Integrating IoT platforms using the INTER-IoT approach: A case study of the CasAware project

Abstract

CasAware is an Ambient Assisted Living platform, developed within an Italian research project, with the aim to improve the level of comfort and well-being of inhabitants of a house, while optimizing the energy consumption. A key feature, for successful realization of such a platform, is its capability to interoperate with other IoT platforms, which can augment CasAware with additional services. Indeed, this capability facilitates smooth communication between CasAware devices and external devices connected to other IoT platforms, thus allowing efficient exchange of messages among them. However, such integration is hindered by the heterogeneity of data models used in different platforms, which is also related to lack of common standards. In order to realize integration needed for CasAware, this paper presents an approach which exploits results of the INTER-IoT project. Specifically, the INTER-IoT methodology and a set of software tools for achieving IoT interoperability are applied. In the presented study, it is shown how the INTER-IoT based approach can facilitate interoperability between CasAware and two other platforms, which use completely different data models.