INTER-Meth: A Methodological Approach for the Integration of Heterogeneous IoT Systems

The Internet of Things (IoT) is a jeopardized ecosystem in which heterogeneity is intrinsic at all levels, from physical devices to communication protocols till high-level application semantics. The absence of IoT standards increases the complexity of integration and interoperability among heterogeneous platforms. This generates a strong demand for proper methodologies in order to fully support the development of heterogeneous, yet interoperable, IoT systems. To fill this gap, in this chapter the INTER-METH engineering methodology is presented. Developed in the context of the European H2020 INTER-IoT project, INTER-METH supports the integration of heterogeneous IoT platforms from the analysis to the maintenance phase. Its abstract and instantiated process schema are described, with particular focus on the analysis and design phases that are fundamental drivers of the whole integration process. Relevant interoperability design patterns, the building blocks of the design phase, will be discussed. The chapter also presents the INTER-CASE tool associated to the methodology which is useful to guide integrator designers in properly following the INTER-METH workflow. Finally, the chapter shows the proposed methodology and its tool in action, with the practical integration of BodyCloud and UniversAAL platforms adopted in the INTER-Health pilot of the INTER-IoT project.