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The advantage you need to get ahead

19 June 2018

IoT
Internet of Things

Nobody likes starting from scratch. It is easier and more efficient to take an existing base model and add your own selected features. An IoT project always requires a certain architecture, but by using a reference architecture you can get off to a flying start.

What’s in a name?

Reference architecture – what springs to mind when you hear this? It is a modular and scalable architecture that offers the freedom to add or remove certain capabilities. Mapping out architecture like this is also useful and valuable, given that you can embed many requirements from a large number of user scenarios. It therefore offers a starting point for architects who want to create IoT solutions while serving as a solid basis for further development. Bundling architectural knowledge in the form of a reference architecture is necessary, given that structuring and sharing this knowledge in a world of rapidly evolving technology is critical.

A reference architecture must include multiple aspects, including the cloud or server architecture that we can use to control, manage, edit and process data from IoT devices. It also includes a network model to communicate with devices and describes which requirements exist in relation to the type of equipment that this reference architecture can support. The architecture on which a solution is based must contribute to the goals of the organization. Here it is important to start from a business challenge and not overlook any individual stakeholder.

Communication is the key

Connectivity is a crucial pillar of the IoT reference architecture. Things need to be connected to each other and/or the central business application. Depending on what is required, we can distinguish between a range of different communication protocols. We make a distinction between protocols that support devices communicating over short distances. Examples include NFC, Bluetooth, IR, RFID and Wi-Fi. We then distinguish between protocols intended to cover longer distances, such as 3G/4G, LoRa, LTE-M and SigFox. Finally, there are the bus protocols such as ModBus and CanBus that are used primarily in industry and in vehicles. When choosing a protocol, the required bandwidth always plays a crucial role. The use of a battery can influence the choice of protocol, depending on the desired lifetime of the battery.

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From physical to virtual

As well as connectivity, the IoT devices themselves of course play an important role, because they are supposed to collect the data required for the business application from the physical world or to carry out specific control actions. Using connectivity solutions, IoT devices are connected to the platforms where data is received, stored, analyzed and made available. These platforms may equally be located in the Cloud, on their own servers or on Edge (gateway) devices. The latter ensure that data arriving from the sensors can be processed and analyzed in as close a proximity as possible. In this way, delays in data transfer that are inherent to communication with Cloud platforms can be avoided.

Another part of the reference architecture is the IoT platform, which includes the APIs that manage access to the data. What is important here is that the application knows what it is measuring, thereby enabling it to respond correctly to the input. The combination of IoT with Semantic Web technology makes it possible to place measurements from sensors in the right context, meaning that correct decisions can be made. The use of Semantic Web technology allows us to construct a Web of Things where IoT devices as service can be discovered and used. If the user wants to know the ambient temperature in their location, they do not need to know which sensor measured it. The application seeks an API that can supply the desired information regardless of the underlying sensor.

Want to find out more about how we can construct a reference architecture to suit your needs?

Using our IoT reference architecture as a guideline during your IoT journey will help you make the right architectural choices.

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