EPC Cloud: Using the Web to Simplify the Global RFID Network

Using Web Blueprints to SimplifyIoT / RFID Applications Development and Deployment
Dominique Guinard
Christian Floerkemeier
MIT LMP / Auto-ID Labs
3/1/2011
Dominique Guinard, MIT
1

Motivation
RFID, EPC Network-based applications have a lot of potential:
Combined with other IoT devices (sensors, mobile phones, etc.)
Combined with service on the Web (visualization, storage, etc.)
SMEs (Small and medium enterprises) yet to convince!
Yet, lack of adoption of EPC Network software standards:
Complex (install, maintenance, integration) software stack
3/1/2011
2

Thinking Web of Things
Adopting Web blue-prints can foster RFID / EPC apps:
Ease of integration with existing Web of Things devices (mobile, sensors, machines, etc.)
Ease of integration with existing services and scripting languages
Leveraging virtual (cloud) infrastructures
3/1/2011
3
?
?
Web
?
?

Project Goals
Reduce the deployment complexity of standard RFID/IoT software stacks.
Allow easier (cheaper), more lightweight (mobile/WSNs) RFID application development.
Enable RFID mashability:
Composition of RFID/WSNs/appliances and existing services on the Web
Allow anyone to implement simple use-cases
…. By applying Web and Web of Things blueprints!
3/1/2011
4

1) ReducingDeploymentComplexity
Goal:
Reduce installation & maintenance time and costs:
Software
Harware
Remedy:
Virtualization
Cloud Computing
3/1/2011
5
[www.flickr.com/photos/sunep]

A TypicalFosstrakDeployment…
4
1
5
6
2
3
8
7
9
10
11) Java AppContrainer
(e.g., Tomcat)
12) Java Enterprise SDK
~12 software components for a typical RFID deployment!!
3/1/2011
6

Remedy 1 & 2: Virtualization and Cloud in a Nutshell
Virtualization (Private Cloud)
Package applications in a Virtual Machine
Run the Virtual Machine on any computer
Vendors:
VMWare, Virtual Box, Parallels, etc.
Cloud Computing (Public Cloud)
Utility Computing
Run virtual machines on distant hardware.
Add more machines, load-balance, scale within a few clicks.
Vendors:
Amazon WS (EC2), VmWare, Rackspace, GoGrid, etc.
3/1/2011
7

Remedy 1: Virtualization
Test / dev for the EPC Network locally in 5 minutes
Virtualized development environment:
Eclipse, LLRP Commander, Readers simulators, WSN simulators, toolkits, etc.
All Fosstrak components
Based on VMWare:
Private Cloud
3/1/2011
8

Remedy 2: Cloud Computing
Run your EPC Network server in 5 minutes!
Cloud appliance:
Full EPC Network server
Admin Web interface
Fully configured Tomcat Instance
Based on Amazon EC2:
Public Cloud
Utility Computing
Demo!
3/1/2011
9

2) EaseApplication Development
Goal:
Offer lighter APIs
Allow integration with IoT devices (sensors, mobile phones)
Allow Web 2.0 integration
Remedy:
RESTful APIs
Real-time Web
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10
[www.flickr.com/photos/jgarber/]

Remedy 3: REST in a Nutshell
REST architecture:
Identify resources and links:
A resource: something, that can and that’s worth, getting a URI and links
Design respresentations
Use the uniform interface
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Links
URI
REPRESENTATION
HTTP

EPC Network Application Interface
Integration Interface
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12

REST vs WS-* for AppIntegration?
Based on the programming experience of 40 neutral developers.
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13

EPCIS Webadapter
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14

EPCIS Webadapter
Open-sourced as part of Fosstrak
One-click install on top of Fosstrak EPCIS
Cross-browser Web interface
Mobile User Interface
webofthings.com/rfid
http://.../location/migros:basel/reader/
warehouse:incoming/time/
2009-12-21T13:22:04.000Z/event/EPC
3/1/2011
15

So What?
Easier to build mobile apps
Easier to build Web apps (mashup dashboard)
Shortcomings:
How about real-time?
Beyond EPCIS?
« Reader » push?
3/1/2011
16

Remedy 4: Real-Time Web in a Nutshell
Current Web
Real-Time Web
[Generatedwith websequencediagrams.com]
3/1/2011
17

HTML 5 Websockets
Full-duplex in the browser
Part of the soon standard HTML 5 spec.
Subscription through Javascript
Increasing number of browsers support
[Generatedwith websequencediagrams.com]
3/1/2011
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Capture Webadapter
Modular Capture-App
Listening for ALE events
Multiplexer:
1 event -> n Connectors
Control through RESTful API.
3/1/2011
19

tPusher
Web Push Service
Supports several transports:
Websockets
Long-polling / Comet
Streaming
Client (mobile/Web) application in 10 lines!
Based on Atmosphere/Jersey and its JQueryPlugin
3/1/2011
20

SampleApp: Mobile Reader Monitor
Use-case:
Scan QR code
Monitor an RFID reader (via LLRP/ALE) live from any mobile browser
Technology:
Fosstrak EPC Cloud
tPusher / capture Webadapter
~20 lines of Javascript compatible with most mobile browsers
Demo!
3/1/2011
21

3) Enable RFID Mashability
Goal:
Encapsulate simple RFID use-case into components (e.g., EAS)
Allow re-mixing them with exiting Web services or Web of Things devices
Remedy:
RFID Mashup editor and engine
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22
[www.flickr.com/photos/sunep]
[www.flickr.com/photos/dantheurer]

Remedy 5: Web of ThingsMashups in a Nutshell
Composition of services on the Web:
Mashup Editor
Mashup Engine
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REST
REST
REST API
REST API
[http://www.clickscript.ch]
[http://www.webothings.com/energievisible]

Remedy 5: Mashup Editor for RFID
Modularize simple components of typical RFID applications
Offer a Mashup Framework + Engine:
Users can build their own use cases
Protoype based on:
Browser-based (Javascript)
Clickscript.ch added:
Web push support
Serveral RFID/WoT modules
IP
Reader
Name
EPCEvents
(json)
IP
EPC
True/
False
Business
step
3/1/2011
24

Clickscript-based RFID Mashup Editor
Demo!
[Clickscript.ch]
3/1/2011
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SampleApp: Mobile EAS
Mashup:
Get EPCs from readers
Where products (EPC) already sold?
If not take a picture with Webcam
Push (websocket) picture to all clients on …/thefts
Mobile:
Subscribe to /thefts
Display snapshot and product info
Implemented with the Sencha Touch Javascript Library.
Demo!
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Alltogether: Fosstrak EPC Cloud
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Future Work
Qualitative/quantiative evaluation of the EPC Cloud project:
Latency? Quality of Service?
Real-world deployment/experience?
EPC Cloud as SAAS (Software as a Service) plateform :
Several SME’s on one (scalable) instance of the EPC Cloud
RFID use-cases as mashup modules:
Study most important RFID uses-cases
Extract (mashup) modules
Provide a scalable execution environment (engine)
Open-sourcing the EPC Cloud?
3/1/2011
28

Thanks for your attention…
Specialthanks to:
Lukas Naef (Clickscript)
Mathias Mueller (Webadapter)
Contact:
www.guinard.org
More on:
www.webofthings.com/rfid
3/1/2011
29

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EPC Cloud: Using the Web to Simplify the Global RFID Network

by Dominique Guinard on Feb 28, 2011

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EPC Cloud: Using the Web to Simplify the Global RFID Network — Presentation Transcript