ReadWriteWeb has an interesting series of posts going on this week on Pachube, an open source software platform that allows developers to connect sensor data to the web. The series analyzes some of the applications that are being built with Pachube, analyzes Pachube's business model and characterizes it as part of an important trend called "The Internet of Things."

Of course, the idea that physical objects--ranging from plants that can communicate online that they need water to home lighting systems--will eventually be connected to the Internet is not new. Vint Cerf, one of the fathers of the Net has been saying so for years, in addition to many futurists. Sensors have been making it into our cars, our homes and elsewhere for years. What role does open source play in their future?

No matter where you are, there are more sensors around you than you may realize. Inexpensive, but driven by processors that are maturing at a fast clip, they monitor the brake pads in your car, the sprinkler systems in the office, and can monitor motion, heat, and much more. Sensors are being deployed in security systems and airports all around the world, among many other places. Futurists believe that sensors will increasingly be embedded inside of us to monitor our physical systems and communicate information about them wirelessly to our mobile devices.

All of this is why Open Source Sensing is an interesting initiative. The organization's call to action reads like this: "Pervasive sensing is arriving soon — we have a short window of opportunity for guiding this technology to protect both our security and our privacy."

French security company M2M Solution has developed a security gateway device called Homebox to monitor your home, office, vehicle, and even your pets while you're out. M2M and Texas Instruments, Inc. (TI) designed the system from the ground up in only nine months using Linux-based tools and open source codecs.