Develop and Deploy Internet Of Things Applications with FlowCode - CloudConf 2015 - Francesco Ficili, Vincenzo Germano

1. Develop and Deploy IoT
Application
Demistified…

2. How the story begins...
What about
making a
monitoring
application which
can transfer data
over the cloud? I
mean temperature,
humidity, alarms...
Sounds
interesting, but I
always get
confused when
hear the word
“cloud”... Walter,
any suggestions?
Uhm...Basically you
needs two things:
- REST Server
- Lots of Beer
Should work after
the classic POC
curve

3. The POC Curve Theory
POC = Prove Of Concept

4. Concept
● Use a REST service on server side (dweet.io)
● Producer of data is an embedded board connected to
the cloud
● Application board connect various type of sensors using
different protocols
● Consumer could get data from the REST server and
present it with the preferred solution (web browser,
desktop app, mobile app, etc…)

5. Something like this...

6. Platform?
● The Platform, in this case, is the electronic object that
will embed our application
● IoT = Internet Of Things
● In many cases “Small Things”...
● Not much space… we have to make it as small as
possible
● Use a Microcontroller

7. What About TCP/IP Interface?
● TCP/IP is a pretty much complicated protocol
● It has been developed during ‘70 by a group of
engineers
● You don’t want to do it again...
● Use a specialized Module
● Wiznet W5100

8. HW Setup
Wiznet
Microcontroller
LEDs
Sensors

9. Looking for an Environment
● Lots of IDE for Microcontroller C code development
○ Not easy to use and understand
○ C language is pretty complex
● What about a Graphic Environment? It will reduce code
overhead and simplify application development :-)
○ Yes, it is scalable if you use it in the right way…
○ Yep, it could be debugged like a text based…
○ Yeah, it can be simulated as well…

10. Make it simple...
● We are going to use Flowcode
● Flowcode is a Graphic Integrated Development
Environment (or G-IDE)
● It looks like a flowchart, but allow you to program
Microcontrollers

11. Make it veeery simple...
Pretty Cool, Ah?Messy C code...
...simple flowchart

12. Using a Component
● Inside Flowcode a lot of complex problems could be
easily solved using a component
● A component is a set of APIs that allow you to interface
a complex peripheral inside your flowchart
● In Flowcode, CAN, USB, Ethernet are all components
● Besides APIs, components require also an initial
configuration, in the form of, so called, “extra properties”
● A component is added to a project simply
Dragging&Dropping it inside the project itself

13. Configure TCP/IP Component
GateWay Address
SubNet Mask
Our Node Address
Extra-Properties

14. Sw Architecture

15. Create TCP/IP connection

16. Send POST to dweet
MACRO

17. Our Things on Dweet
I think it could be
presented a bit
better...

18. Example of Data collection:
Freeboard
Amazing!!!
What do you
think?

19. References
Embedded Code:
● www.francescoficili.com
● www.vincenzogermano.com
FlowCode:
● http://www.matrixtsl.com/flowcode/
Freeboard Panel:
● https://freeboard.io/board/sC5AvM

20. Questions?

21. Grazie :-)