Cognitive Hyperconnected Digital Transformation provides an overview of the current Internet of Things (IoT) landscape, ranging from research, innovation, and development priorities to
enabling technologies in a global context. It is intended as a standalone book in a series that covers the Internet of Things activities of the IERC— Internet of Things European Research
Cluster— including both research and technological innovation, validation, and deployment.
The book builds on the ideas put forward by the European Research Cluster, the IoT European Platform Initiative (IoT–EPI), and the IoT European Large-Scale Pilots Programme, presenting global
views and state-of-the-art results regarding the challenges facing IoT research, innovation, development, and deployment in the next years.
Hyperconnected environments integrating industrial/business/consumer IoT technologies and applications require new IoT open systems architectures integrated with network architecture (a
knowledge-centric network for IoT), IoT system design and open, horizontal and interoperable platforms managing things that are digital, automated and connected and that function in real-time
with remote access and control based on Internet-enabled tools.
The IoT is bridging the physical world with the virtual world by combining augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) to support the
physical–digital integrations in the Internet of mobile things based on sensors/actuators, communication, analytics technologies, cyber–physical systems, software, cognitive systems and IoT
platforms with multiple functionalities. These IoT systems have the potential to understand, learn, predict, adapt and operate autonomously. They can change future behavior, while the
combination of extensive parallel processing power, advanced algorithms and data sets feed the cognitive algorithms that allow the IoT systems to develop new services and propose new
solutions.
IoT technologies are moving into the industrial space and enhancing traditional industrial platforms with solutions that break free of device-, operating system– and protocol-dependency. Secure
edge computing solutions replace local networks, web services replace software, and devices with networked programmable logic controllers (NPLCs) based on Internet protocols replace devices
that use proprietary protocols. Information captured by edge devices on the factory floor is secure and accessible from any location in real time, opening the communication gateway both
vertically (connecting machines across the factory and enabling the instant availability of data to stakeholders within operational silos) and horizontally (with one framework for the entire
supply chain, across departments, business units, global factory locations and other markets).
End-to-end security and privacy solutions in IoT space require agile, context-aware and scalable components with mechanisms that are both fluid and adaptive. The convergence of IT (information
technology) and OT (operational technology) makes security and privacy by default a new important element where security is addressed at the architecture level, across applications and domains,
using multi-layered distributed security measures. Blockchain is transforming industry operating models by adding trust to untrusted environments, providing distributed security mechanisms and
transparent access to the information in the chain.
Digital technology platforms are evolving, with IoT platforms integrating complex information systems, customer experience, analytics and intelligence to enable new capabilities and business
models for digital business.
Topics include: Internet of Things, cyber-physical systems, artificial intelligence, deep learning, virtualization, wireless networks, cloud computing, cognitive systems, Cognitive
Transformation, and Intelligence Evolution.
