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Unit 3 of 3 · M.Sc IT Sem 4

Unit 3: IoT application development and case studies

IoT and Its Applications notes · PTU syllabus (PGCA1943)

3 min read5 topics9 exam questions
On this page
  1. Unit summary
  2. Solution framework for IoT applications
  3. Device integration and data acquisition
  4. Storing unstructured data on cloud or local servers
  5. Device authentication and authorisation
  6. Case studies and mini projects
  7. Key terms
  8. Quick revision
  9. Important questions

Unit summary

Building an IoT application means integrating devices, data and cloud securely. This unit covers a solution framework, device integration, data acquisition and storage, authentication and authorisation, and case studies in industry, transport, agriculture, healthcare and home automation.

After this unit you can

  • Apply a solution framework to an IoT application
  • Integrate devices and acquire data
  • Store data on cloud or local servers and secure devices
  • Analyse IoT case studies

PTU syllabus topics

  • Solution framework for IoT applications
  • device integration
  • data acquisition and integration
  • unstructured data storage on cloud/local server
  • device authentication and authorization
  • case studies and mini projects in industrial automation
  • transportation
  • agriculture
  • healthcare and home automation
ProcessBuilding an IoT application
  1. 1

    Choose sensors and board

    Arduino or Raspberry Pi

  2. 2

    Acquire data

  3. 3

    Send to cloud or local server

  4. 4

    Authenticate devices

  5. 5

    Store and analyse

  6. 6

    Visualise and act

    Dashboards, alerts, actuators

1

Topic 1

Solution framework for IoT applications

ProcessIoT design methodology
  1. 1

    Purpose and requirements

  2. 2

    Process specification (use cases)

  3. 3

    Domain model (entities)

  4. 4

    Information model

  5. 5

    Service specifications

  6. 6

    IoT level selection

  7. 7

    Functional view

  8. 8

    Operational view (hosting, protocols)

  9. 9

    Device and component integration

  10. 10

    Application development

2

Topic 2

Device integration and data acquisition

ProcessData pipeline
  1. 1

    Sensor reads value

  2. 2

    Microcontroller formats it (JSON)

  3. 3

    Gateway forwards via Wi-Fi or MQTT

  4. 4

    Cloud broker ingests

  5. 5

    Rules engine triggers actions

  6. 6

    Storage and dashboards

pythonimport requests
requests.get("https://api.thingspeak.com/update", params={"api_key": "WRITE_KEY", "field1": 28.5})
3

Topic 3

Storing unstructured data on cloud or local servers

ComparisonStorage
Cloud
Local server

Examples

ThingSpeak, AWS IoT + DynamoDB, Firebase

MySQL or InfluxDB on Raspberry Pi

Pros

Scalable, accessible anywhere

Low latency, works offline, data stays on site

Cons

Internet dependence, recurring cost

Limited capacity, maintenance

  • Sensor data is often semi-structured JSON — suited to NoSQL and time-series databases.
4

Topic 4

Device authentication and authorisation

Key termsSecuring devices
Unique credentials
No shared default passwords
X.509 certificates
Mutual TLS between device and cloud
Tokens and API keys
Scoped, rotated
Authorisation policies
Device may publish only to its own topics
Secure boot and OTA updates
Signed firmware
5

Topic 5

Case studies and mini projects

ComparisonCase studies
Sensors and devices
Outcome

Industrial automation

Vibration, temperature on motors; PLC integration

Predictive maintenance; less downtime

Transportation

GPS, OBD, RFID (FASTag)

Fleet tracking, electronic tolling

Agriculture

Soil moisture, DHT11, relay pump

Automatic irrigation; water savings

Healthcare

Pulse oximeter, ECG, wearables

Remote patient monitoring with alerts

Home automation

PIR, relays, smart plugs, Bluetooth or Wi-Fi app

Lights, fans and security controlled by phone

Example

Smart irrigation mini project: when soil moisture drops below 30% the ESP32 switches the pump relay on, publishes readings to ThingSpeak every 15 seconds, and sends an alert if the tank level is low.

Key terms

Domain model
Main entities and relationships of an IoT system
Gateway
Device bridging sensors and the internet
ThingSpeak
Cloud IoT analytics platform
X.509 certificate
Digital certificate for device identity
OTA update
Over-the-air firmware update

Quick revision

  • Ten-step design methodology.
  • Data pipeline from sensor to dashboard.
  • Cloud vs local storage.
  • Device credentials, certificates, policies, secure updates.
  • Industry, transport, agriculture, healthcare, home cases.

Important exam questions

Practice questions written to the PTU exam pattern for this unit's syllabus: short answers (Section A style) and long answers (Sections B and C style).

Short-answer questions

  1. Q1.List the steps of IoT design methodology.
  2. Q2.What is the role of a gateway?
  3. Q3.Compare cloud and local storage for IoT.
  4. Q4.How are IoT devices authenticated?
  5. Q5.Give one IoT application in agriculture.
  6. Q6.What is OTA update?

Long-answer questions

  1. Q1.Explain the IoT solution framework with an example.
  2. Q2.Explain data acquisition, storage and device security.
  3. Q3.Describe IoT case studies in two sectors.

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