Beacon-Based Cluster Framework for Internet of People, Things, and Services (IoPTS)

Internet of Things (IoT) applications can offer a great potential of benefits to end users. We are moving towards an Internet of People, Things and Services (IoPTS) and a future world of ambient intelligence, where users can seamlessly interact with IoT devices and get information about the services they offer. Interaction can take place directly or through dedicated mobile apps that are built to acquire data from sensors or clusters of IoT devices. The article presents a user-centric cluster framework, taking into account the resource-constrained nature of the IoT devices. As part of the framework, the authors propose a Mobility Aware Clustering Scheme (MACS), which organizes the IoT devices in clusters using a fitness function for each node, and a Profile Aware Proactive Cluster Discovery (PAPCD) mechanism using Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) beacons for service advertisement. The authors also propose an IoT service filtering and ranking algorithm to match the users' preferences and requirements