Extending 5G capacity planning through advanced subscriber behavior-centric clustering

his work focuses on providing enhanced capacity planning and resource management for 5G networks through bridging data science concepts with usual network planning processes. For this purpose, we propose using a subscriber-centric clustering approach, based on subscribers’ behavior, leading to the concept of intelligent 5G networks, ultimately resulting in relevant advantages and improvements to the cellular planning process. Such advanced data-science-related techniques provide powerful insights into subscribers’ characteristics that can be extremely useful for mobile network operators. We demonstrate the advantages of using such techniques, focusing on the particular case of subscribers’ behavior, which has not yet been the subject of relevant studies. In this sense, we extend previously developed work, contributing further by showing that by applying advanced clustering, two new behavioral clusters appear, whose traffic generation and capacity demand profiles are very relevant for network planning and resource management and, therefore, should be taken into account by mobile network operators. As far as we are aware, for network, capacity, and resource management planning processes, it is the first time that such groups have been considered. We also contribute by demonstrating that there are extensive advantages for both operators and subscribers by performing advanced subscriber clustering and analytics.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

LTE-Advanced radio access enhancements: A survey

Long Term Evolution Advanced (LTE-Advanced) is the next step in LTE evolution and allows operators to improve network performance and service capabilities through smooth deployment of new techniques and technologies. LTE-Advanced uses some new features on top of the existing LTE standards to provide better user experience and higher throughputs. Some of the most significant features introduced in LTE-Advanced are carrier aggregation, enhancements in heterogeneous networks, coordinated multipoint transmission and reception, enhanced multiple input multiple output usage and deployment of relay nodes in the radio network. Mentioned features are mainly aimed to enhance the radio access part of the cellular networks. This survey article presents an overview of the key radio access features and functionalities of the LTE-Advanced radio access network, supported by the simulation results. We also provide a detailed review of the literature together with a very rich list of the references for each of the features. An LTE-Advanced roadmap and the latest updates and trends in LTE markets are also presented

Effectiveness of Machine Learning Classifiers for Cataract Screening

Cataract is the leading cause of blindness and vision loss globally. The implementation of artificial intelligence (AI) in the healthcare industry has been on the rise in the past few decades and machine learning (ML) classifiers have shown to be able to diagnose patients with cataracts. A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted to assess the diagnostic accuracy of these ML classifiers for cataracts currently published in the literature. Retrieved from nine articles, the pooled sensitivity was 94.8% and the specificity was 96.0% for adult cataracts. Additionally, an economic analysis was conducted to explore the cost-effectiveness of implementing ML to diagnostic eye camps in rural Nepal compared to traditional diagnostic eye camps. There was a total of 22,805 patients included in the decision tree, and the ML-based eye camp was able to identify 31 additional cases of cataracts, and 2546 additional cases of non-cataract

Challenges for adopting and implementing IoT in smart cities: An integrated MICMAC-ISM approach

YesThe wider use of Internet of Things (IoT) makes it possible to create smart cities. The purpose of this paper is to identify key IoT challenges and understand the relationship between these challenges to support the development of smart cities. Design/methodology/approach: Challenges were identified using literature review, and prioritised and elaborated by experts. The contextual interactions between the identified challenges and their importance were determined using Interpretive Structural Modelling (ISM). To interrelate the identified challenges and promote IoT in the context of smart cities, the dynamics of interactions of these challenges were analysed using an integrated Matrice d’Impacts Croisés Multiplication Appliqués à un Classement (MICMAC)-ISM approach. MICMAC is a structured approach to categorise variables according to their driving power and dependence. Findings: Security and privacy, business models, data quality, scalability, complexity and governance were found to have strong driving power and so are key challenges to be addressed in sustainable cities projects. The main driving challenges are complexity and lack of IoT governance. IoT adoption and implementation should therefore focus on breaking down complexity in manageable parts, supported by a governance structure. Practical implications: This research can help smart city developers in addressing challenges in a phase-wise approach by first ensuring solid foundations and thereafter developing other aspects. Originality/value: A contribution originates from the integrated MICMAC-ISM approach. ISM is a technique used to identify contextual relationships among definite elements, whereas MICMAC facilitates the classification of challenges based on their driving and dependence power. The other contribution originates from creating an overview of challenges and theorising the contextual relationships and dependencies among the challenges

Novel statistical modeling methods for traffic video analysis

Video analysis is an active and rapidly expanding research area in computer vision and artificial intelligence due to its broad applications in modern society. Many methods have been proposed to analyze the videos, but many challenging factors remain untackled. In this dissertation, four statistical modeling methods are proposed to address some challenging traffic video analysis problems under adverse illumination and weather conditions. First, a new foreground detection method is presented to detect the foreground objects in videos. A novel Global Foreground Modeling (GFM) method, which estimates a global probability density function for the foreground and applies the Bayes decision rule for model selection, is proposed to model the foreground globally. A Local Background Modeling (LBM) method is applied by choosing the most significant Gaussian density in the Gaussian mixture model to model the background locally for each pixel. In addition, to mitigate the correlation effects of the Red, Green, and Blue (RGB) color space on the independence assumption among the color component images, some other color spaces are investigated for feature extraction. To further enhance the discriminatory power of the input feature vector, the horizontal and vertical Haar wavelet features and the temporal information are integrated into the color features to define a new 12-dimensional feature vector space. Finally, the Bayes classifier is applied for the classification of the foreground and the background pixels. Second, a novel moving cast shadow detection method is presented to detect and remove the cast shadows from the foreground. Specifically, a set of new chromatic criteria is presented to detect the candidate shadow pixels in the Hue, Saturation, and Value (HSV) color space. A new shadow region detection method is then proposed to cluster the candidate shadow pixels into shadow regions. A statistical shadow model, which uses a single Gaussian distribution to model the shadow class, is presented to classify shadow pixels. Additionally, an aggregated shadow detection strategy is presented to integrate the shadow detection results and remove the shadows from the foreground. Third, a novel statistical modeling method is presented to solve the automated road recognition problem for the Region of Interest (RoI) detection in traffic video analysis. A temporal feature guided statistical modeling method is proposed for road modeling. Additionally, a model pruning strategy is applied to estimate the road model. Then, a new road region detection method is presented to detect the road regions in the video. The method applies discriminant functions to classify each pixel in the estimated background image into a road class or a non-road class, respectively. The proposed method provides an intra-cognitive communication mode between the RoI selection and video analysis systems. Fourth, a novel anomalous driving detection method in videos, which can detect unsafe anomalous driving behaviors is introduced. A new Multiple Object Tracking (MOT) method is proposed to extract the velocities and trajectories of moving foreground objects in video. The new MOT method is a motion-based tracking method, which integrates the temporal and spatial features. Then, a novel Gaussian Local Velocity (GLV) modeling method is presented to model the normal moving behavior in traffic videos. The GLV model is built for every location in the video frame, and updated online. Finally, a discriminant function is proposed to detect anomalous driving behaviors. To assess the feasibility of the proposed statistical modeling methods, several popular public video datasets, as well as the real traffic videos from the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) are applied. The experimental results show the effectiveness and feasibility of the proposed methods

Advanced Sensors for Real-Time Monitoring Applications

It is impossible to imagine the modern world without sensors, or without real-time information about almost everything—from local temperature to material composition and health parameters. We sense, measure, and process data and act accordingly all the time. In fact, real-time monitoring and information is key to a successful business, an assistant in life-saving decisions that healthcare professionals make, and a tool in research that could revolutionize the future. To ensure that sensors address the rapidly developing needs of various areas of our lives and activities, scientists, researchers, manufacturers, and end-users have established an efficient dialogue so that the newest technological achievements in all aspects of real-time sensing can be implemented for the benefit of the wider community. This book documents some of the results of such a dialogue and reports on advances in sensors and sensor systems for existing and emerging real-time monitoring applications

Mapeamento de qualidade de experiência (QOE) através de qualidade de serviço (QOS) focado em bases de dados distribuídas

Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Centro Tecnológico, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciência da Computação, Florianópolis, 2017.A falta de conceitualização congruente sobre qualidade de serviço (QoS) para bases de dados (BDs) foi o fator que impulsionou o estudo resultante nesta tese. A definição de QoS como uma simples verificação de se um nó corre risco de falha devido ao número de acessos, como faziam, na época do levantamento bibliométrico desta tese, alguns sistemas comerciais, era uma simplificação exagerada para englobar um conceito tão complexo. Outros trabalhos que dizem lidar com estes conceitos também não são exatos, em termos matemáticos, e não possuem definições concretas ou com qualidade passível de utilização ou replicação, o que torna inviável sua aplicação ou mesmo verificação. O foco deste estudo é direcionado à bases de dados distribuídas (BDDs), de maneira que a conceitualização aqui desenvolvida é também compatível, ao menos parcialmente, com modelos não distribuídos de BDs. As novas definições de QoS desenvolvidas são utilizadas para se lidar com o conceito correlacionado de qualidade de experiência (QoE), em uma abordagem em nível de sistema focada em completude de QoS. Mesmo sendo QoE um conceito multidimensional, difícil de ser mensurado, o foco é mantido em uma abordagem passível de mensuramento, de maneira a permitir que sistemas de BDDs possam lidar com autoavaliação. A proposta de autoavaliação surge da necessidade de identificação de problemas passíveis de autocorreção. Tendo-se QoS bem definida, de maneira estatística, pode-se fazer análise de comportamento e tendência comportamental de maneira a se inferir previsão de estados futuros, o que permite o início de processo de correção antes que se alcance estados inesperados, por predição estatística. Sendo o objetivo geral desta tese a definição de métricas de QoS e QoE, com foco em BDDs, lidando com a hipótese de que é possível se definir QoE estatisticamente com base em QoS, para propósitos de nível de sistema. Ambos os conceitos sendo novos para BDDs quando lidando com métricas mensuráveis exatas. E com estes conceitos então definidos, um modelo de recuperação arquitetural é apresentado e testado para demonstração de resultados quando da utilização das métricas definidas para predição comportamental.Abstract : The hitherto lack of quality of service (QoS) congruent conceptualization to databases (DBs) was the factor that drove the initial development of this thesis. To define QoS as a simple verification that if a node is at risk of failure due to memory over-commitment, as did some commercial systems at the time that was made the bibliometric survey of this thesis, it is an oversimplification to encompass such a complex concept. Other studies that quote to deal with this concept are not accurate and lack concrete definitions or quality allowing its use, making infeasible its application or even verification. Being the focus targeted to distributed databases (DDBs), the developed conceptualization is also compatible, at least partially, with models of non-distributed DBs. These newfound QoS settings are then used to handle the correlated concept of quality of experience (QoE) in a system-level approach, focused on QoS completeness. Being QoE a multidimensional concept, hard to be measured, the focus is kept in an approach liable of measurement, in a way to allow DDBs systems to deal with self-evaluation. The idea of self-evaluation arises from the need of identifying problems subject to self-correction. With QoS statistically well-defined, it is possible to analyse behavior and to indetify tendencies in order to predict future states, allowing early correction before the system reaches unexpected states. Being the general objective of this thesis the definition of metrics of QoS and QoE, focused on DDBs, dealing with the hypothesis that it is possible to define QoE statistically based on QoS, for system level purposes. Both these concepts being new to DDBs when dealing with exact measurable metrics. Once defined these concepts, an architectural recovering model is presented and tested to demonstrate the results when using the metrics defined for behavioral prediction

Improved planning and resource management in next generation green mobile communication networks

In upcoming years, mobile communication networks will experience a disruptive reinventing process through the deployment of post 5th Generation (5G) mobile networks. Profound impacts are expected on network planning processes, maintenance and operations, on mobile services, subscribers with major changes in their data consumption and generation behaviours, as well as on devices itself, with a myriad of different equipment communicating over such networks. Post 5G will be characterized by a profound transformation of several aspects: processes, technology, economic, social, but also environmental aspects, with energy efficiency and carbon neutrality playing an important role. It will represent a network of networks: where different types of access networks will coexist, an increasing diversity of devices of different nature, massive cloud computing utilization and subscribers with unprecedented data-consuming behaviours. All at greater throughput and quality of service, as unseen in previous generations. The present research work uses 5G new radio (NR) latest release as baseline for developing the research activities, with future networks post 5G NR in focus. Two approaches were followed: i) method re-engineering, to propose new mechanisms and overcome existing or predictably existing limitations and ii) concept design and innovation, to propose and present innovative methods or mechanisms to enhance and improve the design, planning, operation, maintenance and optimization of 5G networks. Four main research areas were addressed, focusing on optimization and enhancement of 5G NR future networks, the usage of edge virtualized functions, subscriber’s behavior towards the generation of data and a carbon sequestering model aiming to achieve carbon neutrality. Several contributions have been made and demonstrated, either through models of methodologies that will, on each of the research areas, provide significant improvements and enhancements from the planning phase to the operational phase, always focusing on optimizing resource management. All the contributions are retro compatible with 5G NR and can also be applied to what starts being foreseen as future mobile networks. From the subscriber’s perspective and the ultimate goal of providing the best quality of experience possible, still considering the mobile network operator’s (MNO) perspective, the different proposed or developed approaches resulted in optimization methods for the numerous problems identified throughout the work. Overall, all of such contributed individually but aggregately as a whole to improve and enhance globally future mobile networks. Therefore, an answer to the main question was provided: how to further optimize a next-generation network - developed with optimization in mind - making it even more efficient while, simultaneously, becoming neutral concerning carbon emissions. The developed model for MNOs which aimed to achieve carbon neutrality through CO2 sequestration together with the subscriber’s behaviour model - topics still not deeply focused nowadays – are two of the main contributions of this thesis and of utmost importance for post-5G networks.Nos próximos anos espera-se que as redes de comunicações móveis se reinventem para lá da 5ª Geração (5G), com impactos profundos ao nível da forma como são planeadas, mantidas e operacionalizadas, ao nível do comportamento dos subscritores de serviços móveis, e através de uma miríade de dispositivos a comunicar através das mesmas. Estas redes serão profundamente transformadoras em termos tecnológicos, económicos, sociais, mas também ambientais, sendo a eficiência energética e a neutralidade carbónica aspetos que sofrem uma profunda melhoria. Paradoxalmente, numa rede em que coexistirão diferentes tipos de redes de acesso, mais dispositivos, utilização massiva de sistema de computação em nuvem, e subscritores com comportamentos de consumo de serviços inéditos nas gerações anteriores. O trabalho desenvolvido utiliza como base a release mais recente das redes 5G NR (New Radio), sendo o principal focus as redes pós-5G. Foi adotada uma abordagem de "reengenharia de métodos” (com o objetivo de propor mecanismos para resolver limitações existentes ou previsíveis) e de “inovação e design de conceitos”, em que são apresentadas técnicas e metodologias inovadoras, com o principal objetivo de contribuir para um desenho e operação otimizadas desta geração de redes celulares. Quatro grandes áreas de investigação foram endereçadas, contribuindo individualmente para um todo: melhorias e otimização generalizada de redes pós-5G, a utilização de virtualização de funções de rede, a análise comportamental dos subscritores no respeitante à geração e consumo de tráfego e finalmente, um modelo de sequestro de carbono com o objetivo de compensar as emissões produzidas por esse tipo de redes que se prevê ser massiva, almejando atingir a neutralidade carbónica. Como resultado deste trabalho, foram feitas e demonstradas várias contribuições, através de modelos ou metodologias, representando em cada área de investigação melhorias e otimizações, que, todas contribuindo para o mesmo objetivo, tiveram em consideração a retro compatibilidade e aplicabilidade ao que se prevê que sejam as futuras redes pós 5G. Focando sempre na perspetiva do subscritor da melhor experiência possível, mas também no lado do operador de serviço móvel – que pretende otimizar as suas redes, reduzir custos e maximizar o nível de qualidade de serviço prestado - as diferentes abordagens que foram desenvolvidas ou propostas, tiveram como resultado a resolução ou otimização dos diferentes problemas identificados, contribuindo de forma agregada para a melhoria do sistema no seu todo, respondendo à questão principal de como otimizar ainda mais uma rede desenvolvida para ser extremamente eficiente, tornando-a, simultaneamente, neutra em termos de emissões de carbono. Das principais contribuições deste trabalho relevam-se precisamente o modelo de compensação das emissões de CO2, com vista à neutralidade carbónica e um modelo de análise comportamental dos subscritores, dois temas ainda pouco explorados e extremamente importantes em contexto de redes futuras pós-5G