Drexel University

Managing data collection from IoT devices

The Internet of Things (IoT) is a system of connected devices capable of collecting and transferring data. Different users of IoT devices may be interested in different types of data. A gardener might want to track the pH value of their soil and the air humidity. A city planner may look for a way to track pedestrian traffic in common spaces. A factory manager might look for a way to track the status of machinery and production rates.

IoT infrastructure has exploded in the past decade, so there are devices on the market to collect data for a wide variety of applications. But the wide variety of devices requires special considerations. A Wi-Fi 4K camera connects to a network much differently than a home thermometer. A motion detector may collect and transfer data in a different form than a pressure sensor.

So, despite progress in the IoT industry, it is still difficult to integrate different types of devices into a unified system. Chariot solves this problem. Chariot is a platform for IoT device management, data storage, and analysis. Users can add, remove, and configure a variety of devices on a single network. With Chariot, a gardener could purchase a pH and humidity IoT devices off the shelf and gather data from his soil and the air from one convenient interface.