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T H E M ATI C R E S E A R C H PRO GR A M M E HES-SO ON THE INTERNET OF THINGS
F A C U LT Y O F E N G I N E E R I N G A N D A R C H I T E C T U R E
HEIG-VD, IICT Institute Jürgen Ehrensberger (Director) Juergen.Ehrensberger@hes-so.ch +41 24 557 62 90
HEIA-FR, HumanTech Institute Elena Mugellini Elena.Mugellini@hefr.ch +41 26 429 68 70
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Steering committee of iNUIT programme
School of Engineering – HE-Arc Ingénierie, TIC Institute François Tièche Francois.Tieche@he-arc.ch +41 32 930 22 44
hepia, inIT Institute Nabil Abdennadher Nabil.Abdennadher@hesge.ch +41 22 546 25 34
HES-SO Valais-Wallis, ISI Institute Pierre-André Mudry Pierre-Andre.Mudry@hevs.ch +41 27 606 87 55
Editorial Applied research is at the heart of the HES-SO’s mission. This research is supervised by our lecturing staff and enables all participants to acquire the practical skills required to meet not only the needs of society but also those of industry. It also allows us to offer our students cutting-edge courses. Over the last four years, the Faculty of Engineering and Architecture has divided its applied research projects into six thematic programmes which, together, cover all the Faculty’s fields of study. These thematic programmes, ranging from energy to the optimisation of the agricultural food chain, not to mention research into urban density and connected objects, all seek to find practical solutions to the problems of our age over a relatively limited period of time. We are keen to tell the general public and businesses about these programmes, and consequently we have published a series of brochures describing their strengths and the key
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skills that they develop. These publications also serve to showcase the practical outcomes of these programmes, achieved in close partnership with players from the relevant industries. This brochure describes the iNUIT programme – Internet of Things and Urban Innovation – which covers connected objects and the future development of urban areas. Some of you, like me, may have been born before the computer. Nowadays, computing permeates every area of our private and professional lives and our everyday objects are more connected than ever
before. iNUIT explores this new paradigm and creates the technologies which will be used to improve the cities of tomorrow. Olivier Naef Dean of Faculty Engineering and Architecture
F A C U LT Y O F E N G I N E E R I N G A N D A R C H I T E C T U R E - i N U I T
THE RESEARCH PROGRAMME
iNUIT
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F A C U LT Y O F E N G I N E E R I N G A N D A R C H I T E C T U R E - i N U I T
The Internet of Things is the greatest technological revolution to come about since the inception of the Internet. All iNUIT projects are part of this new paradigm. Their shared common objective is to develop tools to create smarter cities and improve the quality of life of their residents. In 2050, more than 86% of the world population will live in cities. It will be crucial to re-address mobility issues from this perspective, in addition to the challenges posed by energy, waste and security within towns and cities. Researchers working on the iNUIT – Internet of Things and Urban Innovation – programme have, since 2014, been working on developing a technological ‘backbone’ for tomorrow’s city, based on the new paradigm of the Internet of Things. Eighteen projects have been set up focusing on this theme. Every one of them, ranging from the design of sensors to data analysis, is aimed at developing technologies which will reliably link the virtual world with the physical world. Street lighting, transport and parking, safety of people, health services – the range of potential fields of application is unlimited. As modern cities are extremely rich and complex environments, iNUIT initially turned its attention to the major events (festivals, political summits, sports events) which proliferate in Switzerland.
They offer an ideal opportunity for research as they have the same characteristics as cities, but are limited in time and space and are consequently easier to observe. Consequently, the iNUIT programme initially focused on crowd monitoring, with the aim of optimising the mobility and physical safety of visitors during major events, examining how to collect and process relevant data (via participants smartphones for example) and anticipating danger, particularly in emergency situations. We were lucky enough to start collaborating with the Paléo Festival Nyon which allowed us to apply our research on the ground. Other major events held in Switzerland, such as the Federal Wrestling and Alpine Games Festival and the Grape Harvest Festival may also benefit from our research (see box on the right). In the near future, iNUIT is looking to forge closer links with industry to place its new technologies, based on the Internet of Things, at the service of companies. Our aim is to contribute to developing smart cities which will come into being before our very eyes.
Three questions for Elena Mugellini Elena Mugellini, Director of the HumanTech Institute at the School of Engineering and Architecture Fribourg, outlines the contributions made by iNUIT for smart events, such as the Paléo Festival Nyon.
1 – What are the main challenges during major
events? The main issue with a major event is participant security. There are sometimes thousands of people packed into a limited space all using the infrastructure and equipment provided for the event. iNUIT projects involving smart events have developed technology for data collection and analysis (via surveillance cameras and smartphone and social network data) to detect any potentially dangerous situations and monitor crowd movement.
2 – You tried out your technology during the Paléo
Festival. How did that go? Pascal Viot (Event and Security Manager for the Paléo Festival) was very keen to work with the iNUIT programme to improve the experience of his festivalgoers, and also help his staff in their work managing car parks and field safety, for example. We have developed a smartphone app which around a hundred participants agreed to download at a pilot held during Paléo 2015. We collected geolocation data for these people to test the reliability of our technology.
3 – What are its potential uses? This technology
Jürgen Ehrensberger iNUIT Programme Director Director of the Institute of Information and Communication Technologies (IICT) – HEIG-VD
HES-SO Schools
uses real-time data to measure the speed at which festivalgoers with the app on their mobile phone are moving, and, more widely, to analyse crowd density in particular locations. This new technology can also be used to manage mobility and monitor car parking spaces. It can easily be adapted to other types of event or public space (underground, shopping centres, etc.). Its capacity for real-time analysis helps decision-making in emergencies as users can, for example, receive alerts and information via their smartphones.
HE-Arc Ingénierie HEIG-VD
HEIA-FR
hepia
HEI-VS
6.4
billion The number of devices which will connect to the Internet of Things in 2016. (Source: Gartner)
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PROJECTS: SENSORS AND CLOUD
ArchSensor
NetCrowd
Urban Pulse
January 2014
January 2014
October 2015
Aim: to create a physical computing
Aim: to design a wireless communi-
Aim: to create a multi-modal urban
platform and generic software to measure environmental parameters variables using a distributed sensor network.
cation infrastructure for the Internet of Things.
traffic measurement system.
HES-SO Schools:
HEIG-VD & HEIA-FR
Launch date:
Launch date:
HES-SO Schools:
HEIG-VD & HE-Arc Ingénierie
Description: NetCrowd is
HEI-VS & hepia
Description: ArchSensor is a generic system for measuring environmental (humidity, noise, temperature) and physiological (stress, heartbeat, localisation) parameters. It combines a physical platform capable of hosting a multitude of sensors with a software solution for data transmission and consolidation.
responsible for developing network components for the iNUIT programme. It has developed wireless low-energy communication nodes (sensors which can exchange information) using IEEE 802.15.4 and 6LoWPAN.
Launch date:
HES-SO Schools: Description: Urban Pulse seeks to promote the optimisation of mobility by developing a system which measures traffic flows (vehicles, motorbikes, bicycles, pedestrians) in different parts of the city. The challenge posed by the project is how to differentiate between flows. This system uses multimodal sensors and machine learning techniques for data analysis.
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CiTaTiON
IoTSec
iFLUX
January 2014
January 2014
January 2015
Aim: to develop cloud infrastruc-
Aim: to improve system security
Aim: to facilitate the creation of
ture for the Internet of Things.
for the Internet of Things (IoT).
HES-SO Schools:
HES-SO School:
hepia & HEIG-VD
HEIG-VD
applications and the orchestration of the services developed by the various iNUIT programme projects.
Description: CiTaTiON seeks
Description: IoTSec’s major
to create a secure cloud solution for data collection, storage and analysis, on a centralised infrastructure. The data comes from sensors, cameras and social network analysis collected by the programme’s various research projects.
challenge is to deliver a high level of security for the processing of data collected by the sensors installed in iNUIT projects. IoTSec determines the security policy to be applied to all the programme’s research projects (e.g. data anonymisation) and at all levels (collection, analysis, exploitation and storage).
Launch date:
Launch date:
Launch date:
HES-SO Schools: HEIG-VD & HEIA-FR
Description: iFLUX provides a new programming model based on ‘event, condition, action’ rules which facilitates the development of applications for the Internet of Things and promotes the re-use of services developed by the various iNUIT programme projects.
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PROJECTS: IMPLEMENTATION
SmartCrowd
CrowdVision
GeReC
January 2014
January 2014
September 2014
Aim: to monitor crowd movement
Aim: to monitor crowd behaviour
Aim: to analyse data collected
in real time.
using video image and social network analysis.
from mobile phones in order to coordinate and manage relief operations at major events.
Launch date:
Launch date:
HES-SO Schools:
Launch date:
HEIA-FR & HEIG-VD
HES-SO Schools:
Description: SmartCrowd has
HE-Arc Ingénierie & HEIA-FR
HES-SO Schools:
Description: CrowdVision seeks
HE-Arc Ingénierie & hepia
devised a monitoring system to analyse crowd movement during a major event, using localisation data from participants’ smartphones. It allows greater understanding of crowd behaviour, optimises mobility and improves physical security.
to help managers of major events in event organisation and security infrastructure. For this purpose, it provides a service based on two information sources: video images of the crowd and social network messages sent before and during a major event.
Description: GeReC uses data collected by the SmartCrowd project to pursue an approach based on the cognitive behaviour of individuals in crowds. In its final phase, it will also be capable of producing maps showing priority areas for rescue operations.
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SmartPark
OpEc
CrowdStreams
October 2014
October 2014
January 2015
Aim: to analyse in real time
Aim: to control street lighting
Aim: to develop an application
the parking spaces available in a city to guide users optimally to available spaces.
automatically to optimise security and minimise energy consumption.
to analyse and monitor the mobility of people and vehicles close to a major event.
HES-SO Schools:
HE-Arc Ingénierie & hepia
HES-SO Schools:
Description: OpEc is developing
HEIG-VD & HE-Arc Ingénierie
Launch date:
Launch date:
HES-SO Schools:
hepia & HE-Arc Ingénierie
Description: SmartPark is a mobile application, which can be either a stand-alone app or be integrated into a GPS application. It guides drivers simply and interactively through a large or medium-sized city close to their destination. It is designed to adjust to the user’s route in real time and to traffic data collected close to the destination.
technology for automating street light management and facilitating remote monitoring of the lighting infrastructure. This light intensity monitoring is based on relevant environmental indicators (weather, presence of crowds, traffic).
Launch date:
Description: the CrowdStreams application is based on GPS data for participants’ movements and physical and geometric data for road networks. It provides several types of real-time analysis of these data streams to help organisers optimise security and mobility management close to their events.
F A C U LT Y O F E N G I N E E R I N G A N D A R C H I T E C T U R E - i N U I T
PROJECTS: IMPLEMENTATION
SMP
SPAMOR
GREEN
September 2015
October 2015
January 2016
Aim: to design a solution to
Aim: to develop the first itinerary
Aim: to develop an electric bicycle
measure and analyse sound levels produced particularly at construction sites.
service for people with reduced mobility.
management solution which adapts to fluctuation in supply and demand in a given area.
HES-SO Schools:
HE-Arc Ingénierie & HEIA-FR
HES-SO Schools:
Description: SPAMOR is developing
HE-Arc Ingénierie & HEIA-FR
Launch date:
Launch date:
HE-Arc Ingénierie & HEI-VS
Description: SMP provides a sound
HES-SO Schools:
Launch date:
a measurement system attached to wheelchairs which collects data on the route their users have taken and any obstacles on the route. The system has a collaborative database which uses this data and a mobile application to calculate and recommend itineraries suitable for wheelchairs.
Description: GREEN explores the
analysis system for construction sites, building sites at night, and even concerts and festivals using continuous monitoring and a log of noise pollution which can be consulted by local residents via an interactive web platform.
mCARS
MONAD
WEAZARD
January 2016
January 2016
January 2016
Aim: to create a recommendation
Aim: to create an application for
Aim: to create a smart system to
system to guide groups of users towards activities best suited to their interests and preferences.
monitoring, analysis and decisionmaking for managing emergency services during events.
provide the relative location of users inside buildings.
HES-SO Schools:
HES-SO Schools:
HEIG-VD & hepia
HE-Arc Ingénierie & HEIA-FR
HEIG-VD & HEIA-FR
Description: mCARS aims to
Description: MONAD allows
develop a mobile application for activity recommendations for groups of friends or colleagues and families. The application takes account of weather conditions, access to public transport and the personal preferences of the members of the group (via their profiles on social networks) in order to target the right activity for the particular members of a given group.
organisers of large events to visualise large concentrations of people, risk zones, the location of staff on the ground and ongoing operations in real time in order to guarantee the physical security of event participants.
design of a smart management system which can analyse the location of an electric bicycle and its range in real time. This project is unusual in that it uses LoRa, a new communications technology which is particularly well suited to the specific characteristics of the Internet of Things.
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Launch date:
Launch date:
Launch date:
HES-SO Schools: Description: WEAZARD is used to locate people wearing special bracelets inside buildings where a GPS service is not available. As it is often difficult to detect absolute positions in realistic scenarios, WEAZARD calculates the position of a person relative to other members of the group. The system is designed in particular for groups of children on excursions and can measure each child's stress and sound an alarm when contact is lost with one of them.
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FLAGSHIP PROJECT
NetCrowd
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Since 2014, NetCrowd has been developing a sensor designed to be used for monitoring crowd movement and for smart streetlight control. Hervé Dedieu, Professor at the HES-SO – HEIG-VD and jointly responsible for the project, tells us more about it.
What are the advantages of NetCrowd’s new technology? HD This HES-SO-funded project aims to design ‘multimodal’ sensors which are capable of carrying out a variety of tasks when they are implanted into urban objects. They can collect and interpret data such as ambient noise levels in a given environment, relative humidity or light intensity. Moreover, these sensors, in line with the aims of the iNUIT programme and indeed the Internet of Things (IoT), HES-SO
are also capable of exchanging data over wireless networks. What are the potential applications of this new technology? HD As this is a generic technology, you could say that its range of applications is limited only by our imagination. However, more practically speaking, the sensors that we have developed can be used, for example, to monitor crowd movement during major events, to manage parking spaces around HES-SO
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events, to control urban street lighting remotely and even manage fire protection! What technical challenges did you have to overcome? HD We faced a number of challenges in designing our sensors – first of all we had to make them smart enough to communicate to each other, so we had to select and implement the main features of the IPv6 communications protocol which is at the core of all advanced IoT systems today. Each sensor has its own URL (Internet address) which allows it to belong to the Internet of Things. HES-SO
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This particular technology also raised a number of electronic design problems because these are remote-controlled ‘on-board’ sensors which have limited computational power and storage capacity. There are also the problems specific to radio technologies as the sensors exchange data via frequency bands which have specific constraints. We also had to redesign and optimise management software (for the central server). This NetCrowd technology is now used in Lausanne... HD Absolutely. The NetCrowd project led, in fact, to the development of Novaccess, a start-up company which will market a new technology based on the skills developed in the NetCrowd project. In partnership with SiL, the City of Lausanne’s energy provider, 50 of the 14,000 street lights in this regional capital have been equipped with our sensors since 2015. They are connected to a central server and can be managed by SiL via a tablet or smartphone application. It should be noted that street lighting accounts for 40% of a city’s electricity consumption. HES-SO
This tool allows the brightness of and energy used by each lamp post to be remotely monitored and adjusted. Along with the use of LED lighting, this could, in the long term, mean energy savings of more than 55% for the City of Lausanne, a saving in the region of half a million Swiss francs. This service allows data to be exchanged between the lamp posts and a centralised management system. Smart sensors automatically send notification of faults, for example. It will no longer be necessary for scouts to carry out long fortnightly night patrols along the major thoroughfares of Lausanne.
In Lausanne, 50 lamp posts on the Avenue de Provence are equipped with NetCrowd smart sensors. They enable the energy provider to adjust light intensity by remote control.
HES-SO Schools
HE-Arc Ingénierie HEIG-VD
The Internet of Things is still virtually non-existent in Switzerland. Why is this? HD The two markets that we are targeting, smart cities and smart factories, are very hard to bring on board. The IoT is developing very fast, particularly in China and Singapore, but European countries and Switzerland are still very reluctant to adopt it. IoT is an entirely new technology which has yet to prove itself. The security of data exchanged via the IoT also presents a significant challenge. HES-SO
We do not yet know what the potential of this new technology will be on an industrial scale, but it will bring about major change, particularly to factory production lines where it will simplify logistical tasks considerably. Novaccess, using technology developed in collaboration with NetCrowd, hopes to become a leading player in this field. We are also lucky enough to have researchers, within the iNUIT, who have acquired excellent skills in IoT and who will be able to take full advantage of an unrivalled playground while working in the service of the Swiss economy.
“The potential applications of the NetCrowd technology are limited only by our imagination”
50
billion The number of devices which will connect to the Internet between now and 2020. (Source: Cisco)
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iNUIT Thematic research programme HES-SO on the Internet of Things A publication of HES-SO University of Applied Sciences and Arts Western Switzerland
Impressum
Edition HES-SO Rectorate Rue de la Jeunesse 1 2800 Delémont Switzerland
Copyright Cover – Christian Weidinger P. 3 – Bertrand Rey P. 4 – Thierry Parel P. 9 – Bertrand Rey P. 10 – NetCrowd
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