Edge and Fog Computing for IoT: A Case Study for Citizen Well-Being

Citizen well-being during indoor and outdoor activities is a prerogative in the paradigm of smart city. Air quality, together with thermo-hygrometric, light and noise comfort are some of the most relevant parameters that affect the perception of the state of well-being. An internet of things (IoT) network based on LoRaWAN end-nodes has been set up with the aim to provide an approach to improve the well-being of citizens living in an urban district in Savona (Liguria region, Italy) under the umbrella of the PickUP project. The main focus of the project was the design of innovative methods and tools for energy and environmental management and the reduction of consumption in heterogeneous districts. The proposed IoT architecture comprises a Fog node constituted of a Raspberry Pi 4 to analyze in near-real-time the heterogeneous data and to provide feedback to the proper actuators in case of need of changes in the ventilation and heating of the occupied room. Moreover, the infrastructure provides insights about the air quality in outdoor areas to local authorities, in order to implement mitigation action or strategies. Results demonstrate the usefulness of the proposed architecture with a precise focus on social impact, but also reveal economic implications linked to an intelligent use of energy resources and to the development of energy efficiency strategies.