Internet Predictions

More than a dozen leading experts give their opinions on where the Internet is headed and where it will be in the next decade in terms of technology, policy, and applications. They cover topics ranging from the Internet of Things to climate change to the digital storage of the future. A summary of the articles is available in the Web extras section

On-Site Information Systems Design for Emergency First Responders

This paper explores the design specification of on-site emergency response information systems. In particular how emerging technologies such as wireless sensor networks, RFID, and wireless communication technologies, might enable on-site dynamic information to be retrieved, shared, and presented to the first responders. The information needed for an emergency response is discussed and end-user requirements are identified through extensive interviews with fire fighters together with observation made of fire emergency response training simulations. These requirements are considered in relation to the identified responsibilities of the core members in the first responder hierarchy. On-site dynamic information collection is discussed in terms of wireless sensor networks and radio frequency identification technologies, and information sharing among the first responders is implemented based on a local wireless communication network. The on-site dynamic information required by emergency personnel is presented at three situation awareness levels in order to meet the various requirements of the first responders. Finally, a prototype information system for fire and rescue services is discussed to illustrate and evaluate the methods proposed in this paper. This work outlines the basic design principles and practice of on-site information systems for emergency first responders and shows that such an information system could greatly improve their performance as well as reducing the risks they face, once the emerging technologies are in place to implement them. Although our focus was on structural fire and fire fighters, the on-site emergency response system proposed here is applicable to other emergency response as well, due to the existence of common training methods and standard operating procedures

Overcoming barriers and increasing independence: service robots for elderly and disabled people

This paper discusses the potential for service robots to overcome barriers and increase independence of elderly and disabled people. It includes a brief overview of the existing uses of service robots by disabled and elderly people and advances in technology which will make new uses possible and provides suggestions for some of these new applications. The paper also considers the design and other conditions to be met for user acceptance. It also discusses the complementarity of assistive service robots and personal assistance and considers the types of applications and users for which service robots are and are not suitable

Semantic discovery and reuse of business process patterns

Patterns currently play an important role in modern information systems (IS) development and their use has mainly been restricted to the design and implementation phases of the development lifecycle. Given the increasing significance of business modelling in IS development, patterns have the potential of providing a viable solution for promoting reusability of recurrent generalized models in the very early stages of development. As a statement of research-in-progress this paper focuses on business process patterns and proposes an initial methodological framework for the discovery and reuse of business process patterns within the IS development lifecycle. The framework borrows ideas from the domain engineering literature and proposes the use of semantics to drive both the discovery of patterns as well as their reuse

Smart Pipe System for a Shipyard 4.0

As a result of the progressive implantation of the Industry 4.0 paradigm, many industries are experimenting a revolution that shipyards cannot ignore. Therefore, the application of the principles of Industry 4.0 to shipyards are leading to the creation of Shipyards 4.0. Due to this, Navantia, one of the 10 largest shipbuilders in the world, is updating its whole inner workings to keep up with the near-future challenges that a Shipyard 4.0 will have to face. Such challenges can be divided into three groups: the vertical integration of production systems, the horizontal integration of a new generation of value creation networks, and the re-engineering of the entire production chain, making changes that affect the entire life cycle of each piece of a ship. Pipes, which exist in a huge number and varied typology on a ship, are one of the key pieces, and its monitoring constitutes a prospective cyber-physical system. Their improved identification, traceability, and indoor location, from production and through their life, can enhance shipyard productivity and safety. In order to perform such tasks, this article first conducts a thorough analysis of the shipyard environment. From this analysis, the essential hardware and software technical requirements are determined. Next, the concept of smart pipe is presented and defined as an object able to transmit signals periodically that allows for providing enhanced services in a shipyard. In order to build a smart pipe system, different technologies are selected and evaluated, concluding that passive and active RFID are currently the most appropriate technologies to create it. Furthermore, some promising indoor positioning results obtained in a pipe workshop are presented, showing that multi-antenna algorithms and Kalman filtering can help to stabilize Received Signal Strength (RSS) and improve the overall accuracy of the system.Comment: 43 pages, 25 figures, accepted version of Sensors journal articl

Tap it again, Sam: Harmonizing personal environments towards lifelong learning

The increasing number of mobile vendors releas- ing NFC-enabled devices to the market and their prominent adoption has moved this technology from a niche product to a product with a large market-share. NFC facilitates natural interactions between digital world and physical learning environments. The scaffolding of learning ecologies is a key aspect for lifelong learners in their challenge to integrate learning activities into busy daily life. The contribution of this manuscript is twofold: first, a review of scientific litera- ture in which NFC has been used with a direct or indirect purpose to learn is presented, and potential uses for learners are classified according to their type of interaction; based on these findings the NFC MediaPlayer is presented as an instantiation of an ecology of resources (EoR) in a lifelong learning context. Finally, shortcomings and best practices are highlighted in the conclusions, and future work is discussed

Context Aware Computing for The Internet of Things: A Survey

As we are moving towards the Internet of Things (IoT), the number of sensors deployed around the world is growing at a rapid pace. Market research has shown a significant growth of sensor deployments over the past decade and has predicted a significant increment of the growth rate in the future. These sensors continuously generate enormous amounts of data. However, in order to add value to raw sensor data we need to understand it. Collection, modelling, reasoning, and distribution of context in relation to sensor data plays critical role in this challenge. Context-aware computing has proven to be successful in understanding sensor data. In this paper, we survey context awareness from an IoT perspective. We present the necessary background by introducing the IoT paradigm and context-aware fundamentals at the beginning. Then we provide an in-depth analysis of context life cycle. We evaluate a subset of projects (50) which represent the majority of research and commercial solutions proposed in the field of context-aware computing conducted over the last decade (2001-2011) based on our own taxonomy. Finally, based on our evaluation, we highlight the lessons to be learnt from the past and some possible directions for future research. The survey addresses a broad range of techniques, methods, models, functionalities, systems, applications, and middleware solutions related to context awareness and IoT. Our goal is not only to analyse, compare and consolidate past research work but also to appreciate their findings and discuss their applicability towards the IoT.Comment: IEEE Communications Surveys & Tutorials Journal, 201

Introduction to IoT

The Internet of Things has rapidly transformed the 21st century, enhancing decision-making processes and introducing innovative consumer services such as pay-as-you-use models. The integration of smart devices and automation technologies has revolutionized every aspect of our lives, from health services to the manufacturing industry, and from the agriculture sector to mining. Alongside the positive aspects, it is also essential to recognize the significant safety, security, and trust concerns in this technological landscape. This chapter serves as a comprehensive guide for newcomers interested in the IoT domain, providing a foundation for making future contributions. Specifically, it discusses the overview, historical evolution, key characteristics, advantages, architectures, taxonomy of technologies, and existing applications in major IoT domains. In addressing prevalent issues and challenges in designing and deploying IoT applications, the chapter examines security threats across architectural layers, ethical considerations, user privacy concerns, and trust-related issues. This discussion equips researchers with a solid understanding of diverse IoT aspects, providing a comprehensive understanding of IoT technology along with insights into the extensive potential and impact of this transformative field.Comment: 48 pages, 7 figures, 8 tables, chapter 1 revised version of "IoT and ML for Information Management: A Smart Healthcare Perspective" under the Springer Studies in Computational Intelligence serie