Build Your Own Data Collection IoT Devices

Ulrich Norbisrath, George Mason University and FH Upper Austria

Abstract:

DIY technological devices, making, and hacking are becoming more and more accessible for anybody. Especially for creating your own data and doing your own analytics this trend offers exiting opportunities. In my talk, I will focus on a $3 wireless microcontroller based on the ESP8266 (the same chip which is used in the Amazon Dash Button) and the Raspberry Pi Zero W, which is sometimes available for $10. Both support wireless connectivity. Therefore, they are considered Internet of Things (IoT) devices. I will show you some examples of very affordable and easy to build wireless DIY data collectors involving these chips and how to build and configure these in practice. I need you to interact with them live in class to generate some data so we have something to visualize in the end of the class. I will also show you the Python-based and therefore very accessible ecosystem I put together around these devices. I hope, I will be able to spark interest in replicating some of the presented ideas or come up with new ideas during the discussion.

Bio:

Ulrich Norbisrath has more than 20 years of industrial and academic experience in Software Engineering and Systems Integration. He has supported the start-up of several software development companies as well as consulted tech companies in questions of Systems Integration, Mobile, and Cloud Computing. He provides a deep technical understanding of mobile technologies and their integration with cloud services — both from an academic as well as an industrial perspective. He raised significant grants on Cloud, Mobile, and High
Performance Computing at universities in Europe and Central Asia. He is a published book author in the area of Software and Requirements Engineering. Being connected through his immediate family to US Diplomatic services, he is very well traveled and can call on a worldwide network of international experts. He is currently employed as an Adjunct Professor at George Mason University and FH Upper Austria. He received his PhD in home automation from one of the most renown engineering universities in Germany: RWTH Aachen University.