A Machine Learning based Framework for KPI Maximization in Emerging Networks using Mobility Parameters

Current LTE network is faced with a plethora of Configuration and Optimization Parameters (COPs), both hard and soft, that are adjusted manually to manage the network and provide better Quality of Experience (QoE). With 5G in view, the number of these COPs are expected to reach 2000 per site, making their manual tuning for finding the optimal combination of these parameters, an impossible fleet. Alongside these thousands of COPs is the anticipated network densification in emerging networks which exacerbates the burden of the network operators in managing and optimizing the network. Hence, we propose a machine learning-based framework combined with a heuristic technique to discover the optimal combination of two pertinent COPs used in mobility, Cell Individual Offset (CIO) and Handover Margin (HOM), that maximizes a specific Key Performance Indicator (KPI) such as mean Signal to Interference and Noise Ratio (SINR) of all the connected users. The first part of the framework leverages the power of machine learning to predict the KPI of interest given several different combinations of CIO and HOM. The resulting predictions are then fed into Genetic Algorithm (GA) which searches for the best combination of the two mentioned parameters that yield the maximum mean SINR for all users. Performance of the framework is also evaluated using several machine learning techniques, with CatBoost algorithm yielding the best prediction performance. Meanwhile, GA is able to reveal the optimal parameter setting combination more efficiently and with three orders of magnitude faster convergence time in comparison to brute force approach

Telecommunications Network Planning and Maintenance

Telecommunications network operators are on a constant challenge to provide new services which require ubiquitous broadband access. In an attempt to do so, they are faced with many problems such as the network coverage or providing the guaranteed Quality of Service (QoS). Network planning is a multi-objective optimization problem which involves clustering the area of interest by minimizing a cost function which includes relevant parameters, such as installation cost, distance between user and base station, supported traffic, quality of received signal, etc. On the other hand, service assurance deals with the disorders that occur in hardware or software of the managed network. This paper presents a large number of multicriteria techniques that have been developed to deal with different kinds of problems regarding network planning and service assurance. The state of the art presented will help the reader to develop a broader understanding of the problems in the domain

Comparison of Lift Path Planning Algorithms for Mobile Crane Operations in Heavy Industrial Projects

Heavy industrial projects, especially oil refineries, are constructed by modules prefabricated in factories, transported to sites and installed by mobile cranes. Due to a large number of lifts on the congested and dynamic site layouts in heavy industrial projects, the lift path planning has been attention for not only safe and efficient mobile crane operation but also better project productivity and safety. Although the path planning algorithms have been introduced over the years, they have not been used actively in practice since the comparison of these algorithms has not been examined yet based on the realistic mobility of mobile cranes and real site environment. Therefore, this thesis compares the path planning algorithms including A* search, rapidly exploring random tree (RRT), genetic algorithms (GA) and 3D visualization-based mathematical algorithm (3DVMA) under the same site environment in order to find a competent method using measurement metrics considering collision-free and optimal lift paths with the lower crane operation cost and less computation time. The proposed comparison is implemented in a case study that includes a series of modules lifted by a mobile crane on various site conditions. This comparison shows the advantages and disadvantages of each algorithm for the crane path planning in heavy industrial projects and suggests the direction of further research in this field

zCap: a zero configuration adaptive paging and mobility management mechanism

Today, cellular networks rely on fixed collections of cells (tracking areas) for user equipment localisation. Locating users within these areas involves broadcast search (paging), which consumes radio bandwidth but reduces the user equipment signalling required for mobility management. Tracking areas are today manually configured, hard to adapt to local mobility and influence the load on several key resources in the network. We propose a decentralised and self-adaptive approach to mobility management based on a probabilistic model of local mobility. By estimating the parameters of this model from observations of user mobility collected online, we obtain a dynamic model from which we construct local neighbourhoods of cells where we are most likely to locate user equipment. We propose to replace the static tracking areas of current systems with neighbourhoods local to each cell. The model is also used to derive a multi-phase paging scheme, where the division of neighbourhood cells into consecutive phases balances response times and paging cost. The complete mechanism requires no manual tracking area configuration and performs localisation efficiently in terms of signalling and response times. Detailed simulations show that significant potential gains in localisation effi- ciency are possible while eliminating manual configuration of mobility management parameters. Variants of the proposal can be implemented within current (LTE) standards

Wireless Sensor Network Clustering with Machine Learning

Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) are useful in situations where a low-cost network needs to be set up quickly and no fixed network infrastructure exists. Typical applications are for military exercises and emergency rescue operations. Due to the nature of a wireless network, there is no fixed routing or intrusion detection and these tasks must be done by the individual network nodes. The nodes of a WSN are mobile devices and rely on battery power to function. Due the limited power resources available to the devices and the tasks each node must perform, methods to decrease the overall power consumption of WSN nodes are an active research area. This research investigated using genetic algorithms and graph algorithms to determine a clustering arrangement of wireless nodes that would reduce WSN power consumption and thereby prolong the lifetime of the network. The WSN nodes were partitioned into clusters and a node elected from each cluster to act as a cluster head. The cluster head managed routing tasks for the cluster, thereby reducing the overall WSN power usage. The clustering configuration was determined via genetic algorithm and graph algorithms. The fitness function for the genetic algorithm was based on the energy used by the nodes. It was found that the genetic algorithm was able to cluster the nodes in a near-optimal configuration for energy efficiency. Chromosome repair was also developed and implemented. Two different repair methods were found to be successful in producing near-optimal solutions and reducing the time to reach the solution versus a standard genetic algorithm. It was also found the repair methods were able to implement gateway nodes and energy balance to further reduce network energy consumption

Group Search Optimizer for the Mobile Location Management Problem

We propose a diversity-guided group search optimizer-based approach for solving the location management problem in mobile computing. The location management problem, which is to find the optimal network configurations of management under the mobile computing environment, is considered here as an optimization problem. The proposed diversity-guided group search optimizer algorithm is realized with the aid of diversity operator, which helps alleviate the premature convergence problem of group search optimizer algorithm, a successful optimization algorithm inspired by the animal behavior. To address the location management problem, diversity-guided group search optimizer algorithm is exploited to optimize network configurations of management by minimizing the sum of location update cost and location paging cost. Experimental results illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach

Enhanced Load Balanced Clustering Technique for VANET Using Location Aware Genetic Algorithm

The vehicular Adhoc Network has unique charac-teristics of frequent topology changes, traffic rule-based node movement, and speculative travel pattern. It leads to stochastic unstable nature in forming clusters. The re-liable routing process and load balancing are essential to improve the network lifetime. Cluster formation is used to split the network topology into small structures. The reduced size network leads to accumulating the topology information quickly. Due to the absence of centralised management, there is a pitfall in network topology man-agement and optimal resource allocation, resulting in ineffective routing. Hence, it is necessary to develop an effective clustering algorithm for VANET. In this paper, the Genetic Algorithm (GA) and Dynamic Programming (DP) are used in designing load-balanced clusters. The proposed Angular Zone Augmented Elitism-Based Im-migrants GA (AZEIGA) used elitism-based immigrants GA to deal with the population and DP to store the out-come of old environments. AZEIGA ensures clustering of load-balanced nodes, which prolongs the network lifetime. Experimental results show that AZEIGA works appreciably well in homogeneous resource class VANET. The simulation proves that AZEIGA gave better perfor-mance in packet delivery, network lifetime, average de-lay, routing, and clustering overhead