BCS604 - Internet of Things

Unit 1 : Introduction to IoT

• What is IoT
• IoT architecture
• Characteristics of IOT systems
• IoT applications
• Overview of different technologies involved for IoT realization.
What is an Internet of Things (IoT)

• Connecting everyday things embedded with electronics,

software, and sensors to internet enabling to collect and
exchange data without human interaction called as the
Internet of Things (IoT).

IoT allows devices or hardware to gather information and

send it over the internet to a cloud, app or software.
Benefits of IoT in daily life
• Better life quality
• Automation of processes
• Data-driven decisions
• Real time monitoring
What is IoT Architecture?
• IoT architecture refers to the tangle of components such as sensors, actuators,
cloud services, Protocols, and layers that make up IoT networking systems.
• In general, it is divided into layers that allow administrators to evaluate,
monitor, and maintain the integrity of the system.
• The architecture of IoT is a four-step process through which data flows from
devices connected to sensors, through a network, and then through the cloud
for processing, analysis, and storage.
• With further development, the Internet of Things is poised to grow even
further, providing users with new and improved experiences
Perception/Sensing Layer
• The first layer of any IoT system involves “things” or
endpoint devices that serve as a conduit between the
physical and the digital worlds.
• Perception refers to the physical layer, which includes
sensors and actuators that are capable of collecting,
accepting, and processing data over the network.
• Sensors and actuators can be connected either
wirelessly or via wired connections.
Network Layer
• Network layers provide an overview of how data is moved
throughout the application.
• This layer contains Data Acquiring Systems (DAS) and
Internet/Network gateways.
• A DAS performs data aggregation and conversion functions
(collecting and aggregating data from sensors, then converting
analog data to digital data, etc.).
• It is necessary to transmit and process the data collected by the
sensor devices.
• It allows these devices to connect and communicate with other
servers, smart devices, and network devices.
Processing Layer
• The processing layer is the brain of the IoT ecosystem.
• The data is analyzed, pre-processed, and stored here before being
sent to the data center, where it is accessed by software
applications that both monitor and manage the data as well as
prepare further actions.
Application Layer
User interaction takes place at the application layer, which
delivers application-specific services to the user.

An example might be a smart home application where users

can turn on a coffee maker by tapping a button in an app

There are many ways in which the Internet of Things can be

deployed such as smart cities, smart homes, and smart health.
Characteristics of Internet of Things

• Connectivity
• Intelligence and Identity
• Scalability
• Dynamic and Self-Adapting (Complexity)
• Architecture
• Safety
• Self Configuring
Connectivity
• Connectivity is an important requirement of the IoT infrastructure.
Things of IoT should be connected to the IoT infrastructure.
• Anyone, anywhere, anytime can connect, this should be guaranteed at
all times.
• For example, connection between people through internet devices like
mobile phones ,and other gadgets, also connection between Internet
devices such as routers, gateways, sensors, etc.
Intelligence and Identity
• The extraction of knowledge from the generated data is very
important.
• For example, a sensor generates data, but that data will only be useful
if it is interpreted properly.
• Each IoT device has a unique identity.
• This identification is helpful in tracking the equipment and at times for
querying its status.
Scalability
• The number of elements connected to the IoT zone is increasing day
by day.
• Hence, an IoT setup should be capable of handling the massive
expansion.
• The data generated as an outcome is enormous, and it should be
handled appropriately.
Dynamic and Self-Adapting (Complexity) –
• IoT devices should dynamically adapt themselves to the changing
contexts and scenarios.
Assume a camera meant for the surveillance.
It should be adaptable to work in different conditions and different light
situations (morning, afternoon, night).
Architecture
• IoT architecture cannot be homogeneous in nature.
• It should be hybrid, supporting different manufacturers ‘ products to
function in the IoT network.
• IoT is not owned by anyone engineering branch. IoT is a reality when
multiple domains come together.
Safety
• There is a danger of the sensitive personal details of the users getting
compromised when all his/her devices are connected to the internet.
This can cause a loss to the user.
• Hence, data security is the major challenge.
• Besides, the equipment involved is huge.
• IoT networks may also be at the risk.
• Therefore, equipment safety is also critical.
Self Configuring
• This is one of the most important characteristics of IoT.
• IoT devices are able to upgrade their software in accordance with
requirements with a minimum of user participation.
• Additionally, they can set up the network, allowing for the addition of
new devices to an already-existing network.
• Smart cities • Traffic monitoring
• Smart homes/Home • Smart door lock protection
automation system
• Robots and Drones
• Healthcare
• Healthcare and Hospitals,
• Earthquake detection Telemedicine applications
• Radiation • Security
detection/hazardous gas • Biochip Transponders(For
detection animals in farms)
• Smartphone detection • Heart monitoring
• Water flow monitoring implants(Example Pacemaker,
ECG real time tracking)
Traffic Management

• It is important to control the traffic in cities otherwise there are huge

traffic jams in popular places and totally empty streets otherwise.
• This also depends on the design and layout of the roads but it can be
managed by having smart traffic lights.
• For example, the traffic lights should automatically adjust according to
the volume of the traffic so that green lights should have a longer
duration where there more traffic and shorter duration when the streets
are empty.
Air Pollution
• Air pollution is a major problem in many metropolitan cities where the
particulate matter in the air is so high it is damaging to the lungs in the
long run.
• But IoT along with machine learning can be used to reduce air
pollution.
• This is possible by collecting data related to city pollution like
emissions from vehicles, airflow direction, weather, traffic levels, etc
using IoT from various sources and then calculating pollution
forecasts to see the trends in pollution so they can be controlled.
Healthcare
• Healthcare is an extremely important aspect of life, especially in
current times when non-communicable diseases like heart problems
and cancer are increasing in big cities while there are still a lot of
deaths from infectious diseases in poorer places.
• In such a situation, IoT technology can surely help in enhancing the
healthcare system so that the best healthcare is received by everybody.
• For example of this is microbots that can directly enter the
bloodstream and reach any place inside the body to deliver medicines.
Public Transport

• Public transport, whether it be buses or trains, are at the heart of any

city.
• This is especially true in big cities where there are big traffic jams and
the metro train can be a lifesaver! However, smart public transport can
streamline traffic and also make commuters’ life much easier.
• It is very convenient when the trains and buses are connected with a
single app and you know exactly when the next service will arrive and
how long you need to wait.
Water Management
• There is no life without water! But water is also a finite resource
which is reducing at an alarming rate.
• Therefore, using smart water management techniques in cities so that
water can be conserved for future generations is a good idea.
• Sensors can be used to monitor water levels, pipe conditions, tank
pressures, etc. in municipal water pipelines and tanks to optimize
water management.
 Advantages of IoT :
•Improved efficiency and automation of tasks.
•Increased convenience and accessibility of information.
•Better monitoring and control of devices and systems.
•Greater ability to gather and analyze data.
•Improved decision-making.
•Cost savings.
 Disadvantages of IoT :
•Security concerns and potential for hacking or data breaches.
•Privacy issues related to the collection and use of personal data.
•Dependence on technology and potential for system failures.
•Limited standardization and interoperability among devices.
•Complexity and increased maintenance requirements.
•High initial investment costs.
•Limited battery life on some devices.
Internet of Things (IoT) Enabling
Technologies
• Wireless Sensor Network

• Cloud Computing

• Big Data Analytics

• Communications Protocols

• Embedded System
 Wireless Sensor Network(WSN) :
• A WSN comprises distributed devices with sensors which are used to
monitor the environmental and physical conditions.
• A wireless sensor network consists of end nodes, routers and
coordinators.
• End nodes can also act as routers.A coordinator collects data from all
the nodes and is connected to Internet.
• End nodes have several sensors attached to them where the data is
passed to a coordinator with the help of routers.
• The coordinator also acts as the gateway that connects WSN to the
internet.
Wireless Sensor Network(WSN) :
Example
• Weather monitoring systems
• Indoor air quality monitoring systems
• Soil moisture monitoring systems
• Smart grids
• Structural health monitoring systems
2. Cloud Computing :

• Cloud means something which is present in remote locations.

• It provides us to access applications as utilities over the

internet.

• With Cloud computing, users can access any resources from

anywhere like databases, webservers, storage, any device, and
any software over the internet.
The characteristics of cloud computing are:
• On demand: The resources in the cloud are available based on the
traffic. If the incoming traffic increases, the cloud resources scale up
accordingly and when the traffic decreases, the cloud resources scale
down accordingly.

• Autonomic: The resource provisioning in the cloud happens with very

less to no human intervention.
• Scalable: The cloud resources scale up and scale down based on
the demand or traffic. This property of cloud is also known as
elasticity.

• Pay-per-use: On contrary to traditional billing, the cloud resources

are billed on pay-per-use basis. You have to pay only for the
resources and time for which you are using those resources.

• Ubiquitous: You can access the cloud resources from anywhere in

the world from any device. All that is needed is Internet. Using
Internet you can access files, databases and other resources in the
cloud from anywhere.
• Cloud computing offers three basic service models using
which users can subscribe to cloud resources.

These service models are:

• Infrastructure-As-A-Service (IAAS)
• Platform-As-A-Service (PAAS)
• Software-As-A-Service (SAAS)
IaaS (Infrastructure as a service)
• Infrastructure as a service provides online services such as physical
machines, virtual machines, servers, networking, storage and data
center space on a pay per use basis. Major IaaS providers are Google
Compute Engine, Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure etc.

• Ex : Web Hosting, Virtual Machine etc.

PaaS (Platform as a service)
• Provides a cloud-based environment with a very thing
required to support the complete life cycle of building and
delivering West web based (cloud) applications – without the
cost and complexity of buying and managing underlying
hardware, software provisioning and hosting. Computing
platforms such as hardware, operating systems and libraries
etc. Basically, it provides a platform to develop applications.
• Ex : App Cloud, Google app engine
SaaS (Software as a service)
• It is a way of delivering applications over the internet as a
service. Instead of installing and maintaining software, you
simply access it via the internet, freeing yourself from
complex software and hardware management.
• SaaS Applications are sometimes called web-based software
on demand software or hosted software.
• SaaS applications run on a SaaS provider’s service and they
manage security availability and performance.
• Ex : Google Docs, Gmail, office etc.
3. Big Data Analytics :
• BigData is a collection of data coming from various types of sources.
• The data is often huge which cannot be handled by the traditional
databases and data warehouses.
• It refers to the method of studying massive volumes of data or big
data.
• Collection of data whose volume, velocity or variety is simply too
massive and tough to store, control, process and examine the data
using traditional databases.
• Big data is gathered from a variety of sources including social
network videos, digital images, sensors and sales transaction records.
Examples

• Bank transactions
• Data generated by IoT systems for location and tracking of vehicles
• E-commerce and in Big-Basket
• Health and fitness data generated by IoT system such as a fitness
bands
4. Communications Protocols
• They are the backbone of IoT systems and enable network
connectivity and linking to applications.
• Communication protocols allow devices to exchange data
over the network.
• A group of protocols designed to work together is known as a
protocol suite,
• when implemented in software they are a protocol stack.
5. Embedded Systems :
• It is a combination of hardware and software used to perform special
tasks.
• It includes microcontroller and microprocessor memory, networking
units (Ethernet Wi-Fi adapters), input output units (display keyword
etc. ) and storage devices (flash memory).
• It collects the data and sends it to the internet.
An embedded system has three components.

• Hardware
• Software
• Real Time Operating system (RTOS) that supervises the application
software and provide mechanism to let the processor run a process as
per scheduled
Examples :
Digital camera
DVD player, music player
Industrial robots
Wireless Routers etc.