Japanese operator DoCoMo, in an attempting at further monetizing their wireless network, have just announced that on December 21, 2009 they will begin trailing an Environmental Sensor Network. These sensors, 300 at the start of the trial, 2500 by March 2011, with an eventual goal of 9000 all over Japan, will provide data on pollen counts, carbon dioxide, ultraviolet, sunlight, and other atmospheric conditions. DoCoMo will then sell this data to anyone who coughs up the money, and even provide services directly to their current customers. This is just the beginning of the smart grid and ubiquitous computing that many have been talking about for years. No word as to who will be building the sensors, how much the accessing the sensor data will cost, or if any other operators are looking into partnering with DoCoMo and bringing the technology to their country.
This is one of the first interesting uses of current wireless infrastructure I’ve heard of in a long, long time. Keep your eye on this.
[Via: DoCoMo, Wireless Watch Japan]