Energy aware and privacy preserving protocols for ad hoc networks with applications to disaster management

Disasters can have a serious impact on the functioning of communities and societies. Disaster management aims at providing efficient utilization of resources during pre-disaster (e.g. preparedness and prevention) and post-disaster (e.g. recovery and relief) scenarios to reduce the impact of disasters. Wireless sensors have been extensively used for early detection and prevention of disasters. However, the sensor\u27s operating environment may not always be congenial to these applications. Attackers can observe the traffic flow in the network to determine the location of the sensors and exploit it. For example, in intrusion detection systems, the information can be used to identify coverage gaps and avoid detection. Data source location privacy preservation protocols were designed in this work to address this problem. Using wireless sensors for disaster preparedness, recovery and relief operations can have high deployment costs. Making use of wireless devices (e.g. smartphones and tablets) widely available among people in the affected region is a more practical approach. Disaster preparedness involves dissemination of information among the people to make them aware of the risks they will face in the event of a disaster and how to actively prepare for them. The content is downloaded by the people on their smartphones and tablets for ubiquitous access. As these devices are primarily constrained by their available energy, this work introduces an energy-aware peer-to-peer file sharing protocol for efficient distribution of the content and maximizing the lifetime of the devices. Finally, the ability of the wireless devices to build an ad hoc network for capturing and collecting data for disaster relief and recovery operations was investigated. Specifically, novel energy-adaptive mechanisms were designed for autonomous creation of the ad hoc network, distribution of data capturing task among the devices, and collection of data with minimum delay --Abstract, page iii

Recent Trends in Communication Networks

In recent years there has been many developments in communication technology. This has greatly enhanced the computing power of small handheld resource-constrained mobile devices. Different generations of communication technology have evolved. This had led to new research for communication of large volumes of data in different transmission media and the design of different communication protocols. Another direction of research concerns the secure and error-free communication between the sender and receiver despite the risk of the presence of an eavesdropper. For the communication requirement of a huge amount of multimedia streaming data, a lot of research has been carried out in the design of proper overlay networks. The book addresses new research techniques that have evolved to handle these challenges

Security comparison of ownCloud, Nextcloud, and Seafile in open source cloud storage solutions

Cloud storage has become one of the most efficient and economical ways to store data over the web. Although most organizations have adopted cloud storage, there are numerous privacy and security concerns about cloud storage and collaboration. Furthermore, adopting public cloud storage may be costly for many enterprises. An open-source cloud storage solution for cloud file sharing is a possible alternative in this instance. There is limited information on system architecture, security measures, and overall throughput consequences when selecting open-source cloud storage solutions despite widespread awareness. There are no comprehensive comparisons available to evaluate open-source cloud storage solutions (specifically owncloud, nextcloud, and seafile) and analyze the impact of platform selections. This thesis will present the concept of cloud storage, a comprehensive understanding of three popular open-source features, architecture, security features, vulnerabilities, and other angles in detail. The goal of the study is to conduct a comparison of these cloud solutions so that users may better understand the various open-source cloud storage solutions and make more knowledgeable selections. The author has focused on four attributes: features, architecture, security, and vulnerabilities of three cloud storage solutions ("ownCloud," "Nextcloud," and "Seafile") since most of the critical issues fall into one of these classifications. The findings show that, while the three services take slightly different approaches to confidentiality, integrity, and availability, they all achieve the same purpose. As a result of this research, the user will have a better understanding of the factors and will be able to make a more informed decision on cloud storage options

Connectivity Optimization in Robotic Networks

La collaboration entre multiple appareils électroniques (e.g. smartphones, ordinateurs, robots, senseurs et routeurs) est une tendance qui suscite un vif intérêt tant ses applications semblent prometteuses. Les maisons autonomes ou villes intelligentes figurent parmi la prodigieuse variété d’exemples. La communication entre appareils est une des clés du succès de leur coopération. Sans un bon système de communication, les appareils se retrouvent vite incapables d’échanger l’information nécessaire à la prise de décision. Pour garantir une bonne communication, il faut un réseau solide sur lequel elle puisse reposer. Nous pourrions envisager une organisation centralisée, puisqu’elles sont si répandues. Nos téléphones portables communiquent grâce à des antennes-relais ; et nous naviguons sur l’internet grâce à des routeurs. Dans un réseau centralisé, si un noeud principal, tel qu’une antenne ou un routeur, est défaillant, la capacité à communiquer en est dramatiquement diminuée. Or, certaines collaborations entre appareils interviennent, parfois, dans des situations où les infrastructures classiques ne sont pas accessibles. C’est le cas pour les opérations de sauvetages, où les moyens de communications classiques ont pu être endommagés à la suite d’un sinistre. D’autres organisations sont alors plus judicieuses. Dans les réseaux ad hoc, par exemple, il n’existe pas de noeud central, car chaque appareil peut servir au transit de l’information. Cette dissertation s’intéresse à la mise en place de réseaux ad hoc et mobiles entre smartphones et drones. Elle s’inscrit dans le cadre d’un partenariat, entre Humanitas Solutions et l’École Polytechnique de Montréal, qui vise à établir un moyen de communication basé sur ces appareils, pour connecter victimes et premiers secours lors d’opérations de sauvetages. Pour mener à bien ce projet, nous devons permettre aux appareils électroniques de communiquer sans recourir à quelconque infrastructure. Pour relayer l’information, nous devons également maintenir les drones connectés au-dessus de la zone sinistrée.----------ABSTRACT: Because of their promising applications, the interest for machine-to-machine interaction has soared (e.g. between smartphones, laptops, robots, sensors, or routers). Autonomous homes and smart cities are just two examples among the many. Without a good communication system, devices are unable to share relevant information and take effective decisions. Thus, inter-device communication is key for successful cooperations. To guarantee suitable communication, devices need to rely on a robust network. One might think of classical centralized network architecture since it is so common – antennae relay our smartphone communications, and routers provide us with an Internet connection at home. However, this architecture is not adequate for every application. When a central node (e.g. an antenna or a router) fails, it can cripple all the network. Moreover, fixed infrastructure is not always available, which is detrimental for applications like search and rescue operations. Hence, other network designs can be more suitable, like ad hoc networks, where there is no central node and every device can route information. This work aims at establishing mobile ad hoc networks between multiple devices for search and rescue operations. This thesis is framed by a partnership between Humanitas Solutions and École Polytechnique de Montréal, whose goal is to relay information between victims and first responders by the use of smartphones and flying robots (i.e. drones). For this purpose, we have to enable infrastructureless communications between devices and maintain drones connected over the disaster area

C.O.M.U.N.I.: Keeping communication alive, trustworthy, and open

With the increasing ubiquity of smartphones, their potential as emergency communication tools has become pivotal. Conventional communication tools often fall short in crises, leading to information gaps and coordination challenges among affected individuals, emergency responders, and decision-makers. This raises the need for a more robust and reliable communication system during emergencies. Despite the widespread availability of smartphones, there is a significant limitation to leveraging them as effective communication tools during emergencies. Current messaging applications have not effectively maximized their reach and utility, especially for information sharing and assistance coordination. Further, they frequently lack moderation tools and channels for official messages. The thesis aims to address this gap by proposing a smartphone application designed for emergencies. The objectives of the thesis include providing an overview of the state-of-the-art in mobile ad-hoc networks, defining specific use cases and experimentation scenarios, and ultimately designing and implementing a network architecture and a prototype application. The prototype aspires to facilitate efficient information sharing, coordinate assistance, and ensure timely access to accurate information for all stakeholders while ensuring a high quality of messages and safe access for anyone. To achieve this, the application combines technologies of peer-to-peer communication with more traditional communication via cellular networks. The proposed system incorporates features such as real-time communication, user authentication, message verification, and community moderation. A requirements-based evaluation is conducted to assess the effectiveness of the application in fulfilling user needs and enhancing communication channels during emergencies. The evaluation demonstrates that the proposed application effectively fulfills user requirements and showcases its potential to augment communication during crises. The system is further compared against existing messaging applications, highlighting its significant advantages and enhancements over the current state-of-the-art solutions

Data modeling for web-based mobile tracking system of internally displaced person during conflict

The displaced families in the last two decades has become major issues in many countries due to the increase of natural disasters, armed conflicts or terrorist attacks. It presents great challenges to governments as well as the agencies which manage them. Many agencies reported the difficulty of providing relief to these families because they cannot be tracked after they registered in shelters or camps. It is due to random movement of the families, or the camp is exposed to natural disasters or armed attacks. This study proposes a requirement model for an internally displaced person (IDP) based on online interviews with experts from the International Organization for Migration and Government Officials who worked in direct contact with the displaced families. The requirements were used to develop a web-based mobile application to track, locate, document and verify IDP. An evaluation was conducted to measure the usability of the mobile application. The result of the evaluation suggested that the mobile application is relevant and suitable for tracking IDP. The main contribution of this study is the requirements for a mobile application that is designed specifically to track IDP