Supporting Cyber-Physical Systems with Wireless Sensor Networks: An Outlook of Software and Services

Sensing, communication, computation and control technologies are the essential building blocks of a cyber-physical system (CPS). Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) are a way to support CPS as they provide fine-grained spatial-temporal sensing, communication and computation at a low premium of cost and power. In this article, we explore the fundamental concepts guiding the design and implementation of WSNs. We report the latest developments in WSN software and services for meeting existing requirements and newer demands; particularly in the areas of: operating system, simulator and emulator, programming abstraction, virtualization, IP-based communication and security, time and location, and network monitoring and management. We also reflect on the ongoing efforts in providing dependable assurances for WSN-driven CPS. Finally, we report on its applicability with a case-study on smart buildings

Transparency, Technical Aspects and Data Overview related to the Proposed Regulation on Roaming

The object of the present briefing is to analyse some of the fundamental aspects of the legal proposal by the European Commission on the subject of roaming, COM (2006)382 on 12 July 2006, which proposed to modify the regulation of mobile communications, resulting in important reductions of roaming tariffs within the Community. The briefing examines the efficiency and concrete applicability of the measures introduced by the Regulation Proposal, which created the “Mechanism of the Domestic European Market” and the envisaged requirements of transparency and information on roaming costs charged by mobile network operators (MNOs). The briefing consists of four sections, analysing the following issues: Transparency, Technical Infrastructure, Overview of Existing Data, and Feasibility of Technical Implementation

The Mobile Generation: Global Transformations at the Cellular Level

Every year we see a new dimension of the ongoing Digital Revolution, which is enabling an abundance of information to move faster, cheaper, in more intelligible forms, in more directions, and across borders of every kind. The exciting new dimension on which the Aspen Institute focused its 2006 Roundtable on Information Technology was mobility, which is making the Digital Revolution ubiquitous. As of this writing, there are over two billion wireless subscribers worldwide and that number is growing rapidly. People are constantly innovating in the use of mobile technologies to allow them to be more interconnected. Almost a half century ago, Ralph Lee Smith conjured up "The Wired Nation," foretelling a world of interactive communication to and from the home that seems commonplace in developed countries today. Now we have a "Wireless World" of communications potentially connecting two billion people to each other with interactive personal communications devices. Widespead adoption of wireless handsets, the increasing use of wireless internet, and the new, on-the-go content that characterizes the new generation of users are changing behaviors in social, political and economic spheres. The devices are easy to use, pervasive and personal. The affordable cell phone has the potential to break down the barriers of poverty and accessibility previously posed by other communications devices. An entire generation that is dependant on ubiquitous mobile technologies is changing the way it works, plays and thinks. Businesses, governments, educational institutions, religious and other organizations in turn are adapting to reach out to this mobile generation via wireless technologies -- from SMS-enabled vending machines in Finland to tech-savvy priests in India willing to conduct prayers transmitted via cell phones. Cellular devices are providing developing economies with opportunities unlike any others previously available. By opening the lines of communication, previously disenfranchised groups can have access to information relating to markets, economic opportunities, jobs, and weather to name just a few. When poor village farmers from Bangladesh can auction their crops on a craigslist-type service over the mobile phone, or government officials gain instantaneous information on contagious diseases via text message, the miracles of mobile connectivity move us from luxury to necessity. And we are only in the early stages of what the mobile electronic communications will mean for mankind. We are now "The Mobile Generation." Aspen Institute Roundtable on Information Technology. To explore the implications of these phenomena, the Aspen Institute Communications and Society Program convened 27 leaders from business, academia, government and the non-profit sector to engage in three days of dialogue on related topics. Some are experts in information and communications technologies, others are leaders in the broader society affected by these innovations. Together, they examined the profound changes ahead as a result of the convergence of wireless technologies and the Internet. In the following report of the Roundtable meeting held August 1-4, 2006, J. D. Lasica, author of Darknet and co-founder of Ourmedia.org, deftly sets up, contextualizes, and captures the dialogue on the impact of the new mobility on economic models for businesses and governments, social services, economic development, and personal identity

Socio-economic aware data forwarding in mobile sensing networks and systems

The vision for smart sustainable cities is one whereby urban sensing is core to optimising city operation which in turn improves citizen contentment. Wireless Sensor Networks are envisioned to become pervasive form of data collection and analysis for smart cities but deployment of millions of inter-connected sensors in a city can be cost-prohibitive. Given the ubiquity and ever-increasing capabilities of sensor-rich mobile devices, Wireless Sensor Networks with Mobile Phones (WSN-MP) provide a highly flexible and ready-made wireless infrastructure for future smart cities. In a WSN-MP, mobile phones not only generate the sensing data but also relay the data using cellular communication or short range opportunistic communication. The largest challenge here is the efficient transmission of potentially huge volumes of sensor data over sometimes meagre or faulty communications networks in a cost-effective way. This thesis investigates distributed data forwarding schemes in three types of WSN-MP: WSN with mobile sinks (WSN-MS), WSN with mobile relays (WSN-HR) and Mobile Phone Sensing Systems (MPSS). For these dynamic WSN-MP, realistic models are established and distributed algorithms are developed for efficient network performance including data routing and forwarding, sensing rate control and and pricing. This thesis also considered realistic urban sensing issues such as economic incentivisation and demonstrates how social network and mobility awareness improves data transmission. Through simulations and real testbed experiments, it is shown that proposed algorithms perform better than state-of-the-art schemes.Open Acces

Application of the conditioned network concept in high frequency power line carrier

The aim of the research described in this thesis was to investigate the possible use of underground Low Voltage Distribution Networks as a medium for the propagation of high frequency communication and data signals. Although the results and observations presented are based upon work carried out on a typical UK urban underground network, the same principles apply to most European underground Low Voltage Distribution Networks. The work was based around the use of frequencies greater than 1 MHz; these high frequencies provide enough bandwidth for a number of value added services to be offered in addition to the more usual Utility requirements for remote meter reading and load control. The research resulted in the development of an in-line filter element designed to limit the amount of Power Line Carrier noise egress from a distribution network whilst at the same time reducing the amount of high frequency noise entering the network. The effects of the Electricity Distribution Network on high frequency signals are discussed in some detail. All Power Line Carrier systems must be capable of operating in the presence of noise. Network topology and individual network elements have a significant effect on high frequency signals; a number of topologies are described and the effects of changes in characteristic impedance and discontinuities are discussed. The results and observations were largely obtained from a Low Voltage Electricity Distribution Network in Kendal, Cumbria. The limited availability of expensive high frequency test equipment resulted in the need to develop unique testing procedures; these are described in full. Sample results from the tests undertaken in Kendal are presented and discussed. The Conditioned Network concept is outlined and the design rules used to develop the in-line Conditioning Unit highlighted. A mathematical model for the filter element of the Conditioning Unit is developed and compared to empirical results obtained from laboratory experiments

Internet of Things and data mining: from applications to techniques and systems

The Internet of Things (IoT) is the result of the convergence of sensing, computing, and networking technologies, allowing devices of varying sizes and computational capabilities (things) to intercommunicate. This communication can be achieved locally enabling what is known as edge and fog computing, or through the well‐established Internet infrastructure, exploiting the computational resources in the cloud. The IoT paradigm enables a new breed of applications in various areas including health care, energy management and smart cities. This paper starts off with reviewing these applications and their potential benefits. Challenges facing the realization of such applications are then discussed. The sheer amount of data stemmed from devices forming the IoT requires new data mining systems and techniques that are discussed and categorized later in this paper. Finally, the paper is concluded with future research directions

EE Optimization for Downlink NOMA-based Multi-Tier CRANs

Non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) is increasingly becoming very attractive in cloud radio access networks (CRANs) to further boost the overall spectral efficiency, connectivity and, capacity of such networks. This paper addresses optimizing the energy efficiency (EE) for the downlink of a NOMA-based two tiers CRAN. The stochastic geometry represented by Poisson Point Process (PPP) distribution is used to decide the number and locations of the base stations (BSs) in each tier within the coverage area. A numerical optimal solution is obtained and compared against a proposed subgradient solution, as well as another proposed unoptimized solution based on the false positioning method. For comparison purposes, two other power allocation techniques are presented to allocate different powers to various BS categories; one allocates the power to each BS based on their relative distances to the cloud-based central station and the other is the bisection based scheme. Two simulation scenarios are presented to examine the performance of the two-tier NOMA-CRANs with NOMA is adopted as the multiple access of each tier in both cases. The first scenario considers heterogeneous CRAN (NOMA-HCRAN) case by using two different BS categories in each tier, namely, the macro-BSs and the RRHs. The second scenario considers a homogeneous CRAN (NOMA-CRAN) case by using the RRHs in both tiers but each tier has different frequency layer to prevent cross tier interference. Simulation results show the promising performance gain can be achieved with the proposed techniques relative to the existing approaches. More specifically, it was illustrated that the proposed subgradient based NOMA CRAN offers better performance than the proposed false positioning based NOMA CRAN, which is in turn better than the existing techniques, in particular, the bisection and the distance based NOMA-CRAN

Energy sustainable paradigms and methods for future mobile networks: A survey

In this survey, we discuss the role of energy in the design of future mobile networks and, in particular, we advocate and elaborate on the use of energy harvesting (EH) hardware as a means to decrease the environmental footprint of 5G technology. To take full advantage of the harvested (renewable) energy, while still meeting the quality of service required by dense 5G deployments, suitable management techniques are here reviewed, highlighting the open issues that are still to be solved to provide eco-friendly and cost-effective mobile architectures. Several solutions have recently been proposed to tackle capacity, coverage and efficiency problems, including: C-RAN, Software Defined Networking (SDN) and fog computing, among others. However, these are not explicitly tailored to increase the energy efficiency of networks featuring renewable energy sources, and have the following limitations: (i) their energy savings are in many cases still insufficient and (ii) they do not consider network elements possessing energy harvesting capabilities. In this paper, we systematically review existing energy sustainable paradigms and methods to address points (i) and (ii), discussing how these can be exploited to obtain highly efficient, energy self-sufficient and high capacity networks. Several open issues have emerged from our review, ranging from the need for accurate energy, transmission and consumption models, to the lack of accurate data traffic profiles, to the use of power transfer, energy cooperation and energy trading techniques. These challenges are here discussed along with some research directions to follow for achieving sustainable 5G systems.Comment: Accepted by Elsevier Computer Communications, 21 pages, 9 figure