Take a moment and imagine a world where every information and object is customized to your needs through the power of big data solutions, sensor and cloud computing technology.

Even before you step out of the office and head home on a cold winter night, your automobile will not only know your final destination, but it will warm up your seat in advance, your thermostat will raise the temperature to heat up your house and your refrigerator will recommend what food to eat for dinner.

Although this may look like a landscape normally seen in a science fiction movie, the Internet of Things, powered by cloud computing, information, mobile and social network technologies, will be realized in the not too distant future.

No one is sure exactly how a new connected society will look like when more than 20 billion objects including household appliances and devices will be connected to the Internet by 2020.

But industry sources said further cross-industry convergence and innovation is expected to bring changes and generate value in line with the world’s future vision of IoT, which stands on the “peak of expectations” on the curve of global IT researcher Gartner’s Hype Cycle for Emerging Technologies.

“The industry does not have a clear picture of the IoT, and that is why companies are changing tack by collaborating with players in different industrial sectors, acquiring inventive startups and investing in new technologies,” said an industry source.

However, the general direction involves every company to move toward creating their own kind of an ecosystem, or “oasis,” in the uncharted territory by spotting the next big thing in technology.

Samsung Electronics is said to be envisioning a smart home system in which its household appliances will be connected and operated according to consumer needs. Google’s driverless cars and acquisitions of a smart thermostat maker Nest and robot developer Boston Dynamics could be seen as a move to expand its software prowess into a variety of fields including artificial intelligence for the IoT. Apple’s smart health care solution connected to its iOS-backed mobile devices is also part of the IoT movement.

Amid this trend, information will take center stage as the borderless world through the development of superfast network connections such as fifth-generation telecommunications will enable information to travel more freely and reach consumers without barriers.

“This is where big data analytics come in to efficiently manage information for consumers,” said another industry source.

Although it may take more than a decade for the IoT to take shape, analysts forecast a growing number of companies to join in the movement to create a connected world.

By Park Hyong-ki (hkp@heraldcorp.com)