Publications

2022

1. FGCS

   Pedestrian Safety Using the Internet of Things and Sensors: Issues, Challenges, and Open Problems

   Hasan, Raiful, and Hasan, Ragib

   In Future Generation Computer Systems (FGCS) , 2022

   ABSTRACT DOI PDF

   Pedestrian safety has emerged recently as a public health challenge worldwide. People are being physically harmed due to losing focus on their surroundings and putting safety at risk. Though pedestrian safety is a shared responsibility, researchers suggest that distractions by smart devices and reduced cognitive skills are major causes of accidents. There is a scope to assist pedestrians through amplifying cognitive skills using heterogeneous Internet of Things (IoT) and sensors. These technologies could discover and warn users about unanticipated events such as just-in-time warnings about the hazards, distractions, extreme weather calamities, and potential impending dangers. An automated personalized agent helps monitor, diagnose problems, and protect people in an urban environment. Researchers have proposed various systems and implemented them in multiple domains. In this survey, we assessed, analyzed, and compared the most recent research on pedestrian safety. We identified the challenges, research gaps, and future directions toward using technology to improve pedestrian safety.

2. IOTJ

   Someone to Watch Over You: Using Bluetooth Beacons for Alerting Distracted Pedestrians

   Hasan, Raiful, Hoque, Aminul, Karim, Yasser, Griffin, Russell, Schwebel, David C, and Hasan, Ragib

   In IEEE Internet of Things Journal , 2022

   ABSTRACT DOI PDF

   In the United States, an estimated 7,005 (crude rate 2.13) pedestrians were killed in traffic crashes in 2020, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This statistic is currently increasing annually and research suggests that distraction by smartphones may be a primary reason for the increasing number of pedestrian injuries and deaths. Timely interruptions may alert inattentive pedestrians and prevent fatalities. To this end, we developed StreetBit, a Bluetooth beacon-based system that warns distracted pedestrians with a visual and/or audible interruption when they approach a potentially dangerous traffic intersection while distracted by their smartphones. We posit that by using StreetBit, we can educate distracted pedestrians and elicit behavioral change to reduce or remove smartphone-based distractions when they enter and cross roadways. To demonstrate the feasibility of StreetBit, we conducted a field study with 385 participants. Results show that the system demonstrates adequate feasibility and behavior change in response to the StreetBit program.

3. WFIoT

   RoadNote: Automated Road Closure Detection using Urban Sensing

   Hasan, Raiful, and Hasan, Ragib

   In 2022 IEEE 8th World Forum on Internet of Things , 2022

   ABSTRACT PDF

   Maps and navigation applications are essential tools in the modern era, especially for smartphone users. Navigation apps not only guide us on the correct path to the destination but also serve to find convenience and provide connectivity by sharing locations, travel status, and expert guidance. Map applications offer real-time updates which rely on crowdsourcing data from users, historical data, and advanced prediction algorithms. However, due to the dynamic nature of the urban environment, navigational apps fail to provide unscheduled road closure information. This study investigates erroneous situations and found 23 incidences where maps fail to navigate the closure information. We propose ROADNote, an automated system that accommodates urban sensors and provides closures update to users. ROADNote provides real-time traffic conditions by automated detections using future-generation commodity sensors. We built a prototype of ROADNote; after that, we conducted experiments to get real-time road-closer information by visual sensors (i.e., drone, camera). ROADNote reduces average travel time by 3.48 minutes and distance by more than 300 meters.

4. CCNC

   X-Fidence: Post-Pandemic Wellness By Density Monitoring with Privacy Preservation

   Hasan, Raiful, and Hasan, Ragib

   In 2022 IEEE 19th Annual Consumer Communications & Networking Conference (CCNC) , 2022

   ABSTRACT DOI

   There is an increasing interest in crowd monitoring as we return to normal life after the Covid-19 pandemic. Some major obstacles to implementing a monitoring system are: privacy, scalability, and accuracy. Several entities have developed their own branded safety reassurance programs using the Internet of Things and sensors during the pandemic, and many cities are planning for the post-pandemic era. However, the lack of inclusiveness and the fear of personal information leakage often limit their usage. To this end, we developed X-Fidence, a real-time density monitoring system to avoid crowds which preserves user privacy. X-Fidence anonymously tracks visitors in certain places using Bluetooth technology. The system consists of a signal receiver module, a mobile application, and a monitoring server where the citywide current occupancy data syncs automatically. The mobile application provides density data in real-time and average historic crowds information that helps make decisions more confidently. The X-Fidence mobile app warns residents if any area experiences more visitors than the maximum safe capacity. We also present our results from an experiment to measure the feasibility and accuracy of the system.

2021

1. AA&P

   Reducing Distracted Pedestrian Behavior Using Bluetooth Beacon Technology: A Crossover Trial

   Schwebel, David C, Hasan, Ragib, Griffin, Russell, Hasan, Raiful, Hoque, Mohammad Aminul, Karim, Md Yasser, Luo, Kevin, and Johnston, Anna

   Accident Analysis & Prevention , 2021

   ABSTRACT DOI Website

   The number of fatal pedestrian injuries in the United States has steadily increased over the past decade. Multiple factors likely contribute to this trend, but the growth of pedestrians distracted by mobile devices is widely hypothesized to play a major role. Existing strategies to reduce distracted pedestrian behavior are few and mostly ineffective. The present study evaluated StreetBit, a mostly-passive primary prevention program to reduce distracted pedestrian behavior by alerting distracted pedestrians directly on their smartphones when they approach an intersection, reminding them to attend to traffic as they crossed. 385 individuals who regularly crossed a target street corner at an urban university downloaded StreetBit on their phones and participated in a crossover design study whereby the app was inactive for 3 weeks (baseline behavior phase), actively provided alerts for 3 weeks (intervention phase), and then was inactive again for 4 weeks (post-intervention phase). User distraction while crossing the intersection was collected electronically for a total of 34,923 street-crossing events throughout the 10-week study.

2. IEEE MCE

   FinderX: A Bluetooth Beacon Based System for Designing Sustainable Green Smart Cities

   Hasan, Raiful, and Hasan, Ragib

   IEEE Consumer Electronics Magazine , 2021

   ABSTRACT DOI PDF

   Cities offer extensive facilities to enrich the quality of life by utilizing smart devices and sensors. The Internet of Things and smart sensors connect various city services with the inhabitants. The services should be convenient and accessible to all, especially pedestrians and people with visual impairment. However, the lack of information about service locations often limits their availability and use. To this end, we developed FinderX, a Bluetooth beacon-based system to search for the nearest services and amenities. FinderX identifies the locations of nearby amenities in real-time using the signal from attached beacons. The system does not require Internet or other communication infrastructure and can function where the GPS signal is inaccessible. To demonstrate the feasibility of FinderX, we set up a testbed and evaluated the system in an urban environment. We show that FinderX has adequate usability and feasibility and reduces the time to find the amenities by 18.98% on average. We also demonstrate that Bluetooth beacons have lower horizontal error compared to GPS in micro-positioning (where semi-indoor or surrounding infrastructure limits signal accessibility), which motivates the use of Bluetooth beacons for such applications.

3. CCNC

   InSight: A Bluetooth Beacon-based Ad-hoc Emergency Alert System for Smart Cities

   Hasan, Raiful, Hasan, Ragib, and Islam, Tanveer

   In 2021 IEEE 18th Annual Consumer Communications & Networking Conference (CCNC) , 2021

   ABSTRACT DOI

   The purpose of alerts and warnings is to provide necessary information to the public that will lead to their safety in emergencies. The nation’s alerting capabilities need to evolve and progress with the extensive use of smartphones, and newer technologies become available, especially to be more precisely targeted to sub-populations at risk. Historically, this has been a challenge as the delivery of alerts and warning messages to the public is primarily through broadcast media and signs. However, deploying such signs takes time and may not be visible to people imminent of natural hazards. Especially for road closing, marking hazards, emergency evacuation, etc., it would be beneficial to have an easy-to-deploy and automated alert/warning system that requires no line of sight. To this end, we have developed Insight - a Bluetooth beacon-based system that uses a smartphone application to sense signals from beacons marking hazard zones. The system does not require any Internet or communication infrastructure and therefore, it is resilient to breakdowns in communications during disasters. To demonstrate the feasibility of Insight, we conducted a study in an urban university campus location. The system demonstrated adequate usability and feasibility.

4. CCNC

   Towards a Threat Model and Security Analysis of Video Conferencing Systems

   Hasan, Raiful, and Hasan, Ragib

   In 2021 IEEE 18th Annual Consumer Communications & Networking Conference (CCNC) , 2021

   ABSTRACT DOI

   Video Conferencing has emerged as a new paradigm of communication in the age of COVID-19 pandemic. This technology is allowing us to have real-time interaction during the social distancing era. Even before the current crisis, it was increasingly commonplace for organizations to adopt a video conferencing tool. As people adopt video conferencing tools and access data with potentially less secure equipment and connections, meetings are becoming a target to cyber attackers. Enforcing appropriate security and privacy settings prevents attackers from exploiting the system. To design the video conferencing system’s security and privacy model, an exhaustive threat model must be adopted. Threat modeling is a process of optimizing security by identifying objectives, vulnerabilities, and defining the plan to mitigate or prevent potential threats to the system. In this paper, we use the widely accepted STRIDE threat modeling technique to identify all possible risks to video conferencing tools and suggest mitigation strategies for creating a safe and secure system.

5. CCNC

   StreetBit: A Bluetooth Beacon-based Personal Safety Application for Distracted Pedestrians

   Hasan, Raiful, Hoque, Mohammad Aminul, Karim, Yasser, Griffin, Russell, Schwebel, David, and Hasan, Ragib

   In 2021 IEEE 18th Annual Consumer Communications & Networking Conference (CCNC) , 2021

   SLIDES
6. EAISICC

   Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) Beacon-Based Micro-Positioning for Pedestrians Using Smartphones in Urban Environments

   Hasan, Raiful, and Hasan, Ragib

   In Precision Positioning with Commercial Smartphones in Urban Environments , 2021

2020

1. SmartCity

   BeaCloud: A Generic Architecture for Sustainable Smart City using Bluetooth Beacons

   Hasan, Raiful, and Hasan, Ragib

   In 2020 IEEE 22nd International Conference on High Performance Computing and Communications; IEEE 18th International Conference on Smart City; IEEE 6th International Conference on Data Science and Systems (HPCC/SmartCity/DSS) , 2020
2. SECon

   Smartphone-based Distracted Pedestrian Localization using Bluetooth Low Energy Beacons

   Hasan, Raiful, Hoque, Mohammad Aminul, Karim, Yasser, Griffin, Russell, Schwebel, David, and Hasan, Ragib

   In 2020 SoutheastCon , 2020
3. WFIoT

   Towards Designing a Sustainable Green Smart City using Bluetooth Beacons

   Hasan, Raiful, and Hasan, Ragib

   In 2020 IEEE 6th World Forum on Internet of Things (WF-IoT) , 2020

2018

1. JCEPM

   Risk-Incorporated Trajectory Prediction to Prevent Contact Collisions on Construction Sites

   Rashid, Khandakar M, Datta, Songjukta, Behzadan, Amir H, and Hasan, Raiful

   Journal of Construction Engineering and Project Management , 2018

   ABSTRACT PDF

   Many construction projects involve a plethora of safety-related problems that can cause loss of productivity, diminished revenue, time overruns, and legal challenges. Incorporating data collection and analytics methods can help overcome the root causes of many such problems. However, in a dynamic construction workplace collecting data from a large number of resources is not a trivial task and can be costly, while many contractors lack the motivation to incorporate technology in their activities. In this research, an Android-based mobile application, Preemptive Construction Site Safety (PCS2) is developed and tested for real-time location tracking, trajectory prediction, and prevention of potential collisions between workers and site hazards. PCS2 uses ubiquitous mobile technology (smartphones) for positional data collection and a robust trajectory prediction technique that couples hidden Markov model (HMM) with risk-taking behavior modeling. The effectiveness of PCS2 is evaluated in field experiments where impending collisions are predicted and safety alerts are generated with enough lead time for the user. With further improvement in interface design and underlying mathematical models, PCS2 will have practical benefits in large scale multi-agent construction worksites by significantly reducing the likelihood of proximity-related accidents between workers and equipment.