Since many tasks that keep humans busy are typified by repetition, the computer's ability to take over repetitive tasks has been the driving force behind its development. Since the inception of computers, they have continued to get smaller, their computing power has continued to increase, and they have begun to communicate with each other.

Many of the advances in information technology are something we owe to the ability of computers to communicate with each other. Indeed, it is not the communication link of a computer that makes it powerful, it is its ability to understand other systems. Being fully understood by others is referred to as interoperability and is one of the concepts that laid the cornerstones of the Internet and the World Wide Web (WWW).

One of the things where interoperability has received much attention in recent years is the Internet of Things (IoT). The IoT did not only find its application in short-range scenarios. Several other domains, such as agriculture, environmental monitoring, smart cities and logistics required wireless communication over long distances and led to the development of long-range wireless technologies.

"Many of these technologies use the unlicensed sub-Gigahertz (GHz) frequency bands. This portion of the radio frequency spectrum helps to extend their range, but limits the bandwidth for data throughput. This makes integration with existing networks difficult," Bart explains.

"In my PhD, I am investigating how these long-range wireless systems can be connected to the Internet, how systems from different application domains can be connected, and how the data they generate can be made interpretable by machines in the future Web in a uniform way," Bart concludes.

Read a more detailed summary or the entire PhD

PhD Title: Multi-Level Interoperability in Heterogeneous Low Power Wide Area Networks

"I chose this PhD because I believe that the IoT can contribute to the development of a more sustainable and fairer society"

“When I reflect about the past four years, I realize how many people were involved in shaping me and this dissertation into its current form. They believed in me and gave me the opportunity to start on an adventure I didn’t think I could complete. They showed me new ways of tackling problems, presenting the solutions in a lightly digestible way and writing them down clearly and concisely. I can think of numerous lunches, coffee breaks and hallway conversations that inspired me and/or made my day. During our discussion they showed me how to have a critical mind and find practical solutions to technical problems. Thank you guys!”

Bart Moons studied at the Karel de Grote Hogeschool from 2010 to 2014 to obtain a Bachelor's degree in Multimedia Technology. In 2015 he followed a preparatory program at the University of Antwerp which led him to obtain his Master's degree in Information and Communication technology in 2017. As part of his master's thesis he had the opportunity to work on the re-configurability and re-programmability aspects of low-end Wireless Sensor Network devices in the Internet of Things.

Using his experience in embedded programming and the Internet of Things, he continued his academic career in the pursuit of a PhD Degree in Information Engineering Technology. His main research focused on interoperability in heterogeneous Low Power Wide Area Networks. As a doctoral researcher, he contributed to seven published journal publications, of which three as first author, and to seven published conference papers, of which four as the first author.

Contact: Bart Moons, Eli De Poorter, Jeroen Hoebeke

-

Editor: Jeroen Ongenae - Illustrator: Roger Van Hecke