Dr. Eyhab Al-Masri
University of Waterloo

Achieving the Full Potential Internet of Things (IoT)

Candidate for Faculty Position in Computer Science

Department of Computer Science
Monday, May 30, 2016, 1:30 p.m., Room EN-2022

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Abstract

Envision a future where nearly all “things” (e.g., physical objects) present in the real world are digitally connected to the Internet. This means that each “thing” can receive inputs from the physical world which can then be transformed into data sent through the “Internet” for collection, processing and analysis. This also means that a “thing” can make decisions, generate outputs into the physical world and coordinate with other “things” that are part of a cloud platform. As a result, a pervasive presence around us of a large number of “things” will lead a new wave of intelligence. That is, the power of turning raw enumeration of data into real-time predictive, actionable intelligence is one of the driving factors for exploring the realm of the Internet of Things (IoT). However, major research challenges need to be addressed before reaching the full potential of IoT including architectural complexity, component heterogeneity, service provisioning, device localization and interoperability. In addressing many of these challenges, this research introduces a middleware that supports IoT application-specific requirements. This research also investigates dynamic localization and data communication techniques for Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), a key enabler for IoT that has full potential to fundamentally change the way we interact with our surroundings. Preliminary results from conducted experiments of a case study that focuses on the pervasiveness of RFID within hospitals demonstrate usefulness of the proposed middleware approach in IoT and the effectiveness of RFID localization designs.