Enhancing the Linguistic Landscape with the Proper Deployment of the Internet of Things Technologies: A Case Study of Smart Malls

Abstract

Major advances in the Internet of Things (IoT) technologies are offering unprecedented automated services to various sectors. IoT has shown great promise in transforming buildings and institutions into smart buildings and institutions, making traditional task management more efficient. In particular, there has been remarkable progress in successfully integrating IoT into various contexts, such as smart homes, businesses and cities. Success in such technological transformations is not only due to the proper deployment and implementation of IoT but also to the effective employment of related technologies, such as big data and cloud computing technologies, and making informed decisions on the inclusion of the required hardware and software for all the elements involved in the IoT environment. While a significant amount of IoT research in various contexts has been proliferated in recent years, attention given to its deployment for linguistic landscapes (LLs) is still very rare. The aim of this paper is to propose a smart Al-Noor Mall LL which takes into account the appropriate deployment of IoT tools and relevant technologies. The paper also thoroughly discusses the background of the field, covering IoT technologies, cloud computing, and big data studies, followed by a review of the recent publications involving the successful deployment of IoT technologies combined with big data and cloud computing in various contexts. The literature also covers the success factors that contribute to the robustness of the required real-time operating system (RTOS) in an IoT-based environment in order to enable IoT devices to manage their resources efficiently. Based on a detailed analysis of the literature, a three-level framework (i.e. the object, communications and application levels) together with the elements that are required for IoT-based smart LL solutions is proposed. A case study of Al-Noor Mall is used to validate the proposed framework and the results indicate that IBM Bluemix can help Al-Noor Mall management and customers to locate any particular shop in the huge shopping mall, which thereby makes the customers’ shopping experience more satisfying. Finally, the challenges (i.e. energy efficiency, security, and intelligent data analysis) facing the successful deployment of IoT technologies are discussed with proposals for future research directions in the IoT research field.