A blockchain-based smart farming technology provides the agricultural data to the farmers and other users associated with smart farming on a single integrated platform. Moreover, persistence and auditability of stored data in blocks into the blockchain provide the confidence of using the correct data when needed later and adds transparency, anonymity, and traceability at the same time. To fulfill such a goal, in this article, we design a new smart contract-based blockchain-envisioned authenticated key agreement mechanism in a smart farming environment. The device-to-device (D2D) authentication phase and device-to-gateway (D2G) authentication phase support mutual authentication and key agreement between two Internet-of-Things (IoT)-enabled devices and between an IoT device and the gateway node (GWN) in the network, respectively. The blocks are created by the edge servers on the authenticated data of IoT devices received from the GWNs and then sent to the cloud server (CS). The smart contract-based consensus mechanism allows verification and addition of the formed blocks by a peer-to-peer (P2P) CSs network. The security of the proposed scheme is done through formal and informal security analysis, and also using the formal security verification tool. A detailed comparative study reveals that the proposed scheme offers superior security and more functionality features as compared to existing competing authentication protocols. Finally, the blockchain-based simulation has been conducted to measure computational time for a varied number of mined blocks and also a varied number of transactions per block.

Smart Contract-Based Blockchain-Envisioned Authentication Scheme for Smart Farming

With the widespread use of color images, the copyright protection of those images using watermarks is one of the latest research topics. The use of color images as watermarks has advantages over binary and irreplaceable grayscale images. Color images are intuitive, rich, and lively; they have large amounts of copyright protection information and more easily recognized by human vision. To improve the security of watermark information and embedding positions and improve the algorithm’s robustness against various attacks, a Quaternion Fourier transform (QFT) based algorithm, based on Arnold transform and chaotic encryption, is proposed in this paper. Geometric algebra (GA) can deal with color images in vector form with each component of RGB handled individually. We used Quaternion, which is a sub-algebra of GA, and effectively handled color image processing by using Fourier transformation. After deriving the calculation process of the QFT with strong security by Arnold scrambling and chaotic encryption, this paper proposes a digital watermarking algorithm that resists geometric attacks by using color images as carriers. The robustness and quality of the proposed watermarking algorithm is tested with different with many statistical measures. Experimental outcomes show that the proposed approach is the best to solve conflict problems between quality and robustness. Also, the proposed approach exhibits worthy robustness against many attacks, such as, conventional attacks, and geometrical attacks.

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Hybrid Watermarking Algorithm Using Clifford Algebra With Arnold Scrambling and Chaotic Encryption

Architecting User-Centric Internet of Things for Smart Agriculture

This paper aims to study the evolution of definitions of internet of things (IoT) through time, critically assess the knowledge these definitions contain and facilitate sensemaking by providing those unfamiliar with IoT with a theoretical definition and an extended framework.,164 articles published between 2005 and 2019 are collected using snowball sampling. Further, 100 unique definitions are identified in the sample. Definitions are examined using content analysis and applying a theoretical framework of five knowledge dimensions.,In declarative/relational dimensions of knowledge, increasing levels of agreement are observed in the sample. Sources of tautological reasoning are identified. In conditional and causal dimensions, definitions of IoT remain underdeveloped. In the former, potential limitations of IoT related to resource scarcity, privacy and security are overlooked. In the latter, three main loci of agreement are identified.,This study does not cover all published definitions of IoT. Some narratives may be omitted by our selection criteria and process.,This study supports sensemaking of IoT. Main loci of agreement in definitions of IoT are identified. Avenues for further clarification and consensus are explored. A new framework that can facilitate further investigation and agreement is introduced.,This is, to the authors’ knowledge, the first study that examines the historical evolution of definitions of IoT vis-a-vis its technological features. This study introduces an updated framework to critically assess and compare definitions, identify ambiguities and resolve conflicts among different interpretations. The framework can be used to compare past and future definitions and help actors unfamiliar with IoT to make sense of it in a way to reduce adoption costs. It can also support researchers in studying early discussions of IoT.

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Making sense of the internet of things: a critical review of internet of things definitions between 2005 and 2019

The escalating growth in automation industries and technologies has revealed astonishing opportunities for digitally controllable devices that can change the houses that we live into a smart home automation having wirelessly controlled smart appliance with the help of radio transmissions, Bluetooth, or over Internet, where the owner can access any device of his home from any location through mobile and can control the basic operations. Internet of Things (IoT)-based home electronic appliances control system which has been designed with the help of ESP8266-based NodeMCU IoT development board has been discussed in this article. The voice control system can command the basic operations like switching on and off any home electronic device from anywhere using Blynk application installed on the mobile phone, or it can be commanded over Google Assistant also. The model provides an affordable system for home automation by using the smart phones they already have. The voice-controlled automated homes will be able to make the life of differently abled persons. Voice-automated system can further be improved by using machine learning to detect the patterns of users to provide them better service by understanding their habits and provide them services without even asking daily.

Voice-Controlled IoT Devices Framework for Smart Home

By combining the different monitoring and automation techniques available today, we can develop cutting-edge internet of things (IoT) systems that can support sustainable development through smart agriculture. Systems are able to monitor the farming areas and react to the parameters being monitored on their own without the presence of human beings. This automation can result in a more precise way of maintaining the aspects that affect the growth of plants, leading to an increase in the food production on farmlands. This chapter focuses on IOT for automation in smart agriculture and provides a pathway to develop automation system in the smart environment.

Internet of Things for Automation in Smart Agriculture: A Technical Review

Speech-controlled applications and devices that support human speech, processing, and communication are becoming popular especially for the smart home system. Modern mobile devices like smartphones and Internet of Things can be operated by using spoken commands. Physically challenged people, including the elderly, rely on caregivers to assist them in doing everyday tasks in homes. But, there are some who would appreciate the convenience of automation in a home. This chapter suggests conceptual design of a system that enables people to have automated processes in the home that use voice commands. This will reduce the reliance on caregivers by elderly and physically challenged people and help them regain some independence.

Voice Activity Detection-Based Home Automation System for People With Special Needs

Most of the background noise in radio speech communication can be considered as Gaussian white noise, machine noise, and babble noise. Voice activity detection (VAD) in a noisy environment in radio speech communication is an important method in speech signal processing algorithms. In this chapter, the noise suppression algorithm for VAD and noise energy computation is implemented in a digital signal controller to improve the background white noise, machine noise, and babble noise. In this method, the frequency spectrum of the far-end speech signal is divided into many nonuniform bands. Energy in each band is computed using leaky integration. For each of the frequency bands, the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) is computing using the signal band energy computed in the band energy computation stage, and the noise band energy estimate. The band energies of the current frame and the noise band energies are compared in order to classify the current frame as either a noise frame or a speech frame. Experimental results were taken when babble noise, car noise, street noise, and airport noise were used as background noise. The value of SNR value with various noises was significantly increased when the VAD and noise suppression algorithm was used.

A Real-Time DSP-Based System for Voice Activity Detection and Background Noise Reduction

These days’ speech processing devices like voice-controlled devices, radio, and cell phones have gained more popularity in the area of military, audio forensics, speech recognition, education and health sectors. In the real world, speech signal during communication always contains background noise. The main task of speech related applications is voice activity detection (VAD) which include speech communication, speech recognition, and speech coding. Noise-reduction schemes for speech communication may increase the quality of speech and improve working efficiency in military aviation. Most of the developed algorithms can improve the quality of speech but unable to remove the background noise from the speech. This study provides researchers with a summary of the challenges in speech communication with background noise and provides research directions in the area of military personnel and workforces who work in noisy environments. Results of the study reveal that the DSP-based voice activity detection and background noise reduction algorithm reduced the spurious values of the speech signal.

DSP-based voice activity detection and background noise reduction

Speech recognition (SR) is becoming more popular with applications in many sectors including modern mobile devices like smartphones as well as in the automotive industry. The technology has enabled the use of spoken words as a form of input into devices. SR technology can be used as an input to trigger an automation process. This approach to automation has been applied in sectors like home automation which has been complemented by the advancement of Internet of Things (IoT) devices and sensors in recent years. However, there seems to be little application of SR technologies in healthcare. This chapter presents a speech-based automation system to assist patients in an orthopedic ward to automate processes using voice commands. The system is beneficial to patients who have little ability to move around as it enables them to automate processes using voice commands, hence reducing reliance on nursing staff and caregivers.

Charu Singh

Papers

Internet of Things for Automation in Smart Agriculture: A Technical Review

Voice Activity Detection-Based Home Automation System for People With Special Needs

A Real-Time DSP-Based System for Voice Activity Detection and Background Noise Reduction

DSP-based voice activity detection and background noise reduction

Speech-based automation system for the patient in orthopedic trauma ward