IoT stands for the Internet of Things, and it’s been dubbed by many as the next stage in the evolution of the internet. The word “next” doesn’t seem quite right, though, because it appears to already be here. If IoT isn’t part of your vocabulary now, it will be.

The effects on transportation, urban mobility, and life as we know it is huge–certainly in ways beyond what my non-technical mind can grasp, but I know that many parking professionals and parking equipment suppliers and service providers are already at the cutting-edge.

The Internet of Things came up when IPI Executive Director Shawn Conrad and I were meeting last week with Laurens Eckelboom of Parkmobile, and David Cummins of Xerox, co-chairs of IPI’s new Smart Parking Alliance.  And, I recently discovered that the Consumer Electronics Show dubbed 2013 the Year of IoT, as reported in a guest blog post on Forbes.com by Robert Raskin, Founder of Living in Digital Times.

The “internet of everything” is the focus of a CISCO Systems, Inc. 60-second ad called Tomorrow Starts Here now airing in some television markets, and is explained in a Cisco YouTube video. An internet search will find no shortage of references to IoT!

As with any big idea or innovation, IoT is not without its challenges, as outlined in this Wired blog by Andrew Rose, which warns of potential privacy and security issues.

I’m very eager to hear your thoughts on the Internet of Things — and what you see as its  impact on parking now, and in the future.  When I speak with reporters about parking, I like to bring these ideas to life with real-world examples.