If you believe some of the tech press 2016 is the year that the Internet of Things will take over - billions of devices will become connected and our lives will be free from the drudgery of turning things on and off again. Beyond the hype IoT is connected sensors, actuators and machines that can be communicate over a data infrastructure. Like the internet, the data infrastructure is a critical component which is generally owned and operated by large telecommunication providers. Things Manchester is part of The Things Network founded in Amsterdam and aims to create a crowdsourced, open and free IoT data infrastructure for Greater Manchester and beyond.

Things Manchester will introduce the project and how you can get involved.

The Open Energy Monitor initiative aims to develop open source energy monitoring tools so that we can understand and adapt our energy usage. Carbon Coop has been heavily involved with this domestic IoT project for a number of years. Jonathan Atkinson will introduce what the project is about and the technologies used.

The last few months have seen unprecedented rainfall across the north of the UK. Lancashire, Yorkshire and Cumbria bore the brunt of the flooding with bridges swept away, town centres flooded and buildings inundated. ODI Leeds is running a Flood Hack event on the 11th/12th March that will encourage the development of new ideas around flood warning and prevention. Having access to open data and an open IoT infrastructure is key to this development. The team who are developing Flood Hack will introduce the event, what can be expected and how you can participate.