ETH Zurich : Computer Science : Pervasive Computing : Distributed Systems : Research : Web of Things

The Web of Things

A Research Topic of the Distributed Systems Group

A central concern in the area of pervasive computing has been the integration of digital artifacts with the physical world. In particular, the "Internet of Things" has essentially explored the development of applications built upon various networked physical objects.

Inhabitants of the physical world such as sensor and actuator networks, embedded devices, appliances and everyday digitally enhanced objects are still mostly disconnected from the Web and form a myriad of small incompatible islands. Increasingly, embedded devices and consumer electronics as for example the Chumby, Gumstix, or Nabaztag get Internet connectivity but cannot be controlled and monitored without using dedicated software and proprietary interfaces. As a consequence, smart things are hard to integrate into composite applications, which hinders the realization of a flexible ecosystem of devices that can be reused serendipitously.

In the Web of Things (WoT), we would like to consider smart things as being first-class citizens of the Web. This way Web tools and techniques (e.g., browsers, search engines, caching systems, Comet, Atom syndication, instant messaging), languages (e.g., HTML, JavaScript, mashups) and interaction techniques (e.g., browsing, linking, bookmarking) can be directly applied to the real world. We position the Web of Things as an refinement of the Internet of Things by integrating smart things not only to the Internet (i.e., to the network), but also to the Web (i.e., to the application layer).

The project also has its own community blog and portal on webofthings.com, as well as its own workshop.

See also the following related items:

• Internet of Things (topic)
• Dyser - A Real World Search Engine (project)
• Embedded Web Resources (project)
• EnergieVisible (demo)

Participating Researchers

Matthias Kovatsch, Benedikt Ostermaier (until 2015), Simon Mayer (until 2014), Dominique Guinard (until 2012), Vlad Trifa (until 2012)

Selected Publications

See the Publications of the Distributed Systems Group page for a full listing of our publications.

• Ji Eun Kim, Tassilo Barth, George Boulos, John Yackovich, Christian Beckel, Daniel Mosse
  Seamless Integration of Heterogeneous Devices and Access Control in Smart Homes and its Evaluation.
  Intelligent Buildings International, May 2015
  doi: 10.1080/17508975.2015.1018116
  Abstract, BibTeX
  
  
• Simon Mayer, Yassin N. Hassan, Gábor Sörös
  A Magic Lens for Revealing Device Interactions in Smart Environments.
  Proceedings of the SIGGRAPH Asia 2014 Symposium on Mobile Graphics and Interactive Applications (MGIA 2014), Shenzhen, China. ACM, December 2014
  Abstract, BibTeX, Paper (.pdf)
  Other files: Talk, Video
  
  
• Simon Mayer, Yassin N. Hassan, Gábor Sörös
  Demo: Magic Lenses for Revealing Device Interactions in Smart Environments.
  Live demo at the SIGGRAPH Asia 2014 Symposium on Mobile Graphics and Interactive Applications (MGIA 2014), Shenzhen, China. ACM, December 2014
  Abstract, BibTeX, Paper (.pdf)
  Other files: Video
  
  
• Simon Mayer, Nadine Inhelder, Ruben Verborgh, Rik Van de Walle, Friedemann Mattern
  Configuration of Smart Environments Made Simple - Combining Visual Modeling with Semantic Metadata and Reasoning.
  Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on the Internet of Things (IoT 2014). Cambridge, MA, USA, October 2014
  Abstract, BibTeX, Paper (.pdf)
  
  
• Matthias Kovatsch, Martin Lanter, Zach Shelby
  Californium: Scalable Cloud Services for the Internet of Things with CoAP.
  Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on the Internet of Things (IoT 2014). Cambridge, MA, USA, October 2014
  Abstract, BibTeX, Paper (.pdf)
  Best paper
  
  
• Simon Mayer, Gábor Sörös
  User Interface Beaming - Seamless Interaction with Smart Things using Personal Wearable Computers.
  Proceedings of the 11th International Conference on Wearable and Implantable Body Sensor Networks (BSN 2014). pp. 46-49, Zurich, Switzerland, June 2014
  Abstract, BibTeX, Paper (.pdf)
  Other files: Talk
  
  
• Simon Mayer, Nadine Inhelder, Ruben Verborgh, Rik Van de Walle
  User-friendly Configuration of Smart Environments (Demo).
  Proceedings of the 2014 IEEE International Conference on Pervasive Computing and Communications (PerCom 2014). pp. 163-165, Budapest, Hungary, March 2014
  Abstract, BibTeX, Paper (.pdf)
  
  
• Simon Mayer, Gianin Basler
  Semantic Metadata to Support Device Interaction in Smart Environments.
  Proceedings of the 4th International Workshop on the Web of Things (WoT 2013). Zurich, Switzerland, September 2013
  Abstract, BibTeX, Paper (.pdf)
  
  
• Matthias Kovatsch
  CoAP for the Web of Things: From Tiny Resource-constrained Devices to the Web Browser.
  Proceedings of the 4th International Workshop on the Web of Things (WoT 2013). Zurich, Switzerland, September 2013
  Abstract, BibTeX, Paper (.pdf)
  Best paper
  
  
• Simon Mayer, Gianin Basler
  Poster: Embedded Semantic Metadata to Support Device Interaction in Smart Environments.
  Adjunct Proceedings of the 2013 ACM International Joint Conference on Pervasive and Ubiquitous Computing (UbiComp 2013). Zurich, Switzerland, September 2013
  Abstract, BibTeX, Paper (.pdf)
  
  
• Simon Mayer, Dominique Guinard, Vlad Trifa
  Searching in a Web-based Infrastructure for Smart Things.
  Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on the Internet of Things (IoT 2012). Wuxi, China, October 2012
  Abstract, BibTeX, Paper (.pdf)
  Download accompanying poster here
  
  
• Matthias Kovatsch, Martin Lanter, Simon Duquennoy
  Actinium: A RESTful Runtime Container for Scriptable Internet of Things Applications.
  Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on the Internet of Things (IoT 2012). pp. 135--142, Wuxi, China, October 2012
  Abstract, BibTeX, Paper (.pdf)
  
  
• Matthias Kovatsch, Simon Mayer, Benedikt Ostermaier
  Moving Application Logic from the Firmware to the Cloud: Towards the Thin Server Architecture for the Internet of Things.
  Proceedings of the 6th International Conference on Innovative Mobile and Internet Services in Ubiquitous Computing (IMIS 2012). Palermo, Italy, July 2012
  Abstract, BibTeX, Paper (.pdf)
  
  
• Ji Eun Kim, George Boulos, John Yackovich, Tassilo Barth, Christian Beckel, Daniel Mosse
  Seamless Integration of Heterogeneous Devices and Access Control in Smart Homes.
  Proceedings of the 8th International Conference on Intelligent Environments (IE 2012). pp. 206-213, Guanajuato, Mexico, June 2012
  Abstract, BibTeX, Paper (.pdf)
  
  
• Simon Mayer, David S. Karam
  A Computational Space for the Web of Things.
  Proceedings of the 3rd International Workshop on the Web of Things (WoT 2012). Newcastle, UK, June 2012
  Abstract, BibTeX, Paper (.pdf)
  
  
• Dominique Guinard, Iulia Ion, Simon Mayer
  In Search of an Internet of Things Service Architecture: REST or WS-*? A Developers’ Perspective.
  Proceedings of Mobiquitous 2011 (8th International ICST Conference on Mobile and Ubiquitous Systems). pp. 326-337, Copenhagen, Denmark, December 2011
  Abstract, BibTeX, Paper (.pdf)
  
  
• Simon Mayer
  Service Integration - A Web of Things Perspective.
  W3C Workshop on Data and Services Integration. Bedford, MA, USA, October 2011
  BibTeX, Paper (.pdf)
  
  
• Benedikt Ostermaier, Matthias Kovatsch, Silvia Santini
  Connecting Things to the Web using Programmable Low-power WiFi Modules.
  Proceedings of the 2nd International Workshop on the Web of Things (WoT 2011). San Francisco, CA, USA, June 2011
  Abstract, BibTeX, Paper (.pdf)
  
  
• Matthias Kovatsch
  Demo Abstract: Human–CoAP Interaction with Copper.
  Proceedings of the 7th IEEE International Conference on Distributed Computing in Sensor Systems (DCOSS 2011). Barcelona, Spain, June 2011
  Abstract, BibTeX, Paper (.pdf)
  
  
• Simon Mayer, Dominique Guinard
  An Extensible Discovery Service for Smart Things.
  Proceedings of the 2nd International Workshop on the Web of Things (WoT 2011). San Francisco, CA, USA, June 2011
  Abstract, BibTeX, Paper (.pdf)
  
  
• Matthias Kovatsch
  Firm Firmware and Apps for the Internet of Things.
  Proceedings of the 2nd ICSE Workshop on Software Engineering for Sensor Network Applications (SESENA 2011). Honolulu, HI, USA, May 2011
  Abstract, BibTeX, Paper (.pdf)
  
  
• Vlad Trifa, Dominique Guinard, Simon Mayer
  Leveraging the Web for a Distributed Location-aware Infrastructure for the Real World.
  In: Erik Wilde, Cesare Pautasso (Eds.): REST: From Research to Practice. Springer, ISBN 978-1-4419-8302-2, pp. 381-400, New York Dordrecht Heidelberg London, 2011
  Abstract, BibTeX, Paper (.pdf)
  
  
• Dominique Guinard, Vlad Trifa, Friedemann Mattern, Erik Wilde
  From the Internet of Things to the Web of Things: Resource Oriented Architecture and Best Practices.
  In: Dieter Uckelmann, Mark Harrison, Florian Michahelles (Eds.): Architecting the Internet of Things. Springer, ISBN 978-3-642-19156-5, pp. 97-129, New York Dordrecht Heidelberg London, 2011
  Abstract, BibTeX, Paper (.pdf)
  
  
• Markus Weiss, Dominique Guinard
  Increasing Energy Awareness Through Web-enabled Power Outlets.
  Proceedings of MUM 2010 (9th ACM SIGMOBILE Conference on Mobile and Ubiquitous Multimedia). Limassol, Cyprus, December 2010
  Abstract, BibTeX, Paper (.pdf)
  
  
• Benedikt Ostermaier, Kay Römer, Friedemann Mattern, Michael Fahrmair, Wolfgang Kellerer
  A Real-Time Search Engine for the Web of Things.
  Proceedings of Internet of Things 2010 International Conference (IoT 2010). Tokyo, Japan, November 2010
  Abstract, BibTeX, Paper (.pdf)
  
  
• Dominique Guinard, Vlad Trifa, Erik Wilde
  A Resource Oriented Architecture for the Web of Things.
  Proceedings of Internet of Things 2010 International Conference (IoT 2010). Tokyo, Japan, November 2010
  Abstract, BibTeX, Paper (.pdf)
  
  
• Simon Mayer, Dominique Guinard, Vlad Trifa
  Facilitating the Integration and Interaction of Real-World Services for the Web of Things.
  Urban Internet of Things – Towards Programmable Real-time Cities (UrbanIOT 2010); Workshop at the Internet of Things 2010 Conference (IoT 2010). Tokyo, Japan, November 2010
  Abstract, BibTeX, Paper (.pdf)
  
  
• Dominique Guinard, Mathias Mueller, Jacques Pasquier
  Giving RFID a REST: Building a Web-Enabled EPCIS.
  Proceedings of Internet of Things 2010 International Conference (IoT 2010). Tokyo, Japan, November 2010
  Abstract, BibTeX, Paper (.pdf)
  
  
• Matthias Kovatsch, Markus Weiss, Dominique Guinard
  Embedding Internet Technology for Home Automation.
  Proceedings of the 15th IEEE International Conference on Emerging Technologies and Factory Automation (ETFA 2010). Bilbao, Spain, September 2010
  Abstract, BibTeX, Paper (.pdf)
  
  
• Dominique Guinard, Vlad Trifa, Stamatis Karnouskos, Patrick Spiess, Domnic Savio
  Interacting with the SOA-Based Internet of Things: Discovery, Query, Selection, and On-Demand Provisioning of Web Services.
  IEEE Transactions on Services Computing, Vol. 3, No. 3, pp. 223-235, July 2010
  Abstract, BibTeX, Paper (.pdf)
  
  
• Dominique Guinard
  Mashing up Your Web-Enabled Home.
  Adjunct Proceedings of ICWE 2010 (International Conference on Web Engineering). Springer, Vienna, July 2010
  Abstract, BibTeX, Paper (.pdf)
  
  
• Dominique Guinard, Mathias Fischer, Vlad Trifa
  Sharing Using Social Networks in a Composable Web of Things.
  Proc. of the First IEEE International Workshop on the Web of Things (WOT2010). Mannheim, Germany, March 2010
  Abstract, BibTeX, Paper (.pdf)
  
  
• Benedikt Ostermaier, Fabian Schlup, Kay Römer
  WebPlug: A Framework for the Web of Things.
  Proc. of the First IEEE International Workshop on the Web of Things (WOT2010). Mannheim, Germany, March 2010
  Abstract, BibTeX, Paper (.pdf)
  
  
• Stamatis Karnouskos, Domnic Savio, Patrik Spiess, Dominique Guinard, Vlad Trifa, Oliver Baecker
  Real-world Service Interaction with Enterprise Systems in Dynamic Manufacturing Environments.
  Artificial Intelligence Techniques for Networked Manufacturing Enterprises Management. Springer Series in Advanced Manufacturing, Springer London, ISBN 978-1-84996-119-6, pp. 423-457, 2010
  Abstract, BibTeX, Paper (.pdf). See also: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-1-84996-119-6_14
  
  
• Dominique Guinard, Vlad Trifa, Thomas Pham, Olivier Liechti
  Towards Physical Mashups in the Web of Things.
  Proceedings of INSS 2009 (IEEE Sixth International Conference on Networked Sensing Systems). Pittsburgh, USA, June 2009
  BibTeX, Paper (.pdf)
  
  
• Vlad Trifa, Samuel Wieland, Dominique Guinard, Thomas Michael Bohnert
  Design and Implementation of a Gateway for Web-based Interaction and Management of Embedded Devices.
  Proceedings of the 2nd International Workshop on Sensor Network Engineering (IWSNE 09). Marina del Rey, CA, USA, June 2009
  Abstract, BibTeX, Paper (.pdf)
  
  
• Dominique Guinard, Markus Weiss, Vlad Trifa
  Are you Energy-Efficient? Sense it on the Web!
  Adjunct Proceedings of Pervasive 2009 (International Conference on Pervasive Computing). Nara, Japan, May 2009
  BibTeX, Paper (.pdf)
  
  
• Dominique Guinard, Vlad Trifa
  Towards the Web of Things: Web Mashups for Embedded Devices.
  Workshop on Mashups, Enterprise Mashups and Lightweight Composition on the Web (MEM 2009), in proceedings of WWW (International World Wide Web Conferences). Madrid, Spain, April 2009
  BibTeX, Paper (.pdf)
  
  
• Benedikt Ostermaier, B. Maryam Elahi, Kay Römer, Michael Fahrmair, Wolfgang Kellerer
  Poster Abstract: Dyser – Towards a Real-Time Search Engine for the Web of Things.
  Proceedings of ACM SenSys 2008, Raleigh, NC, USA. November 2008
  Abstract, BibTeX, Paper (.pdf)
  
  
• Dominique Guinard, Oliver Baecker, Florian Michahelles
  Supporting a Mobile Lost and Found Community.
  Proceedings of MobileHCI 2008 (ACM International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction with Mobile Devices and Services). Amsterdam, Netherlands, 2008, September 2008
  BibTeX, Paper (.pdf)
  
  

Related Student Projects

The following table lists corresponding student projects in our group. Note that some descriptions will be in German.