Abstract

The Internet of Things (IoT) is a paradigm that enables heat sensors, kitchen appliances, automobiles, entire cities, and many other physical things to be interconnected and thereby has the potential to revolutionize the way we live and work. In other words, the IoT is characterized by vast numbers of interconnected heterogeneous devices and systems that are able to communicate with each other. A catalyst for the realization of the IoT was the development and commercialization of ubiquitous [1] wireless communication and inexpensive sensors. Currently, there are an estimated 21 billion connected devices in a population of 7.9 billion people. The IoT is an encompassing umbrella paradigm characterized by interconnected devices that require an understanding of the activity, system, or services where they are deployed and used. Technologies like Radio-Frequency Identification, Near-Field Communication, ZigBee [2], and BLE are being competitively used in IoT devices, apart from traditional communication technologies that include Wi-Fi and WiMax. Such a paradigm can be broadly categorized into enabling technologies, architecture including protocols and standards to interconnect devices and systems, overlay services including data storage, large-scale data analytics, and application layers for developing specific applications. Given its pervasiveness and range, there are various applications developed specifically to cater to specific activity domains like agriculture, smart homes and assistive living, smart cities [3], and healthcare, among others.