IoT Architecture Simplified
Architecture of a system defines the basic building blocks. IoT architecture consists 5 basic layers
1. IoT Device Layer for Sensors and actuators
2. IoT Getaway Layer for Data Acquisition
3. IoT Platform Layer for connecting clients and operators
4. IoT Storage Layer for storing the data
5. Application Layer for presenting of the analyzed data
These components should fundamentally include functionality, scalability, availability, and maintainability.
1. IoT Device Layer: Sensors and actuators
Sensors collect and convert the information obtained in the physical world into data for analysis. Actuators are devices that are able to change the physical reality. For example, they can switch on lights or close a door.
2. IoT Getaway Layer for Data Acquisition
Internet getaways and data acquisition systems (DAS) work in close proximity with sensors and actuators. They connect to the sensors, aggregate the output, transmit data through Wi-Fi/wired LANs, cellular network.
It is important to understand the volume of data collected real-time and the time taken to structure and package the data to be transmitted.
3. IoT Platform Layer for connecting clients and operators
This can be split into 2 sub layers — the edge layer and the core platform depending on the complexity of the layers 1 and 2. The Edge systems typically reside outside the datacenter. Data pre-processing, machine learning, and analytics may happen here prior to the data entering the data center. Edge systems can be close to where sensors and actuators are situated or in other remote locations.
The core platform layer is the nervous center of the IoT architecture. Data aggregation, storage, systems integration, processing, and analysis happens here. Typical components include stream processing, queue management, ETL, data shaping, data quality, meta data management, governance, deployment of ML models for analysis and scoring and dashboards. Not to forget monitoring, security, error handling, and fault tolerance.
4. IoT Storage Layer for storing the data
Though the data storage also falls within the realm of the Iot platform, the complexity and options available for data storage calls for a unique mention. Data can be stored in its own database instance or collocated with database shared by other applications or systems. Data retention, lineage, data security are key considerations that need to be vetted as it passes through various layers
5. Application Layer for presenting of the analyzed data
The presentation layer has the most variability that it is shoved out of a typical IoT architecture discussion. But, it is a key consideration as the users consume the results of the analysis. The application layer could be a service that pushes the results of the analysis. It could also go into a cycle where a user sends commands to actuators to perform actions.
