A Middleware for Cyber Physical Systems in an Internet of Things Environment: Case of for Mobile Asset Tracking

The upsurge in Cyber Physical Systems (CPSs) has made researchers conclude that these systems have the potential of rivalling the contribution of the Internet. Driving this wave is the emergence of miniaturized, cheaper and readily available location-based hardware devices. One of the main applications of CPSs is mobile asset tracking system whose roles are to monitor movements of a mobile asset and to track the object’s current position. Localization accuracy of these systems is one of the key performance indicators. This is usually maximised through the introduction of extra hardware devices. The drawbacks with this approach include restriction of the system’s application only to one domain, introduction of extra cost to the overall system and introduction of a single point of failure. Conversely, the Internet of Things (IoT) paradigm facilitates coalescing of diverse technologies through which locus data can be extracted in cost-effective and robust way. The challenge is the lack of a dependable and responsive middleware that is capable of handling and servicing such devices. We present a solution to this problem; a middleware designed around In-lining approach that acts as an insulator for hiding the internal workings of the system by providing homogenous and abstract environment to the higher layers. The evaluation of laptop tracking and monitoring system prototype was carried out through implementation of a middleware that integrates diverse IoT components in a university environment.