It's all about the data, and how to mine it

New York

THE technology world is looking at ways to make everything more efficient. The question is, will this be good for the many, or the mighty few?

Earlier this month, General Electric Co announced it was selling GE Capital, its financial arm. With less fanfare, GE also unveiled plans for computer-connected LED streetlights, so cities can collect and analyse performance data, for lower costs and better safety.

GE Capital was a huge profit centre after the financial deregulation of the '80s, but that was then. Sensor-rich lights, to be found eventually in offices and homes, are for a company that will sell knowledge of behaviour as much as physical objects.

"The next generation of bulbs have a life cycle of 20 years; we can't think of that as a transactional business anymore," said Bill Ruh, the head of GE's software centre. "We can put cameras and more sensors on these, and measure motion, heat, air quality." Retailers might want such lights to steer shoppers, he said, while consumers could better learn a…