iot

Concept and Planning

This phase defines the problem statement, objectives, and feasibility of the IoT

system.

Problem Identification.

Finding a real-world problem an IoT system can

effectively address comes first. This calls for a thorough understanding of the

background and demands of possible customers. Find first the actual problem

the IoT system will solve.

Stakeholder Analysis.

Focus particularly on recognizing every individual,

business, group, or interest affected by the IoT project. Designing a good and

acceptable solution relies on being aware of their needs and expectations.

Users.

The individuals who will directly connect with or benefit from

the IoT system—farmers employing a smart irrigation system,

homeowners getting flood warnings, company owners using an e-

commerce platform.

Developers.

The team in charge of planning, constructing, and

implementing the IoT system.

Organizations.

Entities such as local government agencies, agricultural

cooperatives, private businesses that might fund, own, or profit from the

IoT system.

Feasibility Study.

One should assess whether the proposed IoT project is

acceptable and feasible before making significant investments. It estimates the

likelihood of success considering numerous elements.

Technical Feasibility.

Can the project be completed with the knowledge

and tools at hand? It involves evaluating:

Financial Feasibility.

Is the project financially viable?

Calculating Total Cost of Ownership (TCO).

Estimating all costs

associated with the project over its entire lifecycle, including

hardware, software development, cloud services, deployment,

maintenance, and operational expenses.

Return on Investment (ROI).

Analyzing the potential benefits

compared to the costs to determine if the investment is

worthwhile.

Funding Sources.

Identifying potential sources of funding for the

project

Operational Feasibility.

Can the organization effectively operate and

maintain the IoT system once it's deployed?

Technology Research.

Identify and evaluate the most suitable technologies for

the IoT system based on the project requirements and feasibility study.

Identify Suitable IoT Devices.

Researching and comparing different

types of sensors (temperature, humidity, motion, etc.), actuators,

microcontrollers (Arduino, Raspberry Pi), and gateways, considering

factors like accuracy, cost, power consumption, durability, and

compatibility.

Identify Cloud Platforms.

Evaluating various IoT platforms (AWS IoT,

Azure IoT, Google Cloud IoT, ThingSpeak, etc.) based on features like

data storage, processing capabilities, analytics tools, security features,

scalability, and pricing.

Identify Communication Protocols.

Selecting appropriate

communication protocols for data transmission between devices and the

cloud, considering factors like range, bandwidth, power consumption,

reliability, and security (e.g., Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Zigbee, LoRaWAN,

NB-IoT, 5G).

Regulatory Compliance.

Check industry regulations (e.g., GDPR for data

privacy, FCC for wireless communication), ensuring compliance with data

protection laws and industry standards.

Check Industry Regulations.

Identifying any specific regulations that

apply to the industry of the IoT application (e.g., agricultural standards,

healthcare regulations).

Ensure Compliance with Data Protection Laws.

Understanding and

complying with laws related to the collection, storage, and processing of

personal data. In the Philippines, this primarily involves the “Data

Privacy Act of 2012”.

Wireless Communication Regulations.

Adhering to regulations set by

the local telecommunications authority (e.g., the National

Telecommunications Commission (NTC) in the Philippines) regarding

the use of wireless communication frequencies and power levels.

Security Standards.

Following established security standards and best

practices for IoT devices and data to protect against cyber threats.

Problem Definition Document.

This document serves as the foundation of the

entire IoT project. It clearly and concisely articulates the real-world problem or

opportunity that the proposed IoT system aims to address.

Executive Summary.

A brief overview of the problem and the proposed

solution.

Background.

Provides context about the problem, including its

prevalence, impact, and any existing solutions (and their limitations).

Problem Statement.

A clear, concise, and unambiguous statement

defining the core issue.

Problem Validation.

Evidence supporting the existence and significance

of the problem. This could include statistics, research findings, user

feedback, or expert opinions.

Scope.

Defines the boundaries of the problem being addressed by this

specific project.

Goals and Objectives.

This section outline the initial high-level

objectives the project aims to achieve in solving the problem.

Timeline

A high-level timeline for the major phases of

the project.

Market Research Report.

This report analyzes the market landscape relevant to

the proposed IoT solution. It helps understand the potential demand, identify

competitors, and assess the target audience.

Industry Overview.

Provides a general overview of the industry the IoT

solution will operate within

Target Audience Analysis.

Identifies and describes the potential users or

beneficiaries of the IoT solution. This includes demographics, needs,

pain points, and current behaviors.

Competitor Analysis.

Identifies existing solutions or competitors in the

market, analyzing their strengths, weaknesses, pricing, and market

share.

Market Trends.

Explores current and future trends relevant to the IoT

solution, such as adoption rates, technological advancements, and

market growth projections.

Potential Market Size and Revenue Streams.

Estimates the potential

market size and explores different ways to generate revenue from the

IoT solution.

Requirement Analysis and Design

This phase is very important since it converts the high-level objectives and problem

characterization from the "Concept and Planning" phase into exact technical

requirements and an IoT system blueprint.

System Requirement Analysis.

Determine each requirement the IoT system

needs. This guarantees that the development team recognizes what has to be

developed and that the end result meets the needs of the stakeholders.

Functional Requirements.

These demonstrate what the system is

supposed to do. They outline the particular operations, processes, and

features the system has to be able to execute.

Non-Functional Requirements.

These explain how well the system

should perform. They define the system's limits and characteristics

which includes performance, security, reliability, usability, scalability,

maintainability, and portability.

Non-Functional Requirements.

Use Case Development.

Show how users of the IoT system will engage to reach

particular objectives. Use cases ensures that the design satisfies user needs and

assist one learn about the system from their point of view.

Identifying Actors.

Determining who will be interacting with the IoT

system.

Defining Use Cases.

Explaining the series of steps a user takes to finish

a given task. Usually, each use case consists in a trigger, a set of actions,

and the result.

Creating Use Case Diagrams.

Making a visual representation that

illustrates the connection among actors and use cases.

High-Level Architecture Design.

Specify the overall framework of the Internet

of Things system and the interactions among its various components. For the

development staff, this serves as a road map.

Devices.

The physical devices that collect data from the

environment or perform actions.

Gateways.

Devices that aggregate data from multiple sensors

and provide connectivity to the network.

Network.

The communication channels used to transmit data.

Cloud Platform.

The backend infrastructure for data storage,

processing, analytics, and device management.

Applications.

The user interfaces for interacting with the system.

Defining Communication Flow.

Mapping how data will flow between

the identified components.

Choosing Architectural Patterns.

Selecting appropriate architectural

styles such as centralized, distributed, edge computing, and etc.

Hardware and Sensor Selection.

Select the particular hardware components the

IoT system will make use of. The functioning, performance, and cost of the

system depend on the decision made.

Sensor Selection.

Selecting sensors depending on the type, accuracy,

range, power consumption, cost, and environmental compatibility

Actuator Selection.

Selecting actuators depending on the type, power

consumption, control systems, and the tasks the system must do.

Microcontroller Selection.

Selecting the processor unit for IoT device

such as Arduino or Raspberry Pi based on processing capability,

memory, connectivity choices, and pricing takes careful thought.

Network and Protocol Selection.

Choose the channels of communication among

the several IoT system components. Choice of network and protocols affects

security, bandwidth, power consumption, and range.

Network Selection.

Selecting the suitable network technology such as

Wi-Fi for local networks, Bluetooth for short-range communication,

LoRa/NB-IoT for long-range, low-power communication in agricultural

areas, and/or cellular for more general coverage involves careful

consideration.

Protocol Selection.

Security Planning.

Design and carry out security policies that protect the IoT

system and the data it manages from unauthorized access, use, disclosure,

disruption, alteration, or destruction.

Data Encryption.

Implementing end-to-end encryption to protect data

both in transit and at rest.

Authentication and Authorization.

Ensuring that only authorized devices

and users can access the system. Multi-factor authentication and/or

digital certificates may be used.

Device Security.