Jisc, a not-for-profit organisation committed to providing UK universities and colleges shared digital infrastructure and services, has announced collaboration with The Things Network (TTN), a provider of a global network for IoT devices.
Under the arrangement, universities and colleges that use Jisc's services can access the long range wide area network (LoRaWAN) type of wireless network, which is specifically intended for IoT technologies.
This will provide education organisations with a dedicated LoRaWAN network and portal, while still being part of the TTN international network.
LoRaWAN is designed to allow connected devices such as sensors and vehicle equipment to communicate small amounts of data over large distances using tiny amounts of power. Because of their low power consumption, these remote sensors or actuators can run for many years on a single battery.
IoT has already enabled new, disruptive services and solutions in areas such as asset tracking, smart environment and smart cities. The collaboration aims to stimulate innovation and accelerate the adoption of low power networking technologies (LPWAN) from the universities and colleges involved.
The collaboration between Jisc and TTN brings together two well-established organisations allowing LoRaWAN connectivity and encouraging innovation. Under the agreement they will run an instance of the public TTN community network server on the Janet Network infrastructure allowing members to manage gateways and sensors via a Jisc dedicated portal.
The agreement is expected to benefit institutions developing an intelligent campus that responds to human and environmental interactions and adapts to meet students' needs.
Individuals already using IoT in libraries and for managing the campus can go further as part of their Education 4.0 vision for a campus experience that prepares students for the fourth industrial revolution and beyond.
The announcement comes ahead of a workshop offering an introduction to LPWAN and LoRaWAN technology run by Jisc in collaboration with Digital Catapult.
The workshop on February 15, 2019, is aimed at people interested in IoT and the intelligent campus. It will also be an opportunity to meet SMEs working in this area and to help shape a Jisc and Digital Catapult initiative, which will be announced at the event, to encourage the education sector to experiment with this technology.
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