Feasibility Evaluation of M3 Smart Space Broker Implementations

In this paper we evaluate two M3 smart space information broker implementations -- Smart-M3 and RIBS. M3 is a semantic interoperability architecture for both local and Internet connected smart environments and it utilizes RDF databases in similar fashion as does the Semantic Web. The implementations compared in this paper have similar functionality, but their design philosophies are very different. Smart-M3 is an open source reference architecture for M3 and RIBS is a solution for devices with restricted computational capabilities. Our evaluation is based on both qualitative evaluation and quantitative measurements. A measurement and testing tool for M3 smart environment databases was built during the work. Measurement based analysis shows that the RIBS implementation is 6.7-237 times faster than Smart-M3 over an Ethernet network, but RIBS is usable only in a limited number of use cases. The work also shows that there is a need for new M3 database solutions which are usable for more generic use cases.