Mar 29th, 2010
The COIT's vision of Wireless Sensor Networks
The Spanish National Association of Telecommunication Engineers (COIT) has shared with us their vision on M2M world in a few years. We find it very interesting as well as their intense activity to make it real. The following have been provided by Mr. Cayetano Lluch, coordinator of the New Professional Activities (NAP) group of the COIT.
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Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN) arises as one of the most promising technologies for the next decades. The recent emergence of small and inexpensive sensors based upon micro electromechanical system eases the development and proliferation of this kind of networks in a wide range of real-world applications.
Wireless sensor networks will be widely used in industries such as automotive, homeland security, medical, aerospace, home automation, remote monitoring, structural and environmental monitoring… WSN, with RFID and embedded intelligence, are part of the Internet of Things, , see Figure 1
Figure 1. WSN Internet architecture
Several Spanish companies, telecom operators included, are developing and offering WSN applications, but they usually are specific WSN for specific needs, mostly for large enterprises (utilities) and the public administrations.
There is not an ecosystem with small companies and professionals offering many applications for also small companies and professionals, although the technology to support these applications and the market exists.
COIT (COIT it is a public law entity to which public administration has confered the faculty of certifying projects made by more than 12000 telecommunication engineers who are members to it. ), within the New Professional Activities Group (NAP) wishes to facilitate the Telecom Engineers (TE) to work on projects, developments, implementations and operations of WSN in many small size applications; collaborating to build this ecosystem. The Project started April 2009.
NAP/COIT WSN Ecosystem
The ecosystem is based on the following actors, see Figure 2:
Figure 2. NAP/COIT WSN Ecosystem
Vision of the Operator’s role: typically A WSN ends with a gateway that needs to communicate with the server, in which resides the application. So, the application developer needs to consider the communication protocol between the gateway and the server, but also needs to cope with the data base management and security, and so on. On the other side a communication link, usually the Internet, is needed for the end customer to collect the application results from the server. Every small application needs a server with all these software, which is not cost effective. To run remote applications, also a communication network is needed, usually a mobile network, with no adapted and expensive commercial tariffs.
The MNO can facilitate the WSN generalization by including the gateway in a M2M terminal, and hosting the application in the M2M server, see Figure 3, but specially, building a WSN development and test environment , to certify the TE/SME applications with his specific infrastructure and services.
Figure 3. MNO rol
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I really thank Mr. Lluch to share this vision with us. I find very interesting that small developers require a big player, as a mobile operator, to facilitate the development of the M2M business. Time will show if this happens, because current offers from Mobile operators do not include the innovative ideas of this model.
Guillermo Esteve - Vodafone R&D .ES
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Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN) arises as one of the most promising technologies for the next decades. The recent emergence of small and inexpensive sensors based upon micro electromechanical system eases the development and proliferation of this kind of networks in a wide range of real-world applications.
Wireless sensor networks will be widely used in industries such as automotive, homeland security, medical, aerospace, home automation, remote monitoring, structural and environmental monitoring… WSN, with RFID and embedded intelligence, are part of the Internet of Things, , see Figure 1
Figure 1. WSN Internet architecture
Several Spanish companies, telecom operators included, are developing and offering WSN applications, but they usually are specific WSN for specific needs, mostly for large enterprises (utilities) and the public administrations.
There is not an ecosystem with small companies and professionals offering many applications for also small companies and professionals, although the technology to support these applications and the market exists.
COIT (COIT it is a public law entity to which public administration has confered the faculty of certifying projects made by more than 12000 telecommunication engineers who are members to it. ), within the New Professional Activities Group (NAP) wishes to facilitate the Telecom Engineers (TE) to work on projects, developments, implementations and operations of WSN in many small size applications; collaborating to build this ecosystem. The Project started April 2009.
NAP/COIT WSN Ecosystem
The ecosystem is based on the following actors, see Figure 2:
- TE: Telecom Engineer, usually self employee, who projects and certifies WSN for his or her customers. These are working in all Spanish regions.
- TE/SME: Self employee TE or SME who develop WSN solutions and offer the applications to TE to project WSN, easen the role of the latest.
- Operator: NO/MNO with special infrastructure (e.g. M2M) and services to support WSN.
- Generic Applications: are those with common elements and architecture, but with the need to be dimensioned (projected) for every customer. E.g. every WSN for a farm needs on-site survey, a small project and a final test, but the generic application is the same. Usually there are much more customers than applications.
- Compatibilities: MNO can and must develop their applications. MNO and TE/SME can also project WSN for their customers.
Figure 2. NAP/COIT WSN Ecosystem
Vision of the Operator’s role: typically A WSN ends with a gateway that needs to communicate with the server, in which resides the application. So, the application developer needs to consider the communication protocol between the gateway and the server, but also needs to cope with the data base management and security, and so on. On the other side a communication link, usually the Internet, is needed for the end customer to collect the application results from the server. Every small application needs a server with all these software, which is not cost effective. To run remote applications, also a communication network is needed, usually a mobile network, with no adapted and expensive commercial tariffs.
The MNO can facilitate the WSN generalization by including the gateway in a M2M terminal, and hosting the application in the M2M server, see Figure 3, but specially, building a WSN development and test environment , to certify the TE/SME applications with his specific infrastructure and services.
Figure 3. MNO rol
---------
I really thank Mr. Lluch to share this vision with us. I find very interesting that small developers require a big player, as a mobile operator, to facilitate the development of the M2M business. Time will show if this happens, because current offers from Mobile operators do not include the innovative ideas of this model.
Guillermo Esteve - Vodafone R&D .ES