5 Acknowledgements
Acknowledgements
The development of this comprehensive Internet of Things textbook represents the contributions of many individuals, organizations, and communities. I am deeply grateful to all who have supported this work.
5.0.1 Students and Teaching Assistants
This textbook has been shaped by hundreds of students who have taken my IoT courses over the years. Your questions, challenges, project implementations, and feedback have been invaluable in refining these materials. Youโve helped identify concepts that needed clearer explanation, examples that needed updating, and topics that deserved deeper coverage.
Special thanks to the teaching assistants who provided feedback on course materials, helped debug code examples, and contributed insights from working directly with students in labs and office hours.
5.0.2 Research Communities
This work builds on decades of research by the global IoT, pervasive computing, and cyber-physical systems communities. I am grateful to colleagues worldwide whose publications, presentations, and collaborative discussions have advanced our collective understanding of these technologies.
IEEE - For publishing foundational research in sensor networks, wireless communications, and IoT systems through IEEE IoT Journal, IEEE Pervasive Computing, and numerous conference proceedings.
ACM - For supporting research communities through ACM SenSys, ACM BuildSys, ACM MobiCom, and other venues that have shaped IoT research.
IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force) - For developing and standardizing the protocols that make IoT possible, including 6LoWPAN, RPL, CoAP, and countless networking specifications.
5.0.3 Standards Organizations and Industry Alliances
The IoT ecosystem depends on open standards developed through collaborative efforts:
Zigbee Alliance (now Connectivity Standards Alliance) - For developing and maintaining Zigbee specifications and promoting interoperability in IoT devices.
LoRa Alliance - For creating and advancing LoRaWAN specifications and fostering the LPWAN ecosystem.
Thread Group - For developing the Thread protocol and promoting IP-based mesh networking for IoT.
Z-Wave Alliance - For advancing Z-Wave technology and smart home interoperability standards.
Bluetooth SIG - For evolving Bluetooth and Bluetooth Low Energy specifications that enable countless IoT applications.
Eclipse Foundation - For maintaining open-source IoT projects including Eclipse Mosquitto (MQTT broker), Eclipse Paho, and other critical IoT infrastructure.
OASIS - For standardizing MQTT and AMQP protocols that have become fundamental to IoT messaging.
Open Connectivity Foundation - For work on IoT device interoperability and security.
5.0.4 Open Source Projects
This textbook relies heavily on open-source tools and examples:
Quarto - For providing the modern publishing framework that makes this interactive textbook possible.
Jupyter Project - For enabling executable code examples integrated directly into the learning experience.
Python Community - For creating and maintaining the scientific computing ecosystem (NumPy, Pandas, Matplotlib, SciPy) used throughout this book.
MQTT Brokers - Eclipse Mosquitto and other open-source MQTT implementations that students use for hands-on learning.
Network Simulators - Cooja, NS-3, and other simulation tools that enable experimentation without expensive hardware.
5.0.5 Educational Institutions
Thanks to the universities and educational institutions that have supported IoT education and research, providing environments where students can learn, experiment, and innovate with emerging technologies.
5.0.6 Industry Partners
Gratitude to companies that have contributed to IoT education through: - Hardware donations for educational use - Developer documentation and resources - Case studies and real-world deployment insights - Internship opportunities for students - Support for open standards and protocols
5.0.7 Technical Reviewers and Contributors
While this textbook draws on published research and public documentation, any errors or omissions are entirely my own responsibility. Feedback from the community has been instrumental in improving accuracy and clarity.
5.0.8 Image and Diagram Sources
Many diagrams and illustrations in this textbook were created specifically for educational purposes. Where external images or diagrams are used, they are employed under appropriate fair use provisions for educational materials, or with proper attribution to their original sources.
Special thanks to organizations that provide openly licensed technical diagrams and specifications that help students visualize complex concepts.
5.0.9 Family and Personal Support
Creating a comprehensive textbook requires significant time and dedication. I am grateful to my family for their patience, encouragement, and support throughout this project.
5.0.10 Looking Forward
IoT is a rapidly evolving field, and this textbook is designed as a living resource that will continue to grow and improve. I welcome feedback, corrections, and suggestions from students, instructors, researchers, and practitioners.
To report errors or suggest improvements: - GitHub Issues: https://github.com/ngcharithperera/iotclass/issues - Use the โReport an issueโ link on any page - Email feedback welcome
5.0.11 Dedication
This textbook is dedicated to all students pursuing careers in IoT, pervasive computing, and cyber-physical systems. May this resource help you build innovative solutions that make the world more connected, intelligent, and sustainable.
Special Note on Attribution:
This textbook synthesizes knowledge from hundreds of research papers, technical specifications, standards documents, and educational resources. While comprehensive citation of every influence would be impractical, the references section includes key foundational works and recommended further reading.
If you believe any content requires additional attribution or clarification, please contact me directly or file an issue on the GitHub repository.
With sincere appreciation to the global IoT community,
Dr. Charith Perera January 2025