IoT technology in India is huge today and constantly emerging. The technology serves with the luxury of automation using seamless communication between devices. It has been labelled as “the next Industrial Revolution” because of the way it will change the way people live, work, entertain and travel, as well as how governments and businesses interact with the world. Naturally, IoT developers will be in demand for this ever-increasing technology.
Sensors are important
Sensors are the most components of IoT management. In almost every automated solution, there are sensors exchanging the live data to a digitally connected system. The development of prototyping boards and the low price of sensors allows to easily use them in IoT. There are different projects meant for different solutions. Arduino and Raspberry Pi are the most popular ones. IoT developers must know the basic technicalities that go behind the use of both these, or any boards involved.
They should know the parameters that are important to take care of. The operating voltage of the sensors, for example, is a very important parameter because the voltage supplied by the board must not be higher than the maximum voltage allowed by the sensor. Therefore, it is important to read the sensor datasheet carefully before connecting it to the board to avoid damage and developers should be aware of this. Although they might not deal with it directly, to be a successful IoT developer, he has to know this information.
IoT developers should have the knowledge of basic workings of these sensors so that they can effectively contribute to including them in the IoT architecture. Wireless solutions and embedded systems are important to master to make appropriate IoT solutions. Sensors play a major role in the IoT world of gathering relevant data and every IoT developer, perhaps, unlike other developers, must understand the workings of these sensors.
Skillset Needed
1.Programming Languages:
An IoT developer has to obviously deal with languages and learning relevant languages is important. Currently, Java and JavaScript are the most popular languages which are used to programme the devices. JavaScript is the most essential web-based scripting language leveraged for developing scalable and secure backend system. Python has its perks of having short and easy to write code for big applications.
2.Hardware skills:
IoT developers, apart from being involved in the coding or the software part of the IoT. But at the same time, he/she also has to majorly understand the hardware, if not work with it. This is because, in order to be able to provide software solutions, he needs to learn the basic workings of each device. While involved in a software solution, he has to take care of certain parameters in mind and learn how the hardware reacts to environmental conditions
3.Server languages:
An IoT developer also has to be well-versed with server languages as well for the server to receive and store data from the IoT devices. Server languages do this job of receiving and storing the IoT data. These languages are used for the management of connective devices like Raspberry Pi and Arduino. Some of the popular server languages used in IoT are Node.js, PHP and ASP.NET, among which Node.js is the most popular one. A large number of companies with a low resource overhead use Node.js for the development of the IoT, as it comes with huge accessibility and stability.
4.AI and ML:
Although it does not seem like an obvious skill, AI and ML are important to know for an IoT developer to apply in tasks which involve dealing with big data. Most IoT solutions can also be thought of as automated solutions for the ease of the users. AI and ML help in automating part of such services. Machine learning skills are important for an IoT developer to analyse and predict patterns using data. The algorithms of machine learning are used for the creation of smarter appliances with the help of data sensors.
5.UI-centric approach:
The disciplines of the user interface, industrial design and human-machine interaction have been existing since more than 20 years. User experience is closely connected to the design and impact created by the UI. A good UI offers the front control for all background operations and hence is important for an ideal IoT development. UI is an important parameter to consider when developing IoT and hence a skills to build interactive and sophisticated UI is important for developers.
6.Node.js:
Many programming languages can be used for IoT but none of them is as versatile as Node.js. Node.js is a server-side runtime environment and is commonly used to build large and scalable web applications. It provides the advantage of its accessibility and stability.
It is easy for most developers because of its syntax being very closely related to JavaScript. The Node Package Manager (NPM) comes with several useful IoT modules. It contains more than 80 packages for Intel IoT Edison, Raspberry Pi, and Arduino Controllers. Apart from this, it contains more than 30 packages for a variety of Bluetooth devices and sensors. These greatly help to speed up and simplify the application development process.
IoT devices like sensors, motors and transmitters generate large volumes of data and a large number of requests. Node.js is the most suitable to handle them.
A large number of companies with a low resource overhead are using this platform for the development of the IoT. Some of the popular enterprises using Node.js are Netflix, Uber and PayPal.
Looking Forward
The future world is going to be governed by IoT. For a successful IoT developer, he has to adorn all these skills. He should be comfortable with and encouraging a collaborative work environment for IoT solutions, a developer has to understand other factors and restrictions involved like the needs of the project, budget limitations and the working of other components involved. He also has to be regularly updated with the latest technology on board in order to make stringent and appealing IoT solutions.
