An Edge-based Framework for Cooperation in Internet of Things Applications

Edge computing and the Internet of Things (IoT) are irrevocably intertwined and much work has proposed enhancing the IoT through the use of edge computing. These solutions have typically focused on using the edge to increase the locality of cloud applications, achieving benefits mainly in terms of lower network latency. In this work, we argue that IoT systems can benefit much more from semantic properties which are best recognized and exploited in situ, at the edge of the network where the data streams and actuators exist. We outline the idea of a real-time semantic operating system, hosted on the edge, which can provide higher performance in energy consumption, latency, accuracy, and improve not only individual application performance but that of an entire IoT infrastructure. We have implemented a prototype system and show some initial results demonstrating the efficacy of our proposed optimizations, and provide insights into how to handle some of the most critical issues faced in such a system.