Design and Implementation of an IoT-Based Smart Home Security System

Recent advances in smartphones and affordable open-source hardware platforms have enabled the development of low-cost architectures for Internet-of-Things (IoT)-enabled home automation and security systems. These systems usually consist of sensing and actuating layer that is made up of sensors such as passive infrared sensors, also known as motion sensors; temperature sensors; smoke sensors, and web cameras for security surveillance. These sensors, smart electrical appliances, and other IoT devices connect to the Internet through a home gateway. This paper lays out an architecture for a cost-effective smart door sensor that will inform a user through an Android application, of door open events in a house or office environment. The proposed architecture uses an Arduino-compatible Elegoo Mega 2560 microcontroller board along with the Raspberry Pi 2 board for communicating with a web server that implements a RESTful API. Several programming languages are used in the implementation and further applications of the door sensor are discussed as well as some of its shortcomings such as possible interference from other radio frequency devices

A Systematic Process for Implementing Gateways for Test Tools

Test automation is facing a new challenge because tools, as well as having to provide conventional test functionalities, must be capable to interact with ever more heterogeneous complex systems under test (SUT). The number of existing software interfaces to access these systems is also a growing number. The problem cannot be analyzed only from a technical or engineering perspective; the economic perspective is as important. This paper presents a process to systematically implement gateways which support the communication between test tools and SUTs with a reduced cost. The proposed solution does not preclude any interface protocol at the SUT side. This process is supported using a generic architecture of a gateway defined on top of OSGi. Any test tool can communicate with the gateway through a unique defined interface. To communicate the gateway and the SUT, basically, the driver corresponding to the SUT software interface has to be loaded

SensorCloud: Towards the Interdisciplinary Development of a Trustworthy Platform for Globally Interconnected Sensors and Actuators

Although Cloud Computing promises to lower IT costs and increase users' productivity in everyday life, the unattractive aspect of this new technology is that the user no longer owns all the devices which process personal data. To lower scepticism, the project SensorCloud investigates techniques to understand and compensate these adoption barriers in a scenario consisting of cloud applications that utilize sensors and actuators placed in private places. This work provides an interdisciplinary overview of the social and technical core research challenges for the trustworthy integration of sensor and actuator devices with the Cloud Computing paradigm. Most importantly, these challenges include i) ease of development, ii) security and privacy, and iii) social dimensions of a cloud-based system which integrates into private life. When these challenges are tackled in the development of future cloud systems, the attractiveness of new use cases in a sensor-enabled world will considerably be increased for users who currently do not trust the Cloud.Comment: 14 pages, 3 figures, published as technical report of the Department of Computer Science of RWTH Aachen Universit

Genetic Algorithms in Software Architecture Synthesis

Ohjelmistoarkkitehtuurien suunnittelu on kriittinen vaihe ohjelmistokehitystä, sillä arkkitehtuuri määrittelee ohjelmiston rungon: miten ohjelma jaetaan eri komponentteihin, ja miten komponentit ovat yhteydessä toisiinsa. Ohjelmisto voidaan yleensä toteuttaa toimivasti monella eri tavalla, mutta toimiva toteutus ei aina takaa, että ohjelmisto on myös toteutettu laadukkaasti. Laadun takeena onkin huolella ja taidolla suunniteltu arkkitehtuuri. Ohjelmistoarkkitehtuurin suunnittelu on haastavaa. Suunnitelmaa tehdessä tulee ottaa huomioon monen eri sidosryhmän (esim. käyttäjä, toteuttaja, markkinoija) vaatimukset ja miettiä, miten mahdollisimman suuri osa vaatimuksista voidaan toteuttaa arkkitehtuurissa. Arkkitehtuurisuunnittelu vaatiikin kokeneen ohjelmistoarkkitehdin, joka on hankkinut tietotaitonsa vuosien ajalta eri ohjelmistoprojekteista. Kokemukseen perustuvan tiedon lisäksi ohjelmistoarkkitehtuurisuunnittelun käytäntöjä on koottu eräänlaisiksi katalogeiksi, joissa esitellään hyväksi havaittuja ratkaisuja, ns. suunnittelutyylejä ja -malleja, yleisiin arkkitehtuurisuunnitteluongelmiin. Voidaankin ajatella, että arkkitehtuuri tuotetaan etsimällä (kokemukseen nojaten) paras mahdollinen kombinaatio suunnittelumalleja ja -tyylejä. Arkkitehtuurin suunnittelu onkin siis eräänlainen optimointiongelma. Ohjelmistoista tulee jatkuvasti yhä monimutkaisempia. Sovelluksien monimutkaistuessa myös arkkitehtuurisuunnittelu muuttuu entistä vaikeammaksi ja vie yhä enemmän aikaa. Suunnittelun perustuminen hiljaiseen tietoon ja arkkitehtien kokemukseen tekee prosessista yhä hitaamman ja läpinäkymättömämmän. Arkkitehtuurisuunnittelun automatisointi toisikin suuria säästöjä. Henkilöstövaihdosten yhteydessä ei myöskään tarvitsisi pelätä tietotaidon katoamista, kun arkkitehtuurisuunnittelu olisi helposti toistettavissa aina alusta lähtien. Tässä väitöskirjassa on tutkittu, miten parhaan mahdollisen ratkaisun etsintäprosessin (eli suunnittelumallien ja -tyylien soveltamisen) voisi automatisoida. Monimutkaisissa optimointiongelmissa käytetään etsintäalgoritmeja, jotka haravoivat hakuavaruutta jollain satunnaistetulla menetelmällä. Yksi suosituimmista etsintäalgoritmeista on geneettinen algoritmi. Geneettiset algoritmit tarkastelevat aina pientä ratkaisujoukkoa kerrallaan ja etsivät parasta ratkaisua yhdistelemällä osia löydetyistä ratkaisuista sekä muuntelemalla ratkaisuja. Jokaiselle ratkaisulle lasketaan laatuarvo, ja luonnonvalintaa jäljitellen jatketaan parhaiden vaihtoehtojen tarkastelua sekä kehittelyä ja hylätään huonoimmat ratkaisut. Etsintäalgoritmien käyttämistä ohjelmistokehityksen ongelmiin, esim. ohjelmistosuunnitteluun, testaukseen ja projektinhallintaan, kutsutaan etsintäperustaiseksi ohjelmistokehitykseksi. Väitöskirja kuuluu etsintäperustaisen ohjelmistosuunnittelun alaan, ja siinä tutkitaan ns. ohjelmistoarkkitehtuurisynteesiä geneettisten algoritmien avulla. Ohjelmistoarkkitehtuurisynteesi lähtee ns. nolla-arkkitehtuurista , joka toteuttaa järjestelmän toiminnalliset vaatimukset, mutta ei ota kantaa laatuvaatimuksiin. Laatua pyritään parantamaan lisäämällä lähtöarkkitehtuuriin suunnittelutyylejä ja -malleja. Väitöskirjassa laatuarviointiin on käytetty muunneltavuutta, tehokkuutta ja ymmärrettävyyttä. Lopputuloksena saadaan ehdotus arkkitehtuurista, joka toteuttaa toiminnalliset vaatimukset ja on myös laadukas. Geneettisiä algoritmeja ei ole aiemmin sovellettu vastaavantasoisiin suunnitteluongelmiin, joten toteutuksessa on kehitetty uusi tapa mallintaa arkkitehtuuri geneettiselle algoritmille sekä laskukaava arkkitehtuurin laadulle. Perustoteutuksen lisäksi myös geneettisen algoritmin eri ominaisuuksia, ns. risteytysoperaatiota ja laatufunktiota on tutkittu tarkemmin, ja niille on kehitetty vaihtoehtoisia toteutuksia. Tapaustarkasteluista saadut tulokset osoittavat, että tällä hetkellä geneettisiin algoritmeihin perustuvaa arkkitehtuurisynteesi tuottaa suunnilleen samantasoisia ratkaisuja kuin kolmannen vuosikurssin ohjelmistotekniikan opiskelija.This thesis presents an approach for synthesizing software architectures with genetic algorithms. Previously in the literature, genetic algorithms have been mostly used to improve existing architectures. The method presented here, however, focuses on upstream design. The chosen genetic construction of software architectures is based on a model which contains information on functional requirements only. Architecture styles and design patterns are used to transform the initial high-level model to a more detailed design. Quality attributes, here modifiability, efficiency and complexity, are encoded in the algorithm s fitness function for evaluating the produced solutions. The final solution is given as a UML class diagram. While the main contribution is introducing the method for architecture synthesis, basic tool support for the implementation is also presented. Two case studies are used for evaluation. One case study uses the sketch for an electronic home control system, which is a typical embedded system. The other case study is based on a robot war game simulator, which is a typical framework system. Evaluation is mostly based on fitness graphs and (subjective) evaluation of produced class diagrams. In addition to the basic approach, variations and extensions regarding crossover and fitness function have been made. While the standard algorithm uses a random crossover, asexual reproduction and complementary crossover are also studied. Asexual crossover corresponds to real-life design situations, where two architectures are rarely combined. Complementary crossover, in turn, attempts to purposefully combine good parts of two architectures. The fitness function is extended with the option to include modifiability scenarios, which enables more targeted design decisions as critical parts of the architecture can be evaluated individually. In order to achieve a wider range of solutions that answer to competing quality demands, a multi-objective approach using Pareto optimality is given as an alternative for the single weighted fitness function. The multi-objective approach evaluates modifiability and efficiency, and gives as output the class diagrams of the whole Pareto front of the last generation. Thus, extremes for both quality attributes as well as solutions in the middle ground can be compared. An experimental study is also conducted where independent experts evaluate produced solutions for the electronic home control. Results show that genetic software architecture synthesis is indeed feasible, and the quality of solutions at this stage is roughly at the level of third year software engineering students

A framework for the design, prototyping and evaluation of mobile interfaces for domestic environments

The idea of the smart home has been discussed for over three decades, but it has yet to achieve mass-market adoption. This thesis asks the question Why is my home not smart? It highlights four main areas that are barriers to adoption, and concentrates on a single one of these issues: usability. It presents an investigation that focuses on design, prototyping and evaluation of mobile interfaces for domestic environments resulting in the development of a novel framework. A smart home is the physical realisation of a ubiquitous computing system for domestic living. The research area offers numerous benefits to end-users such as convenience, assistive living, energy saving and improved security and safety. However, these benefits have yet to become accessible due to a lack of usable smart home control interfaces. This issue is considered a key reason for lack of adoption and is the focus for this thesis. Within this thesis, a framework is introduced as a novel approach for the design, prototyping and evaluation of mobile interfaces for domestic environments. Included within this framework are three components. Firstly, the Reconfigurable Multimedia Environment (RME), a physical evaluation and observation space for conducting user centred research. Secondly, Simulated Interactive Devices (SID), a video-based development and control tool for simulating interactive devices commonly found within a smart home. Thirdly, iProto, a tool that facilitates the production and rapid deployment of high fidelity prototypes for mobile touch screen devices. This framework is evaluated as a round-tripping toolchain for prototyping smart home control and found to be an efficient process for facilitating the design and evaluation of such interfaces

The Taxonomy of Telemedicine

The purpose of this article is to present a taxonomy for telemedicine. The field has markedly grown, with an increasing number of applications, a variety of technologies, and newly introduced terminology. A taxonomy would serve to bring conceptual clarity to this burgeoning set of alternatives to in-person healthcare delivery. The article starts with a brief discussion of the importance of taxonomy as an information management strategy to improve knowledge sharing, facilitate research and policy initiatives, and provide some guidance for the orderly development of telemedicine. We provide a conceptual context for the proliferation of related concepts, such as telehealth, e-health, and m-health, as well as a classification of the content of these concepts. Our main concern is to develop an explicit taxonomy of telemedicine and to demonstrate how it can be used to provide definitive information about the true effects of telemedicine in terms of cost, quality, and access. Taxonomy development and refinement is an iterative process. If this initial attempt at classification proves useful, subject matter experts could enhance the development and proliferation of telemedicine by testing, revising, and verifying this taxonomy.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/90498/1/tmj-2E2011-2E0103.pd

Exploration of Game Consoles as a legitimate computing platform for in-the-field biomedical data acquisition and management

Biomedical research increasingly requires for testings be conducted outside the lab, in the field such as the participant’s home or work environment. This type of research requires semi-autonomous computer systems that collect such data and send it back to the lab for processing and dissemination. A key aspect of this type of research is the selection of the required software and hardware components. These systems need to be reliable, allow considerable customizability and be readily accessible but also able to be locked down. In this paper we report a set of requirements for the hardware and software for such a system. We then utilise these requirements to evaluate the use of game consoles as a hardware platform in comparison to other hardware choices

Service Integration for Biometric Authentication

Unimodaalsete biomeetriliste süsteemide kasvav kasutuselevõtt era- ja riigiasutustes näitab biomeetriliste autentimissüsteemide edu. See aga ei tähenda, et biomeetrilised süsteemid pakuvad terviklikku autentimislahendust. Unimodaalsetes biomeetrilistes süsteemides ilmneb hulk piiranguid, mida on võimalik ületada kasutades multimodaalseid biomeetrilisi autentimissüsteeme. Multimodaalseid süsteeme peetakse töökindlamaks ja võimeliseks rahuldama rangeid jõudlusvajadusi. Lisaks võimaldavad multimodaalsed süsteemid arvestada mitteuniversaalsuse probleemiga ja tõhusalt tõrjuda võltsimisrünnakuid. Vaatamata suhtelistele eelistele on multimodaalsete biomeetriliste süsteemide realisatsioon ja kasutusmugavus jäänud fundamentaalseks väljakutseks tarkvaraarenduses. Multimodaalsed süsteemid on enamasti sulam unimodaalsetest süsteemidest, mis on valitud vastavalt äriprotsessi ja vaadeldava keskkonna nõuetele. Nende süsteemide mitmekesisus, lähtekoodi kättesaadavus ja juurutamisvajadused muudavad nende arenduse ja kasutuselevõtu oluliselt kulukamaks. Tarkvaraarendajatena üritame me lihtsustada arendusprotsessi ja minimeerides selleks vajamineva jõupingutuse suurust. Seetõttu keskendub see töö olemasolevate biomeetriliste süsteemide taaskasutatavaks muutmisele. Eesmärgiks on kirjeldada teenuste integratsiooni raamistik, mis automatiseerib heterogeensete biomeetriliste süsteemide sujuvat seadistamist ja paigaldust ning vähendab arenduse töömahtu ja sellega seotud kulutusi. Selle eesmärgi saavutamiseks kõrvaldame me vajaduse korduva stsenaariumipõhise ühilduvate süsteemide arenduse ja integratsiooni järgi. Biomeetriliste süsteemide arendus muudetakse ühekordseks tööks. Me esitleme ka vahendeid heterogeensetest avatud lähetekoodiga ja kommerts biomeetrilistest süsteemidest koosnevate multimodaalsete biomeetriliste süsteemide seadistamiseks ja paigaldamiseks lähtuvalt valdkonnaspetsiifilistest autentimisvajadustest. Võrreldes levinud praktikatega vähendab meie lähenemine stsenaariumi-spetsiifilise biomeetrilise autentimissüsteemi arendusele ja paigaldusele kuluvat töö hulka 46,42%.The success of biometric authentication systems is evident from the increasing rate of adoption of unimodal biometric systems in civil and governmental applications. However, this does not imply that biometric systems offer a complete authentication solution. Unimodal biometric systems exhibit a multitude of limitations which can be overcome by using multimodal biometric authentication systems. Multimodal systems are considered more reliable, and capable of meeting stringent performance needs and addressing the problem of non-universality and spoof attacks effectively. Despite the relative advantages, implementation and usability of multimodal biometric systems remain a fundamental software engineering challenge. Multimodal systems are usually an amalgamation of unimodal biometric systems chosen in accordance with the needs dictated by the business process(es) and the respective environment under consideration. The heterogeneity, availability of source code, and deployment needs for these systems incur significantly higher development and adaption costs. Being software engineers, we naturally strive to simplify the engineering process and minimize the required amount of effort. Therefore this work focuses on making the existing biometric systems reusable. The objective is to define a service integration framework which automates seamless configuration, and deployment of heterogeneous biometric systems, and minimizes the development effort and related costs. In this effort we replace the need for development and integration of scenario-specific compatible systems by repetitive scenario-specific configuration and deployment of multimodal biometric systems. The development of biometric systems is minimized to a one-time effort. We also present tools for configuration and deployment, which respectively configure and deploy multimodal biometric systems comprising of heterogeneous open source and/or commercial biometric systems required for fulfillment of domain specific authentication needs. In comparison to the prevalent practices, our approach reduces the effort required for developing and deploying reliable scenario-specific biometric authentication systems by 46.42%

Understanding the implications of information and communication technology (ICT) for local governance : the example of eThekwini Municipality, Durban.

Thesis (M.Sc.-U.R.P.)-University of Natal, 2002.No abstract available

Fall prevention intervention technologies: A conceptual framework and survey of the state of the art

In recent years, an ever increasing range of technology-based applications have been developed with the goal of assisting in the delivery of more effective and efficient fall prevention interventions. Whilst there have been a number of studies that have surveyed technologies for a particular sub-domain of fall prevention, there is no existing research which surveys the full spectrum of falls prevention interventions and characterises the range of technologies that have augmented this landscape. This study presents a conceptual framework and survey of the state of the art of technology-based fall prevention systems which is derived from a systematic template analysis of studies presented in contemporary research literature. The framework proposes four broad categories of fall prevention intervention system: Pre-fall prevention; Post-fall prevention; Fall injury prevention; Cross-fall prevention. Other categories include, Application type, Technology deployment platform, Information sources, Deployment environment, User interface type, and Collaborative function. After presenting the conceptual framework, a detailed survey of the state of the art is presented as a function of the proposed framework. A number of research challenges emerge as a result of surveying the research literature, which include a need for: new systems that focus on overcoming extrinsic falls risk factors; systems that support the environmental risk assessment process; systems that enable patients and practitioners to develop more collaborative relationships and engage in shared decision making during falls risk assessment and prevention activities. In response to these challenges, recommendations and future research directions are proposed to overcome each respective challenge.The Royal Society, grant Ref: RG13082