ESTABLISH

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ESTABLISH – Environmental Sensing To Act for a Better quality of LIfe: Smart Health

Sensors are becoming abundant in our environment and have a huge potential for application in tailored, specific and even individualized services to improve the quality of life. However, smart adaptive services based on IoT technologies are still in their infancy, rendering their full potential untapped.

The objective of ESTABLISH is to convert environmental (sensor) data into actionable information for users to provide a healthier and safer environment thereby improving the quality of life. Smart adaptive services providing real-time feedback tailored to specific user and application needs will be developed by combining networked sensors and other data sources with adaptive models in a non-predefined manner. In this way, ESTABLISH closes the complete chain from the sensor to an application: collecting, enriching, interpretation, extrapolation, and feedback.

The main application scope of ESTABLISH is products, services, and solutions on an individual level utilizing environmental sensors (air quality, temperature) and combining the environmental input with other data sources, for example, personal wearable sensors, weather conditions etc. ESTABLISH will enable to go from monitoring the indoor and outdoor environment and traffic to managing the environmental conditions on a personal level and thus improving the quality of life, reducing health costs and supporting vulnerable groups such as the elderly or patients. In addition, the environmental conditions can be managed geographically, e.g. on a district or city level, by aggregating the personal data.

The technological developments in ESTABLISH will lead to a wide range of new services and products that are all based on environmental sensors like an Optimized city and mobility planning, Developing smart HVAC systems that ensure a healthy indoor environment and Promoting independence of specific vulnerable groups. Thus ESTABLISH will create business opportunities for sensor manufacturers, service providers, software developers, health organizations, health insurance companies and HVAC manufacturers.

The main technological outcomes and major innovation of the ESTABLISH project will be

  • Development of reliable alignment and deployment methods for self-awareness and self-adaptability tuned to the specifics of the sensor data collection domain, which relies on low-bandwidth networks of distributed and energy-constrained devices.
  • The true application of prescriptive analytics – ESTABLISH demonstrators will collect extensive data from various sources including historical data.
  • The design of data formats and protocols applicable to cloud management that will support information flow from highly heterogeneous types of sensors and that will enable the creation of a data platform for sharing all relevant (sensor) data.
  • Meta-models will be defined that take sensors into account in the modeling of the Business Processes. Those models will be transformed into SaaS applications.

A multifaceted project like ESTABLISH needs a well-balanced consortium. The ESTABLISH consortium consists of partners from 9 countries. The consortium covers all the technical competencies to implement the proposal and also contains partners that ensure that the targeted market impact will be generated. The consortium is well-balanced with respect to industry (both SMEs and LEs) and knowledge institutes (RTOs and Universities).

PROJECT TITLE – Environmental Sensing To Act for a Better quality of Life: Smart Health

ACRONYM- ESTABLISH

Project’s identification number: 15008

Project partners:

Contract number:  88 /2016

The total value of the budget: 3.933.372 RON

The total value of the contract: 2.091.952 RON

The total value of the co-founding: 1.841.420  RON

Contract duration –  36 months

Coordinator: SIVECO ROMANIA SA

Partner: BEIA Consult International SRL

Project Director (coordinator): Monica Florea | Bucuresti-Ploiesti nr. 73-81, Complex Victoria Park, Corp Cladire C4 | Monica.Florea@siveco.ro

Project Director (partner): Dr. Ing. George Suciu (george [at] beia [dot] ro, Peroni 16, Bucharest, Romania, Tel: +40374104901, Fax: +40213323006)

Project leader:Kaisa Vehmas [ESTABLISH – VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd.]

Project financed by UEFISCDI through the European and International Cooperation Program

More information on ITEA3_ESTABLISH

[ Project Leaflet 1 ]

[ Project Leaflet 2 ]

Project Phases and Activities

Phase I : Requirements analysis and use cases definition [Ended on 30.12.2016]

  • A I.1 – Analyzing the existing SMART HEALTH solutions for improving the quality of life and analysis of technologies and tools used.

ESTABLISH will provide additional data and decision support services to users by creating mobile applications and web applications (including interoperability with external levels such as sensors or older applications) to provide data and decision support services related to: rehabilitation activities (where, when, how) to be performed by patients, air pollution, weather, indoor positioning. data and services are based on outdoor environment parameters and indoor location.

  • A I.2 – Use cases elaboration based on the analysis of the requirements and needs that support the development of a SMART HEALTH for improving the quality of life.

The ESTABLISH solution aims to monitor the risk factors, determined based on the analysis of the information taken from the sensor network and the vital parameters of the patients. The combined technologies will help both in the activities of preventing the presented medical and functional problems as well as in improving the quality of life, by monitoring the main factors that have an impact on our daily activities: the environment and the vital parameters of each one of us.

  • A I.3 – Analysis of the technologies and tools used, including IoT platforms for SMART HEALTH systems.

The efforts described in SotA present technical challenges and offer increased flexibility in terms of development and evolution. One possible approach is to use an open source architecture and expand it. The biggest challenge is the huge heterogeneity in the types of sensors, data formats and protocols. A non-functional request is also the preservation of privacy and the security due to the sensitivity of data that is obtained, analyzed and stored. Due to the fact that the data is interchangeable, one possibility is to use XML. When discussing beyond SotA, adopting cloud technology principles will be beneficial, with on-demand and storage computing concepts, possibly from multiple providers, while maintaining the quality of services. Tasks such as resource visualization, tracking resource connectivity, managing and executing SLAs, manipulating various cloud providers, and dynamic membership and exit from a cloud are all topics that cloud computing research addresses, and can be translated into nodes. senorial for some services of innovative value.

  • A I.4 – Identifying ways to manage and connect different types of sensors used in the M2M telemetry platform.

Within this activity, the ways of managing and connecting the different types of sensors within the M2M telemetry platform have been identified. In the first section a general description of the M2M telemetry platform was presented together with the types of sensors (AV and non-AV).

Further AV video sensors, speech recognition, sound detection and human breathing were evaluated.

In addition, the M2M architecture was described for telemonitoring non-AV parameters and described outdoor environmental sensors.

The networks of environmental and medical sensors based on the Arduino hardware mode have been analyzed in the following section.

The last section describes how to manage data using a data manager block and cloud gateway.

  • A I.5 – Development of technical specifications and preliminary architecture engineering based on the defined national use case.

In acest capitol am parcurs si detaliat aspectele legate despre structura si componentele diverse ale arhitecturii de sistem propuse in realizarea proiectului ESTABLISH.
Aceasta abordare privind solutia arhitecturala de Cloud a fost aleasa in viziunea realizarii unui sistem usor de extins (scalabil), avand la baza o componenta modularizata (distribuita) de tip IoT.

The main general features of the ESTABLISH software platform are:

  • Modular architecture
  • Software-based Services Architecture
  • A I.6 – Dissemination Phase 1 – national or international communication and publication of the results.

The results were disseminated through:
1. development of a project web page;
2. realization of promotional materials: brochures, leaflets, etc.;
3. participation in conferences, symposia, workshops;
4. publication of research results in specialized journals at national and / or international level
5. distribution of research reports in the country and provision of scientific elements to the main users.

                                    Establish Website

ESTABLISH Project profile leaflet 

Phase II : Technical specifications and data structures  modeling  for the SMART HEALTH system for improving the quality of life [Ended on 29.12.2017]

  • A II.1 – Definition of functional requirements based on the national use case for the SMART HEALTH system for improving the quality of life

Results:

Within this activity were presented both the case of national use and the functional specifications of the ESTABLISH project, aspect found also for the purpose of the document.

In addition to the detailed description of the functional specifications, many parameters were taken into account, being necessary within the project, such as the actors involved in the process and their roles, monitoring the personalized activities and a matrix of the functionalities available in the application was developed.

  • A II.2 – Realization of technical specifications and architecture for SMART HEALTH system for improving the quality of life based on the national use case.

Results:

This activity specifies all the components for the technical solutions that will be developed in the ESTABLISH project and lays the foundations for the development process approach.

The basic elements on which the solution will be built are divided into 4 layers: presentation, data acquisition, logic / algorithms and data persistence. Various types of data are collected: physiological data, including health and activity data, indoor and outdoor air quality data, and transport data. Microsoft Azure will be used for data storage and processing and for integrating data from multiple sources, such as sensor networks and portable devices.

  • A II.3 – Data structures modeling for the components of SMART HEALTH quality of life improving system.

Results:

Following the analysis carried out on the legislative framework, at local and European level, but also with the substantive assittion for carrying out the pilot project we can conclude the following:

  1. The total quantities of pollutants emitted in the EU and Romania have decreased in recent years, but the degree of exposure of the urban population to concentrations exceeding the WHO limit values ​​is very high.
  2. In Bucharest the total levels of pollution representing the cumulative contribution to the values ​​of the concentrations in the surrounding air determine the exceedance, in large areas, of the limit values ​​/ target values ​​for NO2, PM2.5 and benzene. Also, the number of monitoring points is insufficient and does not allow the authorities to carry out air quality assessment and to issue real-time information for the population (especially for sensitive groups of people).
  3. The analysis of the data regarding the concentrations of pollutants measured by the monitoring station located in the area of ​​the pilot project indicates that the main pollutants are PM2.5 and PM10 (with concentrations values ​​far exceeding the WHO limit values). Also, the position of the pilot project near an important traffic artery indicates the possibility that the values ​​of NO2 concentrations to which the children are exposed are higher than those recorded by the monitoring station.
  • A II.4 – Identifying the ways of adapting the existing IoT platforms to the SMART HEALTH quality of life improving system.

Results:

Within this activity, other IoT platforms and eHealth solutions have been documented. Also, the modalities of connecting to various IoT platforms for data collection from sensors were analyzed, experienced and documented.

At the same time, the content of the deliverable has been described a series of solutions for displaying timeseries data (environment data), being developed an interface for connecting APIs with the data visualization platform (Graphite).

  • A II.5 – Identifying the computational algorithms, dashboard models, and information management tools.

Results:

Within the document, the analysis of the calculation algorithms was developed and presented, a section in which the portable devices and the environmental sensors were described, which produce large amounts of data to be correlated and interpreted, but also the methods for Big data analysis, which usually involves the use of analytical platforms in the cloud environment

Also in this activity were developed and presented the models of dashboards with a description of the user stories, but also the description of the methodology used, as well as the models created for the ESTABLISH solution.

  • A II.6 – Implementing the technical specifications for the mobile component and the decision support component.

Results:

It is proposed a decision support structured on two components: comparison with the limit values stipulated in the legislation and forecasting the episodes of air pollution in real time.

  • A II.7 – Dissemination Phase 2.

Results:

  • “ESTABLISH – LINK BETWEEN RESEARCH AND EDUCATION”- ELSE, The 13th International Scientific Conference- eLearning and Software for Education, Bucharest, April 27-28
  • “SMART EDUCATION FOR HEALTH – ESTABLISH”- Edulearn 2017 – 9th annual International Conference on Education and New Learning Technologies, Barcelona (Spain). 3rd – 5th of July, 2017
  • „Romanian Students participating in ESTABLISH Research” – INTED 2017- 11th annual International Technology, Education and Development Conference, 6 th – 8 th of March, 2017,  Valencia, Spain

Phase III : The realization of the core components and adapting IoT to the SMART HEALTH  system for improving the quality of life [Ended on 31.12.2018]

  • A III.1 – Elaborating the integration specifications of the SMART HEALTH quality of life improving system.
  • A III.2 – Achieving the core components of the SMART HEALTH quality of life improving system – Version 1
  • A III.3 – Adapting the existing IoT platforms to the SMART HEALTH quality of life improving system – Version 1
  • A III.4 – Phase III results dissemination.

Results:

• Activity III.1 presented the integration specifications of the main components that ensure the functionality of the SMART HEALTH system (to improve the quality of life).
At the same time, the categories of users that can interact within the system have been described.
Thus, starting from a multi-layered SOA conceptual architecture, we placed the main functional components and identified their interaction mode.

• The deliverable AIII.2 is a reference for both the developers and the users of the ESTABLISH system and reflects the development stage of the project, as well as its usefulness in achieving the set objective. We consider that the central elements described in Activity III.2 document are:
– ESTABLISH backend,
– methodology for processing data from sensor devices, and
– comparative analysis of measurements in order to facilitate the presentation of values and information easily understood by users.

• Within Activity III.3, the processes underlying the adaptation of IoT, Libelium and Fitbit platforms to the SMART HEALTH ESTABLISH system are presented. In order to collect data from the sensor devices, the following activities were described:
– defining the communication protocol for the acquisition of data from the Libelium sensors,
– Configuring the communication protocol (MQTT broker) between the Gateway Meshlium device and the Backend ESTABLISH component,
– development of callback procedures connected to the MQTT broker,
– defining the communication protocol for authorizing the procedures for reading data from the IoT Fibit platform,
– development of authorization procedures and reading data from the Fitbit IoT platform.

• At the same time, during Stage III of the ESTABLISH project, the following dissemination activities were carried out:
– a leaflet was prepared and printed, which includes information about the project, the leaflets being distributed within the events attended (IMWorld 2018, Smart City Urban Projects, Bucharest AI);
– public relations activities were carried out by issuing press releases through the two websites and social media accounts (Twitter, linkedin);
– a number of scientific papers were presented at various national and international conferences.

The results achieved within phase II have been disseminated in the following events:

  • Heart Rate Measurement Using Face Detection in Video. In 2018 International Conference on Communications (COMM)
  • Assessment of the impact of volatile organic compounds (VOC) on human health in sensitive areas. Advanced Topics in Optoelectronics, Microelectronics and Nanotechnologies – ATOM-N 2018. Constanța, România
  • Multi-source cloud platform for enhancing the quality of life. 18th International Multidisciplinary Scientifc GeoConference SGEM 2018 Conference Proceedings

Phase IV :  The realization of the mobile and decision support components, integrating and validating the SMART HEALTH  system for improving the quality of life [Planned, will end on 30.08.2019]

  • A IV.1 – Achieving the core components of the SMART HEALTH quality of life improving system. version 2
  • A IV.2 – Adapting the existing IoT platforms to the SMART HEALTH quality of life improving system. version 2
  • A IV.3 – Realization of the mobile component and the decision support component.
  • A IV.4 – Achieve the integration requirements for the SMART HEALTH life quality improving system.
  • A IV.5 – Realization of the test plan and final documentation.
  • A IV.6 – System testing.
  • A IV.7 – Demonstration of system functionality and utility.
  • A IV.8 – Phase IV results dissemination.

Phase V: Reporting economic effects [Planned, will end on 01.09.2020]

  • A V.1 – Reporting the economic effects and the impact obtained by implementing the project results.

Phase VI: Reporting economic effects [Planned, will end on 01.09.2021]

  • A VI.1 – Reporting the economic effects and the impact obtained by implementing the project results.

Phase VII: Reporting economic effects [Planned, will end on 01.09.2022]

  • A VII.1 – Reporting the economic effects and the impact obtained by implementing the project results.

Social Media

Check the Twitter account here.

Project meetings

  • Establish kickoff meeting on 14th – 15th of March 2019 in Espoo, Finland
  • ESTABLISH face-to-face meeting on 20th June 2018 in Madrid
  • Establish F2F meeting in Prague on 11-12 June 2019 in Prague

Publications:

    • Aileni R.M., Suciu G., Suciu V., Pasca S., Strungaru R. (2019) Health Monitoring Using Wearable Technologies and Cognitive Radio for IoT. Capitol de carte: Rehmani M., Dhaou R. (eds) Cognitive Radio, Mobile Communications and Wireless Networks (pp. 143-165). EAI/Springer Innovations in Communication and Computing. Springer, Cham. https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-91002-4_6
    • Nadrag, C., Poenaru, V., Suciu, G. (2018, Iunie). Heart Rate Measurement Using Face Detection in Video. In 2018 International Conference on Communications (COMM) (pp. 131-134). IEEE. https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/8430116
    • Aileni, R. M., Suciu, G., Suciu, V., Pasca, S., Ciurea, J. (2018). Assistive Mobile Technologies for Health Monitoring and Brain Computer lnterface for Patients with Motor lmpairments. Capitol de carte: Mobile Solutions and Their Usefulness in Everyday Life. (Publisher: Springer (https://www.springer.com/us/book/9783319934907).
    • Aileni, R. M., Suciu, G., Balaceanu, C., Nadrag, C. (2019) Body Area Network (BAN) for Healthcare by wireless mesh network (WMN). Capitol de carte: Body Area Network Challenges and Solutions. DOI 10.1007/978-3-030-00865-9. ISSN 2522-8595
    • Suciu G., Pasat, A., Balaceanu, C., Manolescu, L., Preda, M. (2018). IoT platform for enhacing the quality of life: ESTABLISH. Maedica – A Journal of Clinical Medicine, Volume 13, Supplement, 2018 ( 90) ISSN: 2501-6903
    • Suciu G., Pasat, A., Balaceanu, C., Balanescu, M., Nadrag, C. (2018). Assessment of the impact of volatile organic compounds (VOC) on human health in sensitive areas. Advanced Topics in Optoelectronics, Microelectronics and Nanotechnologies – ATOM-N 2018. Constanța, România.