Planning System Architecture of Fat-client Management
for Customized Healthcare Services
in Edge Computing Environment
Dohyung Kim Jonghyeok Mun
School of Computer Science and School of Computer Science and
Engineering, Soongsil University Engineering, Soongsil University
dohyungkim@soongsil.ac.kr jonghyeok.mun121@gmail.com yoosangpark@soongsil.ac.kr
Jongsun Choi Jaeyoung Choi
School of Computer Science and
Engineering, Soongsil University
jongsun.choi@ssu.ac.kr
ABSTRACT
To provide customized healthcare services in edge computing
environment, it is necessary to process perspectives related to
delivering context information such as procedures of data
collection and analysis in various data formats. It is required to
have a fat-client concept that performs, data preprocessing and
converting data formats where generated data sets have different
structure. Furthermore, the fat-client concept has advantages of
covering data acquisitions and job allocations in edge computing
environment. Once data sets are collected, then users can have
healthcare reports, analyzed in a different level. When dealing
with procedures of analysis, their models are necessary because
data sets have different formats and ranges, moreover models will
be required for user customizing it by adjustment the data sets
being collected. This paper proposes a method for managing fat-
client to provide customized healthcare services in edge
computing environment. The proposed method, provides a fat-
client profile for managing each fat-client user. The fat-client
profile includes information such as sequences of data sources and
analysis methods. In the experiment, the fat-client management is
demonstrated through data collection and monitoring of instances
created by the Fat-Client profile.
CCS Concepts
• Computer systems organization➝Architecture➝Distributed
architectures • Applied computing➝Life and medical
sciences➝Health care information systems
Keywords
Edge computing; Fat-Client; Customized healthcare service;
Management
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ICIIT 2020, February 19–22, 2020, Hanoi, Viet Nam
© 2020 Copyright is held by the owner/author(s). Publication rights
licensed to ACM.
ACM ISBN 978-1-4503-7659-4/19/07…$15.00
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1145/3385209.3385222
91
Yoosang Park
School of Computer Science and
Engineering, Soongsil University
School of Computer Science and
Engineering, Soongsil University
choi@ssu.ac.kr
1. INTRODUCTION
Edge computing is a computing paradigm that performs
computational tasks such as storing and analysis of data at the
edge of the network where the data is generated [1]. Edge
computing systems generally deal with the problems above
through three different layers such as device layer, edge layer, and
cloud layer. It has two main characteristics. Firstly, network
latency can be reduced by moving locations of computation from
the cloud to the edge network where the data is generated.
Secondly, it can perform tasks and provide services without
connecting to a central cloud server. These characteristics of edge
computing are utilized in various fields such as smart home, video
surveillance, smart city, and healthcare [2]. In particular, edge
computing can resolve the healthcare field issues related to
dealing with network delays and data transmission errors that can
lead to fatal accidents. When the system works for providing
healthcare services, specifically focusing on customized
healthcare services to the users, it is necessary to consider several
situations around the users by analyzing numerous environmental
information. Based on the user’s health condition and surrounding
environment, many kinds of analysis should be performed. As
input data sets vary due to the devices and data types that are
different for each user, therefore, most software modules
including analysis phases should be prepared individually.
Furthermore, analysis models can be evaluated different
performances by the data sets are used in diverse timestamp
ranges and their accuracy can be also dropped significantly [3-4].
To provide customized healthcare services in edge computing
environment, data processing tasks such as data collection and
data analysis should be considered. In edge computing
environment, different instances can be deployed in the different
layers. That instances can be fat-client which can works for
separate tasks as they are located at the demanded points. By
using fat-client techniques for data processing in edge computing
environment, the communication cost of delivering data sets from
one layer for the cloud can be minimized [5]. This technique can
reduce the data throughput with the cloud and enable to work fat-
client alone independently without connecting to the higher layer.
To make possible proper management of fat-clients, a method for
managing them describing their procedures including data
collection and analysis is required. This paper proposes a method
of managing fat-client to provide customized healthcare services
in edge computing environment. The proposed method supports
management of the data source location and the analysis models.
2. RELATED WORKS
In this chapter, we discuss relevant systems that provide
healthcare services considering data collections and analysis. We
review these systems by discussing the operations performed at
each layer.
When health care services are provided by the system related to
the edge computing environment, there are devices working as a
middleman which delivers upstream and downstream data sets to
the boundary of each layers. One research by Rahmani et al. [6]
mentioned the importance of specifying their rules and using the
middleman devices called a gateway. The gateway performs
supports basic operations such as protocol conversion used in
sensor network. There are different roles for each layer, however,
interconnecting these layers has various requirements as follows;
Device layer (1)
 Discover heterogeneous Internet of Things(IoT) devices
 Data transmission to edge layer through wired/wireless
communication protocol
Edge layer (1)
 Computing operations between sensor layer and cloud layer
 Converting communication protocol of heterogeneous devices
 Data aggregation, data filtering, and data compression
 Emergency detection and service prediction in real time
Cloud layer (1)
 Data warehousing and broadcasting
 Massive data analysis
 User interface for visualization and feedback of acquired data
To achieve these requirements for each layer, what operations
should be supported by the gateway is important. This research
proposed a Smart e-Health Gateway that provides different
operations or tasks such as building storage at the local or edge
locations and processing real-time data. This research shows three
advantages. Firstly, the arrangement of unused computing
resources for the gateway can be utilized by the proposed e-Health
gateway. Secondly, the e-Health gateway provides rapid
responses for emergency provisioning by monitoring data
transmission overhead. Thirdly, the gateway has less concerns for
exchanging data sets because each edge layer supports data
processing such as pre-processing, data conversion, data
aggregation, etc. so that processing overhead of data sets on the
cloud layer can be decreased.
Another research by Abdellatif et al. [7] focused on providing
healthcare services in mobile computing environment. It is called
Mobile Edge Computing (MEC). In MEC environment, there are
three functionalities such as data compression, processing data in
local points, and event detection. To provide these functionalities,
this research considered requirements for each layer as follows;
Device layer (2)
 Wearable sensor data collection via Android smartphone
 Communication hub for sending data to the upper layer
Edge layer (2)
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 Intermediate processing and storing data sets between device
layers and cloud layer
 Integration and classification of collected medical data
 Data analysis for situational awareness. Providing emergency
notification services
 Preprocessing and feature extraction of collected data
Cloud layer (2)
 Providing appropriate medical services by classifying features
of extracted data
 Data warehouse
This research uses many mobile devices that can work for each
device layer and edge layer. By improvement of computing power
can be focused on the small devices, this research shows the
opportunities that mobile devices can also work for the edge
layers. Furthermore, mobile devices can be replaced to other
location by the users, network cost for each layer is also reduced.
The other research by Uddin [8] pointed out difficulties of
modeling analysis in edge computing environment. When
multiple wearable devices are attached to the user, the collected
data sets are used to analysis. The issues related to this
circumstance, devices are heterogeneous so that the data sets have
different formats. Although this research only focused on image
files as input data, main concerns and requirements for this
research are described as follows;
Device layer (3)
 Heterogeneous Healthcare sensor identification, detection, and
transmission
Edge layer (3)
 Feature extraction from Acquisition Sensor Data
 Identifying features using a trained deep learning model, and
analyzing activity patterns regarding user’s health
 Emergency situation detection, prediction, and notification
services through activity pattern
Cloud layer (3)
 Provides user health information
 Deep Learning Model training
 Broadcasting and data warehousing
The key idea of adjusting input data sets in this research, the
proposed system used RNN techniques and removed noise of data
when data sets are collected in Edge computing environment.
After that, a service can be provided based on the user's health
status.
We reviewed the studies above for building up requirements for
our research. These works mainly focused on reducing transmit
overheads, using mobile devices for working properly on different
layers, and management of collected data. All these studies
provide healthcare services through analysis in the edge
computing environment. These systems perform data analysis
through the information provided by analysis model such as
analysis methods, model paths. And based on the analysis results
these systems provide services. However, if the management
method of the analysis model is not well defined, the accuracy of
the analysis results can be dropped and this may not provide
proper services.
3. PROPOSED SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE
This chapter gives an overview of the architecture by reviewing
the requirements of the system that analyzes the data collected
from the edge computing environment and provides customized
healthcare services. It also explains how fat-client is managed in
each layer of the architecture by its description respectively. The
requirements of each system layer for providing customized
healthcare services through analysis in edge computing
environment are as follows.
Device layer
 Heterogeneous sensor device discovery and acquisition of
data
Edge layer
 Preprocessing and analysis of collected data
 Local data storing and processing
 Providing service through context awareness based on the
environment around the user
Figure 2. Conceptual architecture of the proposed system
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 Fat-client management for analysis models
Cloud layer
 Data aggregation and data warehouse
 Create and manage fat-client model for data collection and
analysis
 Create and manage fat-client profile
The system architecture is designed based on these requirements
above. The overall architecture of the system is shown in Figure 1.
The architecture consists of three layers: Cloud Layer, Edge Layer,
and Device Layer. The proposed system analyzes user health
information and environment data collected from heterogeneous
IoT devices and converts them into context information. By this
context information, recognizing the situation, detecting the user's
emergency situation, and providing various services can be
achieved. Each layer’s fat-client performs its own data collection
and analysis. This layer wise fat-client management, helps in
managing the collection and analysis model. We describe each
layer’s description and configuration modules and discuss how
fat-client is managed below.

3.1 Device Layer
Every heterogeneous IoT device collects sensor data and health
information generated around the user, and performs conversion
on the collected data, and then transmits the data to the edge layer
via wired or wireless communication protocol. Device layer
consists of sensor devices or robot devices. The robot devices
collect their data sets and also provide appropriate services to the
users according to the health care service contents of edge layer.
3.2 Edge Layer
The edge layer is located close to the edge of the network where
data is being generated. The edge layer performs some functions
of cloud computing, including data analysis and processing, local
data storage, and providing services, which results in reducing the
data processing overhead that is performed in the cloud. In
addition, tasks that are difficult to process at the edge layer due to
lack of computing power are offloaded to the cloud layer. There
are five internal components of the Edge Layer: Fat-Client
Instance Manager, PHR (Personal Health Record) based Context
Information Conversion System, PHR based Customized
Healthcare Service System, Fat-Client, and Local Storage.
3.2.1 Fat-client instance manager
The Fat-Client Instance Manager creates and manages each Fat-
client instance for the data analysis and the environment it is
being collected. It has the following configuration. Fat-Client Pool
is in charge of storing and requesting the Fat-Client Model and
Fat-Client profile provided by the Cloud Layer. Fat-Client
Instance Generator creates Fat-Client Instances based on roles
described in Fat-Client profile and fat-client model. Fat-Client
Deployment is used to deploy instances created by Fat-Client
Instance Generator for each Fat-Client.
3.2.2 Fat-client
Fat-Client collects, processes, and analyzes the data incoming
from the device layer. The composition of Fat-Client is as follows.
Environmental Information Collector collects data from the
Device Layer. Environmental Information Parser is in charge of
preprocessing the collected data so that it can be used in PHR
Analysis module. PHR Analysis module is responsible for
analyzing collected data. Things Metadata Broker sends this
analyzed data to PHR based Context Information Conversion
System.
3.2.3 PHR based context information conversion
system
PHR based Context Information Conversion System abstracts data
analyzed by Fat-Client into context information. The
configuration is as follows. Things Metadata Collector collects
analyzed data from Fat-Client and processes it with Extended-
Things Metadata. Context Information Generator gather analyzed
data and converts it into contextual information.
3.2.4 PHR based customized healthcare service
system
The PHR based Customized Healthcare Service System provides
customized services to the users through the abstracted context
information. The configuration is as follows. Context Information
Classification classifies abstracted context information according
to the service type and then provides it to Healthcare Service
Manager. Scenario Editor is used to create and modify service
progress scenarios. Healthcare Service Manager, acts as a
manager and it provides the services that are required by the users.
Service Control, checks whether the device that actually provides
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the service is in a state of providing the service. If the state
information sets are matched for providing the services, then the
customized healthcare service is provided to the user.
3.2.5 Local storage
Local Storage stores all the data and information collected and
used at the edge layer in the form of database and datapool.
Context information which is used to provide services to the users
and the sensor data that is collected at the device layer are stored
in database. Service Scenario document describes the service
progress. Fat-Client model and Fat-Client Profile are used to
create Fat-Client Instance. Whereas, Extended-Things Metadata
Schema are stored in datapool format.
3.3 Cloud Layer
The cloud layer manages integrated data storage and management
of all data collected, such as the information analyzed at the edge
layer and situation information. It also creates and manages Fat-
Client Profile and Fat-Client Model for Fat-Client management.
There are three internal components of Cloud Layer: Fat-Client
Profile Manager, Fat-Client Manager, and Storage.
3.3.1 Fat-client profile manager
Fat-Client Profile Manager is responsible for creating and
managing Fat-Client Profile for integrated data collection and Fat-
Client management. Things Metadata Collector is used for
integrating data sources, and Fat-Client Profile Parser processes
the information to create Fat-Client Profile according to the Fat-
Client Profile Schema. Analysis Profile Generator is responsible
for creating an Analysis Profile based on all the information
required for analysis.
3.3.2 Fat-client manager
To manage Fat-Client, Fat-Client Manager creates the Fat-Client
model used in the Edge layer. It also distributes the Fat-Client
Profile and Fat-Client Model created by the Fat-Client Profile
Manager. Fat-Client Manager has the following configuration.
Fat-Client Model Generator is responsible for generating analysis
models used by Edge layer. Fat-Client Model stores and provides
data access requests for the generated Fat-Client model and
required Fat-Client Profile. Whereas, Fat-Client Model Injection
delivers the generated Fat-Client model and Fat-Client Profile to
the Edge Layer.
3.3.3 Storage
Storage stores all the integrated data in the form of databases and
data pools. Environmental Information, Expended - Things
Metadata Information, and Fat-Client Profile Schema are stored in
the form of a data pool. Whereas, Expended-Things Metadata,
Fat-Client Profile Information, Environmental Information,
Sensor Relationship Specification, Quantification Model, PHR
Object Information, and Local Storage Replication are stored in
the form of database.
3.4 Managing Fat-client
Each Fat-Client is managed through the Fat-Client Manager, Fat-
Client Profile Manager of Cloud layer and Fat-Client Instance
Manager of Edge layer. In this paper, we provide Fat-Client
Profile to manage Fat-Client. Data collection and analysis in Fat-
Client is performed based on the following information (Target to
provide sensor information, collected data information, path, role
of analysis model, and analysis result). Fat-Client Profile
containing these information is created based on the integrated
data collected from the Fat-Client Profile Manager in the cloud
layer. The generated Fat-Client Profile describes the information
needed for analysis and the information of the sensor that collects Table 1. List for sensor and feature
the data. The dynamically changing data is displayed as null and
can be modified. After that, the Fat-Client Model is created from
the Fat-Client Manager based on the created profile. Afterwards,
the Fat-Client Profile and Fat-Client Model are delivered to the
Fat-Client Instance Manager at the edge layer. The Fat-Client
Instance Manager creates a Fat-Client Instance by selecting a Fat-
Client Model from the Fat-Client Profile with respect to each
user's analysis environment. After this, dynamic data is added to
the Profile. We discuss the experiments in the next section to
illustrate that how we manage Fat-Client through the proposed
Fat-Client management method.

4. EXPERIMENT AND RESULT

In the experiment, we show the Fat-Client management method
proposed in this paper through Fat-Client Profile and Monitoring.
Sensor data is collected and analyzed through fat-client profiles of
patients with hypotension, bedsores, and arrhythmia, and
experiments are performed to detect dangerous situations.
Experiments are described with respect to the experimental
environment, Fat-Client Profile, and Monitoring results. The
experimental environment consists of a small board of the
Arduino series and various sensors attached to the board. Table 1
shows the types and characteristics of the sensors used in the
experiment. In this experiment, we create a Fat-Client Profile
based on the collection specifications shown in Table 1 and the
analysis model information. Its format is provided in JSON.
Figure 2 shows part of Fat-Client Profile used in this experiment.
The Fat-Client Profile contains the collection cycle, sensor
information, and analysis model information for the collection Figure 2. Fat-Client profile description example
activities. Information marked as "null", such as Client Ip and
Name, can be added dynamically during instance creation. This
information can be used to direct and manage Fat-Client's
collection and analysis activities. Figure 3, shows the information
5. CONCLUSION
In this paper, we propose a fat-client management method to
of Fat-Client Instances created through Fat-Client Profile. As the
provide customized healthcare service in edge computing
instance is created, it can be seen that the Client Ip and Name
environment. The architecture is configured based on the
value, which was null in Figure 2, is dynamically set. Figure 3
requirements of the customized healthcare service system. The
shows the integrated management of Fat-Client Instance
detailed module descriptions described how Fat-Client is managed.
information. And Figure 3 shows the result of monitoring the
In the proposed method, Fat-Client Model is managed in Fat-
collection and analysis of the generated Fat-Client Instances.
Client Manager of Cloud Layer by the Fat-Client Profile. Each
Input Data is collected according to the collection cycle of Profile,
Fat-Client that corresponds to the user is managed by Fat-Client
and the collected data is updated in PHR Data Path. Through the
Instance Manager of Edge Layer. The Cloud Layer is responsible
analysis profile, it is possible to confirm that different analysis
for creating and managing Fat-Client Model, which requires a lot
models are used, and according to the analysis result, the detection
of computing resources. Fat-Client, which has many interactions
of danger situation can be confirmed in the output information.
with users, is managed at Edge Layer for local data processing.
The analysis model is a .pb file, which is a binary file created by
The proposed management method can effectively manage Fat-
Tensorflow modules. The management method using the Fat-
Client. In the future work, the Fat-Client management method
Client Profile provides a collection method, an analysis method,
introduced in this paper can be integrated with the system that
and instructions of the Fat-Client. The management method
provides various services.
proposed in this paper can be extended to various systems that
provide services through collection and analysis in edge 6. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
computing environment. This work was supported by the Basic Science Research Program
(No. 2019R1A2C1007861) through the National Research
Foundation of Korea(NRF) funded by the Ministry of Science and
ICT (MSIT).

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 Figure 3. Fat-client instance information (up) and monitoring Fat-client instances (down)
[5] Zhang, C., Zhu, L., Xu, C., & Lu, R. 2018. PPDP: An
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