Geofencing in the GCC and China: A Marketing Trend That’s Not Going Away

This research discusses an emergent marketing trend which is revolutionizing the way in which bricks and mortars retailers are reaching their consumers. This emergent marketing trend falls into the mobile marketing classification and is identified as geofencing. Geofencing is identified as the development of a virtual boundary around a predetermined area be it a single building, shopping center or a section of a municipality. This boundary is developed through the combination of geolocation technology involving GPS, smartphones and the integration of other communication based services such as text, email and social media and so forth. A case study involving the use of a geofence by a bike-sharing company in China, ofo, is utilized to demonstrate how geofencing can be integrated into particular business models. In this case, ofo uses geofencing to monitor specific bike inventories by area and to ensure that its consumers in each area return the inventory to the appropriate market. This case, in turn, is then compared to how geofencing can be developed and applied in a market as diverse as the Gulf Cooperation Council or the GCC which consists of six member states with Saudi Arabia being the largest and most important. In this instance, the use of a geofence and geofencing technology is shown to be relevant with respect to Saudi Arabia’s retail sector which is burgeoning at a rapid pace. Geofencing allows retailers to notify consumers directly via SMS, MMS, email or social media notification of some sort of specials, sales or discounts at a given retailer when the consumer passes near that retailer. Finally, this report also discusses the direction that this geofencing technology within the context of marketing is taking and may take in the future. This includes some discussion about the integration of augmented reality into the framework of geofencing and so forth

Improving Security Performance in Smart Campuses

The idea of a smart campus is to combine devices, apps, and people to achieve enhanced operational and educational efficiency. One of the major aspects of the establishment of smart campuses is the building of a smart security system. This research is an effort to review the security technologies and how to increase the security performance of a smart campus using these technologies. The main objective of this study is to discuss asset security and facility access technologies in a smart campus setting. Universities spend millions of dollars on specialized equipment, yet maintaining track of such assets may be challenging. We discussed how security personnel can monitor the whereabouts of high-value items by installing IoT on them and how Smart locks, intelligent ID, and Geofencing can enable the facilities managers to manage campus access, tracking, and define zones. Finally, we review the optimal mix of other technologies and strategies to produce successful deterrent, preventive, protection, and reaction measures. This study argued that using these technologies smart campuses can alter the education system by improving campus security and by offering students and educators an engaged, creative, and safe environment

GEOFENCING AS APPLIED WITHIN THE FIELD OF CYBERSECURITY: AN OVERVIEW OF POTENTIAL RISKS AND ADVANTAGES

This culminating experience project explores geofencing as a potential risk and advantageous tool within the field of cybersecurity. Geofencing is defined here as a software program feature that allows its users to collect and deliver data within a specific targeted geographical area. Currently used applications are addressed from a cybersecurity mindset by applying the hacker methodology to demonstrate the potential threat. Additionally, geofencing is applied to the NIST Cybersecurity Framework to demonstrate potential benefits for cyber defence. Finally, vulnerabilities associated with applying geofencing to cyber defense, and its potential implications on privacy and cybersecurity laws is discussed and recommendations for further research are suggested. Key findings include: Demonstrating geofencing as an unknown threat in the field of cybersecurity, suggesting attention be dedicated to the type of data that is collected and the safety measures protecting that data. Geofencing can be used as a tool to defend as well as support risk management. By using it as a source of data collection, decisions can be implemented to better manage the risk of devices entering and leaving a specified geographical area. Geofencing can provide data that falls into Personally Identifiable Information (PII) which should make it regulated under most privacy laws. Current privacy policies and laws are insufficient when the scope of geofencing is applied to current methodologies. Geofencing must be regulated in a fashion that ensures data collected is necessary and relevant, and that the data is kept safe from potential threats

Augmented reality and portable devices to increase safety in container terminals: the testing of A4S project in the port of Genoa

Port container terminals are intrinsically complex environments and the human factor is often the main cause of accidents. Industry 4.0 technologies enable to dispose of enormous quantity of data, process them with advanced algorithms also allowing predictivity, and provide virtual/augmented reality tools to interact with human operators. Promising solutions are spreading that use the loT paradigm to acquire data and apply Big Data techniques to manage them. The objective of “Awareness for Safey-A4S” project, is to test a complete solution that allows field operators to be equipped with intelligent wearable devices, allowing "conscious" interaction in complex environments. This solution provides for the visualization of environment information in real time through Augmented Reality devices. These devices themselves represent a "sensor" providing information to the general system. Such information, integrated with environmental data and gathered through a specific I-IoT cloud platform and customized field devices, can improve safety and effectiveness of operations. Further support for operator safety is provided by a route tracking system aimed at directing operators, walking in the terminal, on the shortest and safest path. Such system can consider in real time the risks due to the movements of terminal equipment. The current paper presents this solution and the first field tests at PSA SECH container terminal in the Italian port of Genoa port to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed solution in increasing safety in complex and dangerous environments

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) based wireless manufacturing systems, a review

Radio frequency identification (RFID) is one of the most promising technological innovations in order to track and trace products as well as material flow in manufacturing systems. High Frequency (HF) and Ultra High Frequency (UHF) RFID systems can track a wide range of products in the part production process via radio waves with level of accuracy and reliability.   As a result, quality and transparency of data across the supply chain can be accurately obtained in order to decrease time and cost of part production. Also, process planning and part production scheduling can be modified using the advanced RFID systems in part manufacturing process. Moreover, to decrease the cost of produced parts, material handling systems in the advanced assembly lines can be analyzed and developed by using the RFID. Smart storage systems can increase efficiency in part production systems by providing accurate information from the stored raw materials and products for the production planning systems. To increase efficiency of energy consumption in production processes, energy management systems can be developed by using the RFID-sensor networks. Therefore, smart factories and intelligent manufacturing systems as industry 4.0 can be introduced by using the developed RFID systems in order to provide new generation of part production systems. In this paper, a review of RFID based wireless manufacturing systems is presented and future research works are also suggested. It has been observed that the research filed can be moved forward by reviewing and analyzing recent achievements in the published papers

Key technologies for safe and autonomous drones

Drones/UAVs are able to perform air operations that are very difficult to be performed by manned aircrafts. In addition, drones' usage brings significant economic savings and environmental benefits, while reducing risks to human life. In this paper, we present key technologies that enable development of drone systems. The technologies are identified based on the usages of drones (driven by COMP4DRONES project use cases). These technologies are grouped into four categories: U-space capabilities, system functions, payloads, and tools. Also, we present the contributions of the COMP4DRONES project to improve existing technologies. These contributions aim to ease drones’ customization, and enable their safe operation.This project has received funding from the ECSEL Joint Undertaking (JU) under grant agreement No 826610. The JU receives support from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme and Spain, Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Italy, Latvia, Netherlands. The total project budget is 28,590,748.75 EUR (excluding ESIF partners), while the requested grant is 7,983,731.61 EUR to ECSEL JU, and 8,874,523.84 EUR of National and ESIF Funding. The project has been started on 1st October 2019

IoT system for the validation of conditions in shipping couriers

The growth in online activity these days has caused an increase in the number of online shopping businesses. As the shopping experience becomes less personal, some people try to abuse online businesses with return fraud. The number of IoT devices has also experienced growth due to the fourth industrial revolution, or Industry 4.0, which consists of process automation and data exchange in the industry through IoT and machine learning. This dissertation includes research questions, hypotheses, objectives, and a methodology for the development of a system that integrates IoT to solve the problem of fraudulent returns. The prototype developed monitors when packages leave the facilities and when they are delivered, in addition to allowing to check upon the packages’ integrity at these same moments. This is achieved by using a Raspberry Pi with a camera attached and an ESP32 with a motion sensor, connected via the MQTT and Node-RED protocol. To evaluate the system, several tests were created to simulate a scenario of real-world application. With the results obtained, it is possible to conclude that the development was a success and that the prototype can be used in logistics business to prevent return fraud.O aumento da atividade online nos dias de hoje tem causado um aumento no número de lojas de comércio online. À medida que a experiência de compra se torna menos pessoal, algumas pessoas tentam abusar negócios online com fraudes de devolução. O número de dispositivos IoT também tem crescido devido à quarta revolução industrial, ou Indústria 4.0, que consiste na automação de processos e troca de dados na indústria através de IoT e machine learning. Esta dissertação inclui questões de investigação, hipóteses, objetivos e uma metodologia para o desenvolvimento de um sistema que integra IoT para resolver o problema de devoluções fraudulentas. O protótipo desenvolvido monitoriza quando encomendas saem das instalações e quando são entregues, para além de permitir a verificação da integridade física das encomendas nestes mesmos momentos. Isto é alcançado com o uso de um Raspberry Pi com uma câmara associada e um ESP32 com um sensor de movimento, conectados entre si através do protocolo MQTT e Node-RED. Para avaliar o sistema, vários testes foram criados de forma a simular um cenário de aplicação no mundo real. Os resultados obtidos permitem concluir que o desenvolvimento foi um sucesso e que o protótipo pode ser usado em empresas de logística, distribuição e transporte para evitar fraudes de devolução

Performance evaluation of a tracking system for intermodal traffic: an experimentation in the Tyrrhenian area

Monitoring shipments along intermodal chains is crucial to ensuring the fast, reliable and secure transport of goods. In this regard, the paper describes the results of a real-life tracking experimentation carried out in June 2018 in the Tyrrhenian area with a twofold objective: 1) to evaluate the performance of a state-of-art tracking system to effectively monitor Ro-Ro freight units moving along intermodal chains; 2) to get an objective view of the intermodal chains currently connecting the two main Italian islands to the mainland. The experimentation was performed by means of a tracking device using the GSM network for data connection and geographical position detection. In addition, the Automatic Identification System (AIS) data were used to improve positioning during navigation. Quantitative analyses carried out on the recorded tracking data revealed that a significant share of the total transport time of the monitored transport chains is unproductive time that goods spend waiting at the port and logistics nodes. From a technical point of view, the experimentation raised several problems of the tracking technology employed vis-à-vis real-time tracking, continuous monitoring, signal coverage and positioning accuracy. A discussion of the main detected limitations is provided in the paper along with some possible solutions to overcome them

Construction industry 4.0 and sustainability: an enabling framework

Governments worldwide are taking actions to address the construction sector's sustainability concerns, including high carbon emissions, health and safety risks, low productivity, and increasing costs. Applying Industry 4.0 technologies to construction (also referred to as Construction 4.0) could address some of these concerns. However, current understanding about this is quite limited, with previous work being largely fragmented and limited both in terms of technologies as well as their interrelationships with the triple bottom line of sustainability perspectives. The focus of this article is therefore on addressing these gaps by proposing a comprehensive multi-dimensional Construction 4.0 sustainability framework that identifies and categorizes the key Construction 4.0 technologies and their positive and negative impacts on environmental, economic, and social sustainability, and then establishing its applicability/usefulness through an empirical, multimethodology case study assessment of the UAE's construction sector. The findings indicate Construction 4.0’s positive impacts on environmental and economic sustainability that far outweigh its negative effects, although these impacts are comparable with regards to social sustainability. On Construction 4.0 technologies itself, their application was found to be nonuniform with greater application seen for building information modeling and automation vis-à-vis others such as cyber-physical systems and smart materials, with significant growth expected in the future for blockchain- and three-dimensional-printing-related technologies. The proposed novel framework could enable the development of policy interventions and support mechanisms to increase Construction 4.0 deployment while addressing its negative sustainability-related impacts. The framework also has the potential to be adapted and applied to other country and sectoral contexts