raddec: Elevating IoT Interoperability Through a Common Radio Decoding Data Format

Whereas the interoperability of radio-frequency devices at the hardware layer of the IoT is afforded by wireless standards, equivalent standards are largely absent for the digital representation of the data which is propagated to the software and application layers above. The raddec is presented as a common representation of a radio decoding for human-scale RFID technologies such as RAIN RFID and Bluetooth Low Energy, fostering interoperability between the hardware and software layers of the IoT and beyond. Implemented as an open source library, the raddec serves as the core data structure for middleware that enables vendor-agnostic and technology-agnostic software development for any IoT application. Used actively in both industry and research, the raddec continues to evolve to support emerging IoT technologies, products and features. The proven utility of the raddec suggests that a formal standard for the representation of radio decodings would greatly benefit the IoT ecosystem. In the absence of such a standard, developers and researchers are invited to freely use the raddec in their own work and to contribute openly to its continuous evolution.