Networked embedded system middleware for heterogeneous

Networked embedded system middleware forheterogeneous physical devices in a distributed architecture

Introduction to the Hydra projectEmbedded Systems are everywhere; built into health-care devices, in building automation, heating systemsand home appliances, into mobile phones, cars,roads, bridges and tunnels, and even into our clothes.They are interconnected into networks consisting ofmany diverse devices forming the building blocks ofa future Internet of Things.

Embedded Systems technologies are deployedin all relevant market sectors and have a major impacton the way these sectors work and collaborate, howthey will develop, and how successful their productswill be on the world market.

Manufacturers are thus increasingly seeking tonetwork their own products with other systems inorder to provide higher value-added solutions for theircustomers, which is often a difficult, time consumingand costly development process, in particular forsmall and medium sized enterprises.

The Hydra project aims to alleviate the problems that European industries are facing by researchingand developing middleware for networked embeddedsystems that allows programmers to develop cost-effective, high-performance Ambient Intelligence(AmI) applications using heterogeneous physicaldevices.

To facilitate the development, a series of develop-ment tools are developed: The Hydra SoftwareDevelopment Kit (SDK), Device Development Kit(DDK) and IDE (Integrated Development Environment.

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The HYDRA middleware are validated in three userdomains: Building Automation, Healthcare andAgriculture.

Building automationThe field of Intelligent Buildings, Intelli-gent Homes and Building ManagementSystems encompasses an enormous

variety of technologies, across commercial, indu-strial, institutional and domestic buildings, includingenergy management systems and building controls.The potential of the Hydra middleware in these mar-kets is vast, and peoples’ lives are heavily influencedfrom the effects of Intelligent Buildings.

A ”smart home” is a completely networked, bothinternal and external controllable house which iselectronically secured and equipped with differentfeatures and based on self-learning software. Thissoftware is setting up user profiles based on thebehaviour of the different users and is automaticallydisposing resources at that times when they areexpected to be needed by the users.

The market for professional building automationsystems and components is very large and rapidlygrowing. A large number of companies are offeringcomponents and infrastructures for smart home con-cepts and home entertainment for private homes.

Application areas

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HealthcarePublic health is a key priority for theMember States and Europe is facingserious challenges in the near future of

delivering quality healthcare to all its citizens at af-fordable costs. Prolonged medical care for theageing society, the costs of managing chronicdiseases, and the increasing demand by citizens forbest quality healthcare are major factors. The emer-ging situation calls for a change in the way health-care is delivered and the way medical knowledge ismanaged and transferred to clinical practice.

eHealth offers useful capabilities to open newopportunities in health and disease management,improve illness prevention, facilitate chronic diseasemanagement through active participation of patientsand enable personalisation of care that contribute toimproving the productivity of healthcare provisioning.eHealth services and the development of sophistica-ted personal wearable and portable medical deviceswill also allow patients and healthcare professionalsto become more mobile and stay longer in the work-force. However, intelligent devices must be interope-rable allowing them to interact with other devicesand services.

A common problem for manufacturers of medicaldevices and for developers of eHealth systems is thelack of interconnectivity and interoperability of thevarious proprietary components and subsystems.The Hydra middleware will enable devices and sub-systems to communicate and allow developers todevelop intelligent, secure, multiparametric Health-care services using a range of medical devices andsubsystems.

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AgricultureAgriculture is the most ancient econo-mic activity of human beings; thereforeit’s commonly identified as a traditional

sector and - unfortunately - very often considered astatic sector, unable to actively enhance the econo-mic and social development of our countries. Thetruth is that agriculture embodies a strong dynamismand will, in the coming years, face many relevant andrapid changes due to changing external factors suchas: globalisation, new regulations, growing concernfor animal welfare and environmental protection, newtechnologies, enhanced consumer rights, etc.

The agricultural industries are facing numerous chal-lenges such as competition in the global marketsand support for the complexity of interaction be-tween agriculture and the environment, consumersdemand traceability and transparency of food history,etc. Hence, the agricultural industry looks for newICT technological tools to effectively manage produc-tion and logistics and farmers are increasingly seenas information managers.

ICT for agriculture is still in its infancy but israpidly becoming more and more visible and innova-tive. The use of intelligent monitoring, metering or tra

cing devices using minimally invasive sensors isexpected to rise. Food chain traceability will be more and more important for consumers. The Hydramiddleware will support logistics data processing,intelligent decision support and interconnectivity viaheterogeneous networks. It will enable devices andsubsystems to communicate and allow developersto create intelligent applications where devices andsubsystems cooperate to perform common tasks.

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The Hydra middleware is an intelligentsoftware layer placed between the ope-rating system and applications. Themiddleware contains a number of soft-

ware components - or managers - carefully designedto handle the various tasks needed to support acost-effective development of intelligent applicationsfor networked embedded systems. The middlewarecan be incorporated in both new and existing net-works of distributed devices, which operate with limi-ted resources in terms of computing power, energyand memory usage.

The Hydra middleware allows developers to in-corporate heterogeneous physical devices into theirapplications. It provides easy-to-use web serviceinterfaces for controlling any type of physical deviceirrespective of its network interface technology. It isbased on a semantic Model Driven Architecture foreasy programming and also incorporates means fordevice and service discovery, peer-to-peer communi-cation and diagnostics. Hydra-enabled devices offersecure and trustworthy communication through distri-buted security and social trust components of themiddleware.

The Hydra middleware specifically facilitates the realisation of context-aware behaviour and manage-ment of data persistence on resource-constrained devices. Context aware services can ubiquitously sense the user's environment and obtain information about the circumstances under which they are able to operate and thus adapt their behaviour in an intel-ligent way based on rules or stimuli.

The Hydra Software Development Kit (SDK), Device Development Kit (DDK) and Integrated Development Environment (IDE) will allow developers to create new, innovative networked embedded AmI applications and devices; quickly and cost effec-tively.

Technical overview

Hydra software architecture layers

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Service Oriented ArchitectureThe Hydra middleware has features that allow deve-lopers to create AmI services and systems through aService Oriented (SoA) and Model Driven Architec-ture approach. The network part of the Hydramiddleware can interconnect devices, people, termi-nals, buildings, etc. with the SoA providing interope-rability at a syntactic level. However, the Hydramiddleware also provides interoperability at asemantic level by extending semantic web servicesto the device level, thus opening up for semanticinteroperability of AmI applications.

Hence, the Hydra middleware offers a real novelpossibility to discover even primitive resource con-strained devices, dynamically embed them as Hydraenabled nodes in Ambient Intelligent device net-works and provide interoperability between them.

In order to achieve this extraordinary discoverycapability, the device properties must be semanti-cally described in such way that machine agents canunderstand and use them. In the Hydra middleware,the semantic description of devices is based on theapplication of ontologies employing semantic tech-nology standards like OWL (the Web Ontology Lan-guage), OWL-S and SAWSDL (Semantic AnnotatedWSDL). Application domains are described in con-ceptual domain models and operative rules in XSLT(Extensible Stylesheet Language Transformations).

Wireless Communication and NetworksTo assist application developers in addressing awide variety of mobile and stationary devices andnetworks, the Hydra middleware hides device-dependent and network-dependent details and pro-vides comprehensive open interfaces to the display,communication port, input facilities and memory management of each class of device. The Hydra middleware can also manage communication in theHydra network, route data, register services, providesession management in the communication and syn-chronise the different entities in the network.

A novel implementation in the Hydra middlewareis the combination of peer-to-peer (P2P) networktechnologies and traditional Web Service technolo-gies allowing any device to offer, identify, and con-sume web services (WS) transparently from theapplication developer point of view. This allowsapplication developers to consume services offeredby devices in pervasive environments, even whenthey are located behind firewalls or Network AddressTranslators (NATs).

Another novel invention is the way the Hydramanages storage inside the P2P environment byproviding a transparent shared memory space in themiddleware, thus allowing data persistence inAmbient Intelligence applications.

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A typical Hydra enabled Healthcare applicationwith a service oriented architecture

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Embedded Ambient IntelligenceArchitectureIn Hydra Ambient Intelligence (AmI) applications anyphysical device, sensor, actuator or subsystem canbe considered as a unique web service. A majornovelty in the Hydra approach is that the middlewareprovides support for using devices as services bothby embedding services in devices and by proxy ser-vices for devices. Another novelty is that the middle-ware supports dynamic reconfiguration and self-configuration, which are indispensable properties inany AmI application.

The development of on-device web services issupported by an innovative pervasive web servicecompiler. OWL ontologies are used to make thecompiler aware of its compilation context, such asthe targeted hardware and software and it supportsgeneration of state machine code on the device.Using the compiler embedded web services cannow handle the variability and dependencies ofhardware and software platforms while, at the sametime, handle the dynamicity of frequently changingdevice status. Semantic rules are used to validatethe dynamic configurations of the compiler.

The Hydra middleware uses SWRL (Semantic WebRule Language) to specify self-management rules,including the constraints for configuration of compo-nents, device and system diagnosis rules, quality ofservice based service selection and matching,detection of service mismatching and adaptation forservice matching. Self-management features areimplemented with the diagnostics manager, QoSmanager and other components.

The Hydra partners have published a rangeof scientific papers on service oriented middleware, P2P networks of physical devices,ambient intelligence, security and trust,business modelling and similar subjects covered by the Hydra project.

Please consult the website for a full list ofpublications.

www.hydramiddleware.eu

Hydra Pervasive Web Service Compiler

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Trust, privacy and securityIn order to solve the rapidly growing challenges ofprivacy, identity theft, and trust, the Hydra middle-ware has extensive facilities for incorporating secu-rity and trust models in AmI applications. Securitygoals such as confidentiality, authenticity, and non-repudiation can be addressed by a particularly trust-worthy design and implementation of web service-based mechanisms, enriched by ontologies andsemantic resolution techniques.

The concept behind the Hydra security meta-model is ”semantic resolution of security” focussingon moving security from being identity-based into asemantic, credentials based framework. The seman-tic descriptions of capabilities and certificates ena-ble interoperability between heterogeneous devicesand platforms. Different devices may use differentprotocols to communicate, not only for security. Toenable such devices to communicate with eachother without a common protocol, the Hydra middle-ware provides a model for semantic description oftheir capabilities and means for mapping these intothe higher level security goals.

By defining security requirements in thesehigher-level semantic security goals and mappingcapabilities towards the same security goals usingexternal assurance providers, comparison and reso-lution between different security models can be faci-litated. This enables scalable security and asynchro-nous security upgrades as new capabilities can bemapped towards existing implementations and themiddleware facilitate the validation. Also it adds thecapability of dynamic and adaptive security as hardcoding of assumptions is replaced by polices andexternal assurances.

Another innovative approach in the Hydramiddleware is a coherent no-trust context-lockedseparation achieved through virtualisation of devices

and people. The Hydra middleware virtualisationmodels enable developers and end users to choosethe representation of physical devices, identities,personas and services restricted to their preferen-ces. The virtual appearance can be a reduced orenriched representation of the physical entity. Theenabling novel innovation in the Hydra middleware isthe use of a Hydra ID (HID) to make the notion of avirtual device by default. This invention has thedouble purpose of ensuring separation of underlyingcommunication technologies and its logical repre-sentation. Moreover, it isolates the shared spaces inthe middleware from the application specific seman-tics.

Understanding the business ecosystem,in which the developer users of theHydra middleware are a part of, is anessential prerequisite for the successful

deployment and exploitation of new services andapplications. Hence, the Hydra project also aims todemonstrate its business potential, i.e. realistic andsustainable business cases in selected domains.

Given the enormous amount of heterogeneousdevices, sensors, and actuators with embeddedsystems already existing in the market and the diver-sity of producers and manufactures, there is a largeneed for technologies and tools like the Hydramiddleware that easily can add, implement and net-work the functionality embedded in the devices. Since the Hydra middleware incorporates the neces-

sary means and technical innovations for efficientdevelopment of applications and services, compa-nies can use device networking technologies toreduce costs, reduce installation time, improve effec-tiveness, neutralise learning differences, bridgeknowledge gaps, gain more customers, and pursuenew business opportunities. Companies can alsoposition their Hydra enabled devices into a customerservice relationship that enhances both revenuesand customer retention.

Hence, with the introduction of the Hydramiddleware, new business models are needed toidentify and explain the much more dynamic valuecreation and to model the exchange of products, ser-vices, information and resulting values among dyna-mically emerging constellations of multiple stake-

holders across the business system. The ability tocorrectly identify the value creation and the involvedactors often makes the difference between successand failure of a new eBusiness offering.

This business modelling research in Hydra invol-ves analysis and development of realistic businesscases for users and service providers based on theconcept of dynamic value constellations. Emphasisis placed on defining and measuring value creationand identifying new business opportunities.

Training is an important aspect of disseminationand commercialisation of Hydra results. The projectoffers complete training sessions and workshops notonly in the technical aspects of the Hydra middle-ware, but also training workshops in business model-ling.

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Hydra middleware in industrial use

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SIEMENS AG, PADERBORN, GERMANYwww.siemens.com/it-solutions

Siemens IT Solutions and Services offers ITSiemens IT Solutions and Services is an internationally leading providerof information technology solutions and services, offering one-stopshopping for the complete IT service chain - from consulting to systemsintegration, IT infrastructure management and software engineeringright through to industry specific IT solutions.

IN-JET APS, BIRKERØD, DENMARKwww.in-jet.dk

In-JeT is a concept developer and system integrator in ICT technolo-gies for Ambient Intelligence and Pervasive Computing applicationsand has extensive knowledge about user needs and business models.IN-JET market concepts for ICT platforms across Europe in applicationssuch as healthcare, security and alarm services, and building control.

ConsortiumThe consortium behind the Hydra project representsan excellent partnership of academics, computerscientists, technology developers, and system inte-grators. The quality of the technology project part-ners has brought about real advancement of thestate-of-the-art in networked embedded systems.Further, the large number of industrial partners,including technology oriented SME’s, assures apractical approach with high focus on the need ofdeveloper users and industry at large.

INNOVA S.P.A., ROME, ITALYwww.innova-eu.net

Innova S.p.A. is specialised in TechnologyTransfer services and assists industrial and

research organisations in the implementation of their innovation strate-gies for the assessment and exploitation of advanced technologies andthe valorisation of R&D results.

CNET SVENSKA AB, DANDERYD, SWEDENwww.cnet.se

CNet is a leading-edge software house specia-lising in semantic-based knowledge and content systems. CNetdevelops systems to acquire, organise, personalise and share theknowledge embedded in web, databases and multimedia content.

FhG - INSTITUTE FOR SECURE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY, DARMSTADT, GERMANYwww.sit.fhg.de

The Fraunhofer Institute for Secure Information Techno-logy is one of the pioneers within the field of IT-Security and has expe-rience in development and promotion of security technologies and inembedding of security technologies into already established applica-tions to make them trustworthy.

UNIVERSITY OF AARHUS, AARHUS, DENMARKwww.daimi.au.dk

The Department of Computer Science has the goal tomaintain a position as one of the top research centres inEurope within theoretical as well as experimental compu-

ter science. It is quite rare that a department is leading within bothfields, and we want to take advantage of this position by increasing thenumber of cross-disciplinary activities.

TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY OF KOSICE, SLOVAKIAwww.tuke.sk

The Technical University of Kosice (Faculty of Economicsand the Department of Cybernetics and Artificial

Intelligence) is in its research activities specialized in semantic techno-logies, ontology-based knowledge modelling and knowledge systems.

UNIVERSITY OF PADERBORN,PADERBORN, GERMANYwww.c-lab.de

C-LAB (Cooperative Computing & Communication Laboratory) is a joint research and development laboratory operated by the Siemens AG and the University of Paderborn. The Paderborn Center for ParallelComputing is an interdisciplinary institute specialised in distributed andparallel computing.

UNIVERSITY OF READING,READING, UNITED KINGDOMwww.reading.ac.uk

The multi-disciplinary Intelligent Media Systems and Services ResearchLaboratory (IMSS), provides a centre of gravity for interdisciplinary andcollaborative research, and knowledge transfer within the School ofSystems Engineering and Information Technology.

TELEFONICA I+D SA, MADRID, SPAINwww.tid.es

Telefónica I+D was formed to contribute to thetechnological innovation of its parent company,by performing research and development acti-vities. TID is active in major areas like: Services

creation related to intelligent network and data communications, net-work and services management and network innovation.

T-CONNECT S.R.L, TRIESTE, ITALYwww.t-connect.it

T-connect is engaged in research and deve-lopment of wireless applications on third gen-

eration platforms (UMTS/WLAN) for mobile communications services.

PRIWAY, KGS. LYNGBY, DENMARKwww.priway.dk

PRIWAY is providing trust & security commu-nication products and managed security ser-

vices based on empowerment of the individual and security in contextdesign principles.

FhG - INSTITUTE FOR APPLIED INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY, SANKT AUGUSTIN, GERMANY www.fit.fhg.de

The Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Information Techno-logy has gained an internationally acknowledged reputation in theareas of context-awareness, adaptive and personalized systems, con-text modelling, mobile services, and usability engineering.

ContactThis document is intended for information about theHydra project only. The Hydra consortium makes nowarranties, express, implied or statutory, as to theinformation provided in this document and the abili-ties of the Hydra middleware.

For more information,contact the project coordinator:

Dr.rer.nat. Markus EisenhauerHead of Mobile KnowledgeFIT Fraunhofer Institute for Applied InformationTechnologySchloss Birlinghoven 53754 Sankt AugustinGermanyPhone: +49 2241 14 28 59Fax: +49 2241 14 21 46Email: [email protected]

Project website: www.hydramiddleware.eu

Networked Embedded Systemmiddleware forHeterogeneous physical devicesin a distributed architecture

The Hydra project is co-funded by the EuropeanCommission within the Sixth Framework Programmeunder contract IST-2005-034891