Solution ideas
This article describes a solution idea. Your cloud architect can use this guidance to help visualize the major components for a typical implementation of this architecture. Use this article as a starting point to design a well-architected solution that aligns with your workload's specific requirements.
Project 15 Open Platform was developed in partnership with the GEF Small Grants Programme, which the United Nations Development Programme implemented. For more information, see Project 15 from Microsoft – A story in five parts.
Architecture
The following sections describe the functionality and architecture of Project 15 Open Platform.
Download a Visio file of this architecture.
Workflow
The following Azure services and configurations make up Project 15 Open Platform:
The Azure IoT Hub device provisioning service provisions Internet of Things (IoT) devices and connects them to IoT Hub.
Streaming platforms and services build the data pipeline that's necessary for basic telemetry and event processing:
- Azure Event Hubs ingests telemetry and events from IoT devices.
- Azure Event Grid provides a publish-subscribe model that routes events.
Azure Stream Analytics analyzes data. Azure Functions processes data. Azure Time Series Insights monitors, analyzes, and stores data. These three services also feed data into a presentation layer.
Users connect to the presentation layer through browsers. In that layer:
- Azure SignalR Service messaging provides real-time visualization.
- Azure App Service and its Web Apps feature provide platforms that you can use to build, deploy, and scale web apps.
- Tools like Power BI visualize IoT devices, telemetry, and events in websites.
- Tools like Power Apps and Power Automate provide low-code apps and automated workflows.
Databases, Azure Blob Storage, and tables store telemetry and file data from offices in the field.
Other Azure components provide more functionality:
- Azure Functions and Azure API Management work to make device management events available in websites.
- Microsoft Entra ID manages users.
- API Management and Event Grid manage external data.
- Azure Digital Twins provides modeling capabilities that you can use to optimize operations.
- Microsoft Defender for Cloud secures the solution by establishing security policies and access controls.
- Azure Notification Hubs and Azure Logic Apps handle notifications.
- Azure Machine Learning provides AI capabilities to help you predict device behavior.
- Azure Maps tracks geofencing data to provide location-based services.
Components
IoT Hub connects devices to Azure cloud resources. By using this managed service, you can use queries to filter data that you send to the cloud.
The device provisioning service of IoT Hub makes zero-touch, just-in-time provisioning possible. Use this IoT Hub service to provision devices in a secure and scalable manner.
Event Hubs is a fully managed, big data streaming platform.
Event Grid simplifies event-based apps. This service routes events from sources to destinations and decouples event publishers from event subscribers.
Stream Analytics provides real-time serverless stream processing that can run queries in the cloud and on devices on the edge of the network. Stream Analytics on IoT Edge can filter or aggregate data that you send to the cloud for further processing or storage.
Functions is an event-driven serverless compute platform that you can use to build and debug locally without extra setup. By using Functions, you can deploy and operate at scale in the cloud and use triggers and bindings to integrate services.
Azure SignalR Service is an open-source software library that provides a way to send notifications to web apps in real time.
App Service and its Web Apps feature are fully managed platforms for building, deploying, and scaling web apps.
Power BI is a collection of software services and apps that you use to connect and visualize unrelated sources of data.
Blob Storage provides optimized cloud object storage that manages massive amounts of unstructured data.
API Apps is a feature of App Service that you can use to build and consume APIs in the cloud while you use the language of your choice.
Microsoft Entra ID is a multitenant, cloud-based identity service that controls access to Azure and other cloud apps.
Azure Digital Twins creates models of IoT devices and environments. You can use these digital representations to develop better products, optimize operations, minimize costs, and improve customer experiences.
Defender for Cloud provides extended detection and response (XDR) capabilities that protect hybrid cloud workloads from threats.
Notification Hubs provides a push engine that you can use to send notifications to any platform from any back end.
Logic Apps automates workflows. By using this service, you can connect apps and data across clouds without writing code.
Machine Learning is a cloud-based environment that you can use to train, deploy, automate, manage, and track machine learning models. You can use these models to forecast future behavior, outcomes, and trends.
Azure Maps provides geospatial APIs for adding maps, spatial analytics, and mobility solutions to apps.
Microsoft Power Platform provides a low-code development platform for analyzing data, automating processes, and building apps, websites, and virtual agents.
Scenario details
The goal of Project 15 Open Platform is to bring the latest Microsoft cloud and IoT technologies together to help scientific teams build sustainability and conservation solutions like species tracking and observation, poaching prevention, ecosystem monitoring, and pollution detection.
The core goals of Project 15 Open Platform are to:
Close the skills gap, boost innovation, and accelerate problem-solving. Project 15 Open Platform is a ready-made platform that scientific developers can use for specific scenarios.
Decrease the time to deployment. Project 15 Open Platform gets teams to 80% completion of their projects. This boost dramatically reduces the time that teams need to start making crucial insights.
Reduce development costs. Project 15 Open Platform reduces overall development costs and makes building connected device-based solutions on Azure less complex. The open platform also gives teams opportunities to partner with the open-source developer community and universities.
Download a Visio file of this architecture.
Developers at Microsoft currently maintain Project 15 Open Platform, but it isn't an official Microsoft product.
The solution has three main categories:
Components that are fully included
Azure services make up the core infrastructure of the solution. You deploy these services only once, and then you expand them as you add devices to the solution. You don't need to fully understand these services to take advantage of the platform. To get a better understanding of these core components, see the following resources:
Components that are included but need customization
The platform deploys these services for you, but you need to modify them to meet your solution's requirements. For more information on these services, see Project 15 Open Platform developer guide.
Components that aren't included and require full customization
You deploy the services to your own Azure account where you can then customize them to create your solution. Your IP address resides in this account.
Potential use cases
Project 15 Open Platform contributes the latest Azure and IoT technologies to conservation and ecosystem sustainability efforts. These technologies help accelerate scientific innovation in areas like:
- Species tracking and observation
- Poaching prevention
- Ecosystem monitoring
- Pollution detection
Deploy this scenario
Deploy to Azure with the push of a button. The main components of the infrastructure for a standard IoT solution are then up and running.
For more information, see Deploying Project 15 from Microsoft Open Platform.
Contributors
This article is maintained by Microsoft. It was originally written and updated by the following contributors.
Principal authors:
- Sarah Maston | Director, Global Partner Strategy
- Daisuke Nakahara | Director, Sony Semiconductor Solutions
- Linda Nichols | App Innovation Global Black Belt
Next steps
- For more information about deploying to Azure and customizing conservation and ecological sustainability solutions, see Project 15 Open Platform on GitHub.
- Introduction to Azure IoT
- Internet of Things event learning path
- Microsoft and sustainability
- Seeed Studio's IoT into the wild