Big data has fundamentally changed the way organizations manage, analyze and leverage data in any industry. One of the most promising fields where big data can be applied to make a change is healthcare. Big healthcare data has considerable potential to improve patient outcomes, predict outbreaks of epidemics, gain valuable insights, avoid preventable diseases, reduce the cost of healthcare delivery and improve the quality of life in general. However, deciding on the allowable uses of data while preserving security and patient’s right to privacy is a difficult task. Big data, no matter how useful for the advancement of medical science and vital to the success of all healthcare organizations, can only be used if security and privacy issues are addressed. To ensure a secure and trustworthy big data environment, it is essential to identify the limitations of existing solutions and envision directions for future research. In this paper, we have surveyed the state-of-the-art security and privacy challenges in big data as applied to healthcare industry, assessed how security and privacy issues occur in case of big healthcare data and discussed ways in which they may be addressed. We mainly focused on the recently proposed methods based on anonymization and encryption, compared their strengths and limitations, and envisioned future research directions.

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected almost every country causing devastating economic and social disruption and stretching healthcare systems to the limit. Furthermore, while being the current gold standard, existing test methods including NAAT (Nucleic Acid Amplification Tests), clinical analysis of chest CT (Computer Tomography) scan images, and blood test results, require in-person visits to a hospital which is not an adequate way to control such a highly contagious pandemic. Therefore, top priority must be given, among other things, to enlisting recent and adequate technologies to reduce the adverse impact of this pandemic. Modern smartphones possess a rich variety of embedded MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical-Systems) sensors capable of recording movements, temperature, audio, and video of their carriers. This study leverages the smartphone sensors for the preliminary diagnosis of COVID-19. Deep learning, an important breakthrough in the domain of artificial intelligence in the past decade, has huge potential for extracting apt and appropriate features in healthcare. Motivated from these facts, this paper presents a new framework that leverages advanced machine learning and data analytics techniques for the early detection of coronavirus disease using smartphone embedded sensors. The proposal provides a simple to use and quickly deployable screening tool that can be easily configured with a smartphone. Experimental results indicate that the model can detect positive cases with an overall accuracy of 79% using only the data from the smartphone sensors. This means that the patient can either be isolated or treated immediately to prevent further spread, thereby saving more lives. The proposed approach does not involve any medical tests and is a cost-effective solution that provides robust results.

The field of smart agriculture is ranked among the top areas that uses the internet of things (IoT), whose goal is to increase the quantity and quality of agricultural productivity. The aim of this work is to realize a new device that will be cost-effective, reliable, and autonomous using a solar panel to provide electricity in large-scale agricultural fields, ESP32 to interconnect IoT sensors and the long range (LoRa) data transmission protocol to guarantee connectivity in places where there is no internet, whose objective is to monitor and irrigate agricultural fields only when there is a need for water. The data received by the sensors is sent to mobile app users via the Blynk cloud. The performance of our new approach is measured in terms of energy savings. This new model of irrigation and smart monitoring will improve the efficiency of farming techniques.

The internet of things (IoT) refers to a network of physical devices embedded with sensors, software, and communication tools, which allow for seamless exchange and collection of data. This technology enables automation, continuous monitoring, and data-driven decision-making across a variety of fields. In the healthcare sector, the integration of IoT with artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming how patient care is delivered, providing real-time health monitoring, personalized treatment options, and more efficient management of healthcare resources. This study investigates the significant influence of the IoT and AI on the healthcare system, focusing on how these technologies improve patient outcomes and streamline healthcare operations. It also highlights emerging challenges in the adoption of these technologies and suggests potential solutions to address these obstacles and enhance healthcare delivery. The research is based on an in-depth review of AI and IoT applications in healthcare, uncovering advancements in patient monitoring, disease management, and operational efficiency, while also identifying key challenges such as data privacy concerns and issues with system interoperability.

The growing use of internet of things (IoT) technologies in higher education is transforming how institutions manage infrastructure, deliver teaching, and engage with students. While these advancements offer considerable benefits, they also introduce significant security risks. Common threats include weak access controls, insufficient data protection, outdated software, exposure to denial-of-service (DoS) attacks, and lack of physical safeguards for connected devices. This study provides a comprehensive review of these vulnerabilities within academic environments and proposes a security framework adapted to the specific operational and technical realities of universities. Unlike generic approaches, this research focuses on the unique challenges of higher education, such as decentralized information technology (IT) structures, limited resources, and diverse user groups. The main contribution lies in identifying and evaluating security measures that are both effective and applicable in academic contexts. These include encryption methods, identity verification techniques, secure update mechanisms,and intelligent systems for detecting abnormal behavior. The analysis is supported by case examples from real institutions, illustrating both successes and limitations of current practices. This work aims to guide educational institutions in improving the resilience of their IoT systems. It also outlines areas for future research, particularly in the development of lightweight and scalable security solutions suited to the evolving needs of smart learning environments.