Design and Optimization of IoT Data Processing via Non-Terrestrial Networks: Development and Performance Evaluation of an Emergency Gateway Node for Two-Hop Communication

The rapid growth of the Internet of Things (IoT) has amplified the need for efficient and reliable data processing systems, particularly in scenarios where terrestrial communication infrastructure is unavailable or unreliable. This thesis explores the design and optimization of IoT data processing mechanisms leveraging non-terrestrial networks (NTNs), focusing on developing a novel emergency gateway node for two-hop communication. The proposed gateway node addresses critical challenges such as latency, bandwidth limitations, and energy efficiency in NTN-based IoT systems. The research methodology includes system modeling, algorithmic optimization, and extensive performance evaluation using simulation and real-world scenarios. A key contribution is the integration of delay-tolerant networking principles with adaptive resource management strategies to ensure robust data transmission under varying environmental conditions. The proposed gateway node is validated through a series of experiments, demonstrating significant improvements in throughput, latency, and energy consumption compared to existing approaches. This study provides a comprehensive framework for deploying resilient IoT systems in emergency and remote environments, highlighting the potential of NTNs to bridge connectivity gaps. The findings contribute to advancing IoT communication systems, offering practical insights for future research and deployment in critical applications.