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Internet of things

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In computing, the term Internet of Things (also known as the Internet of Objects) refers to the networked interconnection of everyday objects.[1] It is generally viewed as a self-configuring wireless network of sensors whose purpose would be to interconnect all things.[1] The concept is attributed to the original Auto-ID Center, founded in 1999 and based at the time in MIT[2][3].

The idea is as simple as its application is difficult. If all cans, books, shoes or parts of cars are equipped with minuscule identifying devices, daily life on our planet will undergo a transformation. Things like running out of stock or wasted products will no longer exist as we will know exactly what is being consumed on the other side of the globe. Theft will be a thing of the past as we will know where a product is at all times. The same applies to parcels lost in the post.

If all objects of daily life, from yoghurt to an airplane, are equipped with radio tags, they can be identified and managed by computers in the same way humans can.[4][5] The next generation of Internet applications (IPv6 protocol) would be able to identify more objects than IPv4, which is currently in use. This system would therefore be able to instantaneously identify any kind of object.[6]

The Internet of objects should encode 50 to 100 trillion objects and follow the movement of those objects. Every human being is surrounded by 1,000 to 5,000 objects.[7]

Alcatel-Lucent touchatag[8] service and Violet's Mirror gadget provide a pragmatic consumer oriented approach to the Internet of Things by which anyone can easily link real world items to the online world using RFID tags (and QR Codes in case of touchatag).

Universal addressability of dumb things

An alternative view, from the world of the Semantic Web [9] focuses instead on making all "things" (not just those electronic, smart, or RFID-enabled) addressable by the existing naming protocols, such as URI. The objects themselves do not converse, but they may now be referred to by other agents, such as powerful centralised servers acting for their human owners.

Trends, Characteristics

Technology Roadmap: Internet of Things

Intelligence

The Internet of Things will likely be a "non deterministic" and open network (cyberspace?) in which auto-organized or intelligent entities (Web services, SOA components), virtual objects (avatars) will be interoperable and able to act independently (pursuing their own objectives or shared ones) depending on the context, circumstances or environments. It will host Ambient intelligence (built upon Ubiquitous computing).

"Real life" VS Model-driven architecture

It will also likely be event driven[10], bottom-up made (based on the context of processes and operations, in real-time) and will consider any subsidiary level (see also: Event-driven architecture). Therefore, model driven and functional approaches will coexist with new ones able to treat exceptions and unusual evolution of processes (Multi-agent systems, B-ADSc, etc.).

Actually, in this internet, the meaning of an event will not necessarily be based on, either a deterministic or syntactic model but will be based on the context of the event itself: this will also be a Semantic Web[11]. Consequently, it will not necessarily need common standards that would not be able to address every context or use: some actors (services, components, avatars) will accordingly be self-referenced and, if ever needed, adaptive to existing common standards (predicting everything would be no more than defining a "global finality" for everything that is just not possible with any of the current top-down approaches and standardizations).

Chaotic or complex system ?

In semi-open or closed loops (i.e. value chains, whenever a global finality can be settled) it will therefore be considered and studied as a Complex system due to the huge number of different links and interactions between autonomous actors, and its capacity to integrate new actors. At the overall stage (full open loop) it will likely be seen as a chaotic environment (since systems have always finality).

Time considerations

In this Internet of Things, made of billions of parallel and simultaneous events, time will no more be used as a common and linear dimension[12] but will depend on each entity (object, process, information system, etc.). This Internet of Things will be accordingly based on massive parallel IT systems (Parallel computing).

Space considerations

In an Internet of Things, the precise geographic location of a thing -- and also the precise geographic dimensions of a thing -- will be critical. Currently, the Internet has been primarily used to manage information processed by people. Therefore, facts about a thing, such as it's location in time and space, has been less critical to track because the person processing the information can decide whether or not that information was important to the action being taken, and if so, add the missing information (or decide to not take the action). If in the Internet of Things, things are able to take actions on their own initiative, this human-centric mediation role is eliminated, and the time-space context that we as humans take for granted must be given a central role in this information ecosystem.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Conner, Margery (May 27, 2010). "Sensors empower the "Internet of Things"" (10): 32–38. ISSN 0012-7515. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  2. ^ Sean Dodson (2003-10-09). "The internet of things". The Guardian.
    The Auto-ID Center was replaced by the Auto-ID Labs in October 2003. More precisely, EPCglobal was formed as the successor organization to the Auto-ID Center, while its sister organization Auto-ID Labs manages and funds research on the EPC technology.
  3. ^ "APPENDIX F: THE INTERNET OF THINGS (BACKGROUND)" (PDF). Disruptive Technologies: Global Trends 2025. SRI Consulting Business Intelligence. Retrieved 30 May 2010.
  4. ^ P. Magrassi, A. Panarella, N. Deighton, G. Johnson, “Computers to Acquire Control of the Physical World”, Gartner research report T-14-0301, 28 September 2001
  5. ^ Commission of the European Communities (2009-06-18). "Internet of Things — An action plan for Europe" (pdf). COM(2009) 278 final.
  6. ^ Waldner, Jean-Baptiste (2008). Nanocomputers and Swarm Intelligence. London: ISTE. pp. p227 – p231. ISBN 1847040020.
  7. ^ Waldner, Jean-Baptiste (2007). Inventer l'Ordinateur du XXIeme Siècle. London: Hermes Science. pp. p254. ISBN 2746215160. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
  8. ^ http://www.touchatag.com
  9. ^ Dan Brickley et al., c. 2001
  10. ^ Philippe GAUTIER, « RFID et acquisition de données évènementielles : retours d'expérience chez Bénédicta », pages 94 à 96, Systèmes d'Information et Management - revue trimestrielle N°2 Vol. 12, 2007, ISSN 1260-4984 / ISBN 9782747212908, éditions ESKA. [1]
  11. ^ "3 questions to Philippe GAUTIER, by David Fayon, march 2010"
  12. ^ Janusz Bucki, "L'organisation et le temps" (in French)

Further reading

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