Keywords

1 Introduction

Data and communications networks, in general, must meet the following basic conditions: security, scalability, high performance, redundancy, manageable and easy to maintain [1]. The key to complying with these conditions is to design a hierarchical network that allows the interconnectivity of the users to the various services of the network and the applications that it supports. The Internet has become a vital work tool for people’s daily tasks. In this completely globalized world who are not connected to the great global network, and takes advantage of all its potential, it is simply designed to stay a step behind. It is estimated that by 2020, 50000 million devices will be connected to the Internet [2]. Today, approximately 99% of the objects in the physical world are not connected to the Internet. Internet of all things will tend because a large part of these objects connects to the global network. The Internet is becoming bigger, Internet of Things is expanding our interconnecting possibilities [3].

The objective of this project is to establish a characterization of the use of the Internet of Things (IoT) in the higher education institutions of Barranquilla and its metropolitan area. This detailed study will be done through descriptive and documentary research. The type of research design to be used is the qualitative/transactional - descriptive since it will analyze the current level or state of variables to be defined throughout the work and their relationship [4]. Lastly, a series of recommendations for the promotion of IoTs is established.

2 Literature Review About IoT and Conceptualization

Among all the essential elements for human existence, the need to interact is just after the need to sustain life. Communication is almost as important to us as air, water, food and a place to live. The immediate nature of Internet communications encourages the formation of diverse world communities. Being able to communicate reliably with everyone everywhere is vital for our personal and business life. To support the immediate sending of the millions of messages that are exchanged between people, and now between processes and even objects around the world, we rely on a web of interconnected networks [1, 5].

Reference [6] in its scientific Article entitled “Internet of Things” presented five articles that cover one of the most relevant areas in the field of IoT. Reference [7] carried out the research entitled “Intelligent Infrastructures on the Internet of the Future” in which they presented in a clear and understandable way the next technological leap, namely, the inclusion of the objects of daily life in the field of telecommunications, achieving a change in the communication paradigm. The research community has called this evolutionary step the Internet of Things. [8, 9] explain the most important concepts related to the Internet of Things and the applicability that the future of communications has in the future, the impact that this new trend has on society today.

Reference [10] in his research “Technological Evolution and the Internet of the Future” defined IoT as a global network of interconnected objects of unique addressing based on standard communication protocols. It managed to move forward regarding data exchange, processing and interoperability, considered the main challenges when using wireless sensor networks (WSN). These technologies are commonly used in automation, agriculture, home automation, logistics and security. Reference [11] in their thesis, “Evaluation of the reference model of Internet of Things (IoT), through the implementation of architectures based on commercial platforms, open hardware and ipv6 connectivity” made an evaluation of the IoT reference model through the design and implementation of network prototypes based on the Arduino, digi and IPv6 platforms. Reference [2] in his research refers to the impact of IoT in many sectors of the national economy, making a complete diagnosis of the transition from current connectivity to the total connectivity provided by the Internet of Things.

Internet of Things (IoT) can be defined as the meeting of people, processes, data and things to make network connections more relevant and valuable than ever, turning information into actions that create new capabilities, richer experiences and unprecedented economic opportunities for companies, individuals and the countries. Figure 1 shows the interactions between the elements that make up IoT [12]:

Fig. 1.
figure 1

Elements of IoT

Full size image

3 Methodology

This detailed study will be developed using the documentary and descriptive research methodology as a research methodology, since for the elaboration of this project it is necessary to consult a series of documents and collect information through data collection techniques, to reinforce concepts and terms in the different stages in the optimal development of the object of study. The type of research design to be used is the qualitative/transactional - descriptive one since it is going to analyze the level or current state of variables that will be defined throughout the work and its relation.

A population has been chosen from a sample, following statistical criteria to be deepened in the project, to use data collection techniques such as direct observation and in-depth interview, to subsequently make a qualitative analysis of the data [13]. The wide number of Higher Education Institutions existing in the city and its metropolitan area are taken into consideration those that are accredited by the national education ministry and have ICT programs. Figure 2 shows the stages of the project.

Fig. 2.
figure 2

Stages of the project

Full size image

In the case of the ITSA university institution, guidelines have been given for the development of IoT projects that can be carried out and made part of the research seedbed, such as the research carried out by Hernandez [14].

4 Results

As part of the development of the project, a survey was conducted in the Higher Education Institutions of the city and its metropolitan area, to collect the impressions and draw the conclusions that lead to the solution of the following aspects that are required to know:

  • Identify the existence of guidelines and/or policies for the use of the Internet of things of higher education institutions in the city and its metropolitan area.

  • Evaluate the importance of the use of technological tools and latest generation trends, such as the Internet of Things, in the various processes (teaching/learning - administrative) of higher education institutions in the city and its metropolitan area.

The applied measurement instrument was called the IoT Survey. The chosen population is the set of Institutions of Higher Education, and the sample was those institutions with some program in Information and Communication Technologies and/or similar accredited by the Ministry of National Education. The statistical formula used to obtain the sample is shown in Fig. 3:

Fig. 3.
figure 3

Statistical formula for the sample

Full size image

A reliability analysis of the measurement instrument was applied, calculating the Cronbach’s alpha, obtaining a value of 0,761.

The Cronbach’s Alpha coefficient is a model of internal consistency, based on the average of the correlations between the items. The closer you get to 1, the more reliable the measurement instrument and the greater the correlation between the variables. As can be seen, the alpha calculated for this work, using the SPSS tool, yields 0.761, which is quite good. The survey had 11 questions (variables). Table 1 shows the statistics by element, analyzed with SPSS software [15]:

Table 1. Element statistics
Full size table

It can see in Table 2 a summary of the statistics per element:

Table 2. Summary of Statistics per Element
Full size table

It can see in Table 3 some scale statistics:

Table 3. Scale Statistics
Full size table

The tabulated results and the histogram of a couple of the questions in the survey made are shown in Tables 4, 5, and Figs. 4, 5:

Table 4. Example 1 - Variable of the Interview
Full size table
Table 5. Example 2 - Variable of the Interview
Full size table
Fig. 4.
figure 4

Histogram Example 1 – variable of the interview

Full size image
Fig. 5.
figure 5

Histogram Example 2 – variable of the interview

Full size image
  1. A.

    Currently, are there solutions in the network infrastructure based on the Internet of Things in the University?

  2. B.

    Does the University have a Wireless Network Infrastructure that allows the connectivity of the diverse users in any part of the campus?

Given the results of the measurement instrument, it can be concluded that there is practically everything to do to promote the Internet of Things in the Higher Education Institutions of Barranquilla and its metropolitan area. That is why it is necessary to establish a series of recommendations (shown in Table 6) and formulate possible research and development projects (shown in Table 7) that can be carried out in the different institutions or companies [16].

Table 6. List of Recommendations for the Promotion of IoT
Full size table
Table 7. List of Research and Development Projects in IoT
Full size table

Among many others, since each sector has a wide range of possibilities, which may be well led by the University Institutions. The potential is enormous.

5 Conclusions and Future Works

The purpose of this project is to diagnose the use of the Internet of Things (IoT) in the higher education institutions of Barranquilla and its metropolitan area and to develop a strategy that encourages the use of IoT in these institutions, which has been developed to throughout the work. There is great potential in the definition of new projects related to IoT, a series of opportunities that must be identified and developed within higher education institutions, which will improve the quality of life of the community in general. Education is not unconnected to this phenomenon and important developments have taken place in universities throughout the world. This project aims, in addition to diagnosing the current state of IoT in our higher education institutions and to define a strategy for its promotion, raise awareness about the role of IoT and the challenges it represents in formal education.

The results of the application of the measuring instrument (survey and direct observation) give rise to two important conclusions: the first is that still in our educational environment, the potential of the IoT has not been understood; and secondly, educational institutions and those responsible for technological areas (both academic and administrative) are aware of the IoT potential and would consider, in one way or another, include it in their internal processes and encourage their use. Other future works may be to propose some hypotheses on which to perform statistical comparative tests and redesign the infrastructure of the ITSA network to support IoT.