Another big area that's ready to take off is sensor-based networking.

Johna Till Johnson, founder of Nemertes Research and a Network World columnist, says sensors are the key to the long-promised machine-to-machine communication.

"It's a system-to-system, Web-to-reality interface that doesn't require human mitigation," she says.

Johnson says sensors, such as RFID chips embedded in everyday products, offer infinite possibilities for gathering critical data.

For instance, sensors on ocean buoys could warn citizens about storms. "This real-time communication can be tracked against online databases to create powerful information," she says.

Johnson admits there could be legal problems regarding privacy.

For instance, if a car manufacturer puts sensors in its cars that help locate a driver in an emergency, there is a risk that the information, gathered in a database, could be used in other ways.

"If databases were merged, they might give levels of data that are unacceptable. We need rules and regulations to guard against that," she says.

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