Evaluation of Web of Things (WoT) Thing Description Relevance - bounswe/bounswe2025group1 GitHub Wiki

📄 Evaluation of Web of Things (WoT) Thing Description Relevance

1. Introduction

The "Web of Things (WoT) Thing Description" requirement — which involves consistent device descriptions, smart device interoperability, and event-based interactions — is mainly designed for IoT-focused projects that use physical devices connected to the web. While these features are useful in areas like smart homes, automation systems, or sensor networks, they are not really suitable for the scope and goals of the Community Garden Planner project.

2. Nature of the Project vs. WoT Objectives

Our project is a web-based platform focused on:

  • Organizing and tracking gardening tasks.
  • Creating a space for community interaction through forums and discussions.
  • Scheduling and sending reminders for garden-related activities.
  • Making the platform accessible and easy to use for everyone.

All of these features depend on user actions, database processes, and standard web application logic, not on communication with physical devices. On the other hand, WoT is mostly needed when:

  • Smart devices (like sensors or actuators) must be described in a standard way.
  • Different IoT systems need to work together.
  • Real-time, event-based communication with devices is required.

Since the Community Garden Planner does not interact with any IoT hardware, using WoT would not add any meaningful benefit.

3. Lack of Physical Device Integration

WoT Thing Descriptions make sense when a system needs to detect, describe, and control physical devices — such as soil sensors, irrigation systems, or greenhouse controllers. In our case:

  • The platform does not collect data from any sensors or devices.
  • It does not need to provide device APIs.
  • It does not rely on events from devices to run its features.

Instead, everything in the system is triggered by users or software logic, so WoT support would be unnecessary.

4. Conclusion

Although WoT Thing Descriptions are very useful for IoT projects, they are not needed for the Community Garden Planner. The project’s focus is on managing tasks, building a gardening community, and improving user experience — none of which require IoT device integration. Leaving this requirement out helps us keep the system simpler, avoid unnecessary complexity, and focus on features that directly benefit users.