Big Data and the Internet of Things

Advances in sensing and computing capabilities are making it possible to embed increasing computing power in small devices. This has enabled the sensing devices not just to passively capture data at very high resolution but also to take sophisticated actions in response. Combined with advances in communication, this is resulting in an ecosystem of highly interconnected devices referred to as the Internet of Things - IoT. In conjunction, the advances in machine learning have allowed building models on this ever increasing amounts of data. Consequently, devices all the way from heavy assets such as aircraft engines to wearables such as health monitors can all now not only generate massive amounts of data but can draw back on aggregate analytics to "improve" their performance over time. Big data analytics has been identified as a key enabler for the IoT. In this chapter, we discuss various avenues of the IoT where big data analytics either is already making a significant impact or is on the cusp of doing so. We also discuss social implications and areas of concern.Comment: 33 pages. draft of upcoming book chapter in Japkowicz and Stefanowski (eds.) Big Data Analysis: New algorithms for a new society, Springer Series on Studies in Big Data, to appea

Designing appliances for mobile commerce and retailtainment

In the emerging world of the new consumer and the `anytime, anywhere' mobile commerce, appliances are located at the collision point of the retailer and consumer agendas. The consequence of this is twofold: on the one hand appliances that were previously considered plain and utilitarian become entertainment devices and on the other, for the effective design of consumer appliances it becomes paramount to employ multidisciplinary expertise. In this paper, we discuss consumer perceptions of a retailtainment commerce system developed in collaboration between interactivity designers, information systems engineers, hardware and application developers, marketing strategists, product development teams, social scientists and retail professionals. We discuss the approached employed for the design of the consumer experience and its implications for appliance design

E-consulting of Small and Medium Agribusiness Enterprises: The case of eEurope Godigital application into the Peloponnese Region

This study describes the design and development of a web-based electronic training system aiming at business operations of small and medium-sized agribusiness enterprises (SMAEs). The proposed system will meet current and future needs of SMAEs for timely, accurate, and customised training removing the barriers of geographical solitude and economies of scale. The objectives of this system are: (a) to offer training and consultancy to SMAEs on how to use information and communication technologies as business tools in order to improve their operations and gain competitive advantage (b) to provide education material customised to the special needs of each SMAE, (c) to provide on-line training, advice and consultancy using special-trained operators, and (d) to provide on-line training, advice and consultancy by skilled operators who have been trained to offer those services. ETS will be an Internet-based system. The system will operate as a third-party trusted intermediate between SMAEs, consultants, and content providers. The system design will be extended to cover the needs of the programme "Training support for Go-Digital Project" funded by Greek Ministry of Development which aims to offer training and support in the usage of Internet services to 50.000 SMEs