4-3 Internet of Things

The Internet of Things refers to uniquely identifiable objects (things) and their virtual representations in an Internet-like structure. The term Internet of Things was first used by Kevin Ashton in 1999. The concept of the Internet of Things first became popular through the Auto-ID Center and related market analysts publications. Radio-frequency identification (RFID) is often seen as a prerequisite for the Internet of Things. If all objects of daily life were equipped with radio tags, they could be identified and inventoried by computers. However, unique identification of things may be achieved through other means such as barcodes or 2D-codes as well.

With all objects in the world equipped with minuscule identifying devices, daily life on Earth would undergo a transformation. Companies would not run out of stock or waste products, as involved parties would know which products are required and consumed. Mislaid and stolen items would be easily tracked and located, as would the people who use them. Your ability to interact with objects could be altered remotely based on your current status and existing user agreements.

1. What is the Internet of Things

Different definitions for the Internet of Things have appeared and the term is evolving as the technology and implementation of the ideas move forward. Here are several partially overlapping definitions:

• Casagras: A global network infrastructure, linking physical and virtual objects through the exploitation of data capture and communication capabilities. This infrastructure includes existing and evolving Internet and network developments. It will offer specific object-identification, sensor and connection capability as the basis for the development of independent cooperative services and applications. These will be characterised by a high degree of autonomous data capture, event transfer, network connectivity and interoperability.

• SAP: A world where physical objects are seamlessly integrated into the information network, and where the physical objects can become active participants in business processes. Services are available to interact with these 'smart objects' over the Internet, query and change their state and any information associated with them, taking into account security and privacy issues.[1]

•ETP EPOSS: The network formed by things/objects having identities, virtual personalities operating in smart spaces using intelligent interfaces to connect and communicate with the users, social and environmental contexts. 

• CERP-IoT: Internet of Things (IoT) is an integrated part of Future Internet and could be defined as a dynamic global network infrastructure with self-configuring capabilities based on standard and interoperable communication protocols where physical and virtual ‘things’ have identities, physical attributes, and virtual personalities and use intelligent interfaces, and are seamlessly integrated into the information network.[2] In the IoT, ‘things’ are expected to become active participants in business, information and social processes where they are enabled to interact and communicate among themselves and with the environment by exchanging data and information ‘sensed’ about the environment, while reacting autonomously to the ‘real/physical world’ events and influencing it by running processes that trigger actions and create services with or without direct human intervention. Interfaces in the form of services facilitate interactions with these ‘smart things’ over the Internet, query and change their state and any information associated with them, taking into account security and privacy issues.

• Other: The future Internet of Things links uniquely identifiable things to their virtual representations in the Internet containing or linking to additional information on their identity, status, location or any other business, social or privately relevant information at a financial or non-financial pay-off that exceeds the efforts of information provisioning and offers information access to non-predefined participants. The provided accurate and appropriate information may be accessed in the right quantity and condition, at the right time and place at the right price. The Internet of Things is not synonymous with ubiquitous / pervasive computing, the Internet Protocol (IP), communication technology, embedded devices, its applications, the Internet of People or the Intranet / Extranet of Things, yet it relies on all of these approaches. The association of intelligent virtual representations (e.g.: called avatars and embedded, hosted in the Cloud or centralized) and physical objects are sometimes called "cyberobjects". Cyberobjects are then considered as autonomous actors of the value chains they are involved in: able to perceive, analyze and react in various contexts; although acting under the guidance of human beings as programmed. Cyberobjects can then be assistants, advisors, decision makers, etc; and can be considered as true Agent (economics), helping to change existing economic or organization models. In such a scenario, the conception of avatars refers to artificial intelligence and Complex system.

2. Unique addressability of things

The original idea of the Auto-ID Center is based on RFID-tags and unique identification through the Electronic Product Code.

An alternative view, from the world of the Semantic Web focuses instead on making all things (not just those electronic, smart, or RFID-enabled) addressable by the existing naming protocols, such as URI. The objects themselves do not converse, but they may now be referred to by other agents, such as powerful centralized servers acting for their human owners.

The next generation of Internet applications using Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPv6) would be able to communicate with devices attached to virtually all human-made objects because of the extremely large address space of the IPv6 protocol. This system would therefore be able to identify any kind of object.

A combination of these ideas can be found in the current GS1/EPCglobal EPC Information Services (EPCIS EPCglobal#EPCIS) specifications.[3] This system is being used to identify objects in industries ranging from Aerospace to Fast Moving Consumer Products and Transportation Logistics.

WORDS AND PHRASES

virtual      虚拟的；有效的；实质上的，事实上的

prerequisite            先决条件

tags            标签

barcode         条形码，条码技术

minuscule                 极小的

sensor                         传感器

autonomous               自治的，自主的，自发的

interoperability                  互通性，互操作性

seamlessly                      无缝的

self-configuring                 自我配置，设定，自配置，组态

trigger                       引发，引起，触发    

non-predefined                   没有设定的

synonymous                   同义的，同义词的

ubiquitous        普遍存在的，无所不在的

pervasive                   遍的，到处渗透的

Intranet                  内联网

Extranet                    外联网

avatars                 替身，形象化符号，头像

scenario                情境， 方案，情节，剧本

addressability      可寻址能力，可定址能力，可编址性

Auto-ID Center            自动识别中心

radio-frequency identification    射频识别

2D-codes                    二维码

the Internet Protocol           因特网协议

the Electronic Product Code 电子产品代码

the Semantic Web        语义网

Internet Protocol Version 6        互联网协议版本6

logistics                    物流

Internet of Things             物联网

NOTES

[1] Services are available to interact with these 'smart objects' over the Internet, query and change their state and any information associated with them, taking into account security and privacy issues.

各种服务业务通过互联网与这些”智能目标”连接，查询和改变其工作状态及任何相关信息，并同时考虑可在安全和隐私问题。

[2] Internet of Things (IoT) is an integrated part of Future Internet and could be defined as a dynamic global network infrastructure with self-configuring capabilities based on standard and interoperable communication protocols where physical and virtual ‘things’ have identities, physical attributes, and virtual personalities and use intelligent interfaces, and are seamlessly integrated into the information network.

物联网是未来互联网的集成部分，可定义为一种具有基于标准和共同使用的通信协议的自行配置能力的动态全球网络架构，在这些通信协议中物理的和虚拟的“事物”具有身份特征、物理属性和虚拟个性，采用智能交互界面，均无缝集成到信息网络中。

[3] GS1(Globe standard 1)：它同时包含五个含义：全球系统、全球标准、全球解决方案、全球一流的标准化组织、全球开放标准/系统下的统一商务行为。

EPCglobal：是一个受业界委托而成立的非盈利组织，负责 EPC网络的全球化标准，以便更加快速、自动、准确地识别供应链中商品。

EPCIS：电子产品代码信息服务

词汇

物联网的介绍

课文阅读

RFID介绍

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