IBM unveils sensor response software for business analysis

IBM claims that new sensor software can be used for business intelligence

IBM has launched software designed to analyse data collected by interconnected sensors, such as those that control lighting, water flow rates, road traffic or the flow of energy across power grids.

WebSphere Sensor Events captures the sensor data and then connects it to a company's business process management system, which can be automated to respond to the data by following a set of rules and events, according to IBM.

The company claimed that customers can analyse the data to gain the better business visibility needed to respond to changing market conditions. IBM said that Volkswagen, for example, had tested the software to track shipping containers.

"Sensors serve as an instrument for giving a voice to physical objects, allowing them to communicate important information in an increasingly interconnected world," said Martin Wildberger, IBM sensor solutions vice president.

"By capturing and analysing information from sensors, clients are infusing their operations with unprecedented levels of intelligence and agility."

WebSphere Sensor Events includes business event processing technology derived from IBM's 2008 acquisition of AptSoft Corporation, as well as business process management and events management capabilities from WebSphere and Tivoli software.

IBM also claimed that the technology is being used by food manufacturers and suppliers to trace the sources of food-borne illness in the US.