Internet of robotic things : converging sensing/actuating, hypoconnectivity, artificial intelligence and IoT Platforms

The Internet of Things (IoT) concept is evolving rapidly and influencing newdevelopments in various application domains, such as the Internet of MobileThings (IoMT), Autonomous Internet of Things (A-IoT), Autonomous Systemof Things (ASoT), Internet of Autonomous Things (IoAT), Internetof Things Clouds (IoT-C) and the Internet of Robotic Things (IoRT) etc.that are progressing/advancing by using IoT technology. The IoT influencerepresents new development and deployment challenges in different areassuch as seamless platform integration, context based cognitive network integration,new mobile sensor/actuator network paradigms, things identification(addressing, naming in IoT) and dynamic things discoverability and manyothers. The IoRT represents new convergence challenges and their need to be addressed, in one side the programmability and the communication ofmultiple heterogeneous mobile/autonomous/robotic things for cooperating,their coordination, configuration, exchange of information, security, safetyand protection. Developments in IoT heterogeneous parallel processing/communication and dynamic systems based on parallelism and concurrencyrequire new ideas for integrating the intelligent “devices”, collaborativerobots (COBOTS), into IoT applications. Dynamic maintainability, selfhealing,self-repair of resources, changing resource state, (re-) configurationand context based IoT systems for service implementation and integrationwith IoT network service composition are of paramount importance whennew “cognitive devices” are becoming active participants in IoT applications.This chapter aims to be an overview of the IoRT concept, technologies,architectures and applications and to provide a comprehensive coverage offuture challenges, developments and applications

Developing a comprehensive information security framework for mHealth: a detailed analysis

It has been clearly shown that mHealth solutions, which is the use of mobile devices and other wireless technology to provide healthcare services, deliver more patient-focused healthcare, and improve the overall efficiency of healthcare systems. In addition, these solutions can potentially reduce the cost of providing healthcare in the context of the increasing demands of the aging populations in advanced economies. These solutions can also play an important part in intelligent environments, facilitating real-time data collection and input to enable various functionalities. However, there are several challenges regarding the development of mHealth solutions: the most important of these being privacy and data security. Furthermore, the use of cloud computing is becoming an option for the healthcare sector to store healthcare data; but storing data in the cloud raises serious concerns. This paper investigates how data are managed both on mHealth devices as well as in the cloud. Firstly, a detailed analysis of the entire mHealth domain is undertaken to determine domain-specific features and a taxonomy for mHealth, from which a set of security requirements are identified in order to develop a new information security framework. It then examines individual information security frameworks for mHealth devices and the cloud, noting similarities and differences. Furthermore, key mechanisms to implement the new framework are discussed and the new framework is then presented. Finally, the paper presents how the new framework could be implemented in order to develop an Advanced Digital Medical Platform

Towards an aspect weaving BPEL engine

This position paper proposes the use of dynamic aspects and the visitor design pattern to obtain a highly configurable and extensible BPEL engine. Using these two techniques, the core of this infrastructural software can be customised to meet new requirements and add features such as debugging, execution monitoring, or changing to another Web Service selection policy. Additionally, it can easily be extended to cope with customer-specific BPEL extensions. We propose the use of dynamic aspects not only on the engine itself but also on the workflow in order to tackle the problems of Web Service hot deployment and hot fixes to long running processes. In this way, composing aWeb Service "on-the-fly" means weaving its choreography interface into the workflow

Developing a comprehensive information security framework for mHealth: a detailed analysis

It has been clearly shown that mHealth solutions, which is the use of mobile devices and other wireless technology to provide healthcare services, deliver more patient-focused healthcare, and improve the overall efficiency of healthcare systems. In addition, these solutions can potentially reduce the cost of providing healthcare in the context of the increasing demands of the aging populations in advanced economies. These solutions can also play an important part in intelligent environments, facilitating real-time data collection and input to enable various functionalities. However, there are several challenges regarding the development of mHealth solutions: the most important of these being privacy and data security. Furthermore, the use of cloud computing is becoming an option for the healthcare sector to store healthcare data; but storing data in the cloud raises serious concerns. This paper investigates how data are managed both on mHealth devices as well as in the cloud. Firstly, a detailed analysis of the entire mHealth domain is undertaken to determine domain-specific features and a taxonomy for mHealth, from which a set of security requirements are identified in order to develop a new information security framework. It then examines individual information security frameworks for mHealth devices and the cloud, noting similarities and differences. Furthermore, key mechanisms to implement the new framework are discussed and the new framework is then presented. Finally, the paper presents how the new framework could be implemented in order to develop an Advanced Digital Medical Platform

The State of the Electronic Identity Market: Technologies, Infrastructure, Services and Policies

Authenticating onto systems, connecting to mobile networks and providing identity data to access services is common ground for most EU citizens, however what is disruptive is that digital technologies fundamentally alter and upset the ways identity is managed, by people, companies and governments. Technological progress in cryptography, identity systems design, smart card design and mobile phone authentication have been developed as a convenient and reliable answer to the need for authentication. Yet, these advances ar enot sufficient to satisfy the needs across people's many spheres of activity: work, leisure, health, social activities nor have they been used to enable cross-border service implementation in the Single Digital Market, or to ensure trust in cross border eCommerce. The study findings assert that the potentially great added value of eID technologies in enabling the Digital Economy has not yet been fulfilled, and fresh efforts are needed to build identification and authentication systems that people can live with, trust and use. The study finds that usability, minimum disclosure and portability, essential features of future systems, are at the margin of the market and cross-country, cross-sector eID systems for business and public service are only in their infancy. This report joins up the dots, and provides significant exploratory evidence of the potential of eID for the Single Digital Market. A clear understanding of this market is crucial for policy action on identification and authentication, eSignature and interoperability.JRC.DDG.J.4-Information Societ

Customer satisfaction with the electronic banking services in Zimbabwe: a case of Mashonaland West Province, Zimbabwe.

Doctoral Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg.With the constant advances in technology, it is expected that life should become easier in various way, one of these being that people would no longer have to wait in queues in banks as technology allows people to do most of their transactions by computer or cell phone. This research sought to gather information on customer satisfaction with the electronic banking (e-banking) facilities and services in Zimbabwe. The problem which was identified is that people spend a lot of time waiting in queues for services they could access much more quickly on e-banking platforms. Three e-banking platforms were examined, these being automated teller machines (ATMs), internet banking, and mobile banking (m-banking). The research took the form of a descriptive case study design. It also took a mixed method approach where both quantitative and qualitative data was used. Mashonaland West Province in Zimbabwe was the location for the study. Questionnaires were distributed in all seven districts of this province, on a pro rata basis depending on population size. According to the 2012 census survey in Zimbabwe, the total population of economically active people, between the ages of 15 and 64 years living in the province was 825 911 people. The researcher used Kredjice and Morgan’s table to calculate the sample size of 384 people. Two hundred and eighty-three (283) questionnaires were returned out of the three Hundred and eighty-four (384) questionnaires which were distributed, thus the response rate was 73.7%. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (version 20) was used to analyze the data. Results showed that e-banking services in Zimbabwe are satisfactory as there was not a single attribute of banking where the majority of people showed dissatisfaction. However, there is a need for Zimbabwean banks to continue to educate citizens on how to use e-banking facilities effectively. Internet banking had the lowest levels of reported user satisfaction with the problem emanating from a lack of internet access by the majority of citizens. There was also no significant gap realized between bank sector managers’ perceptions of customers’ needs and wants and the actual needs of customers. A model for adoption of electronic banking in Zimbabwe has been developed by the researcher and is made up of five key factors which determine the adoption of electronic banking in Zimbabwe, these are: education, accessibility, ease of use, friendliness, and security. These key factors determine the success of electronic banking in Zimbabwe. If this model is adopted it can assist Zimbabwe banks in new products development, improving service quality and therefore establish sustainable competitive advantage

Mobiiliasiointipalveluiden käyttäjäkeskeinen suunnittelu Namibiassa: Mobiilin henkilökorttihaun ja tunnistautumisen prototypointi

The average e-government implementation level in Africa remains low. While many African governments have created e-government strategies and informational government websites, much attention has not yet been paid to implementing socially inclusive and accessible services. Especially in Namibia, where a digital divide is prevalent and income inequality rates are high, creating equal opportunities to access government services is important in order to combat the divide. Offering services on mobile platforms, gathering an understanding of citizens' needs, and designing intuitive user interfaces have been suggested as courses of action for Namibia. It seems that Namibian e-government initiatives would benefit from user-centred design. The aim of this thesis is to explore the opportunities of mobile platforms for delivering citizen-centric e-government services to Namibian citizens, and how a combination of design science and user-centred design might support the creation of such \textit{m-government} services. The subject is approached through a practical design challenge: creating prototypes for two mobile services related to identification (a service for online ID applications, and for digital authentication of individuals). According to the results, mobile platforms hold a multitude of opportunities related to making existing government services more efficient and approachable, and related to the young, urban Namibians' proficiency in mobile use and overall positive perceptions of offering identification services on mobile platforms. For rural communities, m-government services could help reduce the amount of travel related to interacting with the government, but internet coverage remains an issue. The results also indicate that using prototypes can facilitate cross-cultural co-creation of knowledge by helping to establish a mutual understanding of concepts between parties.Sähköisten asiointipalveluiden keskimääräinen taso Afrikassa on yhä matalalla. Vaikka valtionjohto monissa Afrikan maissa on luonut strategioita sähköisten asiointipalveluiden kehittämiseksi ja verkkosivuja tiedotusta varten, paljoakaan huomiota ei ole vielä kiinnitetty sosiaalisesti inklusiivisten ja saavutettavien palveluiden kehittämiseen. Varsinkin Namibiassa, jossa digitaalinen kuilu eri ryhmien välillä on syvä ja tuloerot suuria, on tärkeää luoda asiointipalveluiden käytölle yhtäläiset mahdollisuudet erojen pienentämiseksi. Menettelytavoiksi Namibiassa on ehdotettu palveluiden tarjoamista mobiilialustoilla, tiedonkeruuta kansalaisten tarpeista sekä käyttöliittymien suunnittelua intuitiivisiksi. Vaikuttaa siltä, että projektit voisivat hyötyä käyttäjäkeskeisestä suunnittelusta. Tämän diplomityön tavoitteena on tutkia mobiilialustojen mahdollisuuksia kansalaiskeskeisten sähköisten asiointipalveluiden tarjoamiseksi Namibian kansalaisille, sekä tietojärjestelmätutkimuksen ja käyttäjäkeskeisen suunnittelun yhdistelmän mahdollisuuksia tukea tällaisten mobiiliasiointipalveluiden suunnittelua. Aihetta lähestytään käytännön suunnitteluhaasteen kautta: työssä kehitetään kaksi prototyyppiä henkilöllisyyteen liittyvistä palveluista (yksi sähköistä henkilökorttihakua varten, toinen sähköistä tunnistautumista varten). Tulosten mukaan mobiilialustat tarjoavat monenlaisia mahdollisuuksia nykyisten asiointipalveluiden tehostamiseksi ja kehittämiseksi lähestyttävämmiksi. Mobiilialustojen käyttö on lupaavaa myös siinä mielessä, että nuoret, kaupungeissa asuvat namibialaiset ovat kyvykkäitä mobiilikäyttäjiä ja heidän suhtautumisensa henkilöllisyyteen liittyvien palveluiden tarjoamiseen mobiilialustoilla oli yleisesti ottaen positiivista. Maaseudulla asuvien yhteisöjen osalta mobiiliasiointipalvelut voisivat vähentää julkisten palveluiden käyttöön liittyvää matkustusta, mutta internet-yhteyden saatavuus seuduilla on yhä heikkoa. Tulokset viittaavat myös siihen, että prototyyppien käyttö voi fasilitoida kulttuurienvälistä tiedon yhteisluomista helpottamalla yhteisen konseptuaalisen ymmärryksen syntymistä eri osapuolten välille

Blockchain and SDN Architecture for Spectrum Management in Cellular Networks

Whereas 4G LTE networks have brought about an increase in data rates of mobile networks, they are unable to meet the capacity demands of future networks. Specifically, the centralized nature of the evolved packet core (EPC) makes the network non-scalable to match the exponential increase in number of wireless devices in addition to the complexities of diverse service requirements. The SDN concept has recently attracted a lot of research interest as a viable proposition for bringing about programmability and ease of network management while also offering flexibility for innovative network designs. However, current SDN implementations are not adapted to support business agreements that foster interoperability among mobile network operators (MNOs). This paper is an extended version of our earlier work and we intend to present a unified SDN and blockchain architecture with enhanced spectrum management features for enabling seamless user roaming capabilities between MNOs. Our simulation results show that users can experience no disruption in service with very minimal delay as they traverse between operators

Securing mHealth - Investigating the development of a novel information security framework

The deployment of Mobile Health (mHealth) platforms as well as the use of mobile and wireless technologies have significant potential to transform healthcare services. The use of mHealth technologies allow a real-time remote monitoring as well as direct access to healthcare data so that users (e.g., patients and healthcare professionals) can utilise mHealth services anywhere and anytime. Generally, mHealth offers smart solutions to tackle challenges in healthcare. However, there are still various issues regarding the development of the mHealth system. One of the most common diffi-culties in developing the mHealth system is the security of healthcare data. mHealth systems are still vulnerable to numerous security issues with regard to their weak-nesses in design and data management. Several information security frameworks for mHealth devices as well as information security frameworks for Cloud storage have been proposed, however, the major challenge is developing an effective information se-curity framework that will encompass every component of an mHealth system to secure sensitive healthcare data. This research investigates how healthcare data is managed in mHealth systems and proposes a new information security framework that secures mHealth systems. Moreover, a prototype is developed for the purpose of testing the proposed information security framework. Firstly, risk identification is carried out to determine what could happen to cause potential damage and to gain insight into how, where, and why the damage might happen. The process of risk identification includes the identification of assets those need to be protected, threats that we try to protect against, and vulnerabilities that are weaknesses in mHealth systems. Afterward, a detailed analysis of the entire mHealth domain is undertaken to determine domain-specific features and a taxonomy for mHealth, from which a set of the most essential security requirements is identified to develop a new information security framework. It then examines existing information security frameworks for mHealth devices and the Cloud, noting similarities and differences. Key mechanisms to implement the new framework are discussed and the new framework is then presented. Furthermore, a prototype is developed for the purpose of testing. It consists of four layers including an mHealth secure storage system, Capability system, Secure transactional layer, and Service management layer. Capability system, Secure transactional layer, and Service management layer are developed as main contributions of the research