Simulating Smart Campus Applications in Edge and Fog Computing

Abstract

Due to the rapid increase of IoT applications and their use in many different areas, large amounts of data have been generated to be processed and stored. In this scenario, some applications are sensitive to high latency and response times. In order to fulfil these requirements, Edge and Fog Computing appear with the objective of bringing processing and storage devices closer to applications and management mechanisms. In this context, due to limitations related to high cost, scalability and planning, several mechanisms and algorithms need to be simulated before being implemented in the real world. This paper presents a comparison between two simulation tools and their main characteristics (EdgeCloudSim and iFogSim) using a smart campus scenario deployed at the University of Campinas, where the sensors collect data from water meters and smart energy marker watches, in addition to smart public transportation and battery disposal bins. Our evaluation shows that the information processing in edge and fog can efficiently serve the applications, however, each simulation tool has its specificities, and should be used according to the researcher's objectives and needs.