Internet of Things: Smart Rural Roads

Introduction

The Internet of Things (IOT) is a system for connecting devices, objects, and people, on a local or a global scale. It uses a combination of smart phones, cloud computing, RFID (radio-frequency identification) technology, sensors, and miniaturisation. It is capable of creating a new generation of embedded and immersive technologies [1]. The name, coined in 1999 by Kevin Ashton (co-founder of MITs Auto-ID lab) was driven by the adoption of RFID tags in supply-chain management, but today it is used in industrial automation, as well as environmental, medical and health monitoring. The scale of the applications range from our watches (like Fitbit and Garmin), smart fridges (Samsung), mobile banking apps, and environmental controls at home  (Hive). Wide scale adoption is facilitated by new open source networking systems such as Siemens Mindsphere [2], and ongoing reductions in cost and power opens up more possibilities every day. However, this does not come without risks, with threats to privacy and security from an increasingly digital world.

Task

Your task is to design a “smart road” using IOT technology with the aim of improving road safety, whilst reducing the cost and environmental impact of implementing the solution. Your solution should also consider the long term sustainability of the project and technology. You should begin by looking at existing applications for smart roads, considering the usage in rural and urban areas, as well as high speed and low speed roads. Your solution should employ distributed sensors to capture real time information, manage large amounts of data, and design intelligent, efficient control strategies. All the relevant data should be available using an internet infrastructure.

 Considerations

·       Fundamental architecture

     You should first generate a design of the system architecture and sensor feedback, including an explanation of the reasoning behind your design. This might take the form of a flowchart but should include the fundamental structure (e.g. event driven, rule based). 

·       Sensing and communication

      It is important to consider what data to capture, as well as the types of sensors or devices used and their placement. How can you improve the accuracy and reliability of the sensors? How will these sensors communicate between themselves as well as with the internet? Which unique identifiers and efficient platforms will be suitable to connect the devices?

·       Big data and data fusion

     With such a large amount of data being collected there will be constraints on its storage, transmission, and the processing of these complex data sets. You should study the big data problem, existing solutions, and consider appropriate approaches when acquiring, processing, and analysing this data. Due to the large number of sensors you are likely to need data fusion and sensor fusion algorithms.

·       Use and display of data

     Access and security of the data should be considered. How will the processed data be transmitted to end users and how will they use it? Could your system be used to make predictions to improve the use of rural roads? What are the security risks with your system, and how can they be managed?

·       Power

     You must think about how these devices will be powered and maintained. Consider power consumption vs power generation; can the device use energy harvesting or advanced battery technology?

·       Costs

     Off-the-shelf hardware and software may be cheap to deploy but may be inefficient for the task. Bespoke systems are expensive, what are the economies of scale?

·       Sustainability

      Consider how this solution is future-proofed, and minimizes any detriment to future generations [3].

References

[1] Samuel Greengard, The Internet of Things, 2015, Cambridge, Massachusetts : MIT Press, 2015 (note: is also available online as an ebook via StarPlus) 

[2] Siemens, “This is MindSphere.” Siemens Ingenuity for Life. https://new.siemens.com/global/en/products/software/mindsphere.html [Accessed: October 12, 2023]

[3] The United Nations, “United Nations Sustainable Development” Sustainable Development Goals.  https://sdgs.un.org/ [Accessed: October 12, 2023]