adfa, p. 1, 2011.
© Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2011
Towards a Big Data Analytics Framework for IoT and
Smart City Applications
Martin Strohbach, Holger Ziekow, Vangelis Gazis, Navot Akiva
AGT International
Hilpertstrasse 35, 64295 Darmstadt, Germany
e-mail: {mstrohbach, hziekow, vgazis,
nakiva}@agtinternational.com
Abstract. An increasing amount of valuable data sources, advances in Internet
of Things and Big Data technologies as well as the availability of a wide range
of machine learning algorithms offers new potential to deliver analytical ser-
vices to citizens and urban decision makers. However there is still a gap in
combining the current state-of-the art in an integrated framework that would
help reducing development costs and enable new kind of services. In this chap-
ter we show how such an integrated Big Data analytical framework for Internet
of Things and Smart City application could look like. The contributions of this
chapter are threefold: (1) we provide an overview of Big Data and Internet of
Things technologies including a summary of their relationships, (2) we present
a case study in the smart grid domain that illustrates the high level requirements
towards such an analytical Big Data framework, and (3) we present an initial
version of such a framework mainly addressing the volume and velocity chal-
lenge. The findings presented in this chapter are extended results from the EU
funded project BIG and the German funded project PEC.
1 Introduction
In times of increasing urbanization, local decision makers must be prepared to main-
tain and increase the quality of life of a growing urban population. For instance, there
are major challenges related to minimizing pollution, managing traffic as well as mak-
ing efficient use of scarce energy resources. For instance, in regard to congested traf-
fic conditions, the Confederation of British Industries estimates that the cost of road
congestion in the UK is GBP 20 billion (i.e., USD 38 billion) annually. In addition to
challenges related to the efficient use of natural and manmade resources ensuring the
health and safety of urban citizens, e.g. in the context of large events or supporting
law enforcement are key concerns of a modern smart city.
In order to address these challenges urban decision makers as well as citizens will
need the capacity to make the right assessment of urban situations based on correct
data, and, more importantly, they will need the key information contained in the data
to assist them in their decision processes.