University, Diss.--Bamberg, 2007.

In this thesis, we have studied the phenomena of value co-creation in IoT ecosystem, while considering the potential impacts of GDPR on IT value co-creation in the IoT ecosystem. IT firms’ ability to create value is an important aspect of their existence and growth in which case they pursuit different and several means to accomplish this task. IT firms that operate within the IoT ecosystem are categorised as Enablers, Engagers, and Enhancers who interact, work together to provide the technology and services needed to both market the IoT and to deploy it for their own business operations. These actors usually deem it necessary to create value through a co-creation process with customers in order to create well needed, tailored and up-to-date IoT solutions. In such case, customers’ data play a significant role in the development process. Through computer analysis, these data can reveal insightful information that can lead to the creation of relevant and appropriate IT solutions. However, the EU new and upcoming General Data Protection Regulation stand to have some impacts on this creative process, by regulating data practices in technological activities, thereby, creating several concerns among the IT community.

<p>Pregnancy is one of the most important periods of a woman’s life, during which lots of potentially worrying changes occur in her body. Being aware of the nature of these changes can help her to make informed decisions and decrease her level of uncertainty and anxiety. Delivering information to pregnant women to help understand these changes is not a new idea. Brief searches of the web turned up many related resources and information. One important aspect of pregnancy that was found to be widely used was keeping daily records in a paper-based format. However, to the author’s best knowledge, there is no pregnancy specific electronic personal health record (ePHR) currently being used in Canada. In this study, a preliminary pregnancy specific PHR module was developed, and its usefulness and usability evaluated.</p> / Master of Science (MSc)

Zugl.: Duisburg, Essen, Univ., Diss., 2005

Zugl.: Zürich, Techn. Hochsch., Diss.

Technology is developing fast, and more smart devices are being implemented in our everyday life. Internet of Things (IoT) is a modern technology where physical objects are embedded with sensors in order for them to communicate. IoT can help reduce energy consumption in households, yet usage of such technologies is not widespread. There is a gap in the understanding of why the adoption of IoT technologies is lagging behind expectations. In this concept, energy-efficient IoT devices include smart devices that can help reduce energy wastage by efficient management of energy consumption. The aim of this study is to better understand the challenges of energy-efficient IoT implementation in Swedish home environments. This research explores Swedish customers' awareness of, attitude towards and experiences with IoT devices that reduce energy wastage, in order to assess barriers to adoption. To understand the challenges of IoT adoption in Swedish households, a mixed-method case study was conducted. Data was collected using a combination of interviews, surveys, and reviews from websites and forums, with eight people being interviewed, 26 people responding to the survey, and 302 reviews included as a secondary source of information. The collected data were analysed with thematic analysis and descriptive statistics.The analysis presents evidence that factors such as social and mass media influence, lack of information, compatibility and connectivity challenges, lack of standardisation, high cost, distrust, and high expectation contribute to the reluctance of energy-efficient IoT adoption. Widespread adoption of energy-efficient IoT devices can be achieved by facilitating knowledge dissemination in mass media, providing information transparency, enabling cross-platform interoperability and providing adequate support.

The ownership and demand for fitness trackers, smartwatches, and wrist-worn deviceshave been increasing globally. These devices offer various features such as measuringphysical activity, sleep monitoring, and health-related measurements like heart rate andheart rate variability using PhotoPlethysmoGraphy (PPG). However, research indicatesthat PPG measurements are less accurate on darker skin compared to lighter skin due to thehigher presence of melanin, a light-absorbing substance in dark skin.This thesis addresses the impact of melanin on the accuracy of heart rate measurements ondifferent skin colors using four commercial smartwatches, Apple Watch Series 5, FitbitCharge 2, Xiaomi Miband 3, and Sony mSafety. The study involves analyzing the accuracyof these smartwatches on individuals with varying skin colors while controlling forexternal factors. The collected data from the smartwatches are compared to a referencesensor that uses electrocardiography (ECG) measurements with electrodes placed aroundthe chest. Three different tests are conducted wearing the devices, with no movement,while walking, and with circular hand motions.The tests were conducted on twelve participants representing the 6 different skin typescategorized using the Fitzpatrick scale. With the presented results in this thesis, it wasconcluded that the 4 smartwatches' measurement accuracy does not seem to be dependenton specific skin types. Ranked in terms of Mean Absolute Error (MAE), the Apple Watchshowed the lowest value, followed by Xiaomi, Fitbit and the mSafety and that the accuracydid not depend on skin color. / Ägandet och efterfrågan av smartklockor har ökat globalt. Dessa enheter erbjuder olikafunktioner som mäter fysisk aktivitet, övervakning av sömn och hälsorelaterade mätningarsom puls och hjärtfrekvensvariabilitet med hjälp av PhotoPlethysmoGraphy (PPG).Forskning har dock visat att PPG-mätningar är mindre noggranna på mörkare hud jämförtmed ljusare hud på grund av den högre närvaron av substansen melanin, ettljusabsorberande ämne.Syftet med detta arbete är att undersöka påverkan av melanin på noggrannheten i pulsmätningar på olika hudfärger med hjälp av fyra kommersiella smartklockor: Apple WatchSeries 5, Fitbit Charge 2, Xiaomi Miband 3 och mSafety av Sony. Arbetet inkluderar enanalys av dessa smartklockors noggrannhet på personer med de olika hudfärger samtidigtsom externa faktorer som kan påverka noggrannheten kontrolleras. De insamlade data frånsmartklockorna jämförs med en referenssensor, Polar band, som använderelektrokardiografimätningar (ECG) med elektroder. Tre olika tester utförs med enheterna,utan rörelse, medan man går och med cirkulära handrörelser.Testerna utfördes på tolv deltagare som representerar olika hudtyper kategoriserade enligtFitzpatrick-skalan. Utifrån de presenterade resultaten i denna avhandling drogs slutsatsenatt de fyra smartklockornas mätnoggrannhet inte verkar vara beroende av specifikahudtyper. Rankade i termer av Mean Absolute Error (MAE) visade Apple Watch det lägstavärdet, följt av Xiaomi, Fitbit och mSafety.