Module 3

IoT Processing Topologies and Types

 Data Format
• The internet generates vast amounts of data from diverse sources,
including devices, sensor nodes, and automated systems. This
massive data volume encompasses emails, text documents, social
media posts, videos, audio files, and images. The data can be broadly
classified into two types: structured data - predefined format, and
unstructured data - lacking a specific structure or format.
Structured data

• Structured data, organized with predefined formats (length-limited

fields like phone numbers and social security number) like relational
database management systems (RDBMS), is easily searchable using
Structured Query Language (SQL) queries and suits applications such
as reservations and banking systems.

• structured data forms a minor share in internet.

Unstructured data

• Unstructured data on the internet, like text, videos, and sensor data,
lacks(no) predefined formats, posing challenges for querying
algorithms. NoSQL querying languages are often used due to their
flexibility in handling the diverse and dynamic nature of this data.

• Eg., text, e-mails, videos, images, phone recordings, chats, buildings,

industries, satellite imagery, surveillance videos
Importance of Processing in IoT
• To efficiently process the vast and varied data on the Internet (to reduce the
pressure on network), needs intelligent and resourceful processing
techniques.

• Data to be processed is categorized into three types based on processing

urgency is crucial: very time-critical (e.g., flight control, healthcare), time-
critical (e.g., traffic, surveillance), and normal (e.g., agriculture).
Importance of Processing in IoT (cont..)
• Very time-critical data necessitates in-place(on-site) processing(need immediate decision
support). Tolerates latency of few milliseconds.

• Time-critical data allows for remote processing in locations like clouds. Tolerates latency of a
few seconds.

• Normal data, associated with less time-sensitive domains, can be processed leisurely without
urgent time constraints. Tolerates latency of a few minutes to a few hours milliseconds.

• This classification aids in determining when and where to process data based on its criticality.
Processing Topologies

• Selecting the right processing topology is crucial for efficient IoT architecture,
impacting network bandwidth, energy consumption, and processing latencies.

• Two primary topologies are On-site, involving local processing, and Off-site,
which further divides into Remote processing (external servers) and
Collaborative processing (shared processing among devices). The intelligent
choice between these topologies optimizes resource usage
On-site processing
• On-site processing, performed at the data source, is crucial for applications
with low latency tolerance, such as healthcare and flight control systems.

• This topology ensures rapid and robust handling of data, preventing potential
catastrophic (if the processing infrastructure is slow then generated data will
be missed before processing) consequences in real-time systems like those
with rapid data generation rates.
Off-site processing
• Off-site processing, unlike on-site paradigms, allows for cost-effective handling of
data with permissible latencies, suitable for large-scale IoT deployments.

• Sensor nodes in this topology focus on data collection, forwarding it to dedicated

high-processing devices, often shared among multiple nodes, ensuring efficient and
economically sustainable deployment.

• The off-site approach facilitates data transmission to either remote locations, such
as servers or the cloud, or to collaborative processing nodes, enabling flexible and
cost-efficient solutions for diverse IoT scenarios i.e., (shared processing among
devices).
 Remote Processing
• In off-site processing topology, sensor node sense the data, forwarding it to a
remote server or cloud for centralized processing.

• This setup offers cost and energy savings, allowing reuse of powerful computing
resources, facilitating scalable solutions. However, it heavily relies on network
connectivity and consumes significant network bandwidth.
Collaborative processing (shared processing
among devices)
• By aggregating the processing power of nearby nodes, it enables local collaborative data
processing.

• The collaborative processing topology, ideal for areas with limited network connectivity,
economically addresses large-scale deployments in remote regions.
• By leveraging (increasing min
intelligence) nearby processing nodes, it
reduces latencies, conserves bandwidth,
and is particularly beneficial for
applications like agriculture with
infrequent data processing needs.
IoT Device Design and Selection
Considerations
• The selection of a processor for an IoT sensor node is a critical aspect of
defining an IoT solution, with several key considerations:
• Size:

• Energy:

• Cost:

• Memory:

• Processing Power:

• I/O Rating:

• Add-ons:
IoT Device Design and Selection
Considerations (cont..)
Size:

• Crucial for form factor and energy consumption, smaller form factors are preferred for many IoT

applications, especially wearables, as larger form factors tend to consume more energy.

Energy:

• The energy requirements of a processor significantly impact the sustainability of IoT-based sensing

solutions. Higher energy needs lead to more frequent battery replacements, affecting long-term viability.

Cost:

• Processor cost, along with sensor costs, influences the deployment density of sensor nodes. Cheaper

hardware enables higher deployment density, making solutions more accessible and cost-effective.
 IoT Device Design and Selection
Considerations (cont..)
Memory:

• Memory, both volatile and non-volatile, dictates the capabilities of IoT devices, influencing features
like local data processing, storage, and filtering. Higher memory capacities enhance functionality but
may increase costs.

Processing Power:

• Vital for accommodating sensors and supporting on-site processing, processing power determines
the types of applications a device can handle. Applications dealing with video and image data
require higher processing power.
 IoT Device Design and Selection
Considerations (cont..)
I/O Rating:

• The input-output (I/O) rating of the processor influences circuit complexity, energy usage, and
compatibility with various sensing solutions. Newer processors with lower I/O voltage may require
additional circuitry for legacy technologies, impacting costs.

Add-ons:

• Support for add-ons such as ADC units, built-in clock circuits, USB and Ethernet connections, and wireless
access capabilities enhances the robustness and usability of a processor or IoT device. Availability of these
options expedites solution development, making the device more attractive to users and developers.
Processing Offloading

• Processing offloading refers to the practice of transferring

computational tasks or data processing from a local device or edge
device to a remote location for execution.

• The objective is to optimize the overall system performance, energy

efficiency, and cost-effectiveness of IoT-based applications
Considerations in Processing Offloading:

• Offload Location: Deciding where in the IoT architecture the processing

should be offloaded.

• Offload Decision Making: Determining how to choose where to offload

processing and by how much.

• Offloading Considerations: Deciding when it is appropriate to offload

processing based on factors such as application requirements, energy
efficiency, and cost considerations.
 Offload Location (where to offload)
• Decided Based on applicability, cost, and sustainability of the IoT application and
deployment.

• Edge: Offloading processing to the edge implies facilitating data processing at or

near the source of data generation, typically on the IoT device itself or on devices
within the local network.

• Edge processing is done to achieve aggregation(sum, count, average),

manipulation (filtering, sorting, joining, splitting, merging) , bandwidth reduction,
and other data operations directly on the IoT device. This helps in reducing the
need to transmit raw data over the network and can improve efficiency.
Offload Location (where to offload)

• Fog computing is a decentralized computing infrastructure that is

used to conserve network bandwidth, reduce latencies, and restrict
the amount of data flowing through the Internet unnecessarily.

• Responsible for shifting data, computing, storage.

• Result - Reduced latencies and network bandwidth usage, making it

suitable for IoT applications with real-time processing requirements.
Offload Location (where to offload)

• Remote Server: A remote server with good processing power is used with
IoT-based applications to offload processing from resource-constrained IoT
devices.

• Rapid scalability may be an issue with remote servers, and they might be
costlier and harder to maintain compared to cloud solutions.

• However, they provide a simpler alternative to cloud computing for certain

applications.
Offload Location (where to offload)

• Cloud computing is a configurable computer system that provides

access to configurable resources, platforms, and high-level services
through a shared pool hosted remotely.

• massive scalability as resources can be allocated on-demand without

the need for users to acquire and configure new and costly hardware.
Offload Decision Making
• The choice of where and how much to offload in offsite-processing
IoT architecture is crucial.
• Decision-making factors include data generation rate, network
bandwidth, application criticality, and processing resources.
• Approaches include a
• naïve - rule-based method,
• a bargaining-based approach that optimizes QoS parameters, and
• a learning-based approach using historical trends, such as machine
learning, to enhance overall IoT implementation behavior.
Naive Approach (choice of where and how much to offload)

• The naive approach to offloading data from IoT devices involves a simple, rule-
based method without much sophisticated (advanced) decision-making.

• In this method, data is transferred to the nearest location based on predefined

offload criteria.

• While easy to implement, this approach is not recommended for most of the
scenarios.

• Not efficient for handling diverse and dynamic IoT environments.

 Bargaining-based approach (choice of where and how much to
offload)

• A more sophisticated (advanced) decision-making process.

• Aiming to alleviate network congestion and enhance Quality of Service (QoS)

parameters such as bandwidth and latencies.

• Not all parameters can be equally prioritized in maximizing the overall QoS.
Instead, it employs a bargaining strategy, attempting to find a balance where
the qualities of certain parameters are reduced while others are enhanced.

• Making it adaptable to real-time conditions.

Learning Based Approach (choice of where and how much to
offload)

• Relies on past behavior and trends in data flow within the IoT architecture.

• Aims to optimize Quality of Service (QoS) parameters by learning from

historical patterns.

• Eg., Machine learning, use historical data to make decisions and continually
improve optimization strategies.

• These approaches come with higher memory and processing requirements

during decision-making stages.
 Offloading Consideration (when to offload)
• Few offloading parameters which need to be considered while deciding upon the
offloading type to choose.
• Bandwidth: The network's data-carrying capacity, determining the maximum
simultaneous data transmission between two points, influencing the offloading type choice
for wired or wireless networks.
• Latency: The time delay between initiating and completing an operation, influenced by
network or processing latency. Critical for real-time applications, latency depends on
physical infrastructure limitations.
• Criticality: Reflects the importance of an IoT task; higher criticality demands lower latency.
For instance, tasks like fire detection require milliseconds response, while less critical tasks,
like agricultural monitoring, allow for longer response times. Based on IoT Application
Offloading Consideration (when to offload)
• Resources: Signifies the capabilities of an offload location,
encompassing processing power, analytical algorithms, etc. Matching
the right resources to the task is crucial; allocating energy-intensive
processing power for tasks requiring minimal resources is inefficient.

• Data Volume: The amount of data an offload location can handle

simultaneously, emphasizing the need for robust offloading solutions
in large and dense IoT deployments dealing with massive data
volumes.