Semantic Techniques to Support IoT Interoperability
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devices to exchange information seamlessly. Despite being first employed in the field
of industrial automation, OPC-UA has been already adapted to work in different
environments and sectors: oil and gas exploration, smart building and automation,
energy production are only some of the field in which it is currently employed. OPCUA is considered a common base to establish communications among sensors, but
it does not impose anything regarding the interfaces they expose or the formats of
the exchanged data.
Using the ETSI-M2M standard as a reference, the Open Machine to Machine
(OM2M) platform [1] offers a set of open source services for M2M interoperability.
OM2M relies on REST to make the development of services and applications completely independent of the particular network used to connect them, and provides a
modular architecture which can be extended through plugins. Also, it incorporates
the SmartM2M [7] standard. Consortia are fully engaged in the creation of new
standards for sensors’ interoperability. A cross-industry consortium going under the
name of AllSeen Alliance
1 has been dedicated to the definition of a framework,
namely AllJoyn, to enable interoperability of devices, services and applications for
the Internet of Things. The framework offers open and secure programmable interfaces, which enable software and services connectivity. In particular, it allows companies to create interoperable products that can connect, interact and discover other
products implemented by following the AllJoyn framework. Applications and/or
sensors developed using the AllJoyn framework are independent of the transport
layer, platforms, brand and Operative Systems used. Another example of consortium
engaged in the definition of a standard communication framework is represented by
the Open Interconnect Consortium (OIC), which is focused on industry standards
to enable wireless connections among IoT sensors and devices, and thus to manage
the flow of data among them. As a result of the efforts of the consortium, the IoTivity Project
2 has been carried out, to build an open source software framework for
device-to-device connectivity.
In February 2016 the Open Interconnect Consortium changed its name to Open
Connectivity Foundation (OCF)
3 and in October 2016 it has merged with the
AllSeen Alliance, thus creating a unique consortium working on IoT interoperability.
Among research projects we find INTER-IoT,
4 which is supported by the Horizon 2020 European program. The objective of the project is to create an interoperable
IoT framework, comprehending tools and methodologies for the integration of heterogeneous IoT Platforms [11], and applicable to different domains.
OMG has also contributed to the realization of standards for the interoperable
connection of devices, by creating the Data-Distribution Service for Real-Time
Systems (DDS) [17]. DDS consists in a network protocol implementing the classical
Observer Design Pattern, which regulates the transmission of data, acts on events
and exchange of commands among devices belonging to the network topology. DDS
1 AllSeen Alliance. https://allseenalliance.org/. Accessed on 20 March 2016.
2 IoTivity. https://www.iotivity.org/. Accessed on 20 March 2016.
3 Open Connectivity Foundation—https://openconnectivity.org/. Accessed on March 2020.
4 Inter-IoT project. http://www.inter-iot-project.eu/.
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devices to exchange information seamlessly. Despite being first employed in the field
of industrial automation, OPC-UA has been already adapted to work in different
environments and sectors: oil and gas exploration, smart building and automation,
energy production are only some of the field in which it is currently employed. OPCUA is considered a common base to establish communications among sensors, but
it does not impose anything regarding the interfaces they expose or the formats of
the exchanged data.
Using the ETSI-M2M standard as a reference, the Open Machine to Machine
(OM2M) platform [1] offers a set of open source services for M2M interoperability.
OM2M relies on REST to make the development of services and applications completely independent of the particular network used to connect them, and provides a
modular architecture which can be extended through plugins. Also, it incorporates
the SmartM2M [7] standard. Consortia are fully engaged in the creation of new
standards for sensors’ interoperability. A cross-industry consortium going under the
name of AllSeen Alliance
1 has been dedicated to the definition of a framework,
namely AllJoyn, to enable interoperability of devices, services and applications for
the Internet of Things. The framework offers open and secure programmable interfaces, which enable software and services connectivity. In particular, it allows companies to create interoperable products that can connect, interact and discover other
products implemented by following the AllJoyn framework. Applications and/or
sensors developed using the AllJoyn framework are independent of the transport
layer, platforms, brand and Operative Systems used. Another example of consortium
engaged in the definition of a standard communication framework is represented by
the Open Interconnect Consortium (OIC), which is focused on industry standards
to enable wireless connections among IoT sensors and devices, and thus to manage
the flow of data among them. As a result of the efforts of the consortium, the IoTivity Project
2 has been carried out, to build an open source software framework for
device-to-device connectivity.
In February 2016 the Open Interconnect Consortium changed its name to Open
Connectivity Foundation (OCF)
3 and in October 2016 it has merged with the
AllSeen Alliance, thus creating a unique consortium working on IoT interoperability.
Among research projects we find INTER-IoT,
4 which is supported by the Horizon 2020 European program. The objective of the project is to create an interoperable
IoT framework, comprehending tools and methodologies for the integration of heterogeneous IoT Platforms [11], and applicable to different domains.
OMG has also contributed to the realization of standards for the interoperable
connection of devices, by creating the Data-Distribution Service for Real-Time
Systems (DDS) [17]. DDS consists in a network protocol implementing the classical
Observer Design Pattern, which regulates the transmission of data, acts on events
and exchange of commands among devices belonging to the network topology. DDS
1 AllSeen Alliance. https://allseenalliance.org/. Accessed on 20 March 2016.
2 IoTivity. https://www.iotivity.org/. Accessed on 20 March 2016.
3 Open Connectivity Foundation—https://openconnectivity.org/. Accessed on March 2020.
4 Inter-IoT project. http://www.inter-iot-project.eu/.