Innovazione sociale e pratiche tecnoscientifiche: il caso delle reti wireless comunitarie

During the last decade, a growing number of disciplines dealing with innovation processes focused started to investigate the phenomenon of wireless community networks (WCN). These networks, now consolidated on a global level, represent an infrastructure that is entirely built and self-managed by citizens voluntarily cooperating to create a new model of digital communication other than the Internet and commercial services offered on the market by Internet Service Providers (ISP). WCN, therefore, represent an emblematic case to explore not only the technical aspects of more and more pervasive technologies within contemporary society, but also to focus on relations between social, political and techno-scientific dimensions supporting innovation practices. In fact, most recent experiences of WCN acquired a central role in redefining participation practices and political activism linked to digital media, and its forms of innovation. This paper, on the basis of data collected through a qualitative research on the origin and development of the main RWC in Italy, throws light upon the way in which community networks represent a peculiar form of social innovation, where a system of individuals – beyond traditional innovation and development institutions and on the basis of political values and beliefs – cooperate to originate a new infrastructure managing to endorse participation and social inclusion in the digital society. In doing this, the paper emphasizes the procedural dimension of social innovation as an emerging practice in the active cooperation among human beings and technologies, during which political visions, technical tools and social participation have an impact on each other and transform themselves

Community Networks and Sustainability: a Survey of Perceptions, Practices, and Proposed Solutions

Community network (CN) initiatives have been around for roughly two decades, evangelizing a distinctly different paradigm for building, maintaining, and sharing network infrastructure but also defending the basic human right to Internet access. Over this time they have evolved into a mosaic of systems that vary widely with respect to their network technologies, their offered services, their organizational structure, and the way they position themselves in the overall telecommunications’ ecosystem. Common to all these highly differentiated initiatives is the sustainability challenge. We approach sustainability as a broad term with an economical, political, and cultural context. We first review the different perceptions of the term. These vary both across and within the different types of stakeholders involved in CNs and are reflected in their motivation to join such initiatives. Then, we study the diverse approaches of CN operators towards the sustainability goal. Given the rich context of the term, these range all the way from mechanisms to fund their activities, to organizational structures and social activities serving as incentives for the engagement of their members. We iterate on incentive mechanisms that have been proposed and theoretically analyzed in the literature for CNs as well as tools and processes that have been actually implemented in them. Finally, we enumerate lessons that have been learned out of these two decades of CNs’ operation and discuss additional technological and regulatory issues that are key to their longer-term sustainability

Improving P2P streaming in Wireless Community Networks

Wireless Community Networks (WCNs) are bottom-up broadband networks empowering people with their on-line communication means. Too often, however, services tailored for their characteristics are missing, with the consequence that they have worse performance than what they could. We present here an adaptation of an Open Source P2P live streaming platform that works efficiently, and with good application-level quality, over WCNs. WCNs links are normally symmetric (unlike standard ADSL access), and a WCN topology is local and normally flat (contrary to the global Internet), so that the P2P overlay used for video distribution can be adapted to the underlaying network characteristics. We exploit this observation to derive overlay building strategies that make use of cross-layer information to reduce the impact of the P2P streaming on the WCN while maintaining good application performance. We experiment with a real application in real WCN nodes, both in the Community-Lab provided by the CONFINE EU Project and within an emulation framework based on Mininet, where we can build larger topologies and interact more efficiently with the mesh underlay, which is unfortunately not accessible in Community-Lab. The results show that, with the overlay building strategies proposed, the P2P streaming applications can reduce the load on the WCN to about one half, also equalizing the load on links. At the same time the delivery rate and delay of video chunks are practically unaffected. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Sustainability and Community Networks

Community networks are IP-based computer networks that are operated by a community as a common good. In Europe, the most well-known community networks are Guifi in Catalonia, Freifunk in Berlin, Ninux in Italy, Funkfeuer in Vienna and the Athens Wireless Metropolitan Network in Greece. This paper deals with community networks as alternative forms of Internet access and alternative infrastructures and asks: What does sustainability and unsustainability mean in the context of community networks? What advantages do such networks have over conventional forms of Internet access and infrastructure provided by large telecommunications corporations? In addition what disadvantages do they face at the same time? This article provides a framework for thinking dialectically about the un/sustainability of community networks. It provides a framework of practical questions that can be asked when assessing power structures in the context of Internet infrastructures and access. It presents an overview of environmental, economic, political and cultural contradictions that community networks may face as well as a typology of questions that can be asked in order to identify such contradictions

Bottom-up Infrastructures: Aligning Politics and Technology in building a Wireless Community Network

Contemporary innovation in infrastructures is increasingly characterized by a close relationship between experts and lay people. This phenomenon has attracted the attention from a wide range of disciplines, including computer-supported cooperative work (CSCW), science and technology studies (S&TS), organization studies and participatory design (PD). Connecting to this broad area of research, the article presents a qualitative case study concerning the building and maintenance of a grassroots, bottom-up information infrastructure in Italy, defined as wireless community network (WCN). Methodologically, the research is based on qualitative interviews with participants to the WCN, ethnographic observations and document analysis. The aim of the article is to understand the alignment between the technical work implied in building this bottom-up infrastructure and the political and cultural frameworks that move people to participate to this project. Relying on the field of science & technology studies, and in particular on the notions of ‘inverse infrastructure’ and ‘research in the wild’, we disclose the WCN’s peculiar innovation trajectory, localized outside conventional spaces of research and development. Overall, the presentation of the qualitative and ethnographic data allows to point out a more general reflection on bottom-up infrastructures and to enrich the academic debate concerning bottom-up infrastructuring work and other similar typologies of collaborative design projects in the domain of infrastructures

The socio-technical shaping of digital commons and the material politics of the Italian wireless community network

Digital commons represent important alternative forms of technology production and sharing in contemporary network society. The article presents the main results of a qualitative study on a specific case of digital commons, Ninux.org, the largest wireless community network (CN) in Italy. CNs are distributed local communication infrastructures, generally built and self-managed by grassroots organisations. Empirical data has been gathered through a mix of qualitative techniques, including 14 in-depth interviews with key participants of four major local networks (Pisa, Bologna, Firenze and Roma), multi-sited ethnographic observations and documents analysis, with the aim to investigate par- ticipation processes in this project, paying particular attention to the discursive elements and material practices among participants. On the basis of the empirical research and drawing on a conceptual framework matured on the ridge between sociology of innovation and science and technology studies (S&TS), the article’s findings explore the complexity characterising the interaction between practices, technology and political visions involved in digital commons production. We argue that the adherence to the paradigm of commons enacts a complex socio-technical process, in which discourses about the governance of digital resources, political agendas and material technologies are mutually adjusted and continuously realigned to perform in practice an infrastructure as a common-pool resource

Exact Distributed Load Centrality Computation: Algorithms, Convergence, and Applications to Distance Vector Routing

Many optimization techniques for networking protocols take advantage of topological information to improve performance. Often, the topological information at the core of these techniques is a centrality metric such as the Betweenness Centrality (BC) index. BC is, in fact, a centrality metric with many well-known successful applications documented in the literature, from resource allocation to routing. To compute BC, however, each node must run a centralized algorithm and needs to have the global topological knowledge; such requirements limit the feasibility of optimization procedures based on BC. To overcome restrictions of this kind, we present a novel distributed algorithm that requires only local information to compute an alternative similar metric, called Load Centrality (LC). We present the new algorithm together with a proof of its convergence and the analysis of its time complexity. The proposed algorithm is general enough to be integrated with any distance vector (DV) routing protocol. In support of this claim, we provide an implementation on top of Babel, a real-world DV protocol. We use this implementation in an emulation framework to show how LC can be exploited to reduce Babel's convergence time upon node failure, without increasing control overhead. As a key step towards the adoption of centrality-based optimization for routing, we study how the algorithm can be incrementally introduced in a network running a DV routing protocol. We show that even when only a small fraction of nodes participate in the protocol, the algorithm accurately ranks nodes according to their centrality

Reti di libert\ue0 - Wireless Community Networks: un\u2019analisi interdisciplinare

Le WCNs sono un fenomeno relativamente recente, che sta emergendo in numerosi paesi nel mondo. La cooperazione fra membri di una comunit\ue0, finalizzata alla condivisione di informazioni e contenuti, si estrinseca in una rete wireless generata dall\u2019installazione di nodi sui tetti di edifici. Il tipo di tecnologia alla base di queste reti permette che esse non debbano essere programmate nella loro estensione e possano essere allargate semplicemente aggiungendo un nuovo nodo. Le WCNs costituiscono forme di aggregazione sociale, all\u2019interno delle quali gli utenti sono compartecipi di principi e idee, secondo le logiche dei movimenti \uabopen\ubb di condivisione dell\u2019informazione e della conoscenza. Lo sviluppo di queste reti \ue8 talvolta legato alla mancanza di connettivit\ue0 a Internet in determinate zone: in questi contesti le WCNs consentono di portare la Rete anche in luoghi che, secondo le logiche di mercato, non sarebbero connessi. Queste reti comunitarie rappresentano un importante strumento di democrazia, in quanto non sono permanentemente e necessariamente collegate a Internet. La comunicazione comunitaria che prescinde da Internet nasce anche dall\u2019esigenza di sottrarsi alla sorveglianza statale e privata che sempre pi\uf9 caratterizza la Rete delle reti. Differentemente da altre architetture tecnologiche interne a Internet \u2013 si pensi alle reti anonime basate su sistemi di crittografia, le WCNs esprimono una libert\ue0 dalla sorveglianza che si basa innanzitutto sul controllo decentrato e non gerarchico dell\u2019hardware \u2013 le antenne sui tetti degli edifici \u2013 che rende possibile la comunicazione. Nel loro contributo, Leonardo Maccari e Tania Bailoni delineano innanzitutto l\u2019ambiente Internet, quale contesto da cui scaturiscono reti alternative, fra cui si annoverano le WCNs. Dopo una descrizione della tecnologia e del suo funzionamento, gli Autori illustrano alcune reti esistenti, mettendo in evidenza le caratteristiche delle WCNs. L\u2019ultima parte del contributo \ue8 dedicata all\u2019analisi del caso della rete wireless comunitaria nella Provincia di Trento. Il capitolo di Stefano Crabu e Paolo Magaudda esplora le reti comunitarie dalla prospettiva sociologica e, in particolare, attraverso la lente degli Science and Technology Studies (STS). Dopo una ricostruzione della letteratura in materia, gli Autori commentano i primi materiali di una ricerca empirica di tipo qualitativo volta allo studio delle forme di partecipazione nelle WCNs, con particolare riferimento alla comunit\ue0 italiana \uabNinux.org\ubb. La ricerca evidenzia come il movimento delle reti wireless comunitarie sia caratterizzato da peculiari intrecci fra aspetti tecnici e istanze politico-culturali innervate ad una critica dell\u2019evoluzione di Internet nonch\ue9, in generale, delle tradizionali tecnologie di networking. Federica Giovanella si occupa di inquadrare le WCNs sotto il profilo giuridico, cercando di fornire risposte agli interrogativi derivanti dal conflitto delle norme di responsabilit\ue0 civile con la tecnologia delle reti comunitarie. Al disegno del panorama normativo di riferimento, segue una disamina delle soluzioni prospettabili in ipotesi di illeciti civili nascenti dalla diffusione e dall\u2019uso delle WCNs. L\u2019indagine pone in evidenza come questa tecnologia metta \uabsotto scacco\ubb le attuali norme in tema di responsabilit\ue0 civile. Conseguentemente, l\u2019Autrice ipotizza alcune soluzioni e propone possibili interventi legislativi, che si renderebbero necessari per una tutela di eventuali diritti lesi

On service optimization in community network micro-clouds

Cotutela Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya i KTH Royal Institute of TechnologyInternet coverage in the world is still weak and local communities are required to come together and build their own network infrastructures. People collaborate for the common goal of accessing the Internet and cloud services by building Community networks (CNs). The use of Internet cloud services has grown over the last decade. Community network cloud infrastructures (i.e. micro-clouds) have been introduced to run services inside the network, without the need to consume them from the Internet. CN micro-clouds aims for not only an improved service performance, but also an entry point for an alternative to Internet cloud services in CNs. However, the adaptation of the services to be used in CN micro-clouds have their own challenges since the use of low-capacity devices and wireless connections without a central management is predominant in CNs. Further, large and irregular topology of the network, high software and hardware diversity and different service requirements in CNs, makes the CN micro-clouds a challenging environment to run local services, and to achieve service performance and quality similar to Internet cloud services. In this thesis, our main objective is the optimization of services (performance, quality) in CN micro-clouds, facilitating entrance to other services and motivating members to make use of CN micro-cloud services as an alternative to Internet services. We present an approach to handle services in CN micro-cloud environments in order to improve service performance and quality that can be approximated to Internet services, while also giving to the community motivation to use CN micro-cloud services. Furthermore, we break the problem into different levels (resource, service and middleware), propose a model that provides improvements for each level and contribute with information that helps to support the improvements (in terms of service performance and quality) in the other levels. At the resource level, we facilitate the use of community devices by utilizing virtualization techniques that isolate and manage CN micro-cloud services in order to have a multi-purpose environment that fosters services in the CN micro-cloud environment. At the service level, we build a monitoring tool tailored for CN micro-clouds that helps us to analyze service behavior and performance in CN micro-clouds. Subsequently, the information gathered enables adaptation of the services to the environment in order to improve their quality and performance under CN environments. At the middleware level, we build overlay networks as the main communication system according to the social information in order to improve paths and routes of the nodes, and improve transmission of data across the network by utilizing the relationships already established in the social network or community of practices that are related to the CNs. Therefore, service performance in CN micro-clouds can become more stable with respect to resource usage, performance and user perceived quality.Acceder a Internet sigue siendo un reto en muchas partes del mundo y las comunidades locales se ven en la necesidad de colaborar para construir sus propias infraestructuras de red. Los usuarios colaboran por el objetivo común de acceder a Internet y a los servicios en la nube construyendo redes comunitarias (RC). El uso de servicios de Internet en la nube ha crecido durante la última década. Las infraestructuras de nube en redes comunitarias (i.e., micronubes) han aparecido para albergar servicios dentro de las mismas redes, sin tener que acceder a Internet para usarlos. Las micronubes de las RC no solo tienen por objetivo ofrecer un mejor rendimiento, sino también ser la puerta de entrada en las RC hacia una alternativa a los servicios de Internet en la nube. Sin embargo, la adaptación de los servicios para ser usados en micronubes de RC conlleva sus retos ya que el uso de dispositivos de recursos limitados y de conexiones inalámbricas sin una gestión centralizada predominan en las RC. Más aún, la amplia e irregular topología de la red, la diversidad en el hardware y el software y los diferentes requisitos de los servicios en RC convierten en un desafío albergar servicios locales en micronubes de RC y obtener un rendimiento y una calidad del servicio comparables a los servicios de Internet en la nube. Esta tesis tiene por objetivo la optimización de servicios (rendimiento, calidad) en micronubes de RC, facilitando la entrada a otros servicios y motivando a sus miembros a usar los servicios en la micronube de RC como una alternativa a los servicios en Internet. Presentamos una aproximación para gestionar los servicios en entornos de micronube de RC para mejorar su rendimiento y calidad comparable a los servicios en Internet, a la vez que proporcionamos a la comunidad motivación para usar los servicios de micronube en RC. Además, dividimos el problema en distintos niveles (recursos, servicios y middleware), proponemos un modelo que proporciona mejoras para cada nivel y contribuye con información que apoya las mejoras (en términos de rendimiento y calidad de los servicios) en los otros niveles. En el nivel de los recursos, facilitamos el uso de dispositivos comunitarios al emplear técnicas de virtualización que aíslan y gestionan los servicios en micronubes de RC para obtener un entorno multipropósito que fomenta los servicios en el entorno de micronube de RC. En el nivel de servicio, construimos una herramienta de monitorización a la medida de las micronubes de RC que nos ayuda a analizar el comportamiento de los servicios y su rendimiento en micronubes de RC. Luego, la información recopilada permite adaptar los servicios al entorno para mejorar su calidad y rendimiento bajo las condiciones de una RC. En el nivel de middleware, construimos redes de overlay que actúan como el sistema de comunicación principal de acuerdo a información social para mejorar los caminos y las rutas de los nodos y mejoramos la transmisión de datos a lo largo de la red al utilizar las relaciones preestablecidas en la red social o la comunidad de prácticas que están relacionadas con las RC. De este modo, el rendimiento en las micronubes de RC puede devenir más estable respecto al uso de recursos, el rendimiento y la calidad percibidas por el usuario.Postprint (published version

Online machine learning algorithms to predict link quality in community wireless mesh networks

Producción CientíficaAccurate link quality predictions are key in community wireless mesh networks (CWMNs) to improve the performance of routing protocols. Unlike other techniques, online machine learning algorithms can be used to build link quality predictors that are adaptive without requiring a predeployment effort. However, the use of these algorithms to make link quality predictions in a CWMN has not been previously explored. This paper analyses the performance of 4 well-known online machine learning algorithms for link quality prediction in a CWMN in terms of accuracy and computational load. Based on this study, a new hybrid online algorithm for link quality prediction is proposed. The evaluation of the proposed algorithm using data from a real large scale CWMN shows that it can achieve a high accuracy while generating a low computational load.Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad (Project TIN2014-53199-C3-2-R)Junta de Castilla y León (programa de apoyo a proyectos de investigación - Ref. VA082U16