Serviceware - A service based management approach for WSN cloud infrastructures

With the push for smart environments and the advent of concepts like Systems of Systems and Internet of Things, the need for underlying large-scale wireless sensor networks (WSNs) infrastructures is evident, however it is likely that no single private user could justify the costs to be incurred for a large-scale WSN deployment and the subsequent management and maintenance costs. In order to drive down costs and maximize the WSN utility a shared infrastructure approach makes large-scale multipurpose WSNs viable. The shared infrastructure paradigm where multiple applications and end users act on a single physical WSN infrastructure in parallel requires a fundamental change in the way WSN resources are managed are, specifically at the WSN device level. This paper draws on the cloud computing infrastructure as a service (IaaS) model and presents Serviceware - a middleware approach for infrastructure virtualization in next generation WSNs, where the WSN resources are exposed as services. Virtualization enables the slicing of the physical infrastructure into unique segments or virtual sensor networks that can be configured for individual end users according to their specific requirements.