ABSTRACT
The Internet of Things (IoT) represents the next major economic and societal disruption enabled by the Internet, and any physical and virtual object can become connected to other objects and to the Internet, creating a fabric between things as well as between humans and things. Based on existing communication platforms like the Internet but not limited to it, the IoT represents the next step towards digitisation where all objects and people are interconnected through communication networks, in and across private, public and industrial spaces, and report about their status and/or about the status of the surrounding environment. Although the horizontal character of the IoT is recognized the creation of IoT ecosystems is a pre-requisite for the development of innovation and take up in the European Union, which is still in an emerging phase. The IoT requires alliances between multiple sectors and stakeholders to cover an increasingly complex value chain.
