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A Review on Internet of Things for Defense and Public Safety

Paula Fraga-Lamas, Tiago M. Fernández-Caramés, Manuel Suárez-Albela, Luis Castedo, Miguel González-López

TL;DR

This paper surveys the use of commercial off-the-shelf IoT in defense and public safety, identifying high-potential scenarios (notably C4ISR and fire-control) and detailing the operational requirements for mission-critical deployments. It argues for a shift from centralized cloud toward distributed edge and fog computing to meet low latency, reliability, and security needs, supported by standardized protocols, enabling technologies, and analytics platforms. The authors contribute a holistic view of architecture, interoperability, and security challenges, along with a technology roadmap and practical recommendations for testbeds, private-sector collaboration, and secure cloud adoption. The work highlights the potential for substantial long-term cost savings and enhanced situational awareness, while also recognizing organizational, standardization, and budgetary obstacles that must be overcome for broad adoption.

Abstract

The Internet of Things (IoT) is undeniably transforming the way that organizations communicate and organize everyday businesses and industrial procedures. Its adoption has proven well suited for sectors that manage a large number of assets and coordinate complex and distributed processes. This survey analyzes the great potential for applying IoT technologies (i.e., data-driven applications or embedded automation and intelligent adaptive systems) to revolutionize modern warfare and provide benefits similar to those in industry. It identifies scenarios where Defense and Public Safety (PS) could leverage better commercial IoT capabilities to deliver greater survivability to the warfighter or first responders, while reducing costs and increasing operation efficiency and effectiveness. This article reviews the main tactical requirements and the architecture, examining gaps and shortcomings in existing IoT systems across the military field and mission-critical scenarios. The review characterizes the open challenges for a broad deployment and presents a research roadmap for enabling an affordable IoT for defense and PS.

A Review on Internet of Things for Defense and Public Safety

TL;DR

This paper surveys the use of commercial off-the-shelf IoT in defense and public safety, identifying high-potential scenarios (notably C4ISR and fire-control) and detailing the operational requirements for mission-critical deployments. It argues for a shift from centralized cloud toward distributed edge and fog computing to meet low latency, reliability, and security needs, supported by standardized protocols, enabling technologies, and analytics platforms. The authors contribute a holistic view of architecture, interoperability, and security challenges, along with a technology roadmap and practical recommendations for testbeds, private-sector collaboration, and secure cloud adoption. The work highlights the potential for substantial long-term cost savings and enhanced situational awareness, while also recognizing organizational, standardization, and budgetary obstacles that must be overcome for broad adoption.

Abstract

The Internet of Things (IoT) is undeniably transforming the way that organizations communicate and organize everyday businesses and industrial procedures. Its adoption has proven well suited for sectors that manage a large number of assets and coordinate complex and distributed processes. This survey analyzes the great potential for applying IoT technologies (i.e., data-driven applications or embedded automation and intelligent adaptive systems) to revolutionize modern warfare and provide benefits similar to those in industry. It identifies scenarios where Defense and Public Safety (PS) could leverage better commercial IoT capabilities to deliver greater survivability to the warfighter or first responders, while reducing costs and increasing operation efficiency and effectiveness. This article reviews the main tactical requirements and the architecture, examining gaps and shortcomings in existing IoT systems across the military field and mission-critical scenarios. The review characterizes the open challenges for a broad deployment and presents a research roadmap for enabling an affordable IoT for defense and PS.
Paper Structure (40 sections, 14 figures)

This paper contains 40 sections, 14 figures.

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Compelling COTS IoT Applications
  3. Target Scenarios for Mission-Critical IoT
  4. C4ISR
  5. Fire-Control Systems
  6. Logistics
  7. Fleet Monitoring and Management
  8. Individual Supplies
  9. Smart Cities Operations
  10. Personal Sensing, Soldier Healthcare and Workforce Training
  11. Collaborative and Crowd Sensing
  12. Energy Management
  13. Surveillance
  14. Operational Requirements
  15. Deployment Features
  16. ...and 25 more sections

Figures (14)

  • Figure S1: Proliferation of devices and applications in the Internet of Things (IoT).
  • Figure S2: Private sector vs defense and public safety technology stack.
  • Figure S3: Promising target scenarios for defense and public safety.
  • Figure S4: Soldiers of today and the future.
  • Figure S5: Operational Capabilities assessed to cover mission-critical scenarios.
  • ...and 9 more figures