Shorter lines at Disneyland and 15 other reasons why IoT, big data make a perfect pair

Here's how big data and the Internet of Things work together: a vast network of sensors (IoT) collect a boatload of information (big data) that is then used to improve services and products in various industries, which in turn generate revenue -- hundreds of billions of dollars annually -- from those products and services. And the cash flow is speeding up. "By 2025," according to Thingstream, "it's expected that more than 100 billion operational devices will be connected to the Internet of Things (IoT), generating a total revenue of nearly $10 trillion. This trend looks set to continue for many years of unprecedented growth. For example, the sensor market alone is expected to see an average annual growth rate of 26.91% by 2020."