The final report from the Casagras project, a major European Union-funded study looking into how the concept of the ‘Internet of Things’ can be turned into a reality, has now been published.

“RFID and the Inclusive Model for the Internet of Things” sets out a series of key points that must be acted upon in order to bring the Internet of Things to reality and sets out a roadmap for its gradual introduction over the years to come.

“A massive increase in international co-operation and significant investment in awareness-building and training are essential if the concept of an Internet of Things (IoT) is to be turned into a meaningful reality,” say the report’s authors.

Delegates from 19 countries attended the project’s final conference in London, where eight key recommendations were made. These, says Casagras, would help ensure an ordered development of the IoT on a global basis with maximum business and social benefits:

• The establishment of an overarching, internationally-partnered organisational platform to help steer IoT development. These partners should represent a cross section of interests including governmental and standards agencies, industry, business and academe.
• The development and delivery of a strategic migration plan for developing an IoT from a minimalist model to a more inclusive model, including identity management and resolver techniques.
• The development of a universal or federated data capture appliance protocol to accommodate migratory inclusion of object-connectable technologies.
• The development of an architectural platform for supporting and demonstrating IoT applications and services, and for addressing problems associated with IoT development, possibly based upon the establishment of a generic top-level internet domain.
• The development of the rules of governance of the IoT with attention to social and economic issues including privacy and security.
• The initiation of application and service pilot studies and demonstrators, particularly with respect to pathway process applications exploiting extended process functionality and scalable sensor-network applications.
• International co-operation on pilot developments and promotional initiatives directed at enhancing inclusion of national bodies in co-operative developments.
• The establishment and pursuance of a strategic research and development roadmap for IoT development, drawing upon the findings of the CERP-IoT group report, Internet of Things Strategic Research Roadmap (2009).

In addition, the Casagras partners also identified a need to:

• Agree a definition of the Internet of Things that can be used as a popular point of reference.
• Reduce the number of overlapping and potentially conflicting projects.
• Undertake major education, training and awareness programmes to explain the IoT.
• Set up key European centres or academies for AIDC and the IoT.

“Our project work has proved without doubt that there is the need and will for international co-operation,” explained Aim UK’s Ian G Smith, co-ordinator of Casagras. “China, Japan, Korea and the USA are on board. Europe has taken the lead and now needs to drive the initiative as a truly global partnership.”

However, says Smith, governments, industry and business lack awareness of the IoT and of what it offers. “Awareness and education programmes are key requirements in creating a better understanding of the potential and benefits and these programmes should be especially directed at the SME community.”

“Extending the number of international partners and gaining agreement on the structural, governance and foundational features will help to better define and accommodate the developments on the IoT,” he added.

Readers can download the full report from the Casagras website.

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