Instructional Module for the Course

INTECH 3207 (INTERNET OF THINGS I)

Module 1: Introduction to IoT

Objectives:

Upon completion of this topic, you are expected to:

1. Describe the characteristics of Internet of Things;

2. Determine the IoT’s advantages, disadvantages, and problems;
3. Discover how Complex Event Processing operates; and
4. Explain the technical set-up of IoT.

What are Things (in IoT)?

• These things are not necessarily referring to a computer.
• In the context of the internet of things (IoT), anything, such as a device that can
communicate with a network and exchange data with other devices via the network, is
known to as a thing.
• It might be a thermostat for a home, a vehicle with internet access, a smart
refrigerator, a drone, farm machinery, a shipping container, or many other things.
• Each thing in an IoT network has a unique identifier, may be a component of an
embedded system, and is capable of collecting and sharing data with little to no
human involvement.
• IoT objects can work together to complete certain tasks since they are networked and
a part of a bigger ecosystem. These may gather information from their external
environment, evaluate it, and produce insights that help human users form decisions.
• As a whole, things are defined to be anything that can be use anywhere, anytime, in
anyway and anyhow (5 A’s).

Internet of Things
• Given its rapid development, IoT is a popular topic in technology conversations in
today's information age. IoT has become a significant technology with numerous
applications.
• Various industries, including healthcare, manufacturing, transportation, and energy,
are being revolutionized by the IoT. Massive amounts of data are produced by IoT
devices, which may be analyzed to enhance operations, promote innovation, and
develop new business opportunities.
• IoT can be used to develop applications for a wide range of sectors, including
agriculture, asset tracking, telemedicine, smart cities, waste management, the energy
sector, safety and security, and defense.
• IoT is a global infrastructure that enables the information society improved services
through the networking of (physical and virtual) things based on interoperable
information that is now accessible and developing modern methods of
communication.
Pillars of IoT
• Creating deeper and more worthwhile connections between people.
o Most people now depend on the Internet for almost everything, and this is not
expected to change any time soon.
• Converting information into knowledge in order to improve decision-making.
o Massive amounts of raw data are produced by sensors for analysis, but there is
no common format for storing and processing it.
• Supplying the right person with the right information.
o We must send information to the appropriate individual if we want to learn
something new and gain something from it.
• Using the appropriate technology at the appropriate time and place.
o Smart devices are also being used more frequently throughout our everyday
lives.

Characteristics of IoT
• Interconnectivity. IoT devices ought to be linked to the IoT infrastructure. It should
always be ensured that anyone, anywhere, at any time, may connect. As an
illustration, the connection between individuals using internet-enabled devices like
smartphones and other gadgets, as well as the connection between Internet-enabled
devices like routers, gateways, sensors, etc.
• Interoperability. To enable communication between IoT devices and other systems as
well as among themselves, standardized protocols and technologies are used. One of
the essential elements of the Internet of Things is interoperability. It refers to the
capacity for various IoT systems and devices to exchange data and connect with one
another, regardless of the technology involved.
Examples of standards used in IoT include:

1. MQTT (Message Queuing Telemetry Transport) – A

publish/subscribe protocol used to connect IoT devices.
2. CoAP (Constrained Application Protocol) – For Internet of Things
devices with low resources, a lightweight communication protocol.
3. Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) – A wireless communication
technology that is employed by Internet of Things devices that need
less power.
4. Wi-Fi – A wireless communication technology used by Internet of
Things devices that need fast data transfer rates.
5. Zigbee – A wireless communication technology for Internet of Things
devices that is low-power and inexpensive.
• Heterogeneity. IoT cannot exist in a homogeneous state. To function in the IoT
network, it should be hybrid and support devices from many manufacturers. IoT does
not belong to anyone. When several domains combine, IoT becomes a reality.
• Complexity. IoT devices should dynamically adapt to the various settings and
contexts. Consider a security camera. It should be flexible enough to operate in many
environments and lighting conditions (morning, afternoon, night).
• Scalability. Every day, more and more objects are being connected to the Internet of
Things. An IoT setup should therefore be able to handle the enormous expansion.
Because of how much data is produced as a result, it needs to be handled carefully.

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What is Smart?
• It is characterized as Instrument, Interconnect, and Intelligent process (3 I’s).
• Smart = If you can find quickly and you can delegate then you can communicate and
do networking.
• Smart objects, often referred to as intelligent things, are things that have positioning
and communication capabilities and are connected to a communication network, the
so-called Internet of Things.

Examples of IoT
• Thermostats, lighting controls, and security systems are examples of smart home
appliances.
• Smartwatches and fitness trackers are examples of wearables.
• Wearable medical devices and patient monitoring systems are examples of healthcare
devices.
• Supply chain management systems and predictive maintenance systems are examples
of industrial systems.
• Self-driving cars and connected automobiles are two examples of transportation
systems.

Applications of IoT
• Healthcare. Patients and healthcare professionals can both benefit from wearable IoT
devices. Consequently, IoT makes it possible for medical personnel to remotely
monitor patients. Health indicators for patients, including blood pressure, heart rate,
temperature, and others, can be automatically collected by the devices.
• Retail. IoT devices can gather crucial information on the purchasing lifecycle of a
product. Retail managers can arrive at intelligent judgments to enhance store
operations and the consumer experience after processing and analyzing this data.
• Manufacturing. It operates in a more technologically advanced environment thanks to
the Internet of Things. It can manage stocks, streamline production, and track
development cycles automatically.
• Transportation. Through enhancing communication and information sharing, personal
and business transportation can be integrated. Together with bringing together
customers and products, it also provides advantages like route optimization, vehicle
tracking, weather monitoring, distance coverage, and more.
• Energy. Intelligent meters, receivers, sensors, and energy boxes that communicate can
give a grid IoT capabilities. Utility IoT applications increase productivity, save
resources, and generate cash. Utilities companies can meet the growing demand by
using IoT to optimize energy and distribution.
• Smart Cities. A smart city has improved infrastructure, public utilities, services, and
more. Utility firms can control energy flow more effectively because of smart meters,
and public transportation is much more effective thanks to connected cars. Smart
grids are also emerging to reduce peak hour stress and conserve resources.
• Water Supply. There is a real shortage of water. The quality and use of water may be
tracked, managed, and regulated via IoT technologies. Also, it looks after related
machinery like pumps, pipes, etc. Water systems and people are connected via smart
water technologies.
• Agriculture. The demand for agricultural products expands as the world's population
expands. But when young people move to big cities, the human resource needed for
agricultural development becomes unstable. Automating farming operations and
meeting food demand can be greatly aided by IoT and related technologies.

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Data Processing in IoT Systems

• IoT systems process data differently than conventional information infrastructure.

o There are variety of sources (sensors, information systems, public feeds etc.).
o Data is highly interconnected.
o Data must be processed in real-time.
• Real-time analysis is also essential.

• The data that is processed is being produced continuously

o New data is produced when a state change – this is called an event.
o The events are produced in a certain sequence.
• The collection of events – the event stream - has to be processed and analyzed in the
same manner (real-time and consecutive).

Components of IoT
• Things/Device. Sensors and actuators are installed in these. In contrast to actuators,
which carry out the action, sensors gather data from the environment and provide it to
the gateway (as directed after processing of data).
• Gateway. Data from the sensors is sent to the Gateway, where some form of pre-
processing is also carried out. Moreover, it adds a layer of protection to the network
and the data being transmitted.
• Cloud. After collection, the data is uploaded to the cloud. Simply said, a cloud is a
collection of servers that are constantly connected to the internet.
• Analytics. The data after being received in the cloud processing is done. Various
algorithms are applied here for proper analysis of data (techniques like Machine
Learning and etc. are even applied).
• User Interface. The user's end application enables them to monitor or handle the
data.

Architecture of IoT
• Sensing Layer. This layer includes sensors, actuators, and other things. Data is
received, processed, and then transmitted through a network.
• Network Layer. Internet/Network gateways and Data Acquisition Systems (DAS) are
present in this layer. Advanced gateways carry out numerous fundamental gateway
tasks, including virus detection, filtering, and decision-making, and are generally used
to link sensor networks to the Internet.
• Data Processing Layer. This is where data is processed in the IoT ecosystem before
it is transferred to the data center for analysis. Here, edge IT or edge analytics come
into play.
• Application Layer. Applications used by end users, including those in healthcare,
agriculture, farming, aerospace, etc., manage and consume data in data centers or the
cloud.

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Technical Set-up
• IoT systems process events because they often have an Event Driven Architecture at
its core.

• IoT solutions usually consist of the following technical systems:

o Sensors. Hardware that detects changes in the environment and translates the
changes to an analog / digital format. Examples are pressure / ultrasonic range
/ proximity / GPS.

o Gateways. Hardware to which the sensor is connected. The gateway is

responsible for preprocessing the data and providing connectivity to the stream
processing system. Examples are smartphone, Raspberry PI, and Arduino.

o Stream Data Processing. The process of processing event data.

o Data Storage. After the data has been processed, the raw or aggregated data
has to be stored for further analysis.
o Data Analysis. Aggregate, correlate, classify, filter the data and find patterns
in it.

Complex Event Processing

• Event Stream Processing (ESP) includes the processing of streams of event data
(lower level).
• Complex Event Processing (CEP) also includes analysis and advanced methods like
pattern matching to gain more insights, but both terms are used equivalent in many
cases (with analysis).

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Opportunities of IoT
• The Internet is connecting people, things, and cloud services to create new use cases
and business models.

• IoT is designed to standardize how people and machines communicate by utilizing

shared public services.

What is driving the IoT?

• Users – streamline experiences, increase convenience, promote better lifestyle, reduce
expenses
• Businesses – sell more products, provide new services, reduce expenses, lower down
barriers

Why NOW?
• MCU intelligence is being integrated to more products to provide more advanced
control.
• Connectivity expansion is becoming less expensive & easier.
• Low-power semiconductors allow for more battery-powered applications.
• Internet and Wi-Fi are widely accessible.
• Widely accessible devices like tablets, PCs, and smartphones are capable of serving as
a gateway.
• Control, sensing, and the capacity to update system software online are all made
possible via connectivity.

IoT as an Enabling Technology

• Wearables – use for fitness, entertainment, location tracking and etc.
• Building and home automation – provide access control, light and temperature
control, energy optimization, predictive maintenance, connected appliances.
• Smart cities – residential e-meters, smart street lights, pipeline leak detection, traffic
control, surveillance cameras, centralized and integrated system control.
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 • Smart manufacturing – flow optimization, real time inventory, asset tracking,
employee safety, predictive maintenance, firmware updates.
• Health Care – remote monitoring, ambulance telemetry, drugs tracking, hospital asset
tracking, access control, predictive maintenance.
• Automotive – infotainment, wire replacement, telemetry, predictive maintenance.

Challenges of IoT
• Sensing a complex environment
o Sensing technology is a must – Innovative ways to sense and deliver
information is needed

• Multiple connectivity options

o No one connectivity standard will win in the IoT – Broad variety wired or
wireless standards are available

• Power is critical
o System-level approach to power is required – The lowest power solutions for
any application

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 • Security is a must
o Security is vital at all layers – Built-in hardware security technology

• IoT is complex
o IoT must be easy – IoT solutions for everyone not just for experts

• Connecting to the cloud

o Making it easier to connect to the cloud – Ecosystem of cloud partners to
enable easy integration

References
• Rahul A. & Ivy W. IoT Agenda – Internet of Things. TechTarget. Retrieved last
January 11, 2023 from https://www.techtarget.com/iotagenda/definition/thing-in-the-
Internet-of-Things
• Serpanos, D. & Wolf M. (2018). Internet-of-Things (IoT) Systems. Springer
International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-69715-4
• GeeksforGeeks. December 15, 2022. Internet of Things. Geeks for Geeks
Organization. Retrieved last January 11, 2023 from
https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/characteristics-of-internet-of-things/
• Nitin A. October 12, 2022. IoT – Internet of Things. STL Tech. Retrieved last January
12, 2023 from https://www.stl.tech/blog/what-are-the-applications-of-iot/

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