. And even as governments try to protect themselves against hostile intruders, employees and citizens alike want their data conveniently available anytime, anywhere.”

What’s a government CIO to do?

Many government decision makers are putting new resources toward cyber threats, according to the 2018 Technology Forecast put out by National Association of State CIOs. “Cybersecurity maturity in state governments is improving as risk-based strategies are being adopted,” according to the association. Some 98% of CIOs surveyed for the technology forecast are leading or participating in cybersecurity policy setting. Data storage is a key part of that policy creation. 

Creating a better consumer experience

For the past 100 years, Panasonic has been all about creating a better experience for the consumer. We’ve done that through consumer electronics products and home appliances, and more recently, we’ve engineered these experiences in collaboration with businesses and government entities through integrated solutions that impact the lives of our customer’s customers. We're using today's most disruptive technologies to reimagine how we live and work. IoT is one such technology. As more products, services and devices talk to each other, link and sync, massive volumes of data are being created, and with this wealth of information comes pressing requirements for management and storage. Government must be especially proactive and vigilant, as sensitive constituent data could be lucrative in the hands of criminals.

Here are a few things the public sector needs to know about the future of data storage, to provide constituents and themselves with peace of mind.

1. Machines will produce an unimaginable amount of data 

IoT connected products are producing millions upon millions of small files at an accelerating rate. The advent of machine learning will only add to the data overload as devices rip through vast amounts of information in the blink of an eye. Research firm SINTEF estimates that by 2020, IoT connected objects will produce over 40,000 exabytes of machine-generated data. Big Data and storage subsystems must be able to handle the high capacity and keep scaling to keep up with growth. 

2. Regulations can dictate storage

New laws, regulations and court decisions are creating data storage and intelligent archive demands that did not previously exist. The Federal Records Act requires certain government agencies to retain electronic documents for more than 100 years. Some police departments must retain surveillance videos from interviews and interrogations for a duration longer than 999 days.

New rules that take effect in the EU later this year promise sweeping changes in how citizen data can be collected, used and stored. Data experts have called the General Data Protection Regulation, which rolls out on May 25 in the EU—the biggest change to global privacy rules in more than two decades. Data experts suggest that the EU rules will impact U.S. companies, and possibly U.S. government practices. Experts are also closely watching a U.S. government case in front of the Supreme Court involving efforts to force Microsoft to hand over emails held on its servers in Dublin. The outcome could have major ramifications on data storage and privacy.

3. Ransomware is everywhere

Businesses and governments responsible for the data produced by connected devices will be increasingly vulnerable to data hijacking, aka ransomware, where hackers lock or encrypt files so they can’t be read unless their owner pays a ransom. Where you store your files can mitigate vulnerability, and data archive solutions that offer absolute immutability will be the long-term storage choice of this new, IoT powered world.

There is no doubt, the digitization of information and processes can help government enhance services, save money and improve the quality of life of its citizens. Investing in a strong cybersecurity strategy and risk-based technologies is mission critical to support these processes.