EDDIE Architecture

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SAREF

Definition ​

SAREF (Smart Appliances REFerence ontology) is a semantic data model developed by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) with the goal of facilitating the interoperability and standardization of smart appliances in the Internet of Things (IoT) ecosystem.

SAREF defines a set of ontologies, classes, and properties for describing common entities that exist in the context of smart appliances, such as household appliances, lighting systems, and HVAC systems. The ontology provides a standardized vocabulary that can be used to describe smart appliances in a way that is widely accepted.

SAREF comprises a main ontology, SAREF, and several sub-ontologies such as SAREF4AUTO, SAREF4ENER, and SAREF4BLD, which provide more specific vocabularies for automotive, energy, and building domains respectively.

Relevance ​

In the context of IoT, SAREF is used to ensure the interoperability and semantic consistency of smart appliances, enabling their integration into a larger smart system. SAREF provides a standardized vocabulary for describing smart appliances, which allows different applications and systems to communicate with each other using a common language.

In the EDDIE project, SAREF may be relevant to the EDDIE Database and the services that acquire data from this database for further processing. The use of SAREF in these components can ensure the interoperability and consistency of energy consumption data from smart appliances.

Motivation ​

SAREF is developed by ETSI, which ensures that it is developed in line with industry requirements and standards. It is also supported by several organizations and initiatives, such as the European Union-funded FIWARE project, which aims to promote the development of IoT applications and services.

Alternative models to SAREF include:

  • OneM2M: OneM2M is a global standard for Machine-to-Machine (M2M) and the Internet of Things (IoT) interoperability, providing a common architecture and framework for IoT applications across different domains.
  • Brick Schema: Brick Schema is an open-source, community-driven effort to develop a comprehensive schema for building automation, based on Semantic Web technologies.