I Introduction

There is no universally accepted definition of the term “internet of things” (IoT) but it can be broadly interpreted as a world of interconnected, sensor-laden devices and objects1 that can be used to measure and interact with the physical environment; gather information from that environment; and transmit that information to other devices, people or environments.2 On that basis, the IoT can primarily perform three functions: (i) capturing data from the surrounding environment, (ii) transmitting the data captured over an internet-connected network and (iii) enabling data collectors to process and analyse the data collected or transmitted.