Page 56 - Reference framework for integrated management of an SSC - A U4SSC deliverable on city platforms

Non-ICT physical infrastructures. This layer contains all the physical elements necessary for
the proper functioning of the city, which can be managed by the ICT infrastructure, and which
allow citizens to obtain the resources they need. Buildings, roads, energy supply, water or waste
management are examples of this layer.

Users and devices. This layer allows the interconnection between the environment, machines,
infrastructures and people to ICT infrastructure and non-ICT physical infrastructures. The layer is
composed of the users themselves (society) and the devices (terminals) that are used by people
and machines, together with the models of relationship that can be established between them:
between humans (telephony, social networks), of humans with machines (access to databases,
sensors or systems), and of machines with one another (automatic acquisition systems, processing
and action or exchange of data with other systems and/or control). Conceptually, these types of
communication have been defined as HTC (human-type communications) for interactions where
humans intervene and MTC (Machine-Type Communications) for the rest. 21

In a broad sense, a device can be defined as a physical or logical element with communication
capabilities and optionally with data detection, actuation, acquisition, storage and processing
capabilities. The devices obtain different types of information and supply it to telecommunication
networks for further processing. Some devices can be bidirectional and can execute operations
based on the information received from the telecommunication network.

Mainly because of the reduction of device costs and connectivity, there has been an enormous
growth of connected elements that impose new challenges on telecommunication networks due to
their enormous number and behaviour, with very heterogeneous, and in many cases unpredictable,
traffic patterns.

ICT Architecture. This layer allows the exchange of information between users and devices, offering
common functionalities that are necessary to develop valuable services and applications such
as vertical applications (e.g., smart waste collection, lighting, and intelligent mobility), as well
as those related to models of relationship with society (e.g., people, tourism, administration).
Within this layer, different sublayers and functional blocks have been defined arbitrarily. In the
proposed model, the communications layer, the IT architecture layer, and the advanced services
and applications layer have been defined.

• Communications (connectivity). This layer contains the physical and logical elements necessary
to ensure that devices and people can exchange information with guarantees of quality and
safety. Aspects such as geographical coverage, low consumption, and cost of devices, together
with emerging technologies and novel traffic patterns not sufficiently characterized such as 5G
or NB-IoT, generate new opportunities that must be addressed with solutions adapted to this
22
new demand.
• IT architecture (common systems). This layer contains the physical and logical elements that
allow the offer of different services common to the vertical application layer where the business
solutions reside. They also allow the exchange of information with other systems, carry out

42 Reference framework for integrated management of an SSC | June 2023