Smart Systems Overview

Principles

Definition

Smart systems is an interdisciplinary academic concept focused on the design, implementation, and analysis of integrated technological frameworks. These systems leverage sensing, data processing (often including artificial intelligence and algorithms), and automation to exhibit properties such as autonomy, adaptability, optimization, and anomaly detection in complex environments, enabling enhanced functionality and decision-making across diverse applications.

Ontological type

Core Characteristics

AI and Control Integration

Architectural Patterns

Key developments

Key Figures

Service-Oriented Smart Home era

Laurence T. Yang [1] was active during the Service-Oriented Smart Home era (2002–2008), with affiliations at University of Pittsburgh [3] and Imperial College London [4]. His 2005 paper 'Towards a smart world and ubiquitous intelligence: A walkthrough from smart things to smart hyperspaces and UbicKids' [7] articulated a progression toward interoperable, service-oriented home automation, establishing foundational concepts for later IoT deployments. Diane J. Cook [2] is recognized for contributions during this era, with affiliations at Harvard University [5] and Washington State University [6]. Her 2004 paper 'Improving home automation by discovering regularly occurring device usage patterns' [8] advanced data-driven device usage pattern mining, enabling personalized, self-managing home behaviors that underpinned service-oriented middleware in homes.

IoT-CPS Urban Convergence era

Rajkumar Buyya [1] emerges as a leading figure in the IoT-CPS Urban Convergence era, with affiliations spanning Carnegie Mellon University [3] and the National University of Singapore [4]. His key contributions include articulating the IoT vision, architectural elements, and future directions in the 2013 paper "Internet of Things (IoT): A vision, architectural elements, and future directions" [7], and outlining IoT for smart cities, emphasizing cloud-centric platforms and interoperable services in the 2014 paper "Internet of Things for Smart Cities" [8], which were pivotal for shaping cross-domain sensing and scalable city services in this era. Michele Zorzi [2] is linked with the University of California, San Diego [5] and the University of Southern California [6] during this era. His key contributions include the IoT for Smart Cities paper (2014) [8], which discusses smart city sensing, data fusion, and networked CPS considerations, underscoring the importance of scalable, cloud-enabled city services in IoT-CPS urban convergence.

Edge-Driven Urban CPS era

Houbing Song [1] is a prominent researcher in the edge-driven urban CPS era (2016-2024) with affiliations at Johns Hopkins University [3] and the University of Maryland, Baltimore [4]. His key contributions in this era center on Internet of Things and Big Data Analytics for Smart and Connected Communities [7], illustrating how IoT-enabled edge analytics enable low-latency, energy-aware control for urban neighborhoods. Antonio Jara [2] is a recognized figure associated with Newcastle University [5] and Hong Kong Baptist University [6] during this era. Antonio Jara [2] contributions in this era build on the IoT and big data analytics paradigm for smart and connected communities [7], underscoring distributed edge analytics that enhance resilience.