in the IoT paradigm based on past experience. Specifically,
we evaluated fifty context-aware projects and highlighted the
lessons we can learn from them in the IoT perspective. In this
section our objective is to discuss six unique challenges in
the IoT where novel techniques and solution may need to be
employed.
Automated configuration of sensors: In traditional pervasive/ubiquitous computing, we connect only a limited number
of sensors to the applications (e.g. smart farm, smart home). In
contrast, the IoT envisions billions of sensors to be connected
together over the Internet. As a result, a unique challenge
would arise on connection and configuration of sensors to
applications. Due to the scale, it is not feasible to connect
sensors manually to an application or to a middleware [223].
There has to be an automated or at least semi-automated process to connect sensors to applications. In order to accomplish
this task, applications should be able to understand the sensors
(e.g. sensors’ capabilities, data structures they produce, hardware/driver level configuration details). Recent developments
such as Transducer Electronic Data Sheet (TEDS) [221], Open
Geospatial Consortium (OGC) Sensor Web Enablement related
standards such as Sensor Markup Languages (SensorML)
[133], sensor ontologies [143], and immature but promising
efforts such as Sensor Device Definitions [224] show future
directions to carry out the research work further, in order to
tackle this challenge.