Quality attributes in edge computing for the Internet of Things: A systematic mapping study

Many Internet of Things (IoT) systems generate a massive amount of data needing to be processed and stored efficiently. Cloud computing solutions are often used to handle these tasks. However, the increasing availability of computational resources close to the edge has prompted the idea of using these for distributed computing and storage. Edge computing may help to improve IoT systems regarding important quality attributes like latency, energy consumption, privacy, and bandwidth utilization. However, deciding where to deploy the various application components is not a straightforward task. This is largely due to the trade-offs between the quality attributes relevant for the application. We have performed a systematic mapping study of 98 articles to investigate which quality attributes have been used in the literature for assessing IoT systems using edge computing. The analysis shows that time behavior and resource utilization are the most frequently used quality attributes; further, response time, turnaround time, and energy consumption are the most used metrics for quantifying these quality attributes. Moreover, simulation is the main tool used for the assessments, and the studied trade-offs are mainly between only two qualities. Finally, we identified a number of research gaps that need further study.