Ubiquitous Interpersonal Communication over Ad-Hoc Networks and the Internet

The hardware and low-level software in many mobile de- vices are capable of mobile-to-mobile communication, in- cluding ad-hoc mode for 802.11, Bluetooth, and cognitive radios. We have started to leverage this capability to provide in- terpersonal communication both over infrastructure networks (the Internet), and over ad-hoc and delay-tolerant networks composed of the mobile devices themselves. This network is fully decentralized so it can function with- out any infrastructure, but takes advantage of Internet con- nections when available. Devices may communicate when- ever they are able to exchange packets. All interpersonal communication is encrypted and authenticated so packets may be carried by devices belonging to untrusted others. One challenge in a fully decentralized network is rout- ing. Our design uses Rendezvous Points (RPs) and Dis- tributed Hash Tables (DHTs) for delivery over the Internet, and hop-limited broadcast and Delay Tolerant Networking (DTN) within the ad-hoc network. Each device has a policy that determines how many pack- ets may be forwarded, and a packet prioritization mecha- nism that favors packets likely to consume fewer network resources. A goal of this design and implementation is to provide useful interpersonal communications using at most 1% of any given resource on mobile devices

A Network Testbed for Ad-Hoc Communications using Raspberry Pi and 802.11

We have built a testbed ad-hoc wireless network to evaluate the AllNet ad-hoc networking protocol. The testbed currently consists of 4 Raspberry Pi Zero W embedded systems and a linux laptop, all using 802.11/WiFi ad-hoc (IBSS) mode. The embedded systems are placed in a line such that each is only able to reliably communicate with one system before it and one system after it in line. The testbed displays phenomena that are observed in real life, including: - greater delay to reach devices that are farther away - variability in the round-trip time to each device - the current version of the AllNet protocol (AllNet~3.2) successfully prioritizes messages. In particular, trace messages, which are sent with least priority, are rarely delivered if mainstream data traffic from the AllNet network is allowed onto the testbed. - system connectivity varies over time, sometimes allowing direct links between systems that are normally unable to communicate The paper includes practical considerations of testbed deployment using the Raspberry Pi, and an analysis of the performance of the AllNet protocol that is driving improvements in the design and implementation

Mobility and Address Freedom in AllNet

Mobile devices can be addressed through a variety of means. We propose that each device select its own addresses, we motivate this choice, and we describe mechanisms for deliv- ering data using these addresses. Hierarchical point-of-attachment addresses are not effec- tive with mobile devices. The network has to maintain a global mapping between addresses and locations whether or not the address is topological. Since this mapping is needed anyway, there is not much point in having the structure of the address encode device location. Instead, we have designed a network protocol, AllNet, to support self-selected address- ing. When data is transmitted over the Internet, a Distributed Hash Table (DHT) provides a connection between senders and and receivers. The advantages of self-selected addresses include the abil- ity of devices to join and form a network without any need for prior agreement, and the ability to choose a personal, memorable address. When multiple devices choose the same address another mechanism, such as signed and encrypted messages, provides the necessary disambiguation

The role of urban living labs in a smart city

In a rapidly changing socio-technical environment cities are increasingly seen as main drivers for change. Against this backdrop, this paper studies the emerging Urban Living Lab and Smart City concepts from a project based perspective, by assessing a series of five Smart City initiatives within one local city ecosystem. A conceptual and analytical framework is used to analyse the architecture, nature and outcomes of the Smart City Ghent and the role of Urban Living Labs. The results of our analysis highlight the potential for social value creation and urban transition. However, current Smart City initiatives face the challenge of evolving from demonstrators towards real sustainable value. Furthermore, Smart Cities often have a technological deterministic, project-based approach, which forecloses a sustainable, permanent and growing future for the project outcomes. ‘City-governed’ Urban Living Labs have an interesting potential to overcome some of the identified challenges

AllNet: using Social Connections to Inform Traffic Prioritization and Resource Allocation

AllNet is a new networking protocol designed to provide communication utilizing all available means, including Internet and cellular communications, but when these are not available, also ad-hoc networking and delay-tolerant networking. These latter mechanisms are best for low-bandwidth commu- nications. Effective support of low-bandwidth networking needs message prioritization, which can benefit by knowing whether messages are being sent on behalf of someone to whom the owner of the mobile device is socially connected. By keeping track of the social network of each of the friends of the owner of the mobile device, the device can devote its resources to supporting better quality communication among people its owner cares about, and fewer resources to communication among people its owner doesn’t know. AllNet generalizes this notion by anonymously keeping track of friends, friends of friends, friends of friends of friends, and so on. Doing this while using only limited communication and storage is the challenge addressed by the AllNet social network connectivity algorithm described and evaluated in this paper

Mobility is the Message: Experiments with Mobile Media Sharing

This thesis explores new mobile media sharing applications by building, deploying, and studying their use. While we share media in many different ways both on the web and on mobile phones, there are few ways of sharing media with people physically near us. Studied were three designed and built systems: Push!Music, Columbus, and Portrait Catalog, as well as a fourth commercially available system – Foursquare. This thesis offers four contributions: First, it explores the design space of co-present media sharing of four test systems. Second, through user studies of these systems it reports on how these come to be used. Third, it explores new ways of conducting trials as the technical mobile landscape has changed. Last, we look at how the technical solutions demonstrate different lines of thinking from how similar solutions might look today. Through a Human-Computer Interaction methodology of design, build, and study, we look at systems through the eyes of embodied interaction and examine how the systems come to be in use. Using Goffman’s understanding of social order, we see how these mobile media sharing systems allow people to actively present themselves through these media. In turn, using McLuhan’s way of understanding media, we reflect on how these new systems enable a new type of medium distinct from the web centric media, and how this relates directly to mobility. While media sharing is something that takes place everywhere in western society, it is still tied to the way media is shared through computers. Although often mobile, they do not consider the mobile settings. The systems in this thesis treat mobility as an opportunity for design. It is still left to see how this mobile media sharing will come to present itself in people’s everyday life, and when it does, how we will come to understand it and how it will transform society as a medium distinct from those before. This thesis gives a glimpse at what this future will look like