2020 |
Gaia Codeluppi; Antonio Cilfone; Luca Davoli; Gianluigi Ferrari LoRaFarM: A LoRaWAN-Based Smart Farming Modular IoT Architecture Journal Article Sensors, 20 (7), 2020, ISSN: 1424-8220. @article{cocidafe:2020:sensors, title = {LoRaFarM: A LoRaWAN-Based Smart Farming Modular IoT Architecture}, author = {Gaia Codeluppi and Antonio Cilfone and Luca Davoli and Gianluigi Ferrari}, doi = {10.3390/s20072028}, issn = {1424-8220}, year = {2020}, date = {2020-04-04}, journal = {Sensors}, volume = {20}, number = {7}, abstract = {Presently, the adoption of Internet of Things (IoT)-related technologies in the Smart Farming domain is rapidly emerging. The ultimate goal is to collect, monitor, and effectively employ relevant data for agricultural processes, with the purpose of achieving an optimized and more environmentally sustainable agriculture. In this paper, a low-cost, modular, and Long-Range Wide-Area Network (LoRaWAN)-based IoT platform, denoted as “LoRaWAN-based Smart Farming Modular IoT Architecture” (LoRaFarM), and aimed at improving the management of generic farms in a highly customizable way, is presented. The platform, built around a core middleware, is easily extensible with ad-hoc low-level modules (feeding the middleware with data coming from the sensors deployed in the farm) or high-level modules (providing advanced functionalities to the farmer). The proposed platform has been evaluated in a real farm in Italy, collecting environmental data (air/soil temperature and humidity) related to the growth of farm products (namely grapes and greenhouse vegetables) over a period of three months. A web-based visualization tool for the collected data is also presented, to validate the LoRaFarM architecture.}, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {article} } Presently, the adoption of Internet of Things (IoT)-related technologies in the Smart Farming domain is rapidly emerging. The ultimate goal is to collect, monitor, and effectively employ relevant data for agricultural processes, with the purpose of achieving an optimized and more environmentally sustainable agriculture. In this paper, a low-cost, modular, and Long-Range Wide-Area Network (LoRaWAN)-based IoT platform, denoted as “LoRaWAN-based Smart Farming Modular IoT Architecture” (LoRaFarM), and aimed at improving the management of generic farms in a highly customizable way, is presented. The platform, built around a core middleware, is easily extensible with ad-hoc low-level modules (feeding the middleware with data coming from the sensors deployed in the farm) or high-level modules (providing advanced functionalities to the farmer). The proposed platform has been evaluated in a real farm in Italy, collecting environmental data (air/soil temperature and humidity) related to the growth of farm products (namely grapes and greenhouse vegetables) over a period of three months. A web-based visualization tool for the collected data is also presented, to validate the LoRaFarM architecture. |
2019 |
Pier Luigi Marchini; Alice Medioli; Laura Belli; Luca Davoli Internet of Things e Industria 4.0. Un case study di successo di digital manufacturing Journal Article Management Control, (3), pp. 11-34, 2019, ISSN: 2239-4397. @article{mamebeda:2019:maco, title = {Internet of Things e Industria 4.0. Un case study di successo di digital manufacturing}, author = {Pier Luigi Marchini and Alice Medioli and Laura Belli and Luca Davoli}, url = {http://www.francoangeli.it/Riviste/Scheda_rivista.aspx?idArticolo=65143}, doi = {10.3280/MACO2019-003002}, issn = {2239-4397}, year = {2019}, date = {2019-12-19}, journal = {Management Control}, number = {3}, pages = {11-34}, abstract = {The value creation through production is currently shaped by Industry 4.0, whose paradigm aims at improving industry management and business processes. Through a case study, this research describes the renovation steps, in a manufac-turing environment. The research aims to study how the introduction of digital in-novation helps in making more efficient and time saving production (RQ1), as well as in increasing product quality, enabling on time detection of non-conformity (RQ2). At theoretical level, the research aims to close the gap between the Internet of Things (IoT) application and real-word aspects, analyzing how an industry 4.0 transformation could be modelled and implemented. At managerial level, the study shows how IoT technologies and process digitalization should provide ad-vantages in terms of cost reduction, product quality control, allowing continuous collection of heterogeneous data useful to optimize the production further.}, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {article} } The value creation through production is currently shaped by Industry 4.0, whose paradigm aims at improving industry management and business processes. Through a case study, this research describes the renovation steps, in a manufac-turing environment. The research aims to study how the introduction of digital in-novation helps in making more efficient and time saving production (RQ1), as well as in increasing product quality, enabling on time detection of non-conformity (RQ2). At theoretical level, the research aims to close the gap between the Internet of Things (IoT) application and real-word aspects, analyzing how an industry 4.0 transformation could be modelled and implemented. At managerial level, the study shows how IoT technologies and process digitalization should provide ad-vantages in terms of cost reduction, product quality control, allowing continuous collection of heterogeneous data useful to optimize the production further. |
Riccardo Monica; Luca Davoli; Gianluigi Ferrari A Wave-Based Request-Response Protocol for Latency Minimization in WSNs Journal Article IEEE Internet of Things Journal, 6 (5), pp. 7971-7979, 2019, ISSN: 2327-4662. @article{modafe:2019:iotj, title = {A Wave-Based Request-Response Protocol for Latency Minimization in WSNs}, author = {Riccardo Monica and Luca Davoli and Gianluigi Ferrari}, doi = {10.1109/JIOT.2019.2914578}, issn = {2327-4662}, year = {2019}, date = {2019-10-10}, journal = {IEEE Internet of Things Journal}, volume = {6}, number = {5}, pages = {7971-7979}, abstract = {Transmission latency is a key performance metrics in most wireless sensor network (WSN) applications. Nodes in a WSN often keep their radio transceivers off, and turn them on periodically using a duty cycling mechanism. The latter is a major source of delay in the network, because transmissions must wait for the next receiver wake-up. In this paper, we present a cross-layer approach to minimize latency of a request-response (RR) protocol adopted in an IEEE 802.15.4-based WSN where the IPv6 routing protocol for low-power and lossy networks (RPLs) is used. Extra wake-ups are generated dynamically to match the predicted arrival time of the response packet, in order to reduce the duty cycling delay. The proposed approach is verified with the Cooja simulator, relying on the Contiki operating system (OS). The observed experimental results show a shorter RR delay with respect to a phase alignment (PA) approach.}, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {article} } Transmission latency is a key performance metrics in most wireless sensor network (WSN) applications. Nodes in a WSN often keep their radio transceivers off, and turn them on periodically using a duty cycling mechanism. The latter is a major source of delay in the network, because transmissions must wait for the next receiver wake-up. In this paper, we present a cross-layer approach to minimize latency of a request-response (RR) protocol adopted in an IEEE 802.15.4-based WSN where the IPv6 routing protocol for low-power and lossy networks (RPLs) is used. Extra wake-ups are generated dynamically to match the predicted arrival time of the response packet, in order to reduce the duty cycling delay. The proposed approach is verified with the Cooja simulator, relying on the Contiki operating system (OS). The observed experimental results show a shorter RR delay with respect to a phase alignment (PA) approach. |
Laura Belli; Luca Davoli; Alice Medioli; Pier Luigi Marchini; Gianluigi Ferrari Toward Industry 4.0 With IoT: Optimizing Business Processes in an Evolving Manufacturing Factory Journal Article Frontiers in ICT, 6 , pp. 17, 2019, ISSN: 2297-198X. @article{bedamemafe:2019:frontiers, title = {Toward Industry 4.0 With IoT: Optimizing Business Processes in an Evolving Manufacturing Factory}, author = { Laura Belli and Luca Davoli and Alice Medioli and Pier Luigi Marchini and Gianluigi Ferrari}, doi = {10.3389/fict.2019.00017}, issn = {2297-198X}, year = {2019}, date = {2019-08-28}, journal = {Frontiers in ICT}, volume = {6}, pages = {17}, abstract = {Research advances in the last decades have allowed the introduction of Internet of Things (IoT) concepts in several industrial application scenarios, leading to the so-called Industry 4.0 or Industrial IoT (IIoT). The Industry 4.0 has the ambition to revolutionize industry management and business processes, enhancing the productivity of manufacturing technologies through field data collection and analysis, thus creating real-time digital twins of industrial scenarios. Moreover, it is vital for companies to be as "smart" as possible and to adapt to the varying nature of the digital supply chains. This is possible by leveraging IoT in Industry 4.0 scenarios. In this paper, we describe the renovation process, guided by things2i s.r.l., a cross-disciplinary engineering-economic spin-off company of the University of Parma, which a real manufacturing industry is undergoing over consecutive phases spanning a few years. The first phase concerns the digitalization of the control quality process, specifically related to the company's production lines. The use of paper sheets containing different quality checks has been made smarter through the introduction of a digital, smart, and Web-based application, which is currently supporting operators and quality inspectors working on the supply chain through the use of smart devices. The second phase of the IIoT evolution - currently on-going - concerns both digitalization and optimization of the production planning activity, through an innovative Web-based planning tool. The changes introduced have led to significant advantages and improvement for the manufacturing company, in terms of: (i) impressive cost reduction; (ii) better products quality control; (iii) real-time detection and reaction to supply chain issues; (iv) significant reduction of the time spent in planning activity; and (v) resources employment optimization, thanks to the minimization of unproductive setup times on production lines. These two renovation phases represent a basis for possible future developments, such us the integration of sensor-based data on the operational status of production machines and the currently available warehouse supplies. In conclusion, the Industry 4.0-based on-going digitization process guided by things2i allows to continuously collect heterogeneous Human-to-Things (H2T) data, which can be used to optimize the partner manufacturing company as a whole entity.}, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {article} } Research advances in the last decades have allowed the introduction of Internet of Things (IoT) concepts in several industrial application scenarios, leading to the so-called Industry 4.0 or Industrial IoT (IIoT). The Industry 4.0 has the ambition to revolutionize industry management and business processes, enhancing the productivity of manufacturing technologies through field data collection and analysis, thus creating real-time digital twins of industrial scenarios. Moreover, it is vital for companies to be as "smart" as possible and to adapt to the varying nature of the digital supply chains. This is possible by leveraging IoT in Industry 4.0 scenarios. In this paper, we describe the renovation process, guided by things2i s.r.l., a cross-disciplinary engineering-economic spin-off company of the University of Parma, which a real manufacturing industry is undergoing over consecutive phases spanning a few years. The first phase concerns the digitalization of the control quality process, specifically related to the company's production lines. The use of paper sheets containing different quality checks has been made smarter through the introduction of a digital, smart, and Web-based application, which is currently supporting operators and quality inspectors working on the supply chain through the use of smart devices. The second phase of the IIoT evolution - currently on-going - concerns both digitalization and optimization of the production planning activity, through an innovative Web-based planning tool. The changes introduced have led to significant advantages and improvement for the manufacturing company, in terms of: (i) impressive cost reduction; (ii) better products quality control; (iii) real-time detection and reaction to supply chain issues; (iv) significant reduction of the time spent in planning activity; and (v) resources employment optimization, thanks to the minimization of unproductive setup times on production lines. These two renovation phases represent a basis for possible future developments, such us the integration of sensor-based data on the operational status of production machines and the currently available warehouse supplies. In conclusion, the Industry 4.0-based on-going digitization process guided by things2i allows to continuously collect heterogeneous Human-to-Things (H2T) data, which can be used to optimize the partner manufacturing company as a whole entity. |
Luca Veltri; Luca Davoli; Riccardo Pecori; Armando Vannucci; Francesco Zanichelli NEMO: A flexible and highly scalable network EMulatOr Journal Article SoftwareX, 10 , pp. 1-7, 2019, ISSN: 2352-7110. @article{vedapevaza:2019:softwarex, title = {NEMO: A flexible and highly scalable network EMulatOr}, author = { Luca Veltri and Luca Davoli and Riccardo Pecori and Armando Vannucci and Francesco Zanichelli}, doi = {10.1016/j.softx.2019.100248}, issn = {2352-7110}, year = {2019}, date = {2019-06-20}, journal = {SoftwareX}, volume = {10}, pages = {1-7}, abstract = {Evaluating novel applications and protocols in realistic scenarios has always been a very important task for all stakeholders working in the networking field. Network emulation, being a trade-off between actual deployment and simulations, represents a very powerful solution to this issue, providing a working network platform without requiring the actual deployment of all network components. We present NEMO, a flexible and scalable Java-based network emulator, which can be used to emulate either only a single link, a portion of a network, or an entire network. NEMO is able to work in both real and virtual time, depending on the tested scenarios and goals, and it can be run as either a stand-alone instance on a single machine, or distributed among different network-connected machines, leading to distributed and highly scalable emulation infrastructures. Among different features, NEMO is also capable of virtualizing the execution of third-party Java applications by running them on top of virtual nodes, possibly attached to an emulated or external network.}, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {article} } Evaluating novel applications and protocols in realistic scenarios has always been a very important task for all stakeholders working in the networking field. Network emulation, being a trade-off between actual deployment and simulations, represents a very powerful solution to this issue, providing a working network platform without requiring the actual deployment of all network components. We present NEMO, a flexible and scalable Java-based network emulator, which can be used to emulate either only a single link, a portion of a network, or an entire network. NEMO is able to work in both real and virtual time, depending on the tested scenarios and goals, and it can be run as either a stand-alone instance on a single machine, or distributed among different network-connected machines, leading to distributed and highly scalable emulation infrastructures. Among different features, NEMO is also capable of virtualizing the execution of third-party Java applications by running them on top of virtual nodes, possibly attached to an emulated or external network. |
Antonio Cilfone; Luca Davoli; Laura Belli; Gianluigi Ferrari Wireless Mesh Networking: An IoT-Oriented Perspective Survey on Relevant Technologies Journal Article Future Internet, 11 (4), 2019, ISSN: 1999-5903. @article{cidabefe:2019:futureinternet, title = {Wireless Mesh Networking: An IoT-Oriented Perspective Survey on Relevant Technologies}, author = {Antonio Cilfone and Luca Davoli and Laura Belli and Gianluigi Ferrari}, url = {http://www.mdpi.com/1999-5903/11/4/99}, doi = {10.3390/fi11040099}, issn = {1999-5903}, year = {2019}, date = {2019-04-17}, journal = {Future Internet}, volume = {11}, number = {4}, abstract = {The Internet of Things (IoT), being a "network of networks", promises to allow billions of humans and machines to interact with each other. Owing to this rapid growth, the deployment of IoT-oriented networks based on mesh topologies is very attractive, thanks to their scalability and reliability (in the presence of failures). In this paper, we provide a comprehensive survey of the following relevant wireless technologies: IEEE 802.11, Bluetooth, IEEE 802.15.4-oriented, and Sub-GHz-based LoRa. Our goal is to highlight how various communication technologies may be suitable for mesh networking, either providing a native support or being adapted subsequently. Hence, we discuss how these wireless technologies, being either standard or proprietary, can adapt to IoT scenarios (e.g., smart cities and smart agriculture) in which the heterogeneity of the involved devices is a key feature. Finally, we provide reference use cases involving all the analyzed mesh-oriented technologies.}, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {article} } The Internet of Things (IoT), being a "network of networks", promises to allow billions of humans and machines to interact with each other. Owing to this rapid growth, the deployment of IoT-oriented networks based on mesh topologies is very attractive, thanks to their scalability and reliability (in the presence of failures). In this paper, we provide a comprehensive survey of the following relevant wireless technologies: IEEE 802.11, Bluetooth, IEEE 802.15.4-oriented, and Sub-GHz-based LoRa. Our goal is to highlight how various communication technologies may be suitable for mesh networking, either providing a native support or being adapted subsequently. Hence, we discuss how these wireless technologies, being either standard or proprietary, can adapt to IoT scenarios (e.g., smart cities and smart agriculture) in which the heterogeneity of the involved devices is a key feature. Finally, we provide reference use cases involving all the analyzed mesh-oriented technologies. |
Luca Davoli; Antonio Cilfone; Laura Belli; Gianluigi Ferrari Design and experimental performance analysis of a B.A.T.M.A.N.-based double Wi-Fi interface mesh network Journal Article Future Generation Computer Systems, 92 , pp. 593-603, 2019, ISSN: 0167-739X. @article{dacibefe:2019:fgcs, title = {Design and experimental performance analysis of a B.A.T.M.A.N.-based double Wi-Fi interface mesh network}, author = {Luca Davoli and Antonio Cilfone and Laura Belli and Gianluigi Ferrari}, doi = {10.1016/j.future.2018.02.015}, issn = {0167-739X}, year = {2019}, date = {2019-01-01}, journal = {Future Generation Computer Systems}, volume = {92}, pages = {593-603}, abstract = {Mesh networks and, in particular, Wireless Mesh Networks (WMNs) are gaining a growing interest because of their scalability, robustness, and ease of deployment. These characteristics make WMNs suitable for several applications, such as distributed sensing, monitoring, and public safety. In this paper, we describe a novel WMN implementation based on the use of low-cost double Wi-Fi interface embedded IoT-oriented devices. At each node, one interface provides external connectivity, whereas the other interface is used to create a mesh backbone. On the mesh side, the Better Approach To Mobile Ad-hoc Networking (B.A.T.M.A.N.) routing algorithm is used to route the traffic flows from external clients (possibly towards an Internet gateway), which can be IoT nodes and/or mobile nodes (e.g., smartphones and tablets). After providing a description of the architecture and relevant implementation details, we carry out an extensive experimental campaign to evaluate the WMN performance, especially in terms of the trade-off between throughput and number of hops.}, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {article} } Mesh networks and, in particular, Wireless Mesh Networks (WMNs) are gaining a growing interest because of their scalability, robustness, and ease of deployment. These characteristics make WMNs suitable for several applications, such as distributed sensing, monitoring, and public safety. In this paper, we describe a novel WMN implementation based on the use of low-cost double Wi-Fi interface embedded IoT-oriented devices. At each node, one interface provides external connectivity, whereas the other interface is used to create a mesh backbone. On the mesh side, the Better Approach To Mobile Ad-hoc Networking (B.A.T.M.A.N.) routing algorithm is used to route the traffic flows from external clients (possibly towards an Internet gateway), which can be IoT nodes and/or mobile nodes (e.g., smartphones and tablets). After providing a description of the architecture and relevant implementation details, we carry out an extensive experimental campaign to evaluate the WMN performance, especially in terms of the trade-off between throughput and number of hops. |
2018 |
Luca Davoli; Mattia Antonini; Gianluigi Ferrari DiRPL: A RPL-Based Resource and Service Discovery Algorithm for 6LoWPANs Journal Article Applied Sciences, 9 (1), 2018, ISSN: 2076-3417, (Special Issue IoT for Smart Cities). @article{davoli:2019:applsci, title = {DiRPL: A RPL-Based Resource and Service Discovery Algorithm for 6LoWPANs}, author = {Luca Davoli and Mattia Antonini and Gianluigi Ferrari}, url = {http://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/9/1/33}, doi = {10.3390/app9010033}, issn = {2076-3417}, year = {2018}, date = {2018-12-22}, journal = {Applied Sciences}, volume = {9}, number = {1}, abstract = {The Internet of Things (IoT) will bring together billions of devices, denoted as Smart Objects (SOs), in an Internet-like architecture. Typically, SOs are embedded devices with severe constraints in terms of processing capabilities, available memory (RAM/ROM), and energy consumption. SOs tend to be deployed in environments in which the human intervention is not suitable or needs to be minimized (e.g., smart city maintenance). They must adapt to the surrounding environment by self-configuring: to this end, several mechanisms have been proposed (e.g., UPnP, ZeroConf, etc.). In this paper, we focus on IEEE 802.15.4 networks with IPv6 over Low-Power Wireless Personal Area Network (6LoWPAN) adaptation layer, where IPv6 Routing Protocol for Low-Power and Lossy Networks (RPL) is the routing protocol of choice. In this context, we propose a lightweight RPL-based mechanism to Resource Discovery (RD) and Service Discovery (SD), denoted as DiRPL. In particular, DiRPL exploits the RPL handshake to detect new nodes in the network; resources are then simply discovered with a Constrained Application Protocol (CoAP) request and can thus be published in a local resource directory. A very attractive feature of the proposed DiRPL approach is that it builds on well-defined and well-known standard protocols. The performance of the proposed system is investigated with WisMote nodes deployed inside the Cooja simulator, running the Contiki operating system. Practical application scenarios to large-scale smart city monitoring, such as smart lighting and large-scale water consumption monitoring, are investigated.}, note = {Special Issue IoT for Smart Cities}, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {article} } The Internet of Things (IoT) will bring together billions of devices, denoted as Smart Objects (SOs), in an Internet-like architecture. Typically, SOs are embedded devices with severe constraints in terms of processing capabilities, available memory (RAM/ROM), and energy consumption. SOs tend to be deployed in environments in which the human intervention is not suitable or needs to be minimized (e.g., smart city maintenance). They must adapt to the surrounding environment by self-configuring: to this end, several mechanisms have been proposed (e.g., UPnP, ZeroConf, etc.). In this paper, we focus on IEEE 802.15.4 networks with IPv6 over Low-Power Wireless Personal Area Network (6LoWPAN) adaptation layer, where IPv6 Routing Protocol for Low-Power and Lossy Networks (RPL) is the routing protocol of choice. In this context, we propose a lightweight RPL-based mechanism to Resource Discovery (RD) and Service Discovery (SD), denoted as DiRPL. In particular, DiRPL exploits the RPL handshake to detect new nodes in the network; resources are then simply discovered with a Constrained Application Protocol (CoAP) request and can thus be published in a local resource directory. A very attractive feature of the proposed DiRPL approach is that it builds on well-defined and well-known standard protocols. The performance of the proposed system is investigated with WisMote nodes deployed inside the Cooja simulator, running the Contiki operating system. Practical application scenarios to large-scale smart city monitoring, such as smart lighting and large-scale water consumption monitoring, are investigated. |
Luca Davoli; Laura Belli; Luca Veltri; Gianluigi Ferrari THORIN: an Efficient Module for Federated Access and Threat Mitigation in Big Stream Cloud Architectures Journal Article IEEE Cloud Computing, 5 (1), pp. 38-48, 2018, ISSN: 2325-6095. @article{dabevefe:2018:ccm, title = {THORIN: an Efficient Module for Federated Access and Threat Mitigation in Big Stream Cloud Architectures}, author = {Luca Davoli and Laura Belli and Luca Veltri and Gianluigi Ferrari}, url = {https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/8327545/}, doi = {10.1109/MCC.2018.011791713}, issn = {2325-6095}, year = {2018}, date = {2018-03-28}, journal = {IEEE Cloud Computing}, volume = {5}, number = {1}, pages = {38-48}, abstract = {In order to make cloud services attractive for several IT organizations, it is necessary to provide access control and to implement safe and reliable mechanisms of Identity and Access Management (IAM). In this work, we focus on security issues and challenges in the design and implementation of cloud architectures and, in particular, for the management of Big Stream applications in Internet of Things (IoT) scenarios. The proposed work introduces a new set of modules allowing a federated access control policy for cloud users. An analysis of possible threats and attacks against the proposed Big Stream platform is presented, investigating the system performance in terms of detection and elimination of malicious nodes. In particular, we propose a new module, denoted as Traffic Handler Orchestrator & Rapid Intervention (THORIN), which is very efficient in counteracting botnet-based threats.}, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {article} } In order to make cloud services attractive for several IT organizations, it is necessary to provide access control and to implement safe and reliable mechanisms of Identity and Access Management (IAM). In this work, we focus on security issues and challenges in the design and implementation of cloud architectures and, in particular, for the management of Big Stream applications in Internet of Things (IoT) scenarios. The proposed work introduces a new set of modules allowing a federated access control policy for cloud users. An analysis of possible threats and attacks against the proposed Big Stream platform is presented, investigating the system performance in terms of detection and elimination of malicious nodes. In particular, we propose a new module, denoted as Traffic Handler Orchestrator & Rapid Intervention (THORIN), which is very efficient in counteracting botnet-based threats. |
Stefania Monica; Gianluigi Ferrari Improving UWB-Based Localization in IoT Scenarios with Statistical Models of Distance Error Journal Article Sensors, 18 (5), pp. 1592, 2018. @article{monica2018improving, title = {Improving UWB-Based Localization in IoT Scenarios with Statistical Models of Distance Error}, author = {Stefania Monica and Gianluigi Ferrari}, year = {2018}, date = {2018-01-01}, journal = {Sensors}, volume = {18}, number = {5}, pages = {1592}, publisher = {Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute}, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {article} } |
Simone Cirani; Gianluigi Ferrari; Mirko Mancin; Marco Picone Virtual Replication of IoT Hubs in the Cloud: A Flexible Approach to Smart Object Management Journal Article Journal of Sensor and Actuator Networks, 7 (2), pp. 16, 2018. @article{cirani2018virtual, title = {Virtual Replication of IoT Hubs in the Cloud: A Flexible Approach to Smart Object Management}, author = {Simone Cirani and Gianluigi Ferrari and Mirko Mancin and Marco Picone}, year = {2018}, date = {2018-01-01}, journal = {Journal of Sensor and Actuator Networks}, volume = {7}, number = {2}, pages = {16}, publisher = {Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute}, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {article} } |
Srinivas Nallagonda; Sanjay Dhar Roy; Sumit Kundu; Gianluigi Ferrari; Riccardo Raheli Censoring-Based Cooperative Spectrum Sensing with Improved Energy Detectors and Multiple Antennas in Fading Channels Journal Article IEEE Transactions on Aerospace and Electronic Systems, 54 (2), pp. 537–553, 2018. @article{nallagonda2018censoring, title = {Censoring-Based Cooperative Spectrum Sensing with Improved Energy Detectors and Multiple Antennas in Fading Channels}, author = {Srinivas Nallagonda and Sanjay Dhar Roy and Sumit Kundu and Gianluigi Ferrari and Riccardo Raheli}, year = {2018}, date = {2018-01-01}, journal = {IEEE Transactions on Aerospace and Electronic Systems}, volume = {54}, number = {2}, pages = {537--553}, publisher = {IEEE}, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {article} } |
2017 |
Nicolò Strozzi; Federico Parisi; Gianluigi Ferrari Impact of on-body IMU placement on inertial navigation Journal Article IET Wireless Sensor Systems -Special Issue on Body Sensor Networks , 8 (1), pp. 3-9, 2017, ISSN: 2043-6394. @article{IET_StPaFe17, title = {Impact of on-body IMU placement on inertial navigation}, author = {Nicolò Strozzi and Federico Parisi and Gianluigi Ferrari}, url = {https://dx.doi.org/ 10.1049/iet-wss.2017.0087 http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/8269863/}, doi = {10.1049/iet-wss.2017.0087}, issn = {2043-6394}, year = {2017}, date = {2017-11-02}, journal = {IET Wireless Sensor Systems -Special Issue on Body Sensor Networks }, volume = {8}, number = {1}, pages = {3-9}, abstract = {Even though technology-aided personal navigation is an extensively studied research topic, approaches based on inertial sensors remain challenging. In this study, the authors present a comparison between different inertial systems, investigating the impacts of on-body placement of Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs) and, consequently, of different algorithms for the estimation of the travelled path on the navigation accuracy. In particular, the system performance is investigated considering two IMU placements: (i) on the feet and (ii) on the lower back. Sensor fusion is then considered in order to take advantage of the strengths of each placement. The results are validated through an extensive data collection in indoor and outdoor environments.}, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {article} } Even though technology-aided personal navigation is an extensively studied research topic, approaches based on inertial sensors remain challenging. In this study, the authors present a comparison between different inertial systems, investigating the impacts of on-body placement of Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs) and, consequently, of different algorithms for the estimation of the travelled path on the navigation accuracy. In particular, the system performance is investigated considering two IMU placements: (i) on the feet and (ii) on the lower back. Sensor fusion is then considered in order to take advantage of the strengths of each placement. The results are validated through an extensive data collection in indoor and outdoor environments. |
Luca Davoli; Laura Belli; Antonio Cilfone; Gianluigi Ferrari From Micro to Macro IoT: Challenges and Solutions in the Integration of IEEE 802.15.4/802.11 and Sub-GHz Technologies Journal Article IEEE Internet of Things Journal, 5 (2), pp. 784-793, 2017, ISSN: 2327-4662. @article{dabecife:iotj:2017, title = {From Micro to Macro IoT: Challenges and Solutions in the Integration of IEEE 802.15.4/802.11 and Sub-GHz Technologies}, author = {Luca Davoli and Laura Belli and Antonio Cilfone and Gianluigi Ferrari}, url = {https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/8024171/}, doi = {10.1109/JIOT.2017.2747900}, issn = {2327-4662}, year = {2017}, date = {2017-09-01}, journal = {IEEE Internet of Things Journal}, volume = {5}, number = {2}, pages = {784-793}, abstract = {Research efforts in the field of Internet of Things (IoT) are providing solutions in building new types of “network of networks,” going beyond the technological barriers due to intrinsic limitations of the constrained devices typically used in this context. Thanks to the improvement in communication/networking protocols and the hardware cost reduction, it is now possible to define new IoT architectures, combining the “micro” IoT paradigm, based on short-range radio technologies (e.g., IEEE 802.15.4 and IEEE 802.11), with the rising “macro” IoT paradigm, based on sub-GHz radio technologies. This allows the implementation of scalable network architectures, able to collect data coming from constrained devices and process them in order to provide useful services and applications to final consumers. In this paper, we focus on practical integration between micro and macro IoT approaches, providing architectural and performance details for a set of experimental tests carried out in the campus of the University of Parma. We then discuss challenges and solutions of the proposed micro–macro integrated IoT systems.}, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {article} } Research efforts in the field of Internet of Things (IoT) are providing solutions in building new types of “network of networks,” going beyond the technological barriers due to intrinsic limitations of the constrained devices typically used in this context. Thanks to the improvement in communication/networking protocols and the hardware cost reduction, it is now possible to define new IoT architectures, combining the “micro” IoT paradigm, based on short-range radio technologies (e.g., IEEE 802.15.4 and IEEE 802.11), with the rising “macro” IoT paradigm, based on sub-GHz radio technologies. This allows the implementation of scalable network architectures, able to collect data coming from constrained devices and process them in order to provide useful services and applications to final consumers. In this paper, we focus on practical integration between micro and macro IoT approaches, providing architectural and performance details for a set of experimental tests carried out in the campus of the University of Parma. We then discuss challenges and solutions of the proposed micro–macro integrated IoT systems. |
Marco Martalò; Gianluigi Ferrari; Muhammad Asim; J Gambini; C Mazzucco; G Cannalire; S Bianchi; Riccardo Raheli Iterative Synchronization for Dually-Polarized Independent Transmission Streams Journal Article IEEE Transactions on Communications, 65 (6), pp. 2534-2542, 2017, ISSN: 0090-6778. @article{7888529, title = {Iterative Synchronization for Dually-Polarized Independent Transmission Streams}, author = {Marco Martalò and Gianluigi Ferrari and Muhammad Asim and J Gambini and C Mazzucco and G Cannalire and S Bianchi and Riccardo Raheli}, doi = {10.1109/TCOMM.2017.2688398}, issn = {0090-6778}, year = {2017}, date = {2017-06-01}, journal = {IEEE Transactions on Communications}, volume = {65}, number = {6}, pages = {2534-2542}, abstract = {In this paper, we investigate a wireless communication scenario, where polarization multiplexing is exploited to increase the spectral efficiency. Independent modems over each polarization are considered, with communication links affected by phase noise and cross-polarization interference (XPI). We devise a novel per-polarization soft decision-directed iterative receiver with separate a posteriori probability-based synchronization and decoding. The synchronization algorithm relies on a minimum mean square error-based master-slave phase estimation followed by the cancellation of the XPI on the polarization of interest and requires no statistical knowledge of the phase noise process. The performance of the proposed iterative receiver is investigated for a pilot symbol-assisted low-density parity-check-coded quadrature amplitude modulation scheme.}, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {article} } In this paper, we investigate a wireless communication scenario, where polarization multiplexing is exploited to increase the spectral efficiency. Independent modems over each polarization are considered, with communication links affected by phase noise and cross-polarization interference (XPI). We devise a novel per-polarization soft decision-directed iterative receiver with separate a posteriori probability-based synchronization and decoding. The synchronization algorithm relies on a minimum mean square error-based master-slave phase estimation followed by the cancellation of the XPI on the polarization of interest and requires no statistical knowledge of the phase noise process. The performance of the proposed iterative receiver is investigated for a pilot symbol-assisted low-density parity-check-coded quadrature amplitude modulation scheme. |
Michele Amoretti; Olivier Alphand; Gianluigi Ferrari; Frank Rousseau; Andrej Duda DINAS: A Lightweight and Efficient Distributed Naming Service for All-IP Wireless Sensor Networks Journal Article IEEE Internet of Things Journal, 4 (3), pp. 670-684, 2017, ISSN: 2327-4662. @article{7784700, title = {DINAS: A Lightweight and Efficient Distributed Naming Service for All-IP Wireless Sensor Networks}, author = {Michele Amoretti and Olivier Alphand and Gianluigi Ferrari and Frank Rousseau and Andrej Duda}, doi = {10.1109/JIOT.2016.2640317}, issn = {2327-4662}, year = {2017}, date = {2017-06-01}, journal = {IEEE Internet of Things Journal}, volume = {4}, number = {3}, pages = {670-684}, abstract = {The Internet of Things (IoT) requires a compact naming scheme, which can also bring significant advantages to service registration and discovery. We propose a novel approach, denoted as distributed naming service, which provides a new naming scheme as well as an efficient service discovery protocol for wireless sensor networks. It is based on three pillars: 1) Bloom filters, to create compact names from node descriptions; 2) message propagation strategies, to publish and discover information-not only names-within the network; and 3) distributed caches, to store names within the network. In this paper, we assume ContikiMAC at layer 2, IPv6 and Routing Protocol for Low-Power and Lossy Networks (RPL) at layer 3, and we present two particular UDP-based message propagation strategies that take advantage of the RPL protocol at layer 3. We evaluate the performance of the proposed solutions through Contiki/Cooja simulations and on a real testbed, using the open and large scale FIT IoT-LAB.}, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {article} } The Internet of Things (IoT) requires a compact naming scheme, which can also bring significant advantages to service registration and discovery. We propose a novel approach, denoted as distributed naming service, which provides a new naming scheme as well as an efficient service discovery protocol for wireless sensor networks. It is based on three pillars: 1) Bloom filters, to create compact names from node descriptions; 2) message propagation strategies, to publish and discover information-not only names-within the network; and 3) distributed caches, to store names within the network. In this paper, we assume ContikiMAC at layer 2, IPv6 and Routing Protocol for Low-Power and Lossy Networks (RPL) at layer 3, and we present two particular UDP-based message propagation strategies that take advantage of the RPL protocol at layer 3. We evaluate the performance of the proposed solutions through Contiki/Cooja simulations and on a real testbed, using the open and large scale FIT IoT-LAB. |
Nicola Iotti; Marco Picone; Simone Cirani; Gianluigi Ferrari Improving Quality of Experience in Future Wireless Access Networks through Fog Computing Journal Article IEEE Internet Computing, 21 (2), pp. 26-33, 2017, ISSN: 1089-7801. @article{7867738, title = {Improving Quality of Experience in Future Wireless Access Networks through Fog Computing}, author = {Nicola Iotti and Marco Picone and Simone Cirani and Gianluigi Ferrari}, doi = {10.1109/MIC.2017.38}, issn = {1089-7801}, year = {2017}, date = {2017-03-01}, journal = {IEEE Internet Computing}, volume = {21}, number = {2}, pages = {26-33}, abstract = {A novel model of Internet access networks is proposed, based on fog computing. The model hosts applications close to users by relying on virtual machines to dynamically move cloud or Web content to nodes located at the edge of access networks. Then it can perform proactive caching and enforce traffic policies based on the interaction between access infrastructure and external applications. By analyzing experimental data collected from public Wi-Fi hotspots, the authors quantify the benefits of this approach for bandwidth usage optimization, latency reduction, and quality of experience enhancement. Experimental results show that a significant portion (from 28 to 50 percent) of download data could be managed by the fog node. On the basis of these findings, useful insights for future-generation access networks are provided.}, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {article} } A novel model of Internet access networks is proposed, based on fog computing. The model hosts applications close to users by relying on virtual machines to dynamically move cloud or Web content to nodes located at the edge of access networks. Then it can perform proactive caching and enforce traffic policies based on the interaction between access infrastructure and external applications. By analyzing experimental data collected from public Wi-Fi hotspots, the authors quantify the benefits of this approach for bandwidth usage optimization, latency reduction, and quality of experience enhancement. Experimental results show that a significant portion (from 28 to 50 percent) of download data could be managed by the fog node. On the basis of these findings, useful insights for future-generation access networks are provided. |
Luca Cattani; Davide Alinovi; Gianluigi Ferrari; Riccardo Raheli; Elena Pavlidis; Carlotta Spagnoli; Francesco Pisani Monitoring infants by automatic video processing: A unified approach to motion analysis Journal Article Computers in Biology and Medicine, 80 , pp. 158 - 165, 2017, ISSN: 0010-4825. @article{CATTANI2017158, title = {Monitoring infants by automatic video processing: A unified approach to motion analysis}, author = {Luca Cattani and Davide Alinovi and Gianluigi Ferrari and Riccardo Raheli and Elena Pavlidis and Carlotta Spagnoli and Francesco Pisani}, url = {http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0010482516303031}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compbiomed.2016.11.010}, issn = {0010-4825}, year = {2017}, date = {2017-01-01}, journal = {Computers in Biology and Medicine}, volume = {80}, pages = {158 - 165}, abstract = {A unified approach to contact-less and low-cost video processing for automatic detection of neonatal diseases characterized by specific movement patterns is presented. This disease category includes neonatal clonic seizures and apneas. Both disorders are characterized by the presence or absence, respectively, of periodic movements of parts of the body—e.g., the limbs in case of clonic seizures and the chest/abdomen in case of apneas. Therefore, one can analyze the data obtained from multiple video sensors placed around a patient, extracting relevant motion signals and estimating, using the Maximum Likelihood (ML) criterion, their possible periodicity. This approach is very versatile and allows to investigate various scenarios, including: a single Red, Green and Blue (RGB) camera, an RGB-depth sensor or a network of a few RGB cameras. Data fusion principles are considered to aggregate the signals from multiple sensors. In the case of apneas, since breathing movements are subtle, the video can be pre-processed by a recently proposed algorithm which is able to emphasize small movements. The performance of the proposed contact-less detection algorithms is assessed, considering real video recordings of newborns, in terms of sensitivity, specificity, and Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves, with respect to medical gold standard devices. The obtained results show that a video processing-based system can effectively detect the considered specific diseases, with increasing performance for increasing number of sensors.}, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {article} } A unified approach to contact-less and low-cost video processing for automatic detection of neonatal diseases characterized by specific movement patterns is presented. This disease category includes neonatal clonic seizures and apneas. Both disorders are characterized by the presence or absence, respectively, of periodic movements of parts of the body—e.g., the limbs in case of clonic seizures and the chest/abdomen in case of apneas. Therefore, one can analyze the data obtained from multiple video sensors placed around a patient, extracting relevant motion signals and estimating, using the Maximum Likelihood (ML) criterion, their possible periodicity. This approach is very versatile and allows to investigate various scenarios, including: a single Red, Green and Blue (RGB) camera, an RGB-depth sensor or a network of a few RGB cameras. Data fusion principles are considered to aggregate the signals from multiple sensors. In the case of apneas, since breathing movements are subtle, the video can be pre-processed by a recently proposed algorithm which is able to emphasize small movements. The performance of the proposed contact-less detection algorithms is assessed, considering real video recordings of newborns, in terms of sensitivity, specificity, and Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves, with respect to medical gold standard devices. The obtained results show that a video processing-based system can effectively detect the considered specific diseases, with increasing performance for increasing number of sensors. |
Andrea Abrardo; Marco Martalò; Gianluigi Ferrari Information fusion for efficient target detection in large-scale surveillance Wireless Sensor Networks Journal Article Information Fusion, 38 , pp. 55 - 64, 2017, ISSN: 1566-2535. @article{ABRARDO201755, title = {Information fusion for efficient target detection in large-scale surveillance Wireless Sensor Networks}, author = {Andrea Abrardo and Marco Martalò and Gianluigi Ferrari}, url = {http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1566253517300751}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.inffus.2017.02.002}, issn = {1566-2535}, year = {2017}, date = {2017-01-01}, journal = {Information Fusion}, volume = {38}, pages = {55 - 64}, abstract = {In this paper, we consider a surveillance scenario, where nodes of a Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) cooperate to detect an event of interest, e.g., the presence of a mobile target in a monitored region. The considered scenario refers, for example, to ELectronic-signals INTelligence (ELINT), since detection is based on sensing the presence of anomalous electromagnetic signals in the monitored area. Leveraging previous results in the field of cognitive wireless networking, we derive proper decision and fusion strategies. We investigate both clustered (where no direct communication between sensors and the Communication and Control center, C2, is allowed and intermediate data fusion is performed at Cluster Heads, CHs) and unclustered (with direct communications between sensor nodes and the C2). System performance is analyzed in terms of False Alarm (FA)/Correct Detection (CD) probabilities and energy consumption, quantifying inherent tradeoffs between these performance indicators.}, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {article} } In this paper, we consider a surveillance scenario, where nodes of a Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) cooperate to detect an event of interest, e.g., the presence of a mobile target in a monitored region. The considered scenario refers, for example, to ELectronic-signals INTelligence (ELINT), since detection is based on sensing the presence of anomalous electromagnetic signals in the monitored area. Leveraging previous results in the field of cognitive wireless networking, we derive proper decision and fusion strategies. We investigate both clustered (where no direct communication between sensors and the Communication and Control center, C2, is allowed and intermediate data fusion is performed at Cluster Heads, CHs) and unclustered (with direct communications between sensor nodes and the C2). System performance is analyzed in terms of False Alarm (FA)/Correct Detection (CD) probabilities and energy consumption, quantifying inherent tradeoffs between these performance indicators. |
Davide Alinovi; Gianluigi Ferrari; Francesco Pisani; Riccardo Raheli Markov chain modeling and simulation of breathing patterns Journal Article Biomedical Signal Processing and Control, 33 , pp. 245 - 254, 2017, ISSN: 1746-8094. @article{ALINOVI2017245, title = {Markov chain modeling and simulation of breathing patterns}, author = {Davide Alinovi and Gianluigi Ferrari and Francesco Pisani and Riccardo Raheli}, url = {http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1746809416302142}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bspc.2016.12.002}, issn = {1746-8094}, year = {2017}, date = {2017-01-01}, journal = {Biomedical Signal Processing and Control}, volume = {33}, pages = {245 - 254}, abstract = {The lack of large video databases obtained from real patients with respiratory disorders makes the design and optimization of video-based monitoring systems quite critical. The purpose of this study is the development of suitable models and simulators of breathing behaviors and disorders, such as respiratory pauses and apneas, in order to allow efficient design and test of video-based monitoring systems. More precisely, a novel Continuous-Time Markov Chain (CTMC) statistical model of breathing patterns is presented. The Respiratory Rate (RR) pattern, estimated by measured vital signs of hospital-monitored patients, is approximated as a CTMC, whose states and parameters are selected through an appropriate statistical analysis. Then, two simulators, software- and hardware-based, are proposed. After validation of the CTMC model, the proposed simulators are tested with previously developed video-based algorithms for the estimation of the RR and the detection of apnea events. Examples of application to assess the performance of systems for video-based RR estimation and apnea detection are presented. The results, in terms of Kullback–Leibler divergence, show that realistic breathing patterns, including specific respiratory disorders, can be accurately described by the proposed model; moreover, the simulators are able to reproduce practical breathing patterns for video analysis. The presented CTMC statistical model can be strategic to describe realistic breathing patterns and devise simulators useful to develop and test novel and effective video processing-based monitoring systems.}, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {article} } The lack of large video databases obtained from real patients with respiratory disorders makes the design and optimization of video-based monitoring systems quite critical. The purpose of this study is the development of suitable models and simulators of breathing behaviors and disorders, such as respiratory pauses and apneas, in order to allow efficient design and test of video-based monitoring systems. More precisely, a novel Continuous-Time Markov Chain (CTMC) statistical model of breathing patterns is presented. The Respiratory Rate (RR) pattern, estimated by measured vital signs of hospital-monitored patients, is approximated as a CTMC, whose states and parameters are selected through an appropriate statistical analysis. Then, two simulators, software- and hardware-based, are proposed. After validation of the CTMC model, the proposed simulators are tested with previously developed video-based algorithms for the estimation of the RR and the detection of apnea events. Examples of application to assess the performance of systems for video-based RR estimation and apnea detection are presented. The results, in terms of Kullback–Leibler divergence, show that realistic breathing patterns, including specific respiratory disorders, can be accurately described by the proposed model; moreover, the simulators are able to reproduce practical breathing patterns for video analysis. The presented CTMC statistical model can be strategic to describe realistic breathing patterns and devise simulators useful to develop and test novel and effective video processing-based monitoring systems. |
Barbara M Masini; Gianluigi Ferrari; Cristiano Silva; Ilaria Thibault Connected Vehicles: Applications and Communication Challenges Journal Article Mobile Information Systems, 2017. @article{enw1, title = {Connected Vehicles: Applications and Communication Challenges}, author = {Barbara M Masini and Gianluigi Ferrari and Cristiano Silva and Ilaria Thibault}, doi = {10.1155/2017/1082183}, year = {2017}, date = {2017-01-01}, journal = {Mobile Information Systems}, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {article} } |
Cristiano M Silva; Barbara M Masini; Gianluigi Ferrari; Ilaria Thibault A Survey on Infrastructure-Based Vehicular Networks Journal Article Mobile Information Systems, 2017. @article{enw2, title = {A Survey on Infrastructure-Based Vehicular Networks}, author = {Cristiano M Silva and Barbara M Masini and Gianluigi Ferrari and Ilaria Thibault}, doi = {10.1155/2017/6123868}, year = {2017}, date = {2017-01-01}, journal = {Mobile Information Systems}, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {article} } |
2016 |
Matteo Giuberti; Gianluigi Ferrari A low-complexity activity classification algorithm with optimized selection of accelerometric features Journal Article 8 (6), pp. 681-695, 2016. @article{iospress, title = {A low-complexity activity classification algorithm with optimized selection of accelerometric features}, author = {Matteo Giuberti and Gianluigi Ferrari}, doi = {10.3233/AIS-160406}, year = {2016}, date = {2016-11-01}, booktitle = {Journal of Ambient Intelligence and Smart Environments}, volume = {8}, number = {6}, pages = {681-695}, abstract = {Activity classification consists in detecting and classifying a sequence of activities, choosing from a limited set of known activities, by observing the outputs generated by (typically) inertial sensor devices placed over the body of a user. To this end, machine learning techniques can be effectively used to detect meaningful patterns from data without explicitly defining classification rules. In this paper, we present a novel Body Sensor Network (BSN)-based low complexity activity classification algorithm, which can effectively detect activities performed by the user just analyzing the accelerometric signals generated by the BSN. A preliminary (computationally intensive) training phase, performed once, is run to automatically optimize the key parameters of the algorithm used in the following (computationally light) online phase for activity classification. In particular, during the training phase, optimized subsets of nodes are selected in order to minimize the number of relevant features and keep a good compromise between performance and time complexity. Our results show that the proposed algorithm outperforms other known activity classification algorithms, especially when using a limited number of nodes, and lends itself to real-time implementation.}, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {article} } Activity classification consists in detecting and classifying a sequence of activities, choosing from a limited set of known activities, by observing the outputs generated by (typically) inertial sensor devices placed over the body of a user. To this end, machine learning techniques can be effectively used to detect meaningful patterns from data without explicitly defining classification rules. In this paper, we present a novel Body Sensor Network (BSN)-based low complexity activity classification algorithm, which can effectively detect activities performed by the user just analyzing the accelerometric signals generated by the BSN. A preliminary (computationally intensive) training phase, performed once, is run to automatically optimize the key parameters of the algorithm used in the following (computationally light) online phase for activity classification. In particular, during the training phase, optimized subsets of nodes are selected in order to minimize the number of relevant features and keep a good compromise between performance and time complexity. Our results show that the proposed algorithm outperforms other known activity classification algorithms, especially when using a limited number of nodes, and lends itself to real-time implementation. |
Luca Davoli; Laura Belli; Antonio Cilfone; Gianluigi Ferrari Integration of Wi-Fi mobile nodes in a Web of Things Testbed Journal Article ICT Express, 2 (3), pp. 96 - 99, 2016, ISSN: 2405-9595, (Special Issue on ICT Convergence in the Internet of Things (IoT)). @article{Davoli201696, title = {Integration of Wi-Fi mobile nodes in a Web of Things Testbed}, author = {Luca Davoli and Laura Belli and Antonio Cilfone and Gianluigi Ferrari}, editor = {Yacine Ghamri-Doudane and Yeong Min Jang and Daeyoung Kim and Hossam Hassanein and JaeSeung Song}, url = {http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405959516300637}, doi = {10.1016/j.icte.2016.07.001}, issn = {2405-9595}, year = {2016}, date = {2016-08-05}, journal = {ICT Express}, volume = {2}, number = {3}, pages = {96 - 99}, abstract = {The Internet of Things (IoT) is supposed to connect billions of devices to the Internet through IP-based communications. The main goal is to foster a rapid deployment of Web-enabled everyday objects, allowing end users to manage and control smart things in a simple way, by using Web browsers. This paper focuses on the integration of Wi-Fi nodes, hosting HTTP resources, into a Web of Things Testbed (WoTT). The main novelty of the proposed approach is that the WoTT integrates new nodes by using only standard mechanisms, allowing end-users to interact with all Smart Objects without worrying about protocol-specific details.}, note = {Special Issue on ICT Convergence in the Internet of Things (IoT)}, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {article} } The Internet of Things (IoT) is supposed to connect billions of devices to the Internet through IP-based communications. The main goal is to foster a rapid deployment of Web-enabled everyday objects, allowing end users to manage and control smart things in a simple way, by using Web browsers. This paper focuses on the integration of Wi-Fi nodes, hosting HTTP resources, into a Web of Things Testbed (WoTT). The main novelty of the proposed approach is that the WoTT integrates new nodes by using only standard mechanisms, allowing end-users to interact with all Smart Objects without worrying about protocol-specific details. |
G. Albani, C. Azzaro, F. Parisi, C. Ferraris, M. Giuberti, L. Contin, D. Pianu, L. G. Pradotto, V. Cimolin, M. Galli, R. Nerino, G. Ferrari,; A. Mauro A step forward to the future: UPDRS kinematic measures for telemedicine Journal Article Movement Disorders, 31 (suppl. 2), pp. S514, 2016, ISSN: 1531-8257. @article{Aletal_MDS15, title = {A step forward to the future: UPDRS kinematic measures for telemedicine}, author = {G. Albani, C. Azzaro, F. Parisi, C. Ferraris, M. Giuberti, L. Contin, D. Pianu, L. G. Pradotto, V. Cimolin, M. Galli, R. Nerino, G. Ferrari, and A. Mauro}, url = {http://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/a-step-forward-to-the-future-updrs-kinematic-measures-for-telemedicine/ http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/mds.26688}, issn = {1531-8257}, year = {2016}, date = {2016-06-01}, journal = {Movement Disorders}, volume = {31}, number = {suppl. 2}, pages = {S514}, abstract = {\textbf{Objective:} We set up an experimental instrumentation to quantify selected items of UPDRS by a Kinect technology and body sensory-network (BSN), destinated to an easy home-performance. \textbf{Background:} Remote medical communications in the form of telemedicine is one of the challenges to Parkinson’s disease (PD) problems. Among the tougher hurdles to overcome,there is an accurate, low-cost and manageable quantification of motor symptoms. \textbf{Methods:} For automatic assignment of UPDRS scores, we studied 20 controls subjects and 64 PD patients both by a BSN-based approach (for leg agility, sit-to stand and gait tasks), composed of a few body-horn wireless inertial nodes and an human-computer interface( Microsoft Kinect®) ((for finger-tapping task) based on a RGB-Depth camera, a monitor and two light-weight gloves with coloured markers. Movements are automatically translated in kinematic parameters and then classified by dedicated algorytms correlating with corresponding UPDRS clinical scores. We calculated the average of the predicted UPDRS classes weigthed by the probabilities that an evaluation belongs to a specific UPDRS classes, by a continuous measure that we call the neuromotor impairment W [figure1] \textbf{Results:} We found 19 and 34 kinematic parameters respectively both for finger and lower limbs movements correlating which corresponding UPDRS scores tasks [figure2]. \textbf{Conclusions:} These results show that the proposed technology is an accurate, feasible and low-cost approach useful for at distance evaluation of PD patients. Oral Presentation by Parkinson’s disease World Congress 2016 in Milan.}, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {article} } Objective: We set up an experimental instrumentation to quantify selected items of UPDRS by a Kinect technology and body sensory-network (BSN), destinated to an easy home-performance. Background: Remote medical communications in the form of telemedicine is one of the challenges to Parkinson’s disease (PD) problems. Among the tougher hurdles to overcome,there is an accurate, low-cost and manageable quantification of motor symptoms. Methods: For automatic assignment of UPDRS scores, we studied 20 controls subjects and 64 PD patients both by a BSN-based approach (for leg agility, sit-to stand and gait tasks), composed of a few body-horn wireless inertial nodes and an human-computer interface( Microsoft Kinect®) ((for finger-tapping task) based on a RGB-Depth camera, a monitor and two light-weight gloves with coloured markers. Movements are automatically translated in kinematic parameters and then classified by dedicated algorytms correlating with corresponding UPDRS clinical scores. We calculated the average of the predicted UPDRS classes weigthed by the probabilities that an evaluation belongs to a specific UPDRS classes, by a continuous measure that we call the neuromotor impairment W [figure1] Results: We found 19 and 34 kinematic parameters respectively both for finger and lower limbs movements correlating which corresponding UPDRS scores tasks [figure2]. Conclusions: These results show that the proposed technology is an accurate, feasible and low-cost approach useful for at distance evaluation of PD patients. Oral Presentation by Parkinson’s disease World Congress 2016 in Milan. |
F. Parisi; G. Ferrari; M. Giuberti; L. Contin; V. Cimolin; C. Azzaro; G. Albani; A. Mauro Inertial BSN-based Characterization and Automatic UPDRS Evaluation of the Gait Task of Parkinsonians Journal Article IEEE Transactions on Affective Computing, 7 (3), pp. 258-271, 2016. @article{PaFeGiCoCiAzAlMa15TAFFC, title = {Inertial BSN-based Characterization and Automatic UPDRS Evaluation of the Gait Task of Parkinsonians}, author = {F. Parisi and G. Ferrari and M. Giuberti and L. Contin and V. Cimolin and C. Azzaro and G. Albani and A. Mauro}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/TAFFC.2016.2549533}, year = {2016}, date = {2016-04-01}, journal = {IEEE Transactions on Affective Computing}, volume = {7}, number = {3}, pages = {258-271}, abstract = {The analysis and assessment of motor tasks, such as gait, can provide important information on the progress of neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s disease (PD). In this paper, we design a Boby Sensor Network (BSN)-based system for the characterization of gait in Parkinsonians through the extraction of kinematic features, both in time and in frequency domains, embedding information on the status of the PD. The gait features extraction is performed on a set of 34 PD patients using a BSN formed by only three inertial nodes (one on the chest and one per thigh). We investigate also the relationship between the selected kinematic features and the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) scores assigned to patients by an expert neurologist. This work extends a previously proposed approach to the analysis of the leg agility task and represents a further step to develop a system for automatic evaluation of different PD motor tasks. A performance analysis of different classification techniques is carried out, showing the feasibility of an automatic (and, eventually, remote) UPDRS scoring system, suitable for tele-health applications in the realm of affective medicine.}, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {article} } The analysis and assessment of motor tasks, such as gait, can provide important information on the progress of neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s disease (PD). In this paper, we design a Boby Sensor Network (BSN)-based system for the characterization of gait in Parkinsonians through the extraction of kinematic features, both in time and in frequency domains, embedding information on the status of the PD. The gait features extraction is performed on a set of 34 PD patients using a BSN formed by only three inertial nodes (one on the chest and one per thigh). We investigate also the relationship between the selected kinematic features and the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) scores assigned to patients by an expert neurologist. This work extends a previously proposed approach to the analysis of the leg agility task and represents a further step to develop a system for automatic evaluation of different PD motor tasks. A performance analysis of different classification techniques is carried out, showing the feasibility of an automatic (and, eventually, remote) UPDRS scoring system, suitable for tele-health applications in the realm of affective medicine. |
Laura Belli; Simone Cirani; Luca Davoli; Gianluigi Ferrari; Lorenzo Melegari; Marco Picone Applying Security to a Big Stream Cloud Architecture for the Internet of Things Journal Article International Journal of Distributed Systems and Technologies (IJDST), 7 (1), pp. 37-58, 2016, ISSN: 1947-3532. @article{becidafemepi2016, title = {Applying Security to a Big Stream Cloud Architecture for the Internet of Things}, author = {Laura Belli and Simone Cirani and Luca Davoli and Gianluigi Ferrari and Lorenzo Melegari and Marco Picone}, editor = {IGI Global}, doi = {10.4018/IJDST.2016010103}, issn = {1947-3532}, year = {2016}, date = {2016-01-14}, journal = {International Journal of Distributed Systems and Technologies (IJDST)}, volume = {7}, number = {1}, pages = {37-58}, publisher = {IGI Global}, abstract = {The Internet of Things (IoT) is expected to interconnect billions (around 50 by 2020) of heterogeneous sensor/actuator-equipped devices denoted as Smart Objects (SOs), characterized by constrained resources in terms of memory, processing, and communication reliability. Several IoT applications have real-time and low-latency requirements and must rely on architectures specifically designed to manage gigantic streams of information (in terms of number of data sources and transmission data rate). We refer to Big Stream as the paradigm which best fits the selected IoT scenario, in contrast to the traditional Big Data concept, which does not consider real-time constraints. Moreover, there are many security concerns related to IoT devices and to the Cloud. In this paper, we analyze security aspects in a novel Cloud architecture for Big Stream applications, which efficiently handles Big Stream data through a Graph-based platform and delivers processed data to consumers, with low latency. The authors detail each module defined in the system architecture, describing all refinements required to make the platform able to secure large data streams. An experimentation is also conducted in order to evaluate the performance of the proposed architecture when integrating security mechanisms.}, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {article} } The Internet of Things (IoT) is expected to interconnect billions (around 50 by 2020) of heterogeneous sensor/actuator-equipped devices denoted as Smart Objects (SOs), characterized by constrained resources in terms of memory, processing, and communication reliability. Several IoT applications have real-time and low-latency requirements and must rely on architectures specifically designed to manage gigantic streams of information (in terms of number of data sources and transmission data rate). We refer to Big Stream as the paradigm which best fits the selected IoT scenario, in contrast to the traditional Big Data concept, which does not consider real-time constraints. Moreover, there are many security concerns related to IoT devices and to the Cloud. In this paper, we analyze security aspects in a novel Cloud architecture for Big Stream applications, which efficiently handles Big Stream data through a Graph-based platform and delivers processed data to consumers, with low latency. The authors detail each module defined in the system architecture, describing all refinements required to make the platform able to secure large data streams. An experimentation is also conducted in order to evaluate the performance of the proposed architecture when integrating security mechanisms. |
M. Martalò; C. Tripodi; R. Raheli Simple upper bound on the information rate of the phase noise channel Journal Article Electronics Letters, 52 (7), pp. 517-519, 2016, ISSN: 0013-5194. @article{7444106, title = {Simple upper bound on the information rate of the phase noise channel}, author = {M. Martalò and C. Tripodi and R. Raheli}, url = {https://dx.doi.org/10.1049/el.2015.3170}, issn = {0013-5194}, year = {2016}, date = {2016-01-01}, journal = {Electronics Letters}, volume = {52}, number = {7}, pages = {517-519}, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {article} } |
Marco Martalò; Riccardo Raheli Models, statistics, and rates of binary correlated sources Journal Article Elsevier Physical Communication, pp. -, 2016, ISSN: 1874-4907. @article{Martalo2016, title = {Models, statistics, and rates of binary correlated sources}, author = {Marco Martalò and Riccardo Raheli}, url = {https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.phycom.2016.04.002}, issn = {1874-4907}, year = {2016}, date = {2016-01-01}, journal = {Elsevier Physical Communication}, pages = {-}, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {article} } |
Amoretti, Michele; Belli, Laura; Zanichelli, Francesco UTravel: Smart mobility with a novel user profiling and recommendation approach Journal Article Pervasive and Mobile Computing, 2016. @article{amoretti2016utravel, title = {UTravel: Smart mobility with a novel user profiling and recommendation approach}, author = {Amoretti, Michele and Belli, Laura and Zanichelli, Francesco}, year = {2016}, date = {2016-01-01}, journal = {Pervasive and Mobile Computing}, publisher = {Elsevier}, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {article} } |
G. Ferrari; U. Amadei Two-Level Quantized Soft-Output Demodulation of QAM Signals With Gray Labeling: A Geometric Approach Journal Article IEEE Communications Letters, 20 (10), pp. 1931-1934, 2016, ISSN: 1089-7798. @article{FeAm_CL16, title = {Two-Level Quantized Soft-Output Demodulation of QAM Signals With Gray Labeling: A Geometric Approach}, author = {G. Ferrari and U. Amadei}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/LCOMM.2016.2592963 http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/7516648/}, issn = {1089-7798}, year = {2016}, date = {2016-01-01}, journal = {IEEE Communications Letters}, volume = {20}, number = {10}, pages = {1931-1934}, abstract = {We propose a geometric approach to the design of a look-up table-based two-level quantized soft-output (SO) demodulator for coded schemes with quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) signals with Gray bit labeling. This allows to derive quantized bit logarithmic likelihood ratios (LLRs) directly from the observables, without requiring the actual computation, followed by quantization, of LLRs at the output of the demodulator. The proposed approach is applied to a bit-interleaved coded modulation (BICM) scheme. The obtained results show a limited performance loss with respect to unquantized SO demodulation.}, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {article} } We propose a geometric approach to the design of a look-up table-based two-level quantized soft-output (SO) demodulator for coded schemes with quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) signals with Gray bit labeling. This allows to derive quantized bit logarithmic likelihood ratios (LLRs) directly from the observables, without requiring the actual computation, followed by quantization, of LLRs at the output of the demodulator. The proposed approach is applied to a bit-interleaved coded modulation (BICM) scheme. The obtained results show a limited performance loss with respect to unquantized SO demodulation. |
Stefania Monica; Gianluigi Ferrari Low-complexity UWB-based collision avoidance system for automated guided vehicles Journal Article ICT Express, 2 (2), pp. 53 - 56, 2016, ISSN: 2405-9595. @article{Monica201653, title = {Low-complexity UWB-based collision avoidance system for automated guided vehicles}, author = {Stefania Monica and Gianluigi Ferrari}, url = {http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405959516300182 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.icte.2016.05.004}, issn = {2405-9595}, year = {2016}, date = {2016-01-01}, journal = {ICT Express}, volume = {2}, number = {2}, pages = {53 - 56}, abstract = {This paper describes a low-complexity collision avoidance system for automated guided vehicles (AGVs) based on active ultra-wide band (UWB) modules. In particular, we consider an industrial warehouse where all the AGVs and target nodes (TNs) (e.g., people) are equipped with active UWB modules. A communication session between a pair of UWB modules permits the exchange of information and the estimation of the distance between them. The UWB module positioned on an AGV is connected to an on-board computer; whenever the UWB module on an AGV receives a message from a TN, it communicates all the received data to the on-board computer that can decide to stop the AGV if the range estimate is below a given threshold. This prevents undesired collisions between the AGV and the TN. In this paper, we present the experimental results of the proposed collision avoidance system obtained using the UWB modules, PulsON 410 ranging and communication modules (P410 RCMs), produced by Time Domain.}, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {article} } This paper describes a low-complexity collision avoidance system for automated guided vehicles (AGVs) based on active ultra-wide band (UWB) modules. In particular, we consider an industrial warehouse where all the AGVs and target nodes (TNs) (e.g., people) are equipped with active UWB modules. A communication session between a pair of UWB modules permits the exchange of information and the estimation of the distance between them. The UWB module positioned on an AGV is connected to an on-board computer; whenever the UWB module on an AGV receives a message from a TN, it communicates all the received data to the on-board computer that can decide to stop the AGV if the range estimate is below a given threshold. This prevents undesired collisions between the AGV and the TN. In this paper, we present the experimental results of the proposed collision avoidance system obtained using the UWB modules, PulsON 410 ranging and communication modules (P410 RCMs), produced by Time Domain. |
Francesco Pisani; Elena Pavlidis; Luca Cattani; Gianluigi Ferrari; Riccardo Raheli; Carlotta Spagnoli Optimizing detection rate and characterisation of subtle paroxysmal neonatal abnormal facial movements with multi-camera video-EEG recordings Journal Article Neuropediatrics, 47 (3), pp. 169-174, 2016. @article{Pisani2016neuro, title = {Optimizing detection rate and characterisation of subtle paroxysmal neonatal abnormal facial movements with multi-camera video-EEG recordings}, author = {Francesco Pisani and Elena Pavlidis and Luca Cattani and Gianluigi Ferrari and Riccardo Raheli and Carlotta Spagnoli}, url = {http://www.thieme-connect.com/DOI/DOI?10.1055/s-0036-1582245 https://dx.doi.org/10.1055/s-0036-1582245}, year = {2016}, date = {2016-01-01}, journal = {Neuropediatrics}, volume = {47}, number = {3}, pages = {169-174}, abstract = {\textbf{Objectives} We retrospectively analyze the diagnostic accuracy for paroxysmal abnormal facial movements, comparing one camera versus multi-camera approach. Background Polygraphic video-electroencephalogram (vEEG) recording is the current gold standard for brain monitoring in high-risk newborns, especially when neonatal seizures are suspected. One camera synchronized with the EEG is commonly used.newline \textbf{Methods} Since mid-June 2012, we have started using multiple cameras, one of which point toward newborns’ faces. We evaluated vEEGs recorded in newborns in the study period between mid-June 2012 and the end of September 2014 and compared, for each recording, the diagnostic accuracies obtained with one-camera and multi-camera approaches.newline \textbf{Results} We recorded 147 vEEGs from 87 newborns and found 73 episodes of paroxysmal facial abnormal movements in 18 vEEGs of 11 newborns with the multicamera approach. By using the single-camera approach, only 28.8% of these events were identified (21/73). Ten positive vEEGs with multicamera with 52 paroxysmal facial abnormal movements (52/73, 71.2%) would have been considered as negative with the single-camera approach.newline \textbf{Conclusions} The use of one additional facial camera can significantly increase the diagnostic accuracy of vEEGs in the detection of paroxysmal abnormal facial movements in the newborns}, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {article} } Objectives We retrospectively analyze the diagnostic accuracy for paroxysmal abnormal facial movements, comparing one camera versus multi-camera approach. Background Polygraphic video-electroencephalogram (vEEG) recording is the current gold standard for brain monitoring in high-risk newborns, especially when neonatal seizures are suspected. One camera synchronized with the EEG is commonly used.newline Methods Since mid-June 2012, we have started using multiple cameras, one of which point toward newborns’ faces. We evaluated vEEGs recorded in newborns in the study period between mid-June 2012 and the end of September 2014 and compared, for each recording, the diagnostic accuracies obtained with one-camera and multi-camera approaches.newline Results We recorded 147 vEEGs from 87 newborns and found 73 episodes of paroxysmal facial abnormal movements in 18 vEEGs of 11 newborns with the multicamera approach. By using the single-camera approach, only 28.8% of these events were identified (21/73). Ten positive vEEGs with multicamera with 52 paroxysmal facial abnormal movements (52/73, 71.2%) would have been considered as negative with the single-camera approach.newline Conclusions The use of one additional facial camera can significantly increase the diagnostic accuracy of vEEGs in the detection of paroxysmal abnormal facial movements in the newborns |
Stefania Monica; Gianluigi Ferrari A swarm-based approach to real-time 3D indoor localization: Experimental performance analysis Journal Article Applied Soft Computing, 43 , pp. 489 - 497, 2016, ISSN: 1568-4946. @article{Monica2016489, title = {A swarm-based approach to real-time 3D indoor localization: Experimental performance analysis}, author = {Stefania Monica and Gianluigi Ferrari}, url = {http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1568494616300710 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.asoc.2016.02.020}, issn = {1568-4946}, year = {2016}, date = {2016-01-01}, journal = {Applied Soft Computing}, volume = {43}, pages = {489 - 497}, abstract = {In this paper, the problem of indoor localization in wireless networks is addressed relying on a swarm-based approach. We assume to know the positions of a few number of sensor nodes, denoted as anchor nodes (ANs), and we aim at finding the position of a target node (TN) on the basis of the estimated distances between each AN and the considered TN. Since ultra wide band (UWB) technology is particularly suited for localization purposes (owing to its remarkable time resolution), we consider a network composed of UWB devices. More precisely, we carry out an experimental investigation using the PulsOn 410 ranging and communication modules (RCMs) produced by time domain. Using four of them as ANs and one of them as TN, various topologies are considered in order to evaluate the accuracy of the proposed swarm-based localization approach, which relies on the pairwise (AN-TN) distances estimated by the RCMs. Then, we investigate how the accuracy of the proposed localization algorithm changes if we apply to the distance estimates a recently proposed stochastic correction, which is designed to reduce the distance estimation error. Our experimental results show that a good accuracy is obtained in all the considered scenarios, especially when applying the proposed swarm-based localization algorithm to the stochastically corrected distances. The obtained results are satisfying also in terms of software execution time, making the proposed approach applicable to real-time dynamic localization problems.}, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {article} } In this paper, the problem of indoor localization in wireless networks is addressed relying on a swarm-based approach. We assume to know the positions of a few number of sensor nodes, denoted as anchor nodes (ANs), and we aim at finding the position of a target node (TN) on the basis of the estimated distances between each AN and the considered TN. Since ultra wide band (UWB) technology is particularly suited for localization purposes (owing to its remarkable time resolution), we consider a network composed of UWB devices. More precisely, we carry out an experimental investigation using the PulsOn 410 ranging and communication modules (RCMs) produced by time domain. Using four of them as ANs and one of them as TN, various topologies are considered in order to evaluate the accuracy of the proposed swarm-based localization approach, which relies on the pairwise (AN-TN) distances estimated by the RCMs. Then, we investigate how the accuracy of the proposed localization algorithm changes if we apply to the distance estimates a recently proposed stochastic correction, which is designed to reduce the distance estimation error. Our experimental results show that a good accuracy is obtained in all the considered scenarios, especially when applying the proposed swarm-based localization algorithm to the stochastically corrected distances. The obtained results are satisfying also in terms of software execution time, making the proposed approach applicable to real-time dynamic localization problems. |
Stefania Monica; Gianluigi Ferrari Maximum likelihood localization: When does it fail? Journal Article ICT Express, 2 (1), pp. 10 - 13, 2016, ISSN: 2405-9595, (Special Issue on Positioning Techniques and Applications). @article{Monica201610, title = {Maximum likelihood localization: When does it fail?}, author = {Stefania Monica and Gianluigi Ferrari}, url = {http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405959515300928 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.icte.2016.02.004}, issn = {2405-9595}, year = {2016}, date = {2016-01-01}, journal = {ICT Express}, volume = {2}, number = {1}, pages = {10 - 13}, abstract = {Maximum likelihood is a criterion often used to derive localization algorithms. In particular, in this paper we focus on a distance-based algorithm for the localization of nodes in static wireless networks. Assuming that Ultra Wide Band (UWB) signals are used for inter-node communications, we investigate the ill-conditioning of the Two-Stage Maximum-Likelihood (TSML) Time of Arrival (ToA) localization algorithm as the Anchor Nodes (ANs) positions change. We analytically derive novel lower and upper bounds for the localization error and we evaluate them in some localization scenarios as functions of the ANs’ positions. We show that particular ANs’ configurations intrinsically lead to ill-conditioning of the localization problem, making the TSML-ToA inapplicable. For comparison purposes, we also show, through some examples, that a Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO)-based algorithm guarantees accurate positioning also when the localization problem embedded in the TSML-ToA algorithm is ill-conditioned.}, note = {Special Issue on Positioning Techniques and Applications}, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {article} } Maximum likelihood is a criterion often used to derive localization algorithms. In particular, in this paper we focus on a distance-based algorithm for the localization of nodes in static wireless networks. Assuming that Ultra Wide Band (UWB) signals are used for inter-node communications, we investigate the ill-conditioning of the Two-Stage Maximum-Likelihood (TSML) Time of Arrival (ToA) localization algorithm as the Anchor Nodes (ANs) positions change. We analytically derive novel lower and upper bounds for the localization error and we evaluate them in some localization scenarios as functions of the ANs’ positions. We show that particular ANs’ configurations intrinsically lead to ill-conditioning of the localization problem, making the TSML-ToA inapplicable. For comparison purposes, we also show, through some examples, that a Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO)-based algorithm guarantees accurate positioning also when the localization problem embedded in the TSML-ToA algorithm is ill-conditioned. |
Andrea Abrardo; Marco Martalò; Gianluigi Ferrari Impact of the knowledge of nodes’ positions on spectrum sensing strategies in cognitive networks Journal Article Physical Communication, 19 , pp. 84 - 92, 2016, ISSN: 1874-4907. @article{Abrardo201684, title = {Impact of the knowledge of nodes’ positions on spectrum sensing strategies in cognitive networks}, author = {Andrea Abrardo and Marco Martalò and Gianluigi Ferrari}, url = {http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1874490715000701 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.phycom.2015.12.004}, issn = {1874-4907}, year = {2016}, date = {2016-01-01}, journal = {Physical Communication}, volume = {19}, pages = {84 - 92}, abstract = {In this paper, we focus on cognitive wireless networking, where a primary wireless network (PWN) is co-located with a cognitive (or secondary) wireless network (CWN). The shared frequency spectrum is divided into disjoint “subchannels” and each subchannel is “freely” assigned (in a unique way) to a node of the PWN, denoted as primary user equipment (PUE). We assume that the nodes of the CWN, denoted as cognitive user equipments (CUEs), cooperate to sense the frequency spectrum and estimate the idle subchannels which can be used by the CWN (i.e., assigned to CUEs) without interfering the PWN. The sensing correlation among the CUEs is exploited to improve the reliability of the decision, taken by a secondary fusion center (FC), on the occupation status (by a node of the PWN) of each subchannel. In this context, we compute the mutual information between the occupation status and the observations at the FC, with and without knowledge of the positions of the nodes in the network, showing a potential significant benefit brought by this side information. Then, we derive the fusion rules at the FC: our numerical results, in terms of the network-wise probabilities of missed detection (MD) and false alarm (FA) at the secondary FC, indicate a significant performance improvement when knowledge of the CUEs’ positions is available at the secondary FC, confirming the mutual information-based theoretical prediction.}, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {article} } In this paper, we focus on cognitive wireless networking, where a primary wireless network (PWN) is co-located with a cognitive (or secondary) wireless network (CWN). The shared frequency spectrum is divided into disjoint “subchannels” and each subchannel is “freely” assigned (in a unique way) to a node of the PWN, denoted as primary user equipment (PUE). We assume that the nodes of the CWN, denoted as cognitive user equipments (CUEs), cooperate to sense the frequency spectrum and estimate the idle subchannels which can be used by the CWN (i.e., assigned to CUEs) without interfering the PWN. The sensing correlation among the CUEs is exploited to improve the reliability of the decision, taken by a secondary fusion center (FC), on the occupation status (by a node of the PWN) of each subchannel. In this context, we compute the mutual information between the occupation status and the observations at the FC, with and without knowledge of the positions of the nodes in the network, showing a potential significant benefit brought by this side information. Then, we derive the fusion rules at the FC: our numerical results, in terms of the network-wise probabilities of missed detection (MD) and false alarm (FA) at the secondary FC, indicate a significant performance improvement when knowledge of the CUEs’ positions is available at the secondary FC, confirming the mutual information-based theoretical prediction. |
Andrea Gorrieri; Gianluigi Ferrari DiSIF: A Distance-Based Silencing Technique for Multi-Hop Broadcast Communications in Pedestrian Ad-Hoc Networks Journal Article IEEE Transactions on Mobile Computing, 15 (11), pp. 2706-2718, 2016, ISSN: 1536-1233. @article{7355348, title = {DiSIF: A Distance-Based Silencing Technique for Multi-Hop Broadcast Communications in Pedestrian Ad-Hoc Networks}, author = {Andrea Gorrieri and Gianluigi Ferrari}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/TMC.2015.2508804}, issn = {1536-1233}, year = {2016}, date = {2016-01-01}, journal = {IEEE Transactions on Mobile Computing}, volume = {15}, number = {11}, pages = {2706-2718}, abstract = {In this paper, we focus on a particular type of opportunistic ad-hoc networks, namely Pedestrian Ad-hoc NETworks (PANETs). In PANETs, nodes are densely distributed and each node may transmit information to all other nodes in the network via multi-hop broadcasting. Even though flooding is the simplest technique to broadcast information with multi-hop communications, it can be very inefficient because of redundant transmissions which may induce collisions. This problem is known, in the literature, as the “broadcast storm problem.” In this work, we present a novel probabilistic forwarding technique, denoted as Distance-based Silencing IF (DiSIF), which is derived from the probabilistic broadcasting protocol Irresponsible Forwarding (IF) and one of its extensions, denotes Silencing IF (SIF). The performance of the DiSIF protocol is analyzed and compared with those of other existing protocols, investigating the impact of fundamental network parameters. Lower bounds (exact and approximate) on the average number of hops, expedient to evaluate the propagation efficiency of DiSIF, are also derived. Finally, under the assumption that each node (e.g., a smartphone) relies on Global Positioning System (GPS) to estimate its position, the robustness of DiSIF against a GPS positioning error is investigated.}, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {article} } In this paper, we focus on a particular type of opportunistic ad-hoc networks, namely Pedestrian Ad-hoc NETworks (PANETs). In PANETs, nodes are densely distributed and each node may transmit information to all other nodes in the network via multi-hop broadcasting. Even though flooding is the simplest technique to broadcast information with multi-hop communications, it can be very inefficient because of redundant transmissions which may induce collisions. This problem is known, in the literature, as the “broadcast storm problem.” In this work, we present a novel probabilistic forwarding technique, denoted as Distance-based Silencing IF (DiSIF), which is derived from the probabilistic broadcasting protocol Irresponsible Forwarding (IF) and one of its extensions, denotes Silencing IF (SIF). The performance of the DiSIF protocol is analyzed and compared with those of other existing protocols, investigating the impact of fundamental network parameters. Lower bounds (exact and approximate) on the average number of hops, expedient to evaluate the propagation efficiency of DiSIF, are also derived. Finally, under the assumption that each node (e.g., a smartphone) relies on Global Positioning System (GPS) to estimate its position, the robustness of DiSIF against a GPS positioning error is investigated. |
Andrea Gorrieri; Marco Martalò; Stefano Busanelli; Gianluigi Ferrari Clustering and sensing with decentralized detection in vehicular ad hoc networks Journal Article Ad Hoc Networks, 36, Part 2 , pp. 450 - 464, 2016, ISSN: 1570-8705, (Vehicular Networking for Mobile Crowd Sensing). @article{Gorrieri2016450, title = {Clustering and sensing with decentralized detection in vehicular ad hoc networks}, author = {Andrea Gorrieri and Marco Martalò and Stefano Busanelli and Gianluigi Ferrari}, url = {http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1570870515001249}, issn = {1570-8705}, year = {2016}, date = {2016-01-01}, journal = {Ad Hoc Networks}, volume = {36, Part 2}, pages = {450 - 464}, abstract = {In the near future, vehicles will be more and more advanced sensing platforms: for instance, at least one smartphone (with several on-board sensors) is likely to be inside each vehicle. Smartphone-based inter-vehicle communications thus support the creation of vehicular sensor networks (VSNs). In this paper, we analyze the performance of clustered VSNs, where (hierarchical) decentralized detection schemes are used to estimate the status of an observed spatially constant phenomenon of interest. Clustering makes processing efficient and the architecture scalable. Our approach consists of the creation, during a downlink phase, of a clustered VSN topology through fast broadcast of control messages, started from a remote sink (e.g., in the cloud), through a novel clustering protocol, denoted as cluster-head election irresponsible forwarding (CEIF). This clustered VSN topology is then exploited, during an uplink phase, to collect sensed data from the vehicles and perform distributed detection. The performance of the proposed scheme is investigated considering mostly IEEE 802.11b (smartphone-based) as well as IEEE 802.11p (inter-vehicle) communications in both highway-like and urban-like scenarios. Our results highlight the existing trade-off between decision delay and energy efficiency. The proposed VSN-based distributed detection schemes have to cope with the “ephemeral” nature of clusters. Therefore, proper cluster maintenance strategies are needed to prolong the cluster lifetime and, as a consequence, the maximum amount of data which can be collected before clusters break. This leads to the concept of decentralized detection “on the move.”}, note = {Vehicular Networking for Mobile Crowd Sensing}, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {article} } In the near future, vehicles will be more and more advanced sensing platforms: for instance, at least one smartphone (with several on-board sensors) is likely to be inside each vehicle. Smartphone-based inter-vehicle communications thus support the creation of vehicular sensor networks (VSNs). In this paper, we analyze the performance of clustered VSNs, where (hierarchical) decentralized detection schemes are used to estimate the status of an observed spatially constant phenomenon of interest. Clustering makes processing efficient and the architecture scalable. Our approach consists of the creation, during a downlink phase, of a clustered VSN topology through fast broadcast of control messages, started from a remote sink (e.g., in the cloud), through a novel clustering protocol, denoted as cluster-head election irresponsible forwarding (CEIF). This clustered VSN topology is then exploited, during an uplink phase, to collect sensed data from the vehicles and perform distributed detection. The performance of the proposed scheme is investigated considering mostly IEEE 802.11b (smartphone-based) as well as IEEE 802.11p (inter-vehicle) communications in both highway-like and urban-like scenarios. Our results highlight the existing trade-off between decision delay and energy efficiency. The proposed VSN-based distributed detection schemes have to cope with the “ephemeral” nature of clusters. Therefore, proper cluster maintenance strategies are needed to prolong the cluster lifetime and, as a consequence, the maximum amount of data which can be collected before clusters break. This leads to the concept of decentralized detection “on the move.” |
Marco Martalò; Gianluigi Ferrari; Muhammad Asim; Jonathan Gambini; Christian Mazzucco; Giacomo Cannalire; Sergio Bianchi; Riccardo Raheli Pragmatic phase noise compensation for high-order coded modulations Journal Article IET Communications, 10 (15), pp. 1956-1963, 2016, ISSN: 1751-8628. @article{Maetal_IET16, title = {Pragmatic phase noise compensation for high-order coded modulations}, author = {Marco Martalò and Gianluigi Ferrari and Muhammad Asim and Jonathan Gambini and Christian Mazzucco and Giacomo Cannalire and Sergio Bianchi and Riccardo Raheli}, url = {http://digital-library.theiet.org/content/journals/10.1049/iet-com.2016.0215}, issn = {1751-8628}, year = {2016}, date = {2016-01-01}, journal = {IET Communications}, volume = {10}, number = {15}, pages = {1956-1963}, publisher = {Institution of Engineering and Technology}, abstract = {This study discusses synchronisation in phase noise-impaired spectrally efficient communication systems employing high-order modulations. In particular, an iterative receiver, where demodulation and decoding are separate from maximum a posteriori probability (MAP) synchronisation, is presented. The authors’ separate approach is tailored to the design of pragmatic iterative receiver schemes employing ‘off-the-shelf’ demodulation and decoding blocks. This allows full compatibility with already existing systems, which is attractive from the implementation viewpoint. The proposed MAP synchronisation algorithm also requires very limited knowledge of the phase noise process and achieves near coherent performance with moderate computational complexity. Although the approach is very general, the authors discuss its performance for low-density parity-check-coded pilot symbol-aided quadrature amplitude modulation schemes, demonstrating that a significantly lower computational complexity can be achieved with respect to benchmark joint receivers.}, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {article} } This study discusses synchronisation in phase noise-impaired spectrally efficient communication systems employing high-order modulations. In particular, an iterative receiver, where demodulation and decoding are separate from maximum a posteriori probability (MAP) synchronisation, is presented. The authors’ separate approach is tailored to the design of pragmatic iterative receiver schemes employing ‘off-the-shelf’ demodulation and decoding blocks. This allows full compatibility with already existing systems, which is attractive from the implementation viewpoint. The proposed MAP synchronisation algorithm also requires very limited knowledge of the phase noise process and achieves near coherent performance with moderate computational complexity. Although the approach is very general, the authors discuss its performance for low-density parity-check-coded pilot symbol-aided quadrature amplitude modulation schemes, demonstrating that a significantly lower computational complexity can be achieved with respect to benchmark joint receivers. |
Yujin Lim; Gianluigi Ferrari; Hideyuki Takahashi; Màrius Montón Device-to-device communications in wireless sensor networks Journal Article International Journal of Distributed Sensor Networks, 12 (8), pp. 1550147716664233, 2016. @article{doi:10.1177/1550147716664233, title = {Device-to-device communications in wireless sensor networks}, author = {Yujin Lim and Gianluigi Ferrari and Hideyuki Takahashi and Màrius Montón}, url = {https://doi.org/10.1177/1550147716664233}, doi = {10.1177/1550147716664233}, year = {2016}, date = {2016-01-01}, journal = {International Journal of Distributed Sensor Networks}, volume = {12}, number = {8}, pages = {1550147716664233}, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {article} } |
2015 |
Stefano Salsano; Luca Veltri; Luca Davoli; Pier Luigi Ventre; Giuseppe Siracusano PMSR - Poor Man's Segment Routing, a minimalistic approach to Segment Routing and a Traffic Engineering use case Journal Article CoRR, abs/1512.05281 , 2015. @article{SaVeDaVeSi_arXiv_2015, title = {PMSR - Poor Man\'s Segment Routing, a minimalistic approach to Segment Routing and a Traffic Engineering use case}, author = {Stefano Salsano and Luca Veltri and Luca Davoli and Pier Luigi Ventre and Giuseppe Siracusano}, url = {http://arxiv.org/abs/1512.05281}, year = {2015}, date = {2015-12-16}, journal = {CoRR}, volume = {abs/1512.05281}, abstract = {The current specification of the Segment Routing (SR) architecture requires enhancements to the intra-domain routing protocols (e.g. OSPF and IS-IS) so that the nodes can advertise the Segment Identifiers (SIDs). We propose a simpler solution called PMSR (Poor Man\'s Segment Routing), that does not require any enhancement to routing protocol. We compare the procedures of PMSR with traditional SR, showing that PMSR can reduce the operation and management complexity. We analyze the set of use cases in the current SR drafts and we claim that PMSR can support the large majority of them. Thanks to the drastic simplification of the Control Plane, we have been able to develop an Open Source prototype of PMSR. In the second part of the paper, we consider a Traffic Engineering use case, starting from a traditional flow assignment optimization problem which allocates hop-by-hop paths to flows. We propose a SR path assignment algorithm and prove that it is optimal with respect to the number of segments allocated to a flow.}, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {article} } The current specification of the Segment Routing (SR) architecture requires enhancements to the intra-domain routing protocols (e.g. OSPF and IS-IS) so that the nodes can advertise the Segment Identifiers (SIDs). We propose a simpler solution called PMSR (Poor Man's Segment Routing), that does not require any enhancement to routing protocol. We compare the procedures of PMSR with traditional SR, showing that PMSR can reduce the operation and management complexity. We analyze the set of use cases in the current SR drafts and we claim that PMSR can support the large majority of them. Thanks to the drastic simplification of the Control Plane, we have been able to develop an Open Source prototype of PMSR. In the second part of the paper, we consider a Traffic Engineering use case, starting from a traditional flow assignment optimization problem which allocates hop-by-hop paths to flows. We propose a SR path assignment algorithm and prove that it is optimal with respect to the number of segments allocated to a flow. |
A. Baricich, E. Grana, M. Invernizzi, F. Parisi, G. Ferrari, C. Cisari, A. Mauro A single-sensor wearable system for gait analysis in stroke patients: a pilot study Journal Article Neurologie und Rehabilitation, Suppl 1:S40 , 2015, ISSN: 0947-2177. @article{Baetal_REHAB15b, title = {A single-sensor wearable system for gait analysis in stroke patients: a pilot study}, author = {A. Baricich, E. Grana, M. Invernizzi, F. Parisi, G. Ferrari, C. Cisari, A. Mauro}, issn = {0947-2177}, year = {2015}, date = {2015-12-02}, journal = {Neurologie und Rehabilitation}, volume = {Suppl 1:S40 }, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {article} } |
Laura Belli; Simone Cirani; Luca Davoli; Andrea Gorrieri; Mirko Mancin; Marco Picone; Gianluigi Ferrari Design and Deployment of an IoT Application-Oriented Testbed Journal Article Computer, 48 (9), pp. 32-40, 2015, ISSN: 0018-9162. @article{ieee-computer-sep2015-testbed, title = {Design and Deployment of an IoT Application-Oriented Testbed}, author = {Laura Belli and Simone Cirani and Luca Davoli and Andrea Gorrieri and Mirko Mancin and Marco Picone and Gianluigi Ferrari}, editor = {IEEE}, url = {https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/7274422}, doi = {10.1109/MC.2015.253}, issn = {0018-9162}, year = {2015}, date = {2015-09-23}, journal = {Computer}, volume = {48}, number = {9}, pages = {32-40}, abstract = {The global reach and extreme heterogeneity of the Internet of Things present major application development challenges. Using the same Web-based approach underlying the Internet's evolution into the IoT, the Web of Things Testbed provides a stable, open, dynamic, and secure infrastructure to simplify application design and testing.}, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {article} } The global reach and extreme heterogeneity of the Internet of Things present major application development challenges. Using the same Web-based approach underlying the Internet's evolution into the IoT, the Web of Things Testbed provides a stable, open, dynamic, and secure infrastructure to simplify application design and testing. |
Laura Belli; Simone Cirani; Luca Davoli; Gianluigi Ferrari; Lorenzo Melegari; Màrius Montón; Marco Picone A Scalable Big Stream Cloud Architecture for the Internet of Things Journal Article International Journal of Systems and Service-Oriented Engineering (IJSSOE), 5 (4), pp. 26-53, 2015, ISSN: 1947-3052. @article{belli2015scalable, title = {A Scalable Big Stream Cloud Architecture for the Internet of Things}, author = {Laura Belli and Simone Cirani and Luca Davoli and Gianluigi Ferrari and Lorenzo Melegari and Màrius Montón and Marco Picone}, editor = {IGI Global}, doi = {10.4018/IJSSOE.2015100102}, issn = {1947-3052}, year = {2015}, date = {2015-09-04}, journal = {International Journal of Systems and Service-Oriented Engineering (IJSSOE)}, volume = {5}, number = {4}, pages = {26-53}, publisher = {IGI Global}, abstract = {The Internet of Things (IoT) will consist of billions (50 billions by 2020) of interconnected heterogeneous devices denoted as “Smart Objects:” tiny, constrained devices which are going to be pervasively deployed in several contexts. To meet low-latency requirements, IoT applications must rely on specific architectures designed to handle the gigantic stream of data coming from Smart Objects. This paper propose a novel Cloud architecture for Big Stream applications that can efficiently handle data coming from Smart Objects through a Graph-based processing platform and deliver processed data to consumer applications with low latency. The authors reverse the traditional “Big Data” paradigm, where real-time constraints are not considered, and introduce the new “Big Stream” paradigm, which better fits IoT scenarios. The paper provides a performance evaluation of a practical open-source implementation of the proposed architecture. Other practical aspects, such as security considerations, and possible business oriented exploitation plans are presented.}, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {article} } The Internet of Things (IoT) will consist of billions (50 billions by 2020) of interconnected heterogeneous devices denoted as “Smart Objects:” tiny, constrained devices which are going to be pervasively deployed in several contexts. To meet low-latency requirements, IoT applications must rely on specific architectures designed to handle the gigantic stream of data coming from Smart Objects. This paper propose a novel Cloud architecture for Big Stream applications that can efficiently handle data coming from Smart Objects through a Graph-based processing platform and deliver processed data to consumer applications with low latency. The authors reverse the traditional “Big Data” paradigm, where real-time constraints are not considered, and introduce the new “Big Stream” paradigm, which better fits IoT scenarios. The paper provides a performance evaluation of a practical open-source implementation of the proposed architecture. Other practical aspects, such as security considerations, and possible business oriented exploitation plans are presented. |
F. Parisi; G. Ferrari; M. Giuberti; L. Contin; V. Cimolin; C. Azzaro; G. Albani; A. Mauro IEEE Journal of Biomedical and Health Informatics, 19 (6), pp. 1777-1793, 2015, ISBN: 2168-2194. @article{PaFeGiCoCiAzAlMa15JBHI, title = {Body Sensor Network-based Kinematic Characterization and Comparative Outlook of UPDRS Scoring in Leg Agility, Sit-to-Stand, and Gait Tasks in Parkinson\'s Disease}, author = {F. Parisi and G. Ferrari and M. Giuberti and L. Contin and V. Cimolin and C. Azzaro and G. Albani and A. Mauro}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/JBHI.2015.2472640}, isbn = {2168-2194}, year = {2015}, date = {2015-08-25}, journal = {IEEE Journal of Biomedical and Health Informatics}, volume = {19}, number = {6}, pages = {1777-1793}, abstract = {Recently, we have proposed a Body Sensor Network (BSN)-based approach, composed of a few body-worn wireless inertial nodes, for automatic assignment of Unified Parkinsons Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) scores in the following tasks: Leg agility (LA), Sit-to-Stand (S2S), and Gait (G). Unlike our previous works and the majority of the published studies, where UPDRS tasks were the sole focus, in the current paper we carry out a comparative investigation of the LA, S2S, and G tasks. In particular, after providing an accurate description of the features identified for the kinematic characterization of the three tasks, we comment on the correlation between the most relevant kinematic parameters and the UPDRS scoring. We analyzed the performance achieved by the automatic UPDRS scoring system and compared the estimated UPDRS evaluation with the one performed by neurologists, showing that the proposed system compares favorably with typical inter-rater variability. We then investigated the correlations between the UPDRS scores assigned to the various tasks by both the neurologists and the automatic system. The results, based on a limited number of subjects with Parkinson’s Disease (PD) (34 patients, 47 clinical trials), show poor-to-moderate correlations between the UPDRS scores of different tasks, highlighting that the patients’ motor performance may vary significantly from one task to another, since different tasks relate to different aspects of the disease. An aggregate UPDRS score is also considered as a concise parameter which can provide additional information on the overall level of the motor impairments of a Parkinson’s patient. Finally, we discuss a possible implementation of a practical e-health application for the remote monitoring of PD patients.}, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {article} } Recently, we have proposed a Body Sensor Network (BSN)-based approach, composed of a few body-worn wireless inertial nodes, for automatic assignment of Unified Parkinsons Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) scores in the following tasks: Leg agility (LA), Sit-to-Stand (S2S), and Gait (G). Unlike our previous works and the majority of the published studies, where UPDRS tasks were the sole focus, in the current paper we carry out a comparative investigation of the LA, S2S, and G tasks. In particular, after providing an accurate description of the features identified for the kinematic characterization of the three tasks, we comment on the correlation between the most relevant kinematic parameters and the UPDRS scoring. We analyzed the performance achieved by the automatic UPDRS scoring system and compared the estimated UPDRS evaluation with the one performed by neurologists, showing that the proposed system compares favorably with typical inter-rater variability. We then investigated the correlations between the UPDRS scores assigned to the various tasks by both the neurologists and the automatic system. The results, based on a limited number of subjects with Parkinson’s Disease (PD) (34 patients, 47 clinical trials), show poor-to-moderate correlations between the UPDRS scores of different tasks, highlighting that the patients’ motor performance may vary significantly from one task to another, since different tasks relate to different aspects of the disease. An aggregate UPDRS score is also considered as a concise parameter which can provide additional information on the overall level of the motor impairments of a Parkinson’s patient. Finally, we discuss a possible implementation of a practical e-health application for the remote monitoring of PD patients. |
Matteo Giuberti; Marco Martalò; G. Ferrari A hybrid radio/accelerometric approach to arm posture recognition Journal Article Journal of Ambient Intelligence and Smart Environments, 7 (4), 2015. @article{GiMaFe_JAISE15, title = {A hybrid radio/accelerometric approach to arm posture recognition}, author = {Matteo Giuberti and Marco Martalò and G. Ferrari}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.3233/ais-150326}, year = {2015}, date = {2015-08-01}, journal = {Journal of Ambient Intelligence and Smart Environments}, volume = {7}, number = {4}, abstract = {In this paper, we investigate the feasibility of a hybrid radio/accelerometric approach to perform arm posture recognition. A radio fingerprinting-based approach, through measurements of the Received radio Signal Strengths (RSSs) from anchor nodes, is first used to localize the positions (among a set determined during a training phase) of target nodes properly placed on a user arm. Accelerometric signals generated by the target nodes are then used to estimate the pitch of every device in order to refine the radio fingerprinting results and perform posture recognition, i.e., “continuous” estimation of the positions of the target nodes. We experimentally investigate, through a SunSPOT wireless sensor network testbed, different fingerprinting-based localization algorithms, namely deterministic and probabilistic. In each case, the system parameters are optimized by minimizing a properly defined Position Error (PE). Finally, a comparison between the performance of the proposed system and that of a low-cost optical arm posture recognition system (namely, Kinect) is presented.}, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {article} } In this paper, we investigate the feasibility of a hybrid radio/accelerometric approach to perform arm posture recognition. A radio fingerprinting-based approach, through measurements of the Received radio Signal Strengths (RSSs) from anchor nodes, is first used to localize the positions (among a set determined during a training phase) of target nodes properly placed on a user arm. Accelerometric signals generated by the target nodes are then used to estimate the pitch of every device in order to refine the radio fingerprinting results and perform posture recognition, i.e., “continuous” estimation of the positions of the target nodes. We experimentally investigate, through a SunSPOT wireless sensor network testbed, different fingerprinting-based localization algorithms, namely deterministic and probabilistic. In each case, the system parameters are optimized by minimizing a properly defined Position Error (PE). Finally, a comparison between the performance of the proposed system and that of a low-cost optical arm posture recognition system (namely, Kinect) is presented. |
Luca Davoli; Luca Veltri; Pier Luigi Ventre; Giuseppe Siracusano; Stefano Salsano Traffic Engineering with Segment Routing: SDN-based Architectural Design and Open Source Implementation Journal Article CoRR, abs/1506.05941 , 2015. @article{arxivDavoliEWSDNExt2015, title = {Traffic Engineering with Segment Routing: SDN-based Architectural Design and Open Source Implementation}, author = {Luca Davoli and Luca Veltri and Pier Luigi Ventre and Giuseppe Siracusano and Stefano Salsano}, url = {http://arxiv.org/abs/1506.05941}, year = {2015}, date = {2015-07-12}, journal = {CoRR}, volume = {abs/1506.05941}, abstract = {Traffic Engineering (TE) in IP carrier networks is one of the functions that can benefit from the Software Defined Networking paradigm. By logically centralizing the control of the network, it is possible to \"program\" per-flow routing based on TE goals. Traditional per-flow routing requires a direct interaction between the SDN controller and each node that is involved in the traffic paths. Depending on the granularity and on the temporal properties of the flows, this can lead to scalability issues for the amount of routing state that needs to be maintained in core network nodes and for the required configuration traffic. On the other hand, Segment Routing (SR) is an emerging approach to routing that may simplify the route enforcement delegating all the configuration and per-flow state at the border of the network. In this work we propose an architecture that integrates the SDN paradigm with SR-based TE, for which we have provided an open source reference implementation. We have designed and implemented a simple TE/SR heuristic for flow allocation and we show and discuss experimental results.}, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {article} } Traffic Engineering (TE) in IP carrier networks is one of the functions that can benefit from the Software Defined Networking paradigm. By logically centralizing the control of the network, it is possible to "program" per-flow routing based on TE goals. Traditional per-flow routing requires a direct interaction between the SDN controller and each node that is involved in the traffic paths. Depending on the granularity and on the temporal properties of the flows, this can lead to scalability issues for the amount of routing state that needs to be maintained in core network nodes and for the required configuration traffic. On the other hand, Segment Routing (SR) is an emerging approach to routing that may simplify the route enforcement delegating all the configuration and per-flow state at the border of the network. In this work we propose an architecture that integrates the SDN paradigm with SR-based TE, for which we have provided an open source reference implementation. We have designed and implemented a simple TE/SR heuristic for flow allocation and we show and discuss experimental results. |
M. Kheireddine, R. Abdellatif, G. Ferrari Genetic centralized dynamic clustering in wireless sensor networks Journal Article International Journal of Computer Network and Information Security (IJCNIS), 7 (8), pp. 1-8, 2015, ISSN: 2074-9090, (DOI: 10.5815/ijcnis.2015.08.01). @article{KhAbFe15, title = {Genetic centralized dynamic clustering in wireless sensor networks}, author = {M. Kheireddine, R. Abdellatif, G. Ferrari}, url = {http://www.mecs-press.org/ijcnis/ijcnis-v7-n8/v7n8-1.html}, issn = {2074-9090}, year = {2015}, date = {2015-07-01}, journal = {International Journal of Computer Network and Information Security (IJCNIS)}, volume = {7}, number = {8}, pages = {1-8}, abstract = {In order to minimize the energy consumption involved by communications in wireless sensor networks, the use of clustering has proven to be effective. The problem remains to determine the number of cluster-heads, and their distribution in the network to ensure minimal energy consumption and better coverage networks. Unlike Low-Energy Adaptive Clustering Hierarchy algorithm which fixes in advance the number of cluster-heads, and do not guarantee the coverage of the entire network, in this paper, we proposed a genetic centralized dynamic algorithm (GA)-based clustering approach to optimize the clustering configuration (the number of cluster-heads, their distribution and the cluster-members) to limit node energy consumption and the best coverage. The obtained simulation results show that the proposed technique overcomes the Low-Energy Adaptive Clustering Hierarchy algorithm.}, note = {DOI: 10.5815/ijcnis.2015.08.01}, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {article} } In order to minimize the energy consumption involved by communications in wireless sensor networks, the use of clustering has proven to be effective. The problem remains to determine the number of cluster-heads, and their distribution in the network to ensure minimal energy consumption and better coverage networks. Unlike Low-Energy Adaptive Clustering Hierarchy algorithm which fixes in advance the number of cluster-heads, and do not guarantee the coverage of the entire network, in this paper, we proposed a genetic centralized dynamic algorithm (GA)-based clustering approach to optimize the clustering configuration (the number of cluster-heads, their distribution and the cluster-members) to limit node energy consumption and the best coverage. The obtained simulation results show that the proposed technique overcomes the Low-Energy Adaptive Clustering Hierarchy algorithm. |
A. Gorrieri; G. Ferrari Irresponsible AODV Routing Journal Article Vehicular Communication Journal, 2 (1), pp. 47-57, 2015. @article{GoFe15, title = {Irresponsible AODV Routing}, author = {A. Gorrieri and G. Ferrari}, editor = {Elsevier}, url = {http://www.tlc.unipr.it/ferrari/Publications/Journals/GoFe_VC15.pdf}, year = {2015}, date = {2015-01-30}, journal = {Vehicular Communication Journal}, volume = {2}, number = {1}, pages = {47-57}, abstract = {Broadcasting is a common transmission strategy used by several ad-hoc routing protocols in order to solve many issues, such as finding a route to a new host or sending control messages to all nodes in the network. Flooding is the simplest technique to achieve broadcast communications and it is widely used in many existing routing protocols for Mobile Ad-hoc NETworks (MANETs). However, because of multiple access interference, due to redundant transmissions, flooding tends to be inefficient. In this paper, the well-known Ad-hoc On demand Distance Vector (AODV) routing protocol [1] is modified by replacing the flooding mechanism, used in its route discovery process, with the probabilistic forwarding technique given by Irresponsible Forwarding (IF) [2]. The performance of the new routing protocol, denoted as irresponsible AODV (iAODV), is analyzed in three characteristic scenarios (pedestrian, pedestrian-vehicular, and vehicular). The obtained results show that the iAODV protocol can outperform the AODV protocol by significantly reducing the overhead traffic during the route discovery phase. This is more pronounced the higher are the node spatial density and/or data traffic load. The impact, on the system performance, of fundamental network parameters is investigated. }, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {article} } Broadcasting is a common transmission strategy used by several ad-hoc routing protocols in order to solve many issues, such as finding a route to a new host or sending control messages to all nodes in the network. Flooding is the simplest technique to achieve broadcast communications and it is widely used in many existing routing protocols for Mobile Ad-hoc NETworks (MANETs). However, because of multiple access interference, due to redundant transmissions, flooding tends to be inefficient. In this paper, the well-known Ad-hoc On demand Distance Vector (AODV) routing protocol [1] is modified by replacing the flooding mechanism, used in its route discovery process, with the probabilistic forwarding technique given by Irresponsible Forwarding (IF) [2]. The performance of the new routing protocol, denoted as irresponsible AODV (iAODV), is analyzed in three characteristic scenarios (pedestrian, pedestrian-vehicular, and vehicular). The obtained results show that the iAODV protocol can outperform the AODV protocol by significantly reducing the overhead traffic during the route discovery phase. This is more pronounced the higher are the node spatial density and/or data traffic load. The impact, on the system performance, of fundamental network parameters is investigated. |
Lim, Yujin; Ferrari, Gianluigi; Takahashi, Hideyuki; Montón, Màrius Wireless Sensor Networks for Structural Health Monitoring Journal Article International Journal of Distributed Sensor Networks, 11 (8), 2015. @article{Lim01082015, title = {Wireless Sensor Networks for Structural Health Monitoring}, author = {Lim, Yujin and Ferrari, Gianluigi and Takahashi, Hideyuki and Montón, Màrius}, url = {http://dsn.sagepub.com/content/11/8/425683.short}, year = {2015}, date = {2015-01-01}, journal = {International Journal of Distributed Sensor Networks}, volume = {11}, number = {8}, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {article} } |
Journals
2020 |
LoRaFarM: A LoRaWAN-Based Smart Farming Modular IoT Architecture Journal Article Sensors, 20 (7), 2020, ISSN: 1424-8220. |
2019 |
Internet of Things e Industria 4.0. Un case study di successo di digital manufacturing Journal Article Management Control, (3), pp. 11-34, 2019, ISSN: 2239-4397. |
A Wave-Based Request-Response Protocol for Latency Minimization in WSNs Journal Article IEEE Internet of Things Journal, 6 (5), pp. 7971-7979, 2019, ISSN: 2327-4662. |
Toward Industry 4.0 With IoT: Optimizing Business Processes in an Evolving Manufacturing Factory Journal Article Frontiers in ICT, 6 , pp. 17, 2019, ISSN: 2297-198X. |
NEMO: A flexible and highly scalable network EMulatOr Journal Article SoftwareX, 10 , pp. 1-7, 2019, ISSN: 2352-7110. |
Wireless Mesh Networking: An IoT-Oriented Perspective Survey on Relevant Technologies Journal Article Future Internet, 11 (4), 2019, ISSN: 1999-5903. |
Design and experimental performance analysis of a B.A.T.M.A.N.-based double Wi-Fi interface mesh network Journal Article Future Generation Computer Systems, 92 , pp. 593-603, 2019, ISSN: 0167-739X. |
2018 |
DiRPL: A RPL-Based Resource and Service Discovery Algorithm for 6LoWPANs Journal Article Applied Sciences, 9 (1), 2018, ISSN: 2076-3417, (Special Issue IoT for Smart Cities). |
THORIN: an Efficient Module for Federated Access and Threat Mitigation in Big Stream Cloud Architectures Journal Article IEEE Cloud Computing, 5 (1), pp. 38-48, 2018, ISSN: 2325-6095. |
Improving UWB-Based Localization in IoT Scenarios with Statistical Models of Distance Error Journal Article Sensors, 18 (5), pp. 1592, 2018. |
Virtual Replication of IoT Hubs in the Cloud: A Flexible Approach to Smart Object Management Journal Article Journal of Sensor and Actuator Networks, 7 (2), pp. 16, 2018. |
Censoring-Based Cooperative Spectrum Sensing with Improved Energy Detectors and Multiple Antennas in Fading Channels Journal Article IEEE Transactions on Aerospace and Electronic Systems, 54 (2), pp. 537–553, 2018. |
2017 |
Impact of on-body IMU placement on inertial navigation Journal Article IET Wireless Sensor Systems -Special Issue on Body Sensor Networks , 8 (1), pp. 3-9, 2017, ISSN: 2043-6394. |
From Micro to Macro IoT: Challenges and Solutions in the Integration of IEEE 802.15.4/802.11 and Sub-GHz Technologies Journal Article IEEE Internet of Things Journal, 5 (2), pp. 784-793, 2017, ISSN: 2327-4662. |
Iterative Synchronization for Dually-Polarized Independent Transmission Streams Journal Article IEEE Transactions on Communications, 65 (6), pp. 2534-2542, 2017, ISSN: 0090-6778. |
DINAS: A Lightweight and Efficient Distributed Naming Service for All-IP Wireless Sensor Networks Journal Article IEEE Internet of Things Journal, 4 (3), pp. 670-684, 2017, ISSN: 2327-4662. |
Improving Quality of Experience in Future Wireless Access Networks through Fog Computing Journal Article IEEE Internet Computing, 21 (2), pp. 26-33, 2017, ISSN: 1089-7801. |
Monitoring infants by automatic video processing: A unified approach to motion analysis Journal Article Computers in Biology and Medicine, 80 , pp. 158 - 165, 2017, ISSN: 0010-4825. |
Information fusion for efficient target detection in large-scale surveillance Wireless Sensor Networks Journal Article Information Fusion, 38 , pp. 55 - 64, 2017, ISSN: 1566-2535. |
Markov chain modeling and simulation of breathing patterns Journal Article Biomedical Signal Processing and Control, 33 , pp. 245 - 254, 2017, ISSN: 1746-8094. |
Connected Vehicles: Applications and Communication Challenges Journal Article Mobile Information Systems, 2017. |
A Survey on Infrastructure-Based Vehicular Networks Journal Article Mobile Information Systems, 2017. |
2016 |
A low-complexity activity classification algorithm with optimized selection of accelerometric features Journal Article 8 (6), pp. 681-695, 2016. |
Integration of Wi-Fi mobile nodes in a Web of Things Testbed Journal Article ICT Express, 2 (3), pp. 96 - 99, 2016, ISSN: 2405-9595, (Special Issue on ICT Convergence in the Internet of Things (IoT)). |
A step forward to the future: UPDRS kinematic measures for telemedicine Journal Article Movement Disorders, 31 (suppl. 2), pp. S514, 2016, ISSN: 1531-8257. |
Inertial BSN-based Characterization and Automatic UPDRS Evaluation of the Gait Task of Parkinsonians Journal Article IEEE Transactions on Affective Computing, 7 (3), pp. 258-271, 2016. |
Applying Security to a Big Stream Cloud Architecture for the Internet of Things Journal Article International Journal of Distributed Systems and Technologies (IJDST), 7 (1), pp. 37-58, 2016, ISSN: 1947-3532. |
Simple upper bound on the information rate of the phase noise channel Journal Article Electronics Letters, 52 (7), pp. 517-519, 2016, ISSN: 0013-5194. |
Models, statistics, and rates of binary correlated sources Journal Article Elsevier Physical Communication, pp. -, 2016, ISSN: 1874-4907. |
UTravel: Smart mobility with a novel user profiling and recommendation approach Journal Article Pervasive and Mobile Computing, 2016. |
Two-Level Quantized Soft-Output Demodulation of QAM Signals With Gray Labeling: A Geometric Approach Journal Article IEEE Communications Letters, 20 (10), pp. 1931-1934, 2016, ISSN: 1089-7798. |
Low-complexity UWB-based collision avoidance system for automated guided vehicles Journal Article ICT Express, 2 (2), pp. 53 - 56, 2016, ISSN: 2405-9595. |
Optimizing detection rate and characterisation of subtle paroxysmal neonatal abnormal facial movements with multi-camera video-EEG recordings Journal Article Neuropediatrics, 47 (3), pp. 169-174, 2016. |
A swarm-based approach to real-time 3D indoor localization: Experimental performance analysis Journal Article Applied Soft Computing, 43 , pp. 489 - 497, 2016, ISSN: 1568-4946. |
Maximum likelihood localization: When does it fail? Journal Article ICT Express, 2 (1), pp. 10 - 13, 2016, ISSN: 2405-9595, (Special Issue on Positioning Techniques and Applications). |
Impact of the knowledge of nodes’ positions on spectrum sensing strategies in cognitive networks Journal Article Physical Communication, 19 , pp. 84 - 92, 2016, ISSN: 1874-4907. |
DiSIF: A Distance-Based Silencing Technique for Multi-Hop Broadcast Communications in Pedestrian Ad-Hoc Networks Journal Article IEEE Transactions on Mobile Computing, 15 (11), pp. 2706-2718, 2016, ISSN: 1536-1233. |
Clustering and sensing with decentralized detection in vehicular ad hoc networks Journal Article Ad Hoc Networks, 36, Part 2 , pp. 450 - 464, 2016, ISSN: 1570-8705, (Vehicular Networking for Mobile Crowd Sensing). |
Pragmatic phase noise compensation for high-order coded modulations Journal Article IET Communications, 10 (15), pp. 1956-1963, 2016, ISSN: 1751-8628. |
Device-to-device communications in wireless sensor networks Journal Article International Journal of Distributed Sensor Networks, 12 (8), pp. 1550147716664233, 2016. |
2015 |
PMSR - Poor Man's Segment Routing, a minimalistic approach to Segment Routing and a Traffic Engineering use case Journal Article CoRR, abs/1512.05281 , 2015. |
A single-sensor wearable system for gait analysis in stroke patients: a pilot study Journal Article Neurologie und Rehabilitation, Suppl 1:S40 , 2015, ISSN: 0947-2177. |
Design and Deployment of an IoT Application-Oriented Testbed Journal Article Computer, 48 (9), pp. 32-40, 2015, ISSN: 0018-9162. |
A Scalable Big Stream Cloud Architecture for the Internet of Things Journal Article International Journal of Systems and Service-Oriented Engineering (IJSSOE), 5 (4), pp. 26-53, 2015, ISSN: 1947-3052. |
IEEE Journal of Biomedical and Health Informatics, 19 (6), pp. 1777-1793, 2015, ISBN: 2168-2194. |
A hybrid radio/accelerometric approach to arm posture recognition Journal Article Journal of Ambient Intelligence and Smart Environments, 7 (4), 2015. |
Traffic Engineering with Segment Routing: SDN-based Architectural Design and Open Source Implementation Journal Article CoRR, abs/1506.05941 , 2015. |
Genetic centralized dynamic clustering in wireless sensor networks Journal Article International Journal of Computer Network and Information Security (IJCNIS), 7 (8), pp. 1-8, 2015, ISSN: 2074-9090, (DOI: 10.5815/ijcnis.2015.08.01). |
Irresponsible AODV Routing Journal Article Vehicular Communication Journal, 2 (1), pp. 47-57, 2015. |
Wireless Sensor Networks for Structural Health Monitoring Journal Article International Journal of Distributed Sensor Networks, 11 (8), 2015. |