This is why we started EarthData.io. It hasn&#x27;t flown due to me failing to raise money, but I still believe that the premise of every &#x27;thing&#x27; accessible to every &#x27;app&#x27; in &#x27;near-real-time&#x27; where this all heads.<p>As long as the connected devices are all connected via their own, standalone cloud, whether it&#x27;s proprietary, open source or purchased, we&#x27;re not going to see the true value of IoT and the ROI of connectedness will be squelched. Yet this is how the device manufacturers still view connected devices: A marketing lever to lock their customers into their hardware.