GE partners with Indonesian big data startup to make unforeseen blackouts history

Photo credit: wirtschaft_verstehen / 123RF.

The last time we spoke to big data analytics startup Dattabot (previously Mediatrac), it was getting down and nerdy to celebrate its partnership with Yello Mobile and Cloudera.

A year and a half later, nerdy’s still in style – Dattabot’s become the first startup in the world to tie-up with GE Digital, General Electric’s IT division. Dattabot CEO Regi Wahyu and Wayah Suroto, General Electric’s digital leader for Indonesia, announced the news at the Tech in Asia Jakarta 2016 conference.

Through the partnership Dattabot will lend its data analytics capabilities to GE’s power plants in the country, improving the constant real-time tracking and monitoring of machines that may break down.

Bringing up the phrase “startups in Indonesia” may lead one to think of consumer-focused industries like ecommerce. Regi and Wayah have their sights set on streamlining industry players within the country. According to them, Internet of Things (IoT) is the way to go.

“Everyone is talking about the robots,” Regi told the audience, on his decision to get involved with big data.

In answer to the question, “What lies in Indonesia’s IoT future?” Regi’s answer is simple: the future’s already here.

“There are over 100 sensors in this room,” Regi says, nodding to the ballroom-sized space where we, the audience, sit. IoT gadgets often involve sensors that collect data and send information over an internet connection to another sensor where the information can be read and interpreted. The word “sensor” doesn’t have to refer to something as complex-sounding as a smart home, though. An air conditioning sensor, Regi points out, is “one of the smartest sensors that manufacturers produce.” He brings up sensor use in agriculture and fisheries as other examples.

Keeping the lights on

When it comes to monitoring the stability of power grids, smart sensors can make all the difference.

The timing may still not be perfect, but days warning is much better than hours.

A few months ago, one of my colleagues in Indonesia experienced a power outage while her laptop was nearly out of power. She wasn’t in a building that had a backup generator at the time, and we quickly worked together to transfer her work so I could help her hit her deadline.

GE entered Indonesia in the 1940s, when many millennials’ parents had yet to be born. Over 70 years later, its current sensor technology allows the company three hours warning before a blackout occurs. By using analytics power to gather round-the-clock data from power plants, employees may now get 10 days’ warning when machines are about to break down. Through the partnership with Dattabot, these capabilities can be brought to Indonesia.

The timing may still not be perfect, depending on the problem, but days warning is much better than hours. That’s time that doesn’t just translate into convenience but money as well. “In a power plant, if you have an unplanned shutdown, there will be also a huge loss for the owner of the property,” Wayah says.

IoT in the city