‘IoThon’ aims to put Dingle at sharp end of tech revolution

A gathering of people drawn from business, the arts, engineering and other disciplines met in the Skellig Hotel at the weekend to explore the possibilities presented by the Internet of Things – an emerging use of technology that will soon become a part of our everyday lives.

The gathering – entitled an Iothon – was organised by the Dingle Creativity Hub, which aims to explore and develop the use of new t echnology, specifically the ‘internet of things’, in order to facilitate the creation of new businesses and jobs.

The IoThon, claimed to be the first of its kind, needs a word of explanation. The key is the ‘IoT’ part of the term, which means ‘Internet of Things’, in other words all the kinds of things that are and can be connected to the Internet.

Early examples of these developments are to be seen already with farmers using cameras and sensors for remote monitoring of animals. On the home front, satellite television companies provide apps for smart phones allowing people to remotely control TV recordings, and home owners can install sensors and devices that allow them to control their heating and lighting via a smart phone.

Utility companies also have smart electric and gas meters on the agenda and these will eventually replace traditional electricity and gas meters, removing the need for a meter reader to call to your door as the meter will send information through the Internet to the company and to the home owner.

The list goes on and on and it is set to explode over the coming years. With this in mind the Iothon was designed to position the Creativity Hub in Dingle at the forefront of development in this area.

Inspirational talks were given by successful local entrepeneurs Philip King of Other Voices and Mike Fitzgerald from Castlegregory whose company Net Feasa sets up and maintains Internet of Things networks. The weekend was facillitated by West Kerryman Enda O’Dowd, co-ordinator of the Masters in Medical Device Design course at the National College of Art and Design.

The Dingle Creativity Hub is an initiative of the Dingle Business Chamber.

Mike Fitzgerald, Gary Delaney, Robert McCloud (SHU), Bridget Crowley (ITT), Brendan Tuohy, Ciarán Williams and John Sheehy at IoThon in the Skellig Hotel on Sunday.