Zappa: An Open Mobile Platform to Build Cloud-Based m-Health Systems

Abstract

Cloud computing and associated services are changing the way in which we manage information and access data. E-health services are not impermeable to novel technologies, especially those that involve mobile devices. At present, many patient monitoring m-health (mobile-health) platforms consist of close, vendor-dependent solutions based on particular architectures and technologies offering a limited set of interfaces to interoperate with. This fact hinders to advance in quality attributes such as customization, adaptation, extension, interoperability and even transparency of cloud infrastructure of existing solutions according to the specific needs of their users (patients and physicians). This paper presents an extensible, scalable, highly-interoperable and customizable platform called Zappa, designed to support e-Health/m-Health systems and that is able to operate in the cloud. The platform is based on components and services architecture, as well as on open and close source hardware and open-source software that reduces its acquisition and operation costs. The platform has been used to develop several remote mobile monitoring m-health systems.