Paving the Way for Massive Public Sensing as a Service

Today, the world has become crowded with sensing devices that are connected to the Internet, making the Internet of Things (IoT) a mainstream paradigm. A decade earlier, the Public Sensing term appeared to utilize a limited network of sensing devices that collect information from the surrounding for a specific purpose. The limited connectivity, heterogeneity of the sensing devices, and the immaturity of technologies hindered the widespread implementation of Public Sensing as a Service (PSaaS) in real-world scenarios. To date, there is no clear definition for Public Sensing, and it is frequently confused with other terms such as mobile crowdsensing and crowdsourcing. In this paper, we redefine Public Sensing in the context of the widespread IoT and propose a new architecture for Public Sensing as a Service. The conclusion of the discussion demonstrates that the proposed PSaaS holds a considerable promise for public adoption and will offer real-time smart services to inform decision-making and improve quality of life.