SHS Web of Conferences 139, 03013 (2022) https://doi.org/10.

1051/shsconf/202213903013
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Internet Of Things (IoT) awareness in Greece

Maria Papatsimouli, Lazaros Lazaridis, Dimitris Ziouzios, Minas Dasygenis, and George Fragulis1,∗
1
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Western Macedonia, Kozani, Greece

Abstract. Internet of Things (IoT) is a technology in which objects are embedded with sensors, software, and
other technologies to connect and exchange data with other devices and systems over the Internet. The main
goal of the Internet of things is the real-time operation of devices; as a result, daily life improvement and data
collection are without human intervention. In this paper, we investigate IoT awareness from Greek citizens.
A worldwide literature review about IoT is presented, and the results are connected with the theoretical study.
Furthermore, in 2018, 22 billion devices connected with IoT worldwide, and by 2030 it is expected that 50
billion devices to be enabled too. An online questionnaire was developed by the use of Google forms and
distributed via e-mail and social media. The statistical analysis of the responses of 387 participants concluded
that the level of security, privacy, and familiarity significantly affects the use of IoT. Some of our hypotheses
and findings in the current survey are the extent of IoT technologies that are represented in Greece, the gender
that is more familiar with IoT technologies, and the association of the monthly income with IoT knowledge.

1 Introduction enables device connection by a combination of edge com-

puting, pervasive networking, centralized cloud comput-
The definition of the Internet of Things refers to the net- ing, fog computing, and database technologies [7]. Be-
work of physical objects accessible via the internet, as de- sides, IoT usage enables devices to manage and transfer
fined by analysts and visionaries of technology. IoT has data that are internetworking and offer advanced connec-
sensors and actuators, part of smart systems such as smart tivity of devices, systems, and services . In 2018, 22 bil-
homes, vehicles, and cities. Furthermore, in 2018, 22 bil- lion devices connected with IoT worldwide, and by 2030
lion devices connected with IoT worldwide, and by 2030 it is expected that 50 billion devices to be enabled too [8].
it is expected that 50 billion devices to be enabled too.

2.1 IoT characteristics

2 Internet Of Things
The Internet of Things results from combining some com-
The definition of the Internet of Things refers to the net- ponents of technology and some other techniques and has
work of physical objects accessible via the internet, as de- some characteristics.
fined by analysts and visionaries of technology [1]. These These characteristics are [9], [10]:
objects contain built-in technology so that they can inter-
act with internal situations or the external environment. • Identification: Items are uniquely identifiable. Tech-
Such objects can be household appliances, vehicles, util- nologies such as RFID and NFC are used for object-
ities, sensors of a city, community, industrial appliances, finding technologies through the intercessor.
roads, clothes, and any object of the artificial human en- • Detection: Sensors are used for information collection
vironment [2]. It can be said that it is an umbrella for in- about their environment.
terconnected technologies, devices, objects, and services
• Communication and collaboration: Objects can be con-
[3]. IoT enables remote control of objects through the
nected to the Internet or each other and updating their
existing internet infrastructure by integrating the physical
status.
world into computer systems, reducing costs, and improv-
ing accuracy [4]. IoT has sensors and actuators, which are • Addressing: On the Internet of Things, objects are
part of smart systems such as smart homes, vehicles, and placed to be adjusted remotely.
cities [5]. Moreover, it describes a future where objects • Tracking: Smart objects know their natural position by
will be connected to the Internet and identify themselves using GPS and telephone networks to achieve this goal.
with other devices. It is a revolution of the Internet and,
in the following years, will influence a lot of applications,
like smart homes, healthcare systems, smart manufactur- 2.2 Application categories
ing, environment monitoring, and smart logistics[6]. IoT
The first category consists of ideas of different connected
∗ e-mail: gfragulis@uowm.gr devices with IDs that communicate with the physical en-

© The Authors, published by EDP Sciences. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
SHS Web of Conferences 139, 03013 (2022) https://doi.org/10.1051/shsconf/202213903013
ETLTC2022

vironment. In this category, IoT’s ultimate goal is the se- the same place. Tracking patients’ health history by using
curity and protection of data and information. Applica- IoT will be very useful [3]. Health is also one of the most
tions aim to find automation from machine to machine and important in terms of smart cities and 5G. 5G features that
generally the communications that can help the daily life will support the use of healthcare will include:
of people. The second category concerns collecting data • Bandwidth and device connections for processing large
from final nodes to extract helpful information [3]. volumes of data and services. There will be many de-
vices that will be connected to wireless networks such
2.3 Smart Cities and Applications as motion sensors and various Ultra-Low Latency imag-
ing tools: The applications that will be used for remote
A smart city is based on a communications infrastructure surgery.
[5], [3]. In turn, a modern communications infrastructure • High reliability for remote surgery, care and full moni-
is based on ICT, which must include technologies such as toring of patients when they are in remote areas and do
SHN that have so far interconnected the IoT [11]. The not have the ability to go directly to a specific environ-
CoT (Cloud of Things) now, which connects smart homes ment.
and the various technologies used, is based on a "cloud",
which manages all the data of the smart city. It includes
a set of IoT smart homes, which contain appliances and 2.7 Smart Transport Systems
services such as smart heating and entertainment system.
Intelligent transport systems can greatly improve road
These devices are interconnected by SHN, which in turn is
safety. Road accidents will be significantly reduced with
connected to cloud internet services [12]. Smart applica-
the development of local warning systems through vehicle
tions and city services, which will use 5G more efficiently,
communication [5]. Departure vehicles can be informed
will be described below. They will be implemented so that
of the traffic on the roads they are interested in and will be
they can make people’s lives easier. Many times, however,
able to get information on an alternative route. Vehicles
we look at how to make our lives easier but not the most
at intersections can also send information to nearby vehi-
efficient, these applications will also help in the effective-
cles for movement and a precise point of attention. Finally,
ness of important elements in our lives[13], [14].
with sensors there will be automatic braking when the car
detects an obstacle, this will reduce a significant number
2.4 Smart Homes of collisions [21], [22], [15]. There will also be smart sys-
tems in vehicle operations with 5G enabled capabilities.
The requirements of the residents are many when it comes These functions will include:
to a smart home, as they will require proper management
• Passenger entertainment that requires both high capacity
when they are outside the home [5],[3]. The house will be
and high mobility.
monitored remotely and there will need to be secured to
be able to monitor children and the elderly. It should have • Cars that will have built-in driver support systems based
a central system, which will combine many technologies on 3D imaging, built-in sensors and will give the appro-
and communicate with the monitoring system [15], [14], priate information to the driver.
[16]. • Vehicles capable of detecting critical safety situations,
such as accidents and other hazardous road conditions
2.5 Smart Education [23], [15].
It will make the supply chain transparent, visible and
In recent years there has been a great deal of research re- controllable, and enable intelligent communication [3].
garding "smart" education (smart education). Smart learn-
ing environments have been developed that contain digital
2.8 Security of IoT systems
content and are efficient and enjoyable for both learners
and educators. Students will be able to choose the plat- IoT is used in homes and hospitals, used outside to control
form they will enter and from whom they will get the in- and report the changes in the environment, prevent fires,
formation they want [13], [15]. Also, the training will be- and much more helpful information. All these advantages
come more fun so that it can have absolute attention. This have vast risks of privacy loss and security issues [4]. The
can be achieved through various methods such as the game Internet of Things is a universal Internet-based network
will meet the needs of learners . Apart from Education ap- and has characteristics that involve risks, such as inherent
plications [17] , IoT has also been applied in other such openness, heterogeneity, and terminal vulnerability [24].
as sign language learning [18] , gaming [19] and medical The Internet of Things has a large number of protocols that
applications [20]. vary depending on the connected devices, thus increasing
the complexity of a consistent security solution. The is-
2.6 Smart Health sues of IoT protection and security management can be
divided into three levels: device, network, and cloud. The
The intensions of the feature health care are the control and most important issue in IoTs’ security is the protection of
prevention. Today, patients can be tracked and monitored the data that are transmitted, exchanged, and stored be-
by specialists even if the patient and specialist are not in cause the protocols about data protection are limited. For

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example, smartwatches and other mobile devices collect In a sub-market analysis, the retail industry has grown sig-
personal data. In addition, there are commercial compa- nificantly in the last two years especially with the massive
nies that have software for information collection. From expansion of the e-commerce industry worldwide. Retail-
the above examples, it is understood that the information ers use IoT solutions not only to improve their operational
encryption applications on these devices are designed to efficiency but also to enhance the customer experience, to
protect personal data from other users and avoid access to enhance their competitive advantage. Reduced cost of IoT
these [25]. devices and connectivity, customer demand for a better
shopping experience, and the adoption of smart payment
solutions are some of the key drivers of IoT growth in re-
3 Statistics and data tail.
In addition, the use of IoT in commerce plays an impor-
The data and forecasts on the evolution of the IoT glob- tant role in the automation of processes and enhances the
ally are particularly encouraging, highlighting the market operational efficiency of stores, optimizes energy, surveil-
potential. According to estimates by Mordor Intelligence, lance, security, and workforce management. Finally, in
the fastest growing continent in IoT is Asia and has the terms of retail trade, the use of IoT devices in millions of
largest market. The Compound Annual Growth Rate for units amounted to 1.53 in 2016 while the forecast for 2015
this market is 10.53, which indicates significant potential amounts to 3.09, as shown in the following chart.
[26]. IBM, Huawei, Google, Cisco, and Microsoft are the
players with the largest market share in IoT.
The global IoT market at the end of 2019 increased to 212
dollars billion. In 2017, this market reached 110 billion
dollars and forecasts show that this number will increase in
2025 to 1.6 trillion dollars. The data and forecasts on end-
user costs in IoT are particularly encouraging with the rel-
evant estimates presented in the chart below showing the
significant increase over time. However, apart from the
Figure 2. Internet of Things Active Collections in Retail (in mil-
lion euros) in European Union Source: (European Telecommu-
nications Network Operators’ Association, 2019)

Apart from Europe, the use of IoT devices is grow-

ing significantly in North America and even plays an ac-
tive role in market development, since it provides a strong
base for IoT suppliers. Some of the most important groups
based in North America are also key players in the indus-
try such as BM Corporation, Microsoft Corporation, Intel
Corporation, Cisco Systems, and Google Inc. In February
2020, Cisco even announced that it was going to increase
Figure 1. Forecast end-user spending on IoT solutions world-
IoT in its portfolio to achieve optimal management of the
wide from 2017 to 2025 (in billion U.S. dollars) Source: (Vail-
mobile and 5G environment. Finally, Avast, in collabora-
shery, 2021)
tion with Stanford University, found that homes in North
America have the highest density of IoT devices of any re-
forecasts regarding the expenses of the end-users in IoT, gion in the world. Remarkably, 66 percent of homes in the
which are upward, the data in terms of annual income are area have at least one IoT device. The average household
also important, as well as the relevant forecasts. In par- in the area will have an average of 9 devices by 2022 and
ticular, the total IoT market is estimated to have reached almost half (48 percent) of the total devices and connec-
$389 billion in 2020 and is projected to grow to more than tions, i.e., will belong to the category of IoT [26]. Another
$1 trillion by 2030, more than doubling its revenue over key market for the use of IoT is home automation systems.
a decade. At the same time, the number of devices con- They are products that consumers want to have in their
nected to IoT worldwide is expected to increase signifi- homes such as the most in-demand cameras, video bells,
cantly and specifically to triple by 2030 [27]. An impor- connected light bulbs, smart locks, and smart speakers.
tant element for this market is the fact that during the pan-
demic, several organizations collaborated with the health- 4 Survey Methodology
care industry to offer integrated technology solutions to
overcome the crisis effectively and safely. For example, This section presents the design of the survey, the process
the Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center used a continu- of designing the questionnaire, its structure, the sampling
ous temperature monitor to monitor patients with COVID- method, the sample as well as the data analysis techniques
19, thus reducing the risk of their caregivers being exposed used. Non-probable sampling method was applied. The
to the virus [26]. data was collected via an electronic questionnaire which

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was developed based on an extended literature review.

Specifically, it was developed by the use of Google forms
and distributed via e-mail and social media. Regarding the
respondents, anyone could complete it anonymously with
our aim to ensure confidentiality. In the present survey,
the primary data collection method, which is known as a
quantitative method and based on a sample survey using a
standardized questionnaire, was also selected. This ques-
tionnaire included closed-ended questions. Closed type Figure 3. Internet of Things Active Collections in Retail (in mil-
questions are the questions that are accompanied by a se- lion euros) in European Union Source: (European Telecommu-
ries of suggested answers to the respondent from which nications Network Operators’ Association, 2019)
to select one. In the present questionnaire, there are ”yes-
no” questions, multiple-choice questions, and Likert scale
questions. In the Likert scale questions the Likert scale 4.2.4 IoT technology usage
with 5 grades was used, where option 1 does not indicate
any option and option 5 means very high. According to the table below, 47.6% of our respondents
have used IoT technologies as 52.4% have not used.
Frequency Percent
4.1 Research questions
Yes 218 47.6
No 240 52.4
Every research project may answer some questions called
Total 458 100
research questions, and their development is essential in
every survey. Research questions are not common ques-
tions and must be answerable. Questions construction is 4.2.5 Gender and IoT technologies usage
one of the most critical aspects of each research too. In
our survey, the main research questions are: To examine which gender is more familiar with IoT tech-
nologies, we used cross-tabulation in SPSS. The results
• To what extent is IoT technologies represented in are that 118 men (67.4%) are familiar with IoT technolo-
Greece? gies, and 138 of the women (48.8%) are familiar with IoT
• Which gender is more familiar with IoT technologies? technologies. As a result, we can say that Men are more
familiar with IoT technologies than women.
• Is monthly income associated with IoT knowledge?
Data gathering period was from September up to 4.2.6 Place of origin and familiar with IoT technologies
November 2020. 458 responses were collected and were
valid. Afterwards, data were encoded and analysed using In order to examine which place of origin is more familiar
the SPSS Statistical program. with IoT technologies, we used cross-tabulation in SPSS.
The results are:

4.2 Main Results

4.2.1 Gender Results

The sample consisted of 458 valid questionnaires. Of 458

participants, 283 participants (61.8%) were women and
175 (38.2%) were men.

Figure 4. Internet of Things Active Collections in Retail (in mil-

4.2.2 Age results lion euros) in European Union Source: (European Telecommu-
nications Network Operators’ Association, 2019)
About the age of the participants we had:

• 6 (1.6%) participants were under the age of 18 • 36 (57.1%) of our respondents are familiar technologies
and come from rural areas
• 345 (75.3%) participants were between 19-25
• 53 (49.1%)of our respondents are familiar technologies
• 16 (3.5%) participants were between 26-30 and come from semi-urban areas
• 119 (58.9%) of our respondents of our respondents are
4.2.3 Place of origin familiar technologies and come from urban areas
• 48 (56.5%) of our respondents are familiar technologies
About the place of origins of our respondents, we have: and come from metropolitan areas

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4.2.7 Monthly income and familiar with IoT question, we can say that respondents with a salary of 501
technologies to 1500 € who know IoT technologies are almost twice as
many as those who do not know IoT technologies. In gen-
In order to examine which monthly income is more fa- eral, we can conclude the following statements: Internet of
miliar with IoT technologies, we used cross-tabulation in Things refers to the networks of connected objects that can
SPSS. The results are: collect and exchange data in real-time by using embedded
sensors. By 2025 22 billion devices expecting to be con-
nected to IoT. Numerous applications are using IoT tech-
nologies such as Smart homes, Medical and healthcare,
Transportation, and others. As mentioned before, busi-
nesses in the Asia Pacific and Europe, Middle-East and
Africa, expressed the highest interest in IoT, even more so
than those in Western Europe and the USA. This can be
explained as citizens in these countries are more interested
and aware of IoT technology. Greek society is not fully in-
Figure 5. Monthly income and familiar with IoT technologies
formed about IoT technology. We can say that Greek cit-
izens are now starting to learn about this technology and
will take advantage of it soon.
In general, respondents with a salary of 501 to 1500 €
who know IoT technologies are almost twice as many as
those who do not know IoT technologies. 5.1 Proposals for future research

Researchers can include more questions to examine the

4.2.8 Employee and familiar with IoT technologies
IoT extension in Greece and other countries. Moreover,
To examine if employees or unemployed are more familiar the same questionnaire could be distributed to different
with IoT technologies, we used cross-tabulation in SPSS. nations via e-mail and social media for generalizing and
The results are: comparing the results.
• 79 (63.2%) or our respondents (N=125) are employee
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