Apple Watch next spring which is being released next spring is raising a lot of anxiety as people around the world want to know how it will feel and what it will be able to do. While these are the concerns of many, they ignore one important issue which is the values of the data that the gadget will produce.
There are gadgets that measure different aspects of our health in many ways including respiratory rate, heart beat and skin temperature and in the process generate very important data. Now smart wearable makers are thinking of ways in which these biometric data can be turned into money-making services.
These data are important only if they are collected consistently over a long period of time. That is when they can be analyzed and turned into useful information. But there is a problem. According to a survey by PriceWaterhouseCoopers, 75 percent of wearable device owners do not use them for more than one year.
The data obtained when these devices are used for only a short period of time do not give nay useful data.
Biometric data is so important such that the market for collecting and selling that information is a booming business for data brokers and even hackers. This is more so because user-generated wearable data are still not covered by the Health Insurance and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
Apple has a plan that goes beyond the Apple Watch. It hinges on HealthKit which was released in September as part of Apple’s iOS 8 operating system. Apple is going to use HealthKit as a nerve center for the device, enabling app makers to share data they collect about users in interestingly new ways. For example, the heart rate data obtained from a smartwatch can be paired with the respiratory data obtained from a smart shirt to alert the doctor when the user is about to have a stroke or a heart attack.
That’s not all. In the future, HealthKit could deliver useful snapshot of your fitness and health to emergency response teams, physicians, personal trainers and hospitals. Apple has already partnered with Epic Systems and Mayo Clinic to get all your health and fitness data in the hands of doctors.
Apple is not alone in this. Samsung and Google are also working on similar products. Earlier this month, Google released Google Fit which helps Android users to collect their health data.
All these companies are aiming at finding ways to put biometric data in the hands of those who can make good use of it. The data is important for fitness coaching, on-demand medical consultations, and even weight-loss training. The service will help shape the wearable market which is expected to hit 130 million units sold by 2018, having a market value of $6 billion, according to IDC.
Having this data readily available to the health personnel can save many lives that are currently being lost especially in cases of emergency.
