Report

Teaser, summary, work performed and final results

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - SmartSDK (A FIWARE-based SDK for developing Smart Applications)

Teaser

SmartSDK supported the establishment of a long-term collaboration between Europe and Mexico by providing a shared FIWARE-based reference service architecture and data model to support the agile development of smart solutions. Scenarios for the experimentation of SmartSDK...

Summary

SmartSDK supported the establishment of a long-term collaboration between Europe and Mexico by providing a shared FIWARE-based reference service architecture and data model to support the agile development of smart solutions. Scenarios for the experimentation of SmartSDK outcomes, have been selected to answer common pressing needs of Mexican and EU society: quality of life in cities, support to elder patients and security in private and public environments.
To fulfil this goal, SmartSDK analysed successful FIWARE applications deployed in Europe and derive from these applications a set of FIWARE-based reference service architectures and reference data models to support the agile development of smart solutions for sustainability challenges of today world. In this perspective, SmartSDK adopted existing Open Standards and Open Source solutions leveraging on results of European and Mexican initiatives based on FIWARE.
By “standardizing” these efforts in a reference Software Development Kit (SDK) for smart applications, SmartSDK paved the path to a long-term collaboration between Europe and Mexico on FIWARE building on shared societal and economical challenges in Europe and Mexico.
While the existing efforts resulted in a number of Future Internet applications built on top of FIWARE as an Open and Standard Platform, little effort was put into defining a common way to model data and service architecture behind those applications. As a result, new data models and service components proliferated in different applications to provide a solution to the same problem, contrary to the original objectives of the FIWARE initiative that aimed at promoting re-usage of data and service architectures by establishing an ecosystem for the development of different Future Internet application scenarios. This situation rather than facilitating the creation of new smart business and their worldwide expansion, it is somehow hindering the process.
SmartSDK, by leveraging on the experience gained and results achieved so far in the context of the different European and Mexican FIWARE-based initiatives, established a virtuous cycle that enabled a continuous industrial exchange on FIWARE technologies and provide a solution to the shortcomings mentioned above by:
• defining a core reference architecture for IoT and data intensive applications;
• describing a core reference data model for IoT and data intensive applications;
• extending the core reference architecture with key Enablers specific to Smart City, Smart Healthcare and Smart Security scenarios;
• enriching the core reference data model with key data models specific to Smart City, Smart Healthcare and Smart Security scenarios;
• engaging Mexican stakeholders as active contributors to FIWARE and potential FIWARE-based businesses.
The resulting modular reference service architecture and data model are supported by a reference implementation and validated through three application scenarios that will cover the Smart City, Smart Healthcare and Smart Security scenarios.

Work performed

During the second and final period, the R&D activities focused first on consolidating the platform, following that on finalising applications and trials (through studies with users), and more and more to disseminate outcomes to relevant events and communities.
The first important activity during second reporting period was the first release of the Applications (M12) and the aligned works on trial planning (including formal ethics requirements for the user studies).
A fundamental work in this respect was to continue the roadmapping of the R&D activities of the project in line as well with the FIWARE Community activities. Having the first prototype of SmartSDK platform (outcome of PPR1) and having presented it to the community during FIWARE Summits, we received several feedbacks that have been incorporated in the different services.
A final roadmap has been made public at M22 covering the end of the project and beyond.
In line with the periodic updates to R&D roadmap, at M18 we released an updated version of the reference architecture pattern for IoT and Data intensive applications, completing the set of recipes to implement the defined patterns using docker orchestration. The document includes also an update set of Data Models and documents a data model validator that has been contributed to the FIWARE community to help the development of data models.
At M21, we released the final version of the SmartSDK Platform Manager allowing the deployment of SmartSDK applications on top of FIWARE Lab cloud leveraging recipes released at M12. The release of the platform was accompanied by the update release of the Data Management and IoT Enablement Services.

At the same time (M12) we released an updated set of FIWARE Data Models to support the specific application scenarios of SmartSDK, compared to M9 release, new models were defined (beside refining the old ones).
About dissemination and communication activities, the project was very active in the second reporting period, with:
The support of the organisation of three FIWARE Summits: two FIWARE Tech Summit and one FIWARE Global Summit.
The organisation of 12 workshops in different cities.
The participation in the Smart City Expo Latam & World Congress 2018.
The contributions to ETSI CIM activities with API specifications.
The contributions to GSMA activities with data models and the adoption of the NGSI-LD Standard.

Final results

SmartSDK is the FIWARE’s “cookbook” for developing smart applications in the Smart City, Smart Healthcare, and Smart Security domains. SmartSDK is looking into applications developed so far within Europe and Mexico (using FIWARE or alternative Open Source technologies), analysing them and making a cookbook for developing applications in the Smart City, Smart Healthcare, and Smart Security domains.
The “cookbook” is based on: a set of architecture patterns (i.e. the basic cooking processes), a set of Generic Enablers (i.e. the basic ingredients) and a set of data models (i.e. the spices and flavours binding the ingredients through the cooking process).
The development of such reference architecture patterns and recipes constitute an advancement in the FIWARE ecosystem and aim at standardizing and simplifying smart applications development. FIWARE Data Models (existing ones and novels) are part of the architecture patterns. SmartSDK is already contributing the ones validated, not only to the FIWARE Community, but also to ETSI CIM working group (e.g. Smart POI and Smart Spot).
Beyond the recipes and associated data models, SmartSDK is making available:
• a solution to support the deployment of the recipes (the SmartSDK Platform Manager), the solution is currently available on FIWARE lab in a pre-production configuration, and will be opened to users soon. The solution will simplify FIWARE developer’s life and will become a main asset of FIWARE Lab.
• a set of enablers providing novel functionalities based on the requirements of SmartSDK application scenarios, relevant for several domains beyond the ones covered by SmartSDK. Some of such new services have been already incorporated in commercial PoC by SmartSDK partners.
• a set of applications applying SmartSDK principles in the following domains: Smart City, Smart Security and Smart Health. Such applications answers to different needs of Mexican market, and SmartSDK is working to promote the to the Mexican Smart City ecosystem.

Website & more info

More info: https://www.smartsdk.eu.