Parallel Design of a Product and Internet of Things (IoT) Architecture to Minimize the Cost of Utilizing Big Data (BD) for Sustainable Value Creation

Information has become today\u27s addictive currency; hence, companies are investing billions in the creation of Internet of Things (IoT) frameworks that gamble on finding trends that reveal sustainability and/or efficiency improvements. This approach to “Big Data” can lead to blind, astronomical costs. Therefore, this paper presents a counter approach aimed at minimizing the cost of utilizing “Big Data” for sustainable value creation. The proposed approach leverages domain/expert knowledge of the system in combination with a machine learning algorithm in order to limit the needed infrastructure and cost. A case study of the approach implemented in a consumer electronics company is also included

Analysis of the Status Quo of Intelligent Manufacturing Research Based on CiteSpace

Intelligent manufacturing is a human-machine integrated intelligent system composed of intelligent machines and human experts. Using CiteSpace as a tool, the paper analyzes and visualizes the intelligent manufacturing related literatures collected by Web of Science, summarizes the research status of intelligent manufacturing in recent years, and elaborates on the research hotspots in this field in recent years; The Advanced Manufacturing Partner Program strategy, Germany proposed the Industry 4.0 plan, the European Union promulgated the Digital European Industrial Plan and the China Made 2025 issued by China, summed up the problems faced by the intelligent manufacturing industry at this stage and made corresponding suggestions

Design Model For Traceability-Supported Assessment Of Product Carbon Footprint

The established approaches for calculating the Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) based on Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) only allow a cause-related determination of used resources to a limited extent. Even in situations where the direct measurement of resource consumption is recommended, PCF calculation is mainly carried out by means of allocation or estimations in industrial practice. In contrast, the use of traceability data offers promising opportunities for increasing the component specific transparency by linking continuously recorded resource flows and data available in software systems with time stamps and component/order IDs (traceability data). Based on the available component-specific database, companies can identify drivers and hotspots of carbon emissions for individual products and derive targeted measures to reduce these emissions. This paper outlines a concept for a traceability-supported design model to determine the PCF based on the existing framework of LCA. Therefore, a literature review is conducted to identify and analyze existing concepts regarding the determination of PCF as well as requirements for a traceability-supported approach. By conducting an expert survey, these requirements derived from literature are evaluated and prioritized. Finally, the results are used to develop a design model for a traceability supported approach to determine the PCF and to indicate future research needs

Lifecycle Management in the Smart City Context: Smart Parking Use-Case

Lifecycle management enables enterprises to manage their products, services and product-service bundles. IoT and CPS have made products and services smarter by closing the loop of data across different phases of lifecycle. Similarly, CPS and IoT empower cities with real-time data streams from heterogeneous objects. Yet, cities are smarter and more powerful when relevant data can be exchanged between different systems across different domains. From engineering perspective, smart city can be seen as a System of Systems composed of interrelated/ interdependent smart systems and objects. To better integrate people, processes, and systems in the smart city ecosystem, this paper discusses the use of Lifecycle Management in the smart city context. Considering the differences between ordinary and smart service systems, this paper seeks better understanding of lifecycle aspects in the smart city context. For better understanding, some of the discussed lifecycle aspects are demonstrated in a smart parking use-case

Analysis of embodied energy and product lifespan: the potential embodied power sustainability indicator

In the context of life cycle assessment sustainability indicators, this article proposes a new indicator that is related to the embodied energy, in order to assess the lifespan of products based on their components. The indicator, called 'potential embodied power' (PEP), considers that a non-replaceable component with a shorter lifespan will determine the lifetime of the product. The PEP indicator can be considered as an inherent property of the product, and it can be optimized by using a material selection method based on the concept of annualized embodied energy. This indicator can be used for product design decision making, since it determines the impact of product disposal in relation to the lifespan for which the product was designed. Also, a methodology is proposed to contribute to evaluating the environmental impact caused by the energy discarded resulting from the design decisions. A case study was performed on smartphones, and the results show that the variation of factors such as module lifespan or embodied energy allows achieving a lower value of the embodied power

The Footprint of Things: A hybrid approach towards the collection, storage and distribution of life cycle inventory data

Life cycle assessment is a well-established methodology for assessing the environmental impacts of products and services. Unfortunately, an essential part of this life cycle assessment method, collecting inventory data, is extremely time consuming. The quality of manually conducted LCA studies is often limited by uncertainty in the inventory data or narrow scope. Past attempts to overcome these challenges through automation of data collection utilizing the Internet of Things have relied on fully centralized architectures. The drawback of a central repository is the complex coordination between all involved actors in supply chains of products and services. This paper proposes an alternative hybrid approach combining a primary distributed system supplemented with a central repository reducing the need for coordination. This hybrid approach is named "the Footprint of Things". We present a system design that embeds the automatic reporting of life cycle inventory data, such as energy and material flows, into all product components involved in a service delivery. The major strength of our novel system design, among others, is its capacity for real-time and more precise impact calculation of ICT services

The Internet of Things applied to the energy efficiency concept: a quantitative-qualitative analysis of the state-of-the-art

Introducción: La Internet de las cosas representa un nuevo paradigma que asigna a los objetos la capacidad de proporcionar información sobre sus operaciones y el entorno en el cual viven, caracterizado como universo amplio y diverso deaplicaciones relacionadas. En la actualidad, debido al reconocimiento de las acciones y discusiones dedicadas a la sostenibilidad y el medio ambiente, este artículo tiene como objetivo evaluar el estado actual de investigación que involucra la Internet de los objetos, ligado al concepto de "eficiencia energética". Método: Se realizó una revisión sistemática de la literatura en la base de datos Scopus y un análisis cuantitativo-cualitativo con las referencias recuperadas. Los registros fueron recolectados a través de una ventana de 2001 a 2016, así como se hizo un análisis de cincuenta publicaciones con citas superiores. Resultados: La búsqueda recuperó 895 documentos relacionados con los temas determinados. Sin embargo, se identificaron pocos (siete documentos) que discuten la aplicación efectiva de Internet de los objetos relacionados con el tema de la "eficiencia energética". Conclusión: Además de determinar el estado actual de la investigación en los temas propuestos, fue posible ratificar los conceptos asociados con ellos así como identificar las publicaciones más relevantes que pueden proporcionar una línea de base para otras investigaciones.Introdução: A Internet das Coisas corresponde a um novo paradigma, que imputa aos objetos a capacidade de disponibilizar informações a respeito de seu funcionamento e ao ambiente no qual tais objetos estão inseridos, caracterizando-se como abrangentes e diversificados os universos de prováveis aplicações a ela relacionadas. Em uma época em que se evidenciam ações e discussões dedicadas à sustentabilidade e ao meio ambiente, este artigo objetiva apurar o estado atual das pesquisas envolvendo a Internet das Coisas associado ao conceito de “eficiência energética”. Método: Tendo como referência a base de dados Scopus procedeu-se uma revisão sistemática da literatura, acompanhada de uma análise quantitativo-qualitativa. Foram aferidas informações no período compreendido entre os anos de 2001 a 2016, além da análise das cinquenta publicações com maiores citações. Resultados: Constatou-se a existência de 895 documentos relacionados aos assuntos pesquisados. Contudo, poucos (foram identificados sete documentos) discorrem sobre a efetiva aplicação da Internet das Coisas à “eficiência energética”. Conclusão: Além de se determinar o estado da arte das pesquisas a nível mundial dos temas propostos, foi possível ratificar os conceitos a eles associados, bem como identificar as publicações mais relevantes, para que possam servir de referência e ponto de partida a outros trabalhos do gênero.Introduction: The Internet of Things represents a new paradigm, which assign to objects the ability to provide information about its operations and the environment in which they live, characterized as a comprehensive and diverse universe and applications related to it. Nowadays, due to the recognition of actions and discussions devoted to sustainability and the environment, this article aims to assess the current state of research involving the Internet of Things, linked to the concept of "energy efficiency". Method: Starting with reference to the database Scopus, it was conducted a systematic review of the literature, accompanied by a quantitative and qualitative analysis. The registers were collected using a 2001-2016 window, as well as it was made an analysis of fifty publications with higher citations. Results: It was found 895 documents related to the subjects studied. However, few (seven documents were identified) discussed the effective application of Internet of Things in "energy efficiency". Conclusion: In addition to determining the state of the art research in the themes proposed, it was possible to ratify the concepts associated with them, as well as identify the most relevant publications which can provide a baseline for other investigations

Blockchain-based life cycle assessment: An implementation framework and system architecture

Life cycle assessment (LCA) is widely used for assessing the environmental impacts of a product or service. Collecting reliable data is a major challenge in LCA due to the complexities involved in the tracking and quantifying inputs and outputs at multiple supply chain stages. Blockchain technology offers an ideal solution to overcome the challenge in sustainable supply chain management. Its use in combination with internet-of-things (IoT) and big data analytics and visualization can help organizations achieve operational excellence in conducting LCA for improving supply chain sustainability. This research develops a framework to guide the implementation of Blockchain-based LCA. It proposes a system architecture that integrates the use of Blockchain, IoT, and big data analytics and visualization. The proposed implementation framework and system architecture were validated by practitioners who were experienced with Blockchain applications. The research also analyzes system implementation costs and discusses potential issues and solutions, as well as managerial and policy implications

Towards BitCO2, an individual consumption-based carbon emission reduction mechanism

Human activities, such as burning fossil fuels for electricity generation, heating, and transport, are the primary drivers of a large amount of greenhouse gases emission. The individual consumers, able to influence the supply chains behind the commodities their chose to fulfil their needs is the driver behind production and, consequently, its impacts. Thus, the active and willing participation of citizens in combatting climate change may be pivotal to address this issue. The present work is aimed at presenting and modelling a novel market-based carbon emission reduction mechanism, called BitCO2, designed to incentivize individual consumption choices toward lower carbon footprints. This mechanism is tested for the Italian private transportation sector thanks to an ad hoc developed System Dynamics model. The Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) adoption, if compared with the Internal Combustion Engine Vehicle (ICEV) one, cause less CO2 emissions per km travelled. After a certain number of travelled km, a BitCO2 token is assigned to BEV owners for each ton of avoided CO2. This token can be exchanged in a dedicated market and used to get a discount on insurance services. Assuming a Social Cost of Carbon of 9.22 [2.13-22.3] euro/tonCO2eq, model results show that the BitCO2 mechanism would allow for a cumulated CO2 emission reduction of 973 [68.9-5'230] ktonCO2eq over 20 years of operation with a peak of 39.3 [5.34-189] thousand additional BEV registration per year