@article {549, title = {An IoT service ecosystem for Smart Cities: The $\#$SmartME project}, journal = {Internet of Things - Elsevier}, volume = {5}, year = {2019}, pages = {12-33}, abstract = {

$\#$SmartME has been one of the first initiatives in Italy to realize a Smart City through the use of open technologies. Thanks to the use of low cost sensor-powered devices scattered over the city area, different {\textquotedblleft}smart{\textquotedblright} services have been deployed having the Stack4Things framework as the common underlying middleware.\ In this paper, we present the results obtained after 2 years of project highlighting the vertical solutions that have been proposed in different areas ranging from environmental monitoring to parking management.

}, keywords = {Arduino, Blockchain, cloud computing, IoT, OpenStack, Smart city}, issn = {2542-6605}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iot.2018.11.004}, author = {Dario Bruneo and Salvatore Distefano and Maurizio Giacobbe and Antonino Longo Minnolo and Francesco Longo and Giovanni Merlino and Davide Mulfari and Alfonso Panarello and Giuseppe Patan{\`e} and Antonio Puliafito and Carlo Puliafito and Nachiket Tapas} } @proceedings {535, title = {Building a Smart City Service Platform in Messina with the $\#$SmartME Project}, journal = {The 32nd IEEE International Conference on Advanced Information Networking and Applications (IEEE AINA-2018)}, year = {2018}, month = {05/2018}, address = {Pedagogical University of Cracow, Poland}, abstract = {

Some words mark an era, and "Smart City" is definitely one of these. A Smart City is an urban area where the Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) are employed to improve citizens{\textquoteright} Quality of Life (QoL) in areas such as: mobility, urban surveillance, and energy management. Throughout this paper, we present the $\#$SmartME project, which aims to create an infrastructure and an ecosystem of "smart" services by exploiting existing devices, sensors, and actuators distributed in the city of Messina. We also present the Stack4Things framework, which is the management core of the $\#$SmartME project.

}, keywords = {$\#$SmartME, Arduino, Blockchain, cloud computing, IoT, OpenData, OpenStack, Smart city, Stack4Things}, author = {Dario Bruneo and Sebastiano Chillari and Salvatore Distefano and Maurizio Giacobbe and Antonino Longo Minnolo and Francesco Longo and Giovanni Merlino and Davide Mulfari and Alfonso Panarello and Giuseppe Patan{\`e} and Antonio Puliafito and Carlo Puliafito and Marco Scarpa and Nachiket Tapas and Giancarlo Visalli} } @proceedings {MulfT1706:Wearable, title = {Building TensorFlow Applications in Smart City Scenarios}, journal = {The 3rd IEEE International Conference on Smart Computing (SMARTCOMP 2017)}, year = {2017}, month = {05/2017}, publisher = {IEEE}, address = {Hong Kong, China}, doi = {10.1109/SMARTCOMP.2017.7946991}, author = {Davide Mulfari and Antonino Longo Minnolo and Antonio Puliafito} } @conference {Mulf1706:Wearable, title = {Wearable Devices and {IoT} as Enablers of Assistive Technologies}, booktitle = {Tenth International Conference on Developments in e-Systems Engineering - DeSE2017 (DeSE2017)}, year = {2017}, address = {Paris, France}, abstract = {In assistive technology scenarios, this paper investigates how wearable devices may be used as smart solutions for accessing computers. We focus our attention on a smartwatch available on the consumer market; by using an open source middleware, based on low cost embedded systems, we propose to develop custom apps to process data from smartwatch{\textquoteright}s resources (e.g., sensors) and send them to a Linux single board computer. The latter component plays a critical role because it converts received data into raw input signals for a connected computer by emulating a standard mouse or a keyboard. Since the process requires no software installation on the target device, the user with a disability benefits from a single personalized equipment to control a wide range of computer devices, including traditional personal computers, tablets and smartphones. Additionally, the embedded system accesses the Internet and it takes advantage of the container-based virtualization technology to customize on demand its behaviour according to user{\textquoteright}s needs and preferences.}, keywords = {Assistive Technology, Computer accessibility, Container Based Virtualization, embedded systems, Smartwatch, Wearable devices}, author = {Davide Mulfari and Antonino Longo Minnolo and Antonio Puliafito} } @proceedings {434, title = {Exploring Container Virtualization in IoT Clouds}, journal = {2016 International Conference on Smart Computing Workshops (SMARTCOMP Workshops)}, year = {2016}, pages = {1-6}, publisher = {IEEE Computer Society}, address = {May 18, 2016 {\textendash} St. Louis, Missouri}, abstract = {

The advent of both Cloud computing and Internet of Things (IoT) is changing the way of conceiving information and communication systems. Generally, we talk about IoT Cloud to indicate a new type of distributed system consisting of a set of smart objects, e.g., single board computers running Linux-based operating systems, interconnected with a remote Cloud infrastructure, platform, or software through the Internet and able to provide IoT as a Service (IoTaaS). In this context, container-based virtualization is a lightweight alternative to the hypervisor-based approach that can be adopted on smart objects, for enhancing the IoT Cloud service provisioning.\ 
In particular, considering different IoT application scenarios, container-based virtualization allows IoT Cloud providers to deploy and customize in a flexible fashion pieces of software on smart objects. In this paper, we explore the container-based virtualization on smart objects in the perspective of a IoT Cloud scenarios analyzing its advantages and performances.

}, keywords = {cloud computing, containers, IoT, Virtualization}, issn = {978-1-5090-0898-8}, doi = {10.1109/SMARTCOMP.2016.7501691}, url = {http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpls/abs_all.jsp?arnumber=7501691}, author = {Antonio Celesti and Davide Mulfari and Maria Fazio and Massimo Villari and Antonio Puliafito} } @proceedings {443, title = {Improving Desktop as a Service in OpenStack}, journal = {The 21st IEEE Symposium on Computers and Communications (ISCC{\textquoteright}16)}, year = {2016}, publisher = {IEEE Computer Society}, address = {Washington, DC}, abstract = {

Nowadays, in the Cloud computing panorama, users access their Virtual Machines (VMs) using SSH or web-based remote desktop clients. In this context, OpenStack is one of the major open-source solutions for creating and managing Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) Cloud providers. Typically, OpenStack tenants graphically control their VMs using noVNC, i.e., the default web-based remote desktop client integrated in its web dashboard. Unfortunately, up to now, considering noVNC, the video update response time is not so good and the audio redirection has not been supported yet. In this paper, we discuss how can be possible to improve the Desktop as a Service (DaaS) in OpenStack Clouds by integrating alternative solutions based on both the Remote Frame Buffer (RFB) protocol and the Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP). Experiments highlight, from an objective point of view, the behaviour of different solutions, providing useful hints to software architects and developers.

}, keywords = {cloud computing, OpenStack, Remote desktop, Virtual Machine}, author = {Antonio Celesti and Davide Mulfari and Maria Fazio and Massimo Villari and Antonio Puliafito} } @article {10.4108/cs.1.1.e4, title = {Achieving Assistive Technology Systems Based on IoT Devices in Cloud Computing}, journal = {EAI Endorsed Transactions on Cloud Systems}, volume = {15}, number = {1}, year = {2015}, month = {2}, publisher = {ICST}, keywords = {Assistive Technology, cloud computing, embedded systems, human computer interaction, Internet of Things, Users with disabilities.}, issn = {2410-6895}, doi = {10.4108/cs.1.1.e4}, author = {Davide Mulfari and Antonio Celesti and Maria Fazio and Massimo Villari and Antonio Puliafito} } @inbook {291, title = {Embedded systems for supporting computer accessibility}, booktitle = {Association for the Advancement of Assistive Technology in Europe (AAATE)}, number = {217: Assistive Technology}, year = {2015}, pages = {378-385}, publisher = {IOS Press}, organization = {IOS Press}, edition = {Series: Studies in Health Technology and Informatics}, address = {Budapest, Hungary}, abstract = {Nowadays, customized AT software solutions allow their users to interact with various kinds of computer systems. Such tools are generally available on personal devices (e.g., smartphones, laptops and so on) commonly used by a person with a disability. In this paper, we investigate a way of using the aforementioned AT equipments in order to access many different devices without assistive preferences. The solution takes advantage of open source hardware and its core component consists of an affordable Linux embedded system: it grabs data coming from the assistive software, which runs on the user{\textquoteright}s personal device, then, after processing, it generates native keyboard and mouse HID commands for the target computing device controlled by the end user. This process supports any operating system available on the target machine and it requires no specialized software installation; therefore the user with a disability can rely on a single assistive tool to control a wide range of computing platforms, including conventional computers and many kinds of mobile devices, which receive input commands through the USB HID protocol.}, keywords = {Assistive Technology, cloud computing, IoT}, isbn = {978-1-61499-565-4 (print) | 978-1-61499-566-1 (online)}, doi = {10.3233/978-1-61499-566-1-378}, url = {http://ebooks.iospress.nl/publication/40681}, author = {Davide Mulfari and Antonio Celesti and Maria Fazio and Massimo Villari and Antonio Puliafito} } @article {bib:atvm, title = {Providing Assistive Technology Applications as a Service Through Cloud Computing}, journal = {Assistive Technology: The Official Journal of RESNA}, volume = {27}, number = {1}, year = {2015}, pages = {44-51}, publisher = {Taylor \& Francis}, abstract = {

Users with disabilities interact with Personal Computers (PCs) using Assistive Technology (AT) software solutions. Such applications run on a PC that a person with a disability commonly uses. However the configuration of AT applications is not trivial at all, especially whenever the user needs to work on a PC that does not allow him/her to rely on his / her AT tools (e.g., at work, at university, in an Internet point). In this paper, we discuss how cloud computing provides a valid technological solution to enhance such a scenario.With the emergence of cloud computing, many applications are executed on top of virtual machines (VMs). Virtualization allows us to achieve a software implementation of a real computer able to execute a standard operating system and any kind of application. In this paper we propose to build personalized VMs running AT programs and settings. By using the remote desktop technology, our solution enables users to control their customized virtual desktop environment by means of an HTML5-based web interface running on any computer equipped with a browser, whenever they are.

}, issn = {1040-0435 (Print), 1949-3614 (Online)}, doi = {10.1080/10400435.2014.963258}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10400435.2014.963258}, author = {Davide Mulfari and Antonio Celesti and Massimo Villari and Antonio Puliafito} } @proceedings {31, title = {Using Embedded Systems to Spread Assistive Technology on Multiple Devices in Smart Environments}, journal = {IEEE International Conference on Bioinformatics and Biomedicine (BIBM)}, year = {2014}, month = {2014}, pages = {5-11}, publisher = {IEEE Computer Society}, address = {Belfast}, abstract = {

Nowadays, Assistive Technology (AT) systems are\ closely tied to the devices that they control. Considering a smart
environment where a person with a disability needs to interact\ with multiple devices, the user is forced to rely on AT software
tools available on the each used platform. Therefore, computer\ skills are required to adjust any different computing environment
configuration according to the user{\textquoteright}s needs and preferences.\ To address such issues, in this paper, we discuss the usage of
embedded systems able to interface sensors and existing AT\ software tools running on user{\textquoteright}s personal equipments, in order
to natively interact with many platforms. Thus, our work aims to\ decouple AT software tools from the accessed computer systems,
allowing us to control various kinds of computer systems, even\ those that do not provide any AT features, by using just a\ personal assistive equipment.

}, keywords = {Assistive Technology, embedded systems, human computer interaction, Internet of Things, Users with disabilities}, issn = {978-1-4799-5669-2}, doi = {10.1109/BIBM.2014.6999234}, author = {Davide Mulfari and Antonio Celesti and Maria Fazio and Massimo Villari and Antonio Puliafito} } @proceedings {56, title = {How cloud computing can support on-demand assistive services}, journal = {W4A {\textquoteright}13 Proceedings of the 10th International Cross-Disciplinary Conference on Web Accessibility}, year = {2013}, month = {15th May 2013}, pages = {1{\textendash}4}, publisher = {ACM}, address = {New York, NY, USA}, abstract = {

This paper investigates how Cloud computing can meet the demands of people with disabilities who occasionally use a shared computer. In this situation, customized assistive software can not be available to the user since security policies prevent from having enough privileges to change local system preferences. In order to address such issue, we discuss an open source software architecture combining a web-based remote desktop management solution with virtualization technology. This system allows disabled users to access a virtual desktop running personal assistive software solutions. Hence, the disabled user can interact with the same virtual environment from any networked physical computer via a standard web browser. In the end, we discuss the major technological issue for the achievement of such a scenario.

}, issn = {978-1-4503-1844-0}, doi = {10.1145/2461121.2461140}, author = {Davide Mulfari and Antonio Celesti and Massimo Villari and Antonio Puliafito} }