The Internet of Things (IoT) is already having a big impact on the transportation industry. Probably nowhere is this being felt more than with the railroads. I know of a number of projects under way utilizing sensors, analytics, and mobile technologies to optimize rail operations by collecting and analyzing data to determine real-time vehicle location and operating factors (e.g., average acceleration, speed, idle times, number of stops), and to assess KPIs on equipment wear and roadbed conditions.