Geospatial Analysis and Internet of Things in Environmental Informatics

TL;DR

This paper reviews how geospatial analysis combined with IoT technologies is advancing environmental informatics, highlighting methods, IoT deployments, and data reliability issues to inform future research directions.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive review of existing geospatial analysis methods and IoT initiatives in environmental informatics, identifying current practices and gaps in the integration of these technologies.

Findings

Six geospatial analysis methods identified.

26 IoT initiatives employing these techniques analyzed.

Insights into IoT device types, deployment, and data reliability.

Abstract

Geospatial analysis offers large potential for better understanding, modelling and visualizing our natural and artificial ecosystems, using Internet of Things as a pervasive sensing infrastructure. This paper performs a review of research work based on the IoT, in which geospatial analysis has been employed in environmental informatics. Six different geospatial analysis methods have been identified, presented together with 26 relevant IoT initiatives adopting some of these techniques. Analysis is performed in relation to the type of IoT devices used, their deployment status and data transmission standards, data types employed, and reliability of measurements. This paper scratches the surface of this combination of technologies and techniques, providing indications of how IoT, together with geospatial analysis, are currently being used in the domain of environmental research.