Grant: Discovery Grants Program - Individual

Remote and unconnected Canadian areas are lacking fast response related to remote public safety and rescue services where mere minutes can make the difference between life and death. IoT sensors can efficiently produce real-time data that have the potential to enable timely medical interventions and rapid rescue operations for remote and under-served communities. However, a primary obstacle employing IoT has been the absence of a cost-effective and reliable communication infrastructure in these remote areas. Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites were introduced to provide connectivity for remote areas. Unfortunately, the high costs associated with such services render them inaccessible for broad-based deployment in the vast Canadian remote regions and forests. Furthermore, emerging satellite IoT providers, despite their potential, currently offer very limited Non-Terrestrial IoT (NT-IoT) connectivity. These limitations include prolonged hours of delays and very limited bit rates, which impede their efficacy for time-critical applications. To address these pressing challenges, this research program proposes to set the foundations of a cost-effective NT-IoT connectivity for time-critical applications in remote areas. The long-term objective is to design, analyze, and implement real-time and cost-effective NT-IoT connectivity and AI-based data management for time-critical applications in remote areas. These applications vary from early wildfire detection, remote health, asset and fleet tracking, efficient disaster responses, and environmental monitoring. We plan to address these challenges in three short-term objectives: O1) Establishing real-time NT- IoT connectivity (routing, cooperative networks). O2) Design NT-IoT data management to reduce the delay (network slicing, AI semantic communication); O3) Design and analyse a cost-effective NT-IoT implementation with a use case of early wildfire detection. The significance of this research lies on the focus on both the theory and practical aspects to unlock novel IoT applications in remote areas. This research program will contribute to the training of 8 HQPs in IoT, satellite communications, and artificial intelligence. These skills are highly sought after in the job market. This research will also aid in expanding IoT deployment, influencing potential 6G IoT networks. Beyond communication, this work will benefit fields like agriculture, smart cities, and transportation.