A Standardizable Network Architecture Supporting Interoperability in the Smart City Internet of Things

Abstract

An increase of 2.5 billion people is expected in urban areas by 2050, when 66% of the world population will reside here. It is therefore reasonable to assume a parallel growth in the smart city Internet of Things (IoT). A challenge, however, is presented in the interoperability between the devices deployed, limited due to the ad hoc and proprietary ways which systems have been rolled out to date. A standardized network infrastructure specific to the IoT can work towards resolving the challenges. This approach to operation, however, raises questions with regard to how an architecture may support different devices and applications simultaneously, and additionally be extensible to accommodate applications and devices not available at the time of the framework’s development. In this paper, these questions are explored, and an IoT infrastructure which accommodates the interoperability communication constraints and challenges today is proposed.