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Improving the sustainability in agriculture is nowadays an important challenge. The automation of irrigation processes via low-cost sensors can to spread technological advances in a sector very influenced by economical costs. This article presents an auto-calibrated pH sensor able to detect and adjust the imbalances in the pH levels of the nutrient solution used in hydroponic agriculture. The sensor is composed by a pH probe and a set of micropumps that sequentially pour the different liquid solutions to maintain the sensor calibration and the water samples from the channels that contain the nutrient solution. To implement our architecture, we use an auto-calibrated pH sensor connected to a wireless node. Several nodes compose our wireless sensor networks (WSN) to control our greenhouse. The sensors periodically measure the pH level of each hydroponic support and send the information to a data base (DB) which stores and analyzes the data to warn farmers about the measures. The data can then be accessed through a user-friendly, web-based interface that can be accessed through the Internet by using desktop or mobile devices. This paper also shows the design and test bench for both the auto-calibrated pH sensor and the wireless network to check their correct operation. ; The research leading to these results has received funding from "la Caixa" Foundation and Triptolemos Foundation. This work has also been partially supported by European Union through the ERANETMED (Euromediterranean Cooperation through ERANET joint activities and beyond) project ERANETMED3-227 SMARTWATIR.

[EN] The Future Internet is expected to be composed of a mesh of interoperable web services accessed from all over the Web. This approach has been supported by many software providers who have provided a wide range of mash up tools for creating composite applications based on components prepared by the respective provider. These tools aim to achieve the end-user development (EUD) of rich internet applications (RIA); however, most, having failed to meet the needs of end users without programming knowledge, have been unsuccessful. Thus, many studies have investigated success factors in order to propose scales of success factor objectives and assess the adequacy of mashup tools for their purpose. After reviewing much of the available literature, this paper proposes a new success factor scale based on human factors, human-computer interaction (HCI) factors and the specialization-functionality relationship. It brings together all these factors, offering a general conception of EUD success factors. The proposed scale was applied in an empirical study on current EUD tools, which found that today's EUD tools have many shortcomings. In order to achieve an acceptable success rate among end users, we then designed a mashup tool architecture, called FAST-Wirecloud, which was built taking into account the proposed EUD success factor scale. The results of a new empirical study carried out using this tool have demonstrated that users are better able to successfully develop their composite applications and that FAST-Wirecloud has scored higher than all the other tools under study on all scales of measurement, and particularly on the scale proposed in this paper. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. ; This research was partially supported by the European Union co-funded IST projects FAST: Fast and Advanced Storyboard Tools (GA 216048), FI-WARE: Future Internet Core Platform (GA 285248) and FI-CORE: Future Internet - Core (GA 632893). The FI-WARE and FI-CORE projects are part of the European Commission's Futuree Internet ...

PurposeThe authors analysed the operations of two synchronised channels by focusing on "buy online and return in store" (BORS) strategies in fast-fashion retail by investigating internal and external factors affecting this omnichannel strategy.Design/methodology/approachThe authors apply a combination of techniques to identify the BORS factors. Firstly, a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) analysis was used to define the operational factors of BORS adoption. The authors then apply analytic hierarchy process (AHP) to evaluate the factors under four SWOT categories for kids, male and female consumer groups. The factors of BORS were then ranked using the fuzzy VlseKriterijumska Optimizacija I Kompromisno Resenje (fuzzy VIKOR) approach.FindingsCombining the SWOT, AHP and fuzzy VIKOR techniques, the authors identified 21 factors in this study. The opportunity that BORS provides for trying in the fitting room for a better convenient shopping experience was ranked as the most important factor, followed by the opportunity to create a loyal customer profile with an easy and well-organised return process. Furthermore, the results reveal that the child consumer group is the most critical of the stated operations factors, followed by male and female consumers.Practical implicationsThe authors described the operational factors and supported the decision-making system of BORS for each consumer group with a priority ranking to realise effective managerial management for fast-fashion retailers and practitioners.Originality/valueThe study contributes to the growing literature on the BORS omnichannel strategy, specifically for fast-fashion retail based on consumer needs.

The number of forest fires that occurred in recent years in different parts of the world is causing increased concern in the population, as the consequences of these fires expand beyond the destruction of the ecosystem. However, with the proliferation of the Internet of Things (IoT) industry, solutions for early fire detection should be developed. The assessment of the fire risk of an area and the communication of this fact to the population could reduce the number of fires originated by accident or due to the carelessness of the users. This paper presents a low-cost network based on Long Range (LoRa) technology to autonomously evaluate the level of fire risk and the presence of a forest fire in rural areas. The system is comprised of several LoRa nodes with sensors to measure the temperature, relative humidity, wind speed and CO2 of the environment. The data from the nodes is stored and processed in a The Things Network (TTN) server that sends the data to a website for the graphic visualization of the collected data. The system is tested in a real environment and, the results show that it is possible to cover a circular area of a radius of 4 km with a single gateway. ; This work was partially supported by the "Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades" through the "Ayudas para la adquisición de equipamiento científico-técnico, Subprograma estatal de infraestructuras de investigación y equipamiento científico-técnico (plan Estatal I+D+i 2017-2020)" (project EQC2018-004988-P), by Universidad de Granada through the "Programa de Proyectos de Investigación Precompetitivos para Jóvenes Investigadores. Modalidad A jóvenes Doctores" of "Plan Propio de Investigación y Transferencia 2019" (PPJIA2019.10), by the Campus de Excelencia Internacional Global del Mar (CEI·Mar) through the "Ayudas Proyectos Jóvenes Investigadores CEI·Mar 2019", (Project CEIJ-020), by the European Union through the ERANETMED (Euromediterranean Cooperation through ERANET joint activities and beyond) (Project ERANETMED3-227 SMARTWATIR).

[EN] The use of Internet of Things (IoT) devices has spread through many different fields. Transport, health, and energy management of farming are some of the areas where IoT systems are being utilized. The selection of the wireless communication technology for the IoT system is paramount for its optimal performance. However, factors such as desired coverage or energy consumption must be considered for this selection. In this paper, several tests to determine the battery life that can be obtained after performing WiFi and LoRa Low Power Wide Area Networks (LPWAN) transmissions with a low-cost IoT device has been performed. With a 5 second transmission interval and default settings, similar results were obtained for both WiFi and LoRa. Furthermore, WiFi outperformed LoRa with the default settings and a 30 second transmission interval. Lastly, LoRa did outperform WiFi when the settings where changed so as the transmission power of LoRa was that of 10 dBm. ; This work has been supported by European Union through the ERANETMED (Euromediterranean Cooperation through ERANET joint activities and beyond) project ERANETMED3-227 SMARTWATIR. ; García, L.; Jimenez, JM.; Lloret, J.; Lorenz, P. (2019). WiFi and LoRa Energy Consumption Comparison in IoT ESP 32/ SX1278 Devices. IARIA XPS Press. 26-31. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/180545 ; S ; 26 ; 31

[EN] Improving the sustainability in agriculture is nowadays an important challenge. The automation of irrigation processes via low-cost sensors can to spread technological advances in a sector very influenced by economical costs. This article presents an auto-calibrated pH sensor able to detect and adjust the imbalances in the pH levels of the nutrient solution used in hydroponic agriculture. The sensor is composed by a pH probe and a set of micropumps that sequentially pour the different liquid solutions to maintain the sensor calibration and the water samples from the channels that contain the nutrient solution. To implement our architecture, we use an auto-calibrated pH sensor connected to a wireless node. Several nodes compose our wireless sensor networks (WSN) to control our greenhouse. The sensors periodically measure the pH level of each hydroponic support and send the information to a data base (DB) which stores and analyzes the data to warn farmers about the measures. The data can then be accessed through a user-friendly, web-based interface that can be accessed through the Internet by using desktop or mobile devices. This paper also shows the design and test bench for both the auto-calibrated pH sensor and the wireless network to check their correct operation. ; The research leading to these results has received funding from "la Caixa" Foundation and Triptolemos Foundation. This work has also been partially supported by European Union through the ERANETMED (Euromediterranean Cooperation through ERANET joint activities and beyond) project ERANETMED3-227 SMARTWATIR ; Cambra-Baseca, C.; Sendra, S.; Lloret, J.; Lacuesta, R. (2018). Smart System for Bicarbonate Control in Irrigation for Hydroponic Precision Farming. Sensors. 18(5):1-16. https://doi.org/10.3390/s18051333 ; S ; 1 ; 16 ; 18 ; 5 ; Salley, S. W., Sleezer, R. O., Bergstrom, R. M., Martin, P. H., & Kelly, E. F. (2016). A long-term analysis of the historical dry boundary for the Great Plains of North America: Implications of climatic ...

[EN] The use of precision agriculture is becoming more and more necessary to provide food for the world's growing population, as well as to reduce environmental impact and enhance the usage of limited natural resources. One of the main drawbacks that hinder the use of precision agriculture is the cost of technological immersion in the sector. For farmers, it is necessary to provide low-cost and robust systems as well as reliability. Toward this end, this paper presents a wireless sensor network of low-cost sensor nodes for soil moisture that can help farmers optimize the irrigation processes in precision agriculture. Each wireless node is composed of four soil moisture sensors that are able to measure the moisture at different depths. Each sensor is composed of two coils wound onto a plastic pipe. The sensor operation is based on mutual induction between coils that allow monitoring the percentage of water content in the soil. Several prototypes with different features have been tested. The prototype that has offered better results has a winding ratio of 1:2 with 15 and 30 spires working at 93 kHz. We also have developed a specific communication protocol to improve the performance of the whole system. Finally, the wireless network was tested, in a real, cultivated plot of citrus trees, in terms of coverage and received signal strength indicator (RSSI) to check losses due to vegetation. ; This work has been partially supported by the European Union through the ERANETMED (Euromediterranean Cooperation through ERANET joint activities and beyond) project ERANETMED3227 SMARTWATIR, by the "Programa Estatal de I+D+i Orientada a los Retos de la Sociedad, en el marco del Plan Estatal de Investigacion Cientifica y Tecnica y de Innovacion 2017-2020" (Project code: PID2020-114467RR-C33) and by "proyectos de innovacion de interes general por grupos operativos de la Asociacion Europea para la Innovacion en materia de productividad y sostenibilidad agricolas (AEI-Agri)" in the framework "Programa Nacional de Desarrollo Rural ...

[EN] Due to the broad range of options that wireless systems offer, Wi-Fi products are increasingly being used in agriculture environments to improve farming practices and better control the output of the production. However, the foliage has proven to harm radio-frequency propagation as well as decreasing the coverage area of Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs). Therefore, near-ground channel characterization can help in avoiding high antennas and vegetation. Nevertheless, theoretical models tend to fail when forecasting near-ground path losses. This paper aims at determining how the field components such as soil, grass and, trunks affect radio-links in near-ground scenarios. To do this, we measure the Received Signal Strength (RSSI), the Signal to Interference Ratio (SIR) and the Round-Trip Time (RTT) of a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), at different distances, and the results are compared with 3 prediction models: the Free-Space Propagation Model, Two-Ray Ground Reflection Model and, One-Slope Log-Normal Model. The experiment was carried out by collecting experimental data at two different locations, i.e., an orange tree plantation and a field without vegetation, taking measurements every meter. A comprehensive analysis of the influence of rural environments can help to obtain better near-ground WSN performance and coverage in precision agriculture. ; This work has been partially supported by European Union through the ERANETMED project ERANETMED3- 227 SMARTWATIR, by the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades through the Ayudas para la adquisición de equipamiento científico-técnico, Subprograma estatal de infraestructuras de investigación y equipamiento científico-técnico (plan Estatal I+D+i 2017- 2020) (project EQC2018-004988-P), by the Universidad de Granada through the "Programa de Proyectos de Investigación Precompetitivos para Jóvenes Investigadores. Modalidad A jóvenes Doctores of "Plan Propio de Investigación y Transferencia 2019" (PPJIA2019.10) and by the Campus de Excelencia Internacional ...

[EN] Currently, there are several remote learning platforms based on video streaming. In most situations, these multimedia resources are displayed using smartphones that can be wirelessly connected to networks with deficient capabilities. In this scenario, the levels of Quality of Service (QoS) and Quality of Experience (QoE) perceived by users can be very low. Therefore, with the aim of finding the most efficient combination of Web browsers, codecs and containers, this paper presents a study to analyze how the encoding used in videos can affect the network performance in terms of data transfer rate, transmission delays, transmission errors and throughput. The tests are performed using mobile devices with Android as the operating system. Different Web browsers, containers and codecs supported by HyperText Markup Language V.5 (HTML5) are also included in this study. The browsers used in this study are Google Chrome, Firefox and Opera while the containers considered to carry out our tests are MP4 and WebM. Results show that MP4 could be a good option to transmit high resolution videos while WebM would be the best option for low quality videos. ; This work has been partially supported by the European Union through the ERANETMED (Euromediterranean Cooperation through ERANET joint activities and beyond) project ERANETMED3-227 SMARTWATIR, by the ¿Ministerio de Economia, Industria y Competitividad¿, through the ¿Convocatoria 2016 - Proyectos I+D+I - Programa Estatal De Investigación, Desarrollo e Innovación Orientada a los retos de la sociedad¿ (Project TEC2016- 76795-C6-4-R), through the ¿Convocatoria 2017 - Proyectos I+D+I - Programa Estatal de Investigación, Desarrollo e Innovación, convocatoria excelencia¿ (Project TIN2017- 84802-C2-1-P) and by the ¿Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades¿ through the ¿Ayudas para la adquisición de equipamiento científico-técnico, Subprograma estatal de infraestructuras de investigación y equipamiento científico-técnico (plan Estatal I+D+i 2017- 2020)¿ (project ...

[EN] New technologies have the potential to transform agriculture and to reduce environmental impact through a green revolution. Internet of Things (IoT)-based application development platforms have the potential to run farm management tools capable of monitoring real-time events when integrated into interactive innovation models for fertirrigation. Their capabilities must extend to flexible reconfiguration of programmed actions. IoT platforms require complex smart decision-making systems based on data-analysis and data mining of big data sets. In this paper, the advantages are demonstrated of a powerful tool that applies real-time decisions from data such as variable rate irrigation, and selected parameters from field and weather conditions. The field parameters, the index vegetation (estimated using aerial images), and the irrigation events, such as flow level, pressure level, and wind speed, are periodically sampled. Data is processed in a decision-making system based on learning prediction rules in conjunction with the Drools rule engine. The multimedia platform can be remotely controlled, and offers a smart farming open data network with shared restriction levels for information exchange oriented to farmers, the fertilizer provider, and agricultural technicians that should provide the farmer with added value in the form of better decision making or more efficient exploitation operations and management. ; This paper has been partially supported by the European Union through the ERANETMED (Euromediterranean Cooperation through ERANET joint activities and beyond) project ERANETMED3-227 SMARTWATIR and by the "Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovacion y Universidades" through the "Ayudas para la adquisicion de equipamiento cientifico-tecnico, Subprograma estatal de infraestructuras de investigacion y equipamiento cientifico-tecnico (plan Estatal i+d+i 2017-2020)" (project EQC2018-004988-P). ; Cambra-Baseca, C.; Sendra, S.; Lloret, J.; Tomás Gironés, J. (2019). A Smart Decision System for Digital Farming. Agronomy. ...

[EN] Sick children need a continuous monitoring, but this involves high costs for the government and for the parents. The use of information and communication technologies (ICT) jointly with artificial intelligence and smart devices can reduce these costs, help the children and assist their parents. This paper presents a smart architecture for children's chronic illness monitoring that will let the caregivers (parents, teachers and doctors) to remotely monitor the health of the children based on the sensors embedded in the smartphones and smart wearable devices. The proposed architecture includes a smart algorithm developed to intelligently detect if a parameter has exceeded a threshold, thus it may imply an emergency or not. To check the correct operation of this system, we have developed a small wearable device that is able to measure the heart rate and the body temperature. We have designed a secure mechanism to stablish a Bluetooth connection with the smartphone. In addition, the system is able to perform the data fusion in both the information packetizing process, which contributes to improve the protocol performance, and in the measured values combination, where it is used a stochastic approach. As a result, our system can fusion data from different sensors in real-time and detect automatically strange situations for sending a warning to the caregivers. Finally, the consumed bandwidth and battery autonomy of the developed device have been measured. ; This work has been partially supported by the "Ministerio de EducaciOn, Cultura y Deporte", through the "Ayudas para contratos predoctorales de Formacion del Profesorado Universitario FPU (Convocatoria 2014)". Grant number FPU14/02953. ; Sendra, S.; Parra-Boronat, L.; Lloret, J.; Tomás Gironés, J. (2018). Smart system for children's chronic illness monitoring. Information Fusion. 40:76-86. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.inffus.2017.06.002 ; S ; 76 ; 86 ; 40

1 17 8 ; S ; [EN] For the problem of channel state information (CSI) delay and error, this paper proposes a joint interference and phase alignment algorithm based on Bayesian estimation and power allocation among data streams for multicell, multiple-input multiple-output broadcast channels (MIMO-BC). Firstly, the sender obtains the best estimate of the current CSI through Bayesian estimation. Secondly, the interference suppression matrix is designed by maximizing the ratio of the desired signal power to the intercell interference plus noise ratio (SINR) in the forward link, and in the reverse communication, by maximizing the SINR design precoding. Further, the water-filling algorithm is combined to optimize power allocation among data streams. Finally, the phase alignment is used to rotate the interference between data streams into the signal space of the target receive data stream, thereby enhancing the received power of the target data stream. Simulation results show that the proposed algorithm has certain performance advantages over other algorithms, whether it is ideal CSI or delay and error CSI. Shahjehan, W.; Shah, SW.; Lloret, J.; Bosch Roig, I. (2018). Joint Interference and Phase Alignment among Data Streams in Multicell MIMO Broadcasting. Applied Sciences (Basel). 8(8):1-17. doi:10.3390/app8081237 ; This work has been partially supported by the "Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad" in the "Programa Estatal de Fomento de la Investigacion Cientifica y Tecnica de Excelencia, Subprograma Estatal de Generacion de Conocimiento" within the project under Grant BIA2017-87573-C2-2-P.

In recent years, the automotive industry is equipping vehicles with sophisticated, and often, expensive systems for driving assistance. However, this vehicular technology is more focused on facilitating the driving and not in monitoring the driver. This paper presents a low-cost vehicle driver assistance system for monitoring the drivers activity that intends to prevent an accident. The system consists of 4 sensors that monitor physical parameters and driver position. From these values, the system generates a series of acoustic signals to alert the vehicle driver and avoiding an accident. Finally the system is tested to verify its proper operation. ; This work has been partially supported by the "Programa para la Formación de Personal Investigador–(FPI-2015-S2-884)" by the "Universitat Politècnica de València". ; Sendra, S.; García-García, L.; Jimenez, JM.; Lloret, J. (2017). Low-cost vehicle driver assistance system for fatigue and distraction detection. En Lecture Notes of the Institute for Computer Sciences, Social Informatics and Telecommunications Engineering. Springer Verlag. 69-78. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-51207-5_7 ; S ; 69 ; 78 ; Mapfre Foundation. (Online Article) Seguridad activa y pasiva. www.seguridadvialenlaempresa.com/seguridad-empresas/actualidad/noticias/seguridad-vial-activa-y-pasiva-2.jsp . Accessed 25 Aug 2016 ; Dirección general de tráfico, Ministerio del Interior, Spanish Government. (Online Article) Las principales cifras de la siniestralidad vial. España 2014, p. 21 (2014). http://www.dgt.es/es/seguridad-vial/estadisticas-e-indicadores/publicaciones/ . Accessed 25 Aug 2016 ; Fukuhara, H.: Vehicle collision alert system. US Patent 5355118 A, 11 Oct 1994 ; Dirección general de tráfico, Ministerio del Interior, Spanish Government. (Online Article) Anuario estadístico de accidentes 2014, p. 10 (2014). http://www.dgt.es/es/seguridad-vial/estadisticas-e-indicadores/publicaciones/anuario-estadistico-general/ . Accessed 25 Aug 2016 ; Dirección general de tráfico, Ministerio del Interior, ...

20990 21015 15 9 ; S ; The main aim of smart cities is achieving sustainable resources. In order to make a correct use of resources, an accurate monitoring and management of them are needed. In some places, like underground aquifers, the access for monitoring can be hard therefore the use of sensors can be a good solution. The groundwater is very important as a water resource, just in USA, aquifers suppose the water resource for 50% of population. However, its importance aquifers are endangered due to the contamination. One of the most important parameters to monitor in groundwater is the salinity. High salinity level indicates groundwater salinization. In this paper we present a specific sensor for groundwater salinization monitoring. The sensor is able to measure the electric conductivity of water, i.e., higher electric conductivity means higher water salinization. The sensor, which is composed of two copper coils, measures the alterations in magnetic fields due to the presence of electric charges in water. Different salinities in water generate different alterations. Our sensor is undergone to several tests performed in order to obtain a conductivity sensor with enough accuracy. First, several prototypes are tested and are compared with the purpose of choosing the best coils combination. When the best prototype is selected, it is calibrated using up to 30 different samples. Our Conductivity sensor presents an operational range from 0.585 mS/cm to 73.8 mS/cm, which is wide enough to cover the needs. With this work, we have demonstrated that it is feasible of measuring water conductivity using solenoids coils and its application for groundwater monitoring. Parra Boronat, L.; Sendra, S.; Lloret, J.; Bosch Roig, I. (2015). Development and test of conductivity sensor for monitoring groundwater resources to optimize the water management in Smart City environments. Sensors. 15(9):20990-21015. doi:10.3390/s150920990 Lazaroiu, G. C., & Roscia, M. (2012). Definition methodology for the smart cities model. Energy, ...