Optimisation of Mobile Communication Networks - OMCO NET

The mini conference “Optimisation of Mobile Communication Networks” focuses on advanced methods for search and optimisation applied to wireless communication networks. It is sponsored by Research & Enterprise Fund Southampton Solent University. The conference strives to widen knowledge on advanced search methods capable of optimisation of wireless communications networks. The aim is to provide a forum for exchange of recent knowledge, new ideas and trends in this progressive and challenging area. The conference will popularise new successful approaches on resolving hard tasks such as minimisation of transmit power, cooperative and optimal routing

Machine Learning in Wireless Sensor Networks: Algorithms, Strategies, and Applications

Wireless sensor networks monitor dynamic environments that change rapidly over time. This dynamic behavior is either caused by external factors or initiated by the system designers themselves. To adapt to such conditions, sensor networks often adopt machine learning techniques to eliminate the need for unnecessary redesign. Machine learning also inspires many practical solutions that maximize resource utilization and prolong the lifespan of the network. In this paper, we present an extensive literature review over the period 2002-2013 of machine learning methods that were used to address common issues in wireless sensor networks (WSNs). The advantages and disadvantages of each proposed algorithm are evaluated against the corresponding problem. We also provide a comparative guide to aid WSN designers in developing suitable machine learning solutions for their specific application challenges.Comment: Accepted for publication in IEEE Communications Surveys and Tutorial

Spatial Multipath Location Aided Routing

Mobile ad-hoc networks (MANETs) are infrastructure-free networks of mobile nodes that communicate with each other wirelessly. There are several routing schemes that have been proposed and several of these have been already extensively simulated or implemented as well. The primary applications of such networks have been in disaster relief operations, military use, conferencing and environment sensing. There are several ad hoc routing algorithms at present that utilize position information (usually in two dimensional terms) to make routing decisions at each node. Our goal is to utilize three-dimensional (3D) position information to provide more reliable as well as efficient routing for certain applications. We thus describe extensions to various location aware routing algorithms to work in 3D. We propose a new hierarchical, zone-based 3D routing algorithm, based on GRID by Liao, Tseng and Sheu. Our new algorithm called Hyper-GRID is a hybrid algorithm that uses multipath routing (alternate path caching) in 3D. We propose replacing LAR with Multipath LAR (MLAR) in GRID. We have implemented MLAR and are validating MLAR through simulation using ns-2 and studying its efficiency, scalability and other properties. We use a random waypoint mobility model and compare our MLAR approach versus LAR, AODV and AOMDV in both 2D and 3D for a range of traffic and mobility scenarios. Our simulation results demonstrate the performance benefits of MLAR over LAR and AODV in most mobility situations. AOMDV delivers more packets than MLAR consistently, but does so at the cost of more frequent flooding of control packets and thus higher bandwidth usage than MLAR

Would Current Ad Hoc Routing Protocols be Adequate for the Internet of Vehicles? A Comparative Study

In recent years we have seen a great proliferation of smart vehicles, ranging from cars to little drones (both terrestrial and aerial), all endowed with sensors and communication capabilities. It is hence easy to foresee a future with even more smart and connected vehicles moving around, occupying space and creating an Internet of Vehicles (IoV). In this IoV, a multitude of nodes (both static and mobile) will generate a continuous multihop flow of local information to support local smart environment applications. Therefore, one interesting environment for the IoV would be in the form of 3-D mobile ad-hoc networks (MANETs). Unfortunately, MANET routing protocols have generally been designed and analyzed keeping in mind a 2-D scenario; there is no guarantee on how they would support a 3-D topology of the IoV. To this end, we have considered routing protocols deemed as the state-of-the-art for classic MANETs and tested them over 3-D topologies to evaluate their assets and technical challenges

Hybrid Satellite-Terrestrial Communication Networks for the Maritime Internet of Things: Key Technologies, Opportunities, and Challenges

With the rapid development of marine activities, there has been an increasing number of maritime mobile terminals, as well as a growing demand for high-speed and ultra-reliable maritime communications to keep them connected. Traditionally, the maritime Internet of Things (IoT) is enabled by maritime satellites. However, satellites are seriously restricted by their high latency and relatively low data rate. As an alternative, shore & island-based base stations (BSs) can be built to extend the coverage of terrestrial networks using fourth-generation (4G), fifth-generation (5G), and beyond 5G services. Unmanned aerial vehicles can also be exploited to serve as aerial maritime BSs. Despite of all these approaches, there are still open issues for an efficient maritime communication network (MCN). For example, due to the complicated electromagnetic propagation environment, the limited geometrically available BS sites, and rigorous service demands from mission-critical applications, conventional communication and networking theories and methods should be tailored for maritime scenarios. Towards this end, we provide a survey on the demand for maritime communications, the state-of-the-art MCNs, and key technologies for enhancing transmission efficiency, extending network coverage, and provisioning maritime-specific services. Future challenges in developing an environment-aware, service-driven, and integrated satellite-air-ground MCN to be smart enough to utilize external auxiliary information, e.g., sea state and atmosphere conditions, are also discussed