COVID-19 Can Create Opportunity for IoT in the Caribbean
�
�
� indicator and colored light ) that sometimes incorporated an audio response , which was triggered by proximity sensor . This system was also coupled with a touchless hand sanitizer dispenser . Security guards limited the number of persons allowed to pass through the doors of a building ( e . g . bank or pharmacy ), enforced social distancing guidelines and issued reminders to check temperature and sanitize or wash hands . Grocery stores that quickly developed a digital ordering strategy ( either via their website or through receipt of WhatsApp messages ) experienced transformation and logistics issues as credit cards being charged without the order being processed ; varying quality of products selected as the picker ’ s preference was different to the consumer ’ s personal criteria ; reduction in the number of available cashiers in order to allocate a lane to processing digital orders . Unfulfilled digital orders were processed as no real-time inventory feedback informed customers about unavailable items . Manual cashing of each item and limited storage of cashed items awaiting pickup ( or curbside delivery ) caused a bottleneck in the movement of goods and people out of the store . Continuity of educational environments by transferring to an online platform created apprehension in using known technology in an unfamiliar purpose . Online presentation in a technical conference , as well as lecturing a class , adhered to social distancing protocols . However , being the first time , it was difficult to observe and “ sense ” audience ’ s response to modulate the presentation style to maintain engagement .
Summary of survey responses
57 responses were obtained from the Google Forms online survey collected between the 19 th August and the 16 th September 2020 . Cleaned data resulted in 52 Caribbean responses , with a distribution illustrated in Fig . 1 . Although the response rate is low , it captured the individual perspectives of a diverse group of Caribbean nationals during the pandemic . Their answers provided insights that aided the development of a focused Caribbean IoT solution , enabled the identification of opportunities for IoT deployment as well as revealed the need for future research in the area of IIoT .
IIC Journal of Innovation - 71 -