IoT challenges, approaches, and outcomes in the context of European research projects Karol Furdik [email protected], [email protected] Technical.

IoT challenges, approaches, and outcomes in the context of

European research projects

Karol [email protected], [email protected]

•Technical University of Kosice, Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Informatics, Kosice, Slovakia, www.fei.tuke.sk

•InterSoft, a.s., Kosice, Slovakia, www.intersoft.sk

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IVF-Taiwan ICT WorkshopAugust 28-29, 2012

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Contents

Internet of Things• basic concepts, definitions• objectives, applications, R&D challenges, • IoT research in Europe, FP7 priorities and projects

ebbits project• basic facts, concepts, technology• pilot applications: automotive manufacturing, food traceability• achievements, activities, future work

ELLIOT project• basic facts, concepts, technology• the Smart Office pilot application• results, future work

Conclusions• general observations on IoT research• challenges, possible R&D directions in future

K. Furdik: IoT challenges, approaches, and outcomes in the context of European research projects

IVF-Taiwan ICT Workshop, August 28-29, 2012

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Internet of Things

Definitions:• a dynamic global network infrastructure of adaptable and interoperable devices integrated

in a common information and communication network (CERP-IoT - IERC, http://www.rfid-in-action.eu/cerp/)

• a collection of technologies that make it possible to connect things like sensors and actuators to the Internet, thereby allowing the physical world to be accessed through software (Contiki project, http://www.contiki-os.org)

• a layer of digital connectivity on top of existing infrastructure and things (IoT Council, http://www.theinternetofthings.eu)

• a vision of employing the networked devices and applications in business, information, and social processes

Characteristics, features:• well established and continuously expanding research domain• significant outcomes for many sectors of industry already available• enabling technologies: sensor networks, RFID, multi-agent systems, event-driven

architectures, service-oriented architectures, web services



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Context of IoT research and applications

Internet of Things is an integrated part of the Future Internet (see e.g. at http://www.future-internet.eu), which includes IoT, IoM (media), IoS (services), and IoE (enterprises) and provides respective applications to society



Means of connecting “things” (smart objects)

in IoT applications: things / data / semantic

integration

Source: Internet of Things - Strategic Research Roadmap, IERC 2011,O. Vermesan, Internet of Things - Vision and the Technology Behind

Connecting the Real, Virtual and Digital Worlds, 2009

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IoT objectives and applications

The major objectives for IoT are the creation of smart environments / spaces and self-aware things (for example: smart transport, products, cities, buildings, rural areas, energy, health, living, etc.) for climate, food, energy, mobility, digital society and health applications.



Source: Internet of Things - Strategic Research Roadmap, IERC 2011

Global challenges addressed by IoT applications:

• energy efficiency - power grid, connected electric vehicles, energy efficient buildings, ...

• environmental protection - green services, green intelligent cities, CO2 reduction, ...

• public health, aging population• safety, security and privacy• business and economy,

continuation and growth of economic prosperity

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Challenges on application level

• Network management – network technologies should be reliable, intelligent, self-managed, context aware and adaptable

• Interfaces – to refine interaction between HW, SW, algorithms, devices, ...; smart human / machine interfaces, enabling mobile SW

• Embedded smart functionality – further development of sensors, actuators, storage, energy sources, middleware, sensor networks, etc.

• Multi-domain communications – to enhance information and signal processing, identification technology, discovery and search engine technologies

• Security, privacy, business safety – improvements needed by developing novel security techniques and concepts

• Standardisation, interoperability, validation and modularization of the IoT technologies needs enhancements

• New governance principles should be defined – free access to knowledge for further technology and business development (while maintaining respect for privacy, security and safety)



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Challenges on technology enablers

• Energy – ultra low power devices needed

• Intelligence – capabilities of self-awareness, adaptability, inter-machine communication, knowledge discovery, etc.

• Communication – new smart antennas, protocols, APIs, together with network management and visualization techniques need to be developed

• Integration – wireless ID technologies (RFID) should be integrated to devices

• Dependability – individual authentication of billions of heterogeneous devices

• Semantic technologies – large scale distributed ontologies, semantic discovery of devices, semantic web services, rule engines, ...

• Real world IoT scenarios – to evaluate IoT solutions in real large-scale industrial applications; to illustrate business-based scenarios

• Modeling and design – innovative M-D frameworks needed for large scale IoT systems

• Interoperability, standards – ensure interoperability of devices by integrating different standardized architectures, protocols, etc.; define open standards and reference models

• Manufacturing – to lower costs of key technologies (e.g., RFID)



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IoT research in Europe

7th Framework Programme of EC:• IoT research is included into priorities of ICT

• Call 5, 2009-2010, Objective 1.3 : Internet of Things and Enterprise environments• Call 7, 2011, Objectives 1.3: Internet-connected objects, 1.6: Future Internet Research and

Experimentation• Call 8, 2011, Objectives 1.1: Future Networks

• Currently, in the last FP7 call – IoT-related areas:• Smart Cities• Secure clean and efficient energy• Improving delivery of Public Sector Services

IoT-related EU research communities:• IoT European Research Cluster (IERC),

http://www.internet-of-things-research.eu• IoT Council, http://www.theinternetofthings.eu• IoT Hub Europe, http://www.internet-of-things.eu• Internet of Things Expert Group (IoT-EG) (E02514)• FInES Cluster (Future Internet Enterprise Systems), http://www.fines-cluster.eu• Internet of Things group on LinkedIn, http://www.linkedin.com/groups?home=&gid=73311



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IoT-related FP7 projects

IERC Members: http://www.internet-of-things-research.eu/partners.htm• CASAGRAS2, Coordination and Support Action for Global RFID-related

Activities and Standardisation – 2, www.iot-casagras.org

• IoT-I, Internet Of Things Initiative, www.iot-i.eu

• IoT-A, Internet Of Things Architecture, www.iot-a.eu

• SPRINT, Software Platform For Integration Of Engineering And Things, www.sprint-iot.eu

• SmartAgriFood, Smart Food and Agribusiness, www.smartagrifood.eu

• iCore, Internet Connected Objects for Reconfigurable Ecosystems, www.iot-icore.eu

• IoT@Work, Internet of Things at Work, www.iot-at-work.eu

• Hydra, FP6 project on semantic IoT middleware, www.hydramiddleware.eu

• ...

• ebbits & ELLIOT



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EBBITS project – basic facts

ebbits: Enabling Business-Based Internet of Things and Services

• Integrated EU project, FP7 ICT, Activity ICT-2009.1.3 “Internet of Things and Enterprise environments”,Contract no.: 257852

• Duration: 09/2010 – 08/2014 (48 months)• Web: www.ebbits-project.eu• Coordinator: Fraunhofer Institute, Germany• Project consortium: 9 partners (universities, research institutes, private

companies) from 5 countries (GE,SWE,DEN,IT,SK)• 2 pilot applications - Italy and Denmark

Main project objective:• To develop architecture, technologies and processes, which allow businesses to

semantically integrate the Internet of Things into mainstream enterprise systems and support interoperable real-world, on-line end-to-end business applications



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The concept of ebbits

The ebbits platform:

1. a bridge between enterprise and public information systems, between human users and “things” in the physical world

2. a communication infrastructure that, by means of SWS, automatically and dynamically connects to sensors and devices in the physical world - in manufacturing facilities, retails, smart homes, etc.



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Technology background

LinkSmart system:• Outcome of the FP6 project Hydra, http://www.hydramiddleware.eu• open source solution, http://sourceforge.net/projects/linksmart/• semantic middleware

for IoT applications



Enhancements in ebbits:• new types of devices and

services,

• semantic sensor fusion, more advanced events processing,

• business rules and business process models,

• pilot applications in automotive industry and agriculture

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Outcomes and pilot applications

• Expected project outcomes:• enhanced LinkSmart semantic middleware, optimized for real-world

business applications• toolset for development of semantic models and semantically annotated

business rules / processes• interfaces to new types of devices• methodology for building a LinkSmart-based IoT solution

• Pilot #1: Deployment in the manufacturing stage:• to manage production optimization with special emphasis on energy

savings and CO2 reduction;• automotive industry, assembly processes;• data collected from sensors in the assembly line, semantically annotated

and processed towards the optimization criteria.

• Pilot #2: Deployment in the consumption stage:• traceability throughout the food chain, from “farm to fork”, across the life-

cycle history of the food;• collecting data automatically from various actors, sensors and systems,

indexing and intelligently registering it in public databases.



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Automotive manufacturing



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Food traceability



Weight = 150 kgCO2 = 2kg CO2/kgFeed = organic Origin = SpainFarmId = ES123312

Weight = 150 kgCO2 = 2kg CO2/kgFeed = organic Origin = SpainFarmId = ES123312

Organic T-Bone SteakCO2 = 17kg CO2/kgBorn In Spain, Raised In Free Farmvile Germany100% organic grass fedRating = 4.5/5

Organic T-Bone SteakCO2 = 17kg CO2/kgBorn In Spain, Raised In Free Farmvile Germany100% organic grass fedRating = 4.5/5

Organic T-Bone SteakCO2 = 15kg CO2/kgFarmIds = ES123312, DE121211PalateId = 223-12231-221To=Aldi Süd 001, Outback Steakhouse 002

Organic T-Bone SteakCO2 = 15kg CO2/kgFarmIds = ES123312, DE121211PalateId = 223-12231-221To=Aldi Süd 001, Outback Steakhouse 002

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Achievements, future work

• Work done so far:• architecture of updated LinkSmart specified, implementation is ongoing

• OWLIM ontology infrastructure employed for semantics and context awareness

• jBoss / Drools framework for business rules processing

• M24 demo prepared, focus on the automotive manufacturing scenario

• Next steps:• project review in October 2012

• further development, focus on the food traceability scenario

• Other activities:• workshops and activities within the FInES Cluster

(Future Internet Week, IoT Week)

• CeBIT 2012 – ebbits co-exhibited with ActionPlanT project at the stand: ICT for the Factories of the Future



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ELLIOT project - basic facts

ELLIOT: Experiential Living Lab for the Internet Of ThingsFramework Programme 7, ICT Call 5 : FP7-ICT-2009-5Objective ICT-2009.1.3: Internet of Things and Enterprise environmentsProject type: STREP / Collaborative research, Project No: 287560Duration: 30 months (September 2010 - February 2013)Web: www.elliot-project.euCoordinator: TXT Polymedia S.p.A., ItalyPartners: 9 + 3 (Italy, Germany, France, UK, Bulgaria, Hungary, Slovakia)

Aims of the project:• the development of an Internet of Things experiential platform,• to directly involve users (customers, citizens) in co-creating, exploring and

experimenting new ideas, concepts and technological artefacts,• to study a potential impact of IoT and the Future Internet in the context of the

Open User-Centred Innovation paradigm and of the Living Lab approach.



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Living Lab approach to IoT

Objectives, principles of the approach in ELLIOT:• Explore the potential of user co-creation techniques and tools, such as serious gaming,

participative requirements engineering and verification/validation, in the context of IOT.• Study and develop a set of KSB (Knowledge-Social-Business) Experience Models

integrating social, intellectual-cognitive, economical, legal and ethical aspects related to the use of IoT technologies and services into a single, “holistic”, meta model.



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ELLIOT-EEU extension

Extension to the Enlarged European Union (EEU):• Duration: 18 months (September 2011 - February 2013)• 3 new use cases - pilot applications: Bulgaria, Hungary, Slovakia,

as complements to former ELLIOT pilots

Focus of pilots:• Logistics PLM: Logistics Product Life-cycle Management (PLM)

supported by IoT and RFID technologies• BIBA LogDynamics Lab, Bremen, Germany• SafePay Systems Ltd., Hungary

• Extended concept of “Well Being” in a hospital environment• San Raffaele Hospital, Milan, Italy• Virtech Ltd., Bulgaria

• Green Services @ ICT Usage Lab• INRIA (Sophia Antipolis), France• InterSoft, a.s., Kosice, Slovakia



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ELLIOT Living Lab in Slovakia

Pilot name: ECOffices - Ambient Intelligence in energy saving

• The Smart Office use case:• Integrates AmI-IoT & semantic technologies, with respect to the KSB

(knowledge-social-business) aspects of user interactions• Targets the optimization of energy consumption in offices

• Focus, goals:• experiment the ELLIOT outcomes and the new semantically enhanced AmI

technology in the Energy test case in Slovakia• demonstrate the platform capabilities towards a positive impact on

environment (energy consumption, CO2 footprint)

• Technology:• AmI-IoT: based on LinkSmart middleware, using outcomes of the FP7

project ebbits.• Semantics: device ontology, fusion of generated events, business rules• Devices: energy consumption, environment conditions, and occupancy

sensors - Plugwise, Arduino, …



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The Smart Office concept

From “Smart Houses” to “Smart Offices”Smart House:

• a house that has advanced automatic systems for lighting, heating, air-conditioning, window and door operations, security etc.

• many solutions, both commercial and research

Smart Office:• to employ the paradigm of the smart house in a business environment,• inclusion of / integration with business processes,• optimization of existing processes in an organization (or office),• ability to implement new and more efficient business processes,• expected benefits on the user level regarding to more organized and coordinated

social interactions.

Challenges:• correspondence of AmI-IoT with business processes,• acceptance and support from the side of employees (and management),• possible solution: AmI-enhanced services and processes should follow the

recommendations of IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL, http://www.itil-officialsite.com) and the related standard ISO/IEC 20000:1-5.



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Application partner : RWE IT

RWE IT Slovakia, http://www.rweit-slovakia.com

• belongs to RWE group, leading energy (gas, electricity) distributor in Eastern Slovakia

• daughter company of RWE IT GmbH, IT services provider for RWE

ECOffices pilot is implemented in the premises of RWE IT:

• office type: open space room

• 8 employees in the office (administration department)

• central heating, air conditioning individually controlled within the office

• equipment: computers, monitors, phones, 2 x printers, 1 x scanner / copier



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ECOffices : the Living Lab concept

General Goal: a systematic and iterative user co-creation approach integrating research and innovation processes towards the energy efficiency in business environment, using AmI-IoT technologies (enabled by the LinkSmart system).



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Living Lab scenarios

Scenario #1: Exploration of a suitable occupancy sensing device• 4 different types of occupancy sensors identified by IoT experts• Goal: Users exploring, experiments and evaluation; Focus: to find a balance between:

• Comfortable environment• Amount of saved energy / CO2 emissions• Privacy loss

Scenario #2: Process-based adaptation of the working environment• Uses occupancy sensor as an output of scenario #1.• Template process model given, e.g. predefined work hours, seasonal settings of

environment• Adaptation of working environment according to user preferences• Goal: Adapted process model as an explicit representation of the working environment

settings in a given time scale

Scenario #3: Exploration of a suitable occupancy sensing device• Users playing a “game” saving real energy• A visualization showing actual consumption and CO2 footprint data, overall ranking given• Ranking provided to decision makers -> e.g. awarding of winners?



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Pilot implementation (1)

Schedule of the pilot:• 1st round: May 18th (completed)• 2nd round: end of August• evaluation: end of 2012

Technology:• Devices installed (see figure)• Data monitored and collected from the 1st

round, evaluation is ongoing, use of the data in occupancy sensing

• Interface to ECOffices system is a web portal• Arduino-based prototypes (see next slide)

Involvement of users:• Initial user requirements and information about

user habits collected by a questionnaire• Smart Office Portal - Web application for

gathering user experiences was developed• Success factors and KPIs (focused on KSB

aspects) were specified and provided for analysis into ELLIOT platform



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Pilot implementation (2)



Arduino-based open HWXbee, Thermometer, Ambient light sensor

SmartOffice Portal – the main user interaction tool

Data - log example:power usage: 46.00W on 000D6F000072AF09 at 11-07-12 11:17:17power usage: 42.00W on 000D6F0000D33655 at 11-07-12 11:17:17power usage: 3.00W on 000D6F000076937D at 11-07-12 11:17:17power usage: 36.00W on 000D6F00007690CB at 11-07-12 11:17:17

Log format: [Immediate power consumption in watts] [ID: MAC address of sensor] [timestamp]

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Summary, future steps

Work done so far:• LinkSmart middleware adapted for the ECOffices Living Lab• pilot prototype implemented• 1st round of experiments on Scenario #1 accomplished • data from sensors collected and provided to the ELLIOT platform for KSB analysis

Next steps:• new types of devices - actuators: air conditioning control, light switches

• business rule / process engine, based on Drools framework, www.drools.org• template process model for Scenario #2 will be developed• Scenario #2 experiments, evaluation

• the Smart Office portal will be enhanced to enable the “game” on energy savings• Scenario #3 experiments, evaluation

• ECOffices Living Lab has an ambition to join the European Network of Living Labs (ENoLL, www.openlivinglabs.eu) in its next wave.



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Conclusions

General observations:• Innovative applications addressing global challenges needed

• Focus on practical applicability of IoT solutions in a real world business environment

• Advanced technologies (e.g., semantics, AmI, web services, clouds, ...) could be applied, but a shift from research to real business is necessary

• Wider involvement of users, e.g by means of Living Lab approach, is needed

Challenges, future R&D directions:• Living Lab, as a co-creative environment for design, development, and testing of IoT

solutions, seems to be very promising approach

• Semantics, if applied in IoT, should be improved in terms of powerful intelligent reasoning, retrieval, matching, etc. (i.e., use relational DBs instead of ontologies, if appropriate)

• Business processes and rules are capable to control the interactions between devices

• A framework for managing provided IoT solutions as IT services – candidate: IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL, http://www.itil-officialsite.com)



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Proposal for cooperation

Other IoT-related projects:• VENIS, Virtual Enterprises enabled by Networked Interoperability Services,

www.venis-project.eu

• Adapt4EE, www.adapt4ee.eu • a holistic approach to the planning, design & evaluation of energy performance of

construction products at an early design phase and prior to their realization• occupancy behavior , business processes and assets, semantic models of enterprises

• INERTIA, Maximizing Response Capacity and Surplus of HouseHold and Tertiary Prosumers

• starting in October 1st, 2012• goal: to develop a framework addressing a) energy efficiency (for steady state load

minimization); b) peak load management (for daily operations); and c) dynamic demand (for event driven dynamic peak load reduction)

• ... R&D in areas of Smart City, energy efficiency, IoT-supported manufacturing, ...

Opportunities:• Smart Cities and Communities EIP (European Innovation Partnership),

released by EC in July 2012• areas of energy, mobility & transport, ICT in urban context (Smart Cities)• international cooperation is encouraged – possibility of a joint project?



Technical University of Kosice

www.tuke.sk

InterSoft, a.s.www.intersoft.sk

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Thank you for your attention!

Questions, suggestions, ...?



Contact:•e-mail: [email protected], [email protected]•web: http://web.tuke.sk/fei-cit/furdik/index-a.html

Acknowledgements: The presented work was supported by the ELLIOT project (http://www.elliot-project.eu) and the EBBITS project (http://www.ebbits-project.eu), co-founded by the European Commission within the contracts No. 287560 and No. 257852, respectively.

IoT challenges, approaches, and outcomes in the context of European research projects Karol Furdik [email protected], [email protected] Technical.

Documents

iot applications

iot challenges

iot research challenges

context of iot research

iot objectives

things iot council

internet of things definitions

selfaware things