Improve of business value for portuguese SME that adopt industry 4.0

Dissertation presented as partial requirement for obtaining the Master’s degree in Information Management, with a specialization in Information Systems and Technologies ManagementMany industrial organizations already began the Digital Transformation path, with the premise and objective of applying the features and models that Industry 4.0 brought to the industry field, particularly factories, creating a new context of smart factories that will provide higher revenue. Aggregated to Industry 4.0 new types of architecture were born, that will create great challenges in terms of security, control, interoperability among others. One of these areas is Edge computing that combines the very best of cloud and on-site computing. With the control authority, overall automation management and cloud based analytics, the edge systems answer the challenges identified as being crucial for any industrial 4.0 deployment. In this work the research methodology will consist of a comprehensive review and strategic analysis of existing global literature on those topics, in parallel with interviews and data analysis that were performed to entities representing the Portuguese Small and Medium Enterprises in the Industrial market. This work aims to contribute to stimulate the need of achievements, a more strategic and operational approach in the use of edge computing within organizations to clarify the existing strengths in this area. This way, Industry 4.0 strategy can be implemented with effective approaches and planned actions for a direct business value increase and also be able to create a reference model that could be applied in similar organizations. As a result, this work bring knowledge for companies, in the same market segment of the study, that want to adopt initiatives of industry 4.0

Blockchain technology to secure data for digital twins throughout smart buildings’ life cycle in the context of the circular economy

Blockchain technology (BCT) can be leveraged for digital twins (DT) to enhance data security, collaboration, efficiency, and sustainability in the construction industry (CI) 4.0. This study aims to develop a novel technological framework and software architecture using BCT for DT throughout the lifecycle of smart building projects in the context of the circular economy (CE). The study identifies key challenges and technological factors affecting BCT adoption. It also identifies which project data types can benefit from BCT and the key factors and non-functional requirements (NFRs) necessary for the adoption of blockchain based digital twins (BCDT) in CI 4.0. The study finally proposes a software architecture and smart contract framework for BCDT decentralized applications (DApps) throughout the lifecycle of smart infrastructure projects. The study offers a technological framework – the decentralized digital twin cycle (DDTC) – with BCT to enhance trust, security, decentralization, efficiency, traceability, and transparency of information. The study found that the key data from the project lifecycle relevant for BCDTs relate to the BIM dimensions (3D, 4D, 5D, 6D, 7D, and 8D) and a novel contractual dimension (cD) is also proposed. Additionally, BCDT maturity Level 4 is proposed, leveraging BCT to enhance collaboration, process automation, and data sharing within a decentralized data value chain. The main NFRs for BCDTs are security, privacy, interoperability, data ownership, data integrity, and the decentralization and scalability of data storage. A five layered software architecture and a smart contracts framework using Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) are offered to address key industry use cases and their functional and non-functional requirements. The framework narrows the gaps identified around network governance, scalability, decentralization, interoperability, energy efficiency, computational requirements, and the integration of BCT with IoT, BIM, and DT. A cost analysis permitted developing criteria to evaluate the suitability of blockchain networks for BCDT applications in CI 4.0 based on key blockchain properties (security, decentralization, scalability, and interoperability). The study provides an industry-specific analysis and technological approach for BCDT adoption to address key challenges and improve sustainability for the CI 4.0. The findings provide key building blocks for industry practitioners to adopt and develop BCDT DApps further. The framework enables a paradigm shift towards decentralized ecosystems of united BCDTs where trust, collaboration, data sharing, information security, efficiency, and sustainability are improved throughout the lifecycle of smart infrastructure projects within a decentralized CE (DCE)

Analysing the Security Aspects of IoT using Blockchain and Cryptographic Algorithms

Technological advancement is a never-ending field that shows its evolution from time to time. In 1832, with the invention of the electromagnetic telegraph, the era of the Internet of Things (IoT) began. Within the time of 190 years, this technological domain has revolutionized IoT and made it omnipresent. However, with this evolved and omnipresent nature of IoT, many drawbacks, privacy, interoperability, and security issues have also been generated. These different concerns should be tackled with some newer technologies rather than the conventional ones as somehow, they are only the generator of those issues. Outdated Security could be an appropriate issue of IoT along with the centralized point of failure. It also possesses more concerns and challenges to tackle. On the other side, there is a visible solution to address the challenges of IoT in this developing domain of technology. The visible approach is Blockchain which acted as the backbone in securing Bitcoin in 2008, which was created by the pseudo group named Satoshi Nakamoto. Blockchain has evolved from Blockchain 1.0 to Blockchain 4.0 as the latest one depicts its amalgamation with another component of Industry 4.0 i.e., Artificial Intelligence (AI). AI will give the ability to think logically and like humans. In addition to this SMART solution, there is also an advanced cryptographical technique known as the Elliptic Curve Digital Signature Algorithm (ECDSA) which can enhance the security spectrum of IoT if applied appropriately. This paper produces a vision to enhance and optimize the security of IoT using a network peer-to-peer technology Blockchain along with advanced cryptography

Data standardization

With data rapidly becoming the lifeblood of the global economy, the ability to improve its use significantly affects both social and private welfare. Data standardization is key to facilitating and improving the use of data when data portability and interoperability are needed. Absent data standardization, a “Tower of Babel” of different databases may be created, limiting synergetic knowledge production. Based on interviews with data scientists, this Article identifies three main technological obstacles to data portability and interoperability: metadata uncertainties, data transfer obstacles, and missing data. It then explains how data standardization can remove at least some of these obstacles and lead to smoother data flows and better machine learning. The Article then identifies and analyzes additional effects of data standardization. As shown, data standardization has the potential to support a competitive and distributed data collection ecosystem and lead to easier policing in cases where rights are infringed or unjustified harms are created by data-fed algorithms. At the same time, increasing the scale and scope of data analysis can create negative externalities in the form of better profiling, increased harms to privacy, and cybersecurity harms. Standardization also has implications for investment and innovation, especially if lock-in to an inefficient standard occurs. The Article then explores whether market-led standardization initiatives can be relied upon to increase welfare, and the role governmental-facilitated data standardization should play, if at all

The IoT Tree of Life

The Internet of Things (IoT) has come to mean all things to all people. Combined with the huge amount of interest and investment into this emerging opportunity, there is a real possibility that the arising confusion will hamper adoption by the mass market. The SILC team have used their extensive Sensor Systems market and technical knowledge in an attempt to clarify the situation for individuals interested in understanding IoT, and the underpinning role of Sensor Systems. This paper proposes a phased model of the IoT ecosystem, starting with infrastructure establishment, and culminating in exploitation through the creation of new companies and business models. It does not attempt to quantify the emerging opportunities, relying instead on the many publications dedicated to detailed market analysis. The focus is to place the opportunities in context, demonstrate the importance of sensor system technology underpinning the emerging IoT revolution, and suggests areas where the UK could establish leadership positions. Throughout the paper, examples of the likely protagonists have been used by way of illustration

Blockchain For Food: Making Sense of Technology and the Impact on Biofortified Seeds

The global food system is under pressure and is in the early stages of a major transition towards more transparency, circularity, and personalisation. In the coming decades, there is an increasing need for more food production with fewer resources. Thus, increasing crop yields and nutritional value per crop is arguably an important factor in this global food transition. Biofortification can play an important role in feeding the world. Biofortified seeds create produce with increased nutritional values, mainly minerals and vitamins, while using the same or less resources as non-biofortified variants. However, a farmer cannot distinguish a biofortified seed from a regular seed. Due to the invisible nature of the enhanced seeds, counterfeit products are common, limiting wide-scale adoption of biofortified crops. Fraudulent seeds pose a major obstacle in the adoption of biofortified crops. A system that could guarantee the origin of the biofortified seeds is therefore required to ensure widespread adoption. This trust-ensuring immutable proof for the biofortified seeds, can be provided via blockchain technology