Exploring Markov models for gate-limited service and their application to network-based services.

Our present model of distributed computing is built around network-based services. However, as yet, we do not have good analytical models for such systems. One way of analysing such systems is by using gate-limited queuing models. However, practical solutions for gate-limited models have not been readily available. This talk looks at development of a new Markov Model for gated-limited service. An approximate solution is presented by making use of the Standard Partial Batch model. The solution is then applied to a system designed for video-on-demand applications which are served over the network using pre-fetching techniques. Finally the effects of different network types as well as different network loads are also examined

Building an intelligent edge environment to provide essential services in smart cities

Smart Cities will cause major societal change because they will provide a comprehensive set of key services including seamless communication, intelligent transport systems, advanced healthcare platforms, urban and infrastructure management, and digital services for local and regional government. Thus, a new service and networking environment which will provide low latency and sustainable high bandwidth is needed to build new applications and services for smart cities. In this system services will be managed from the edge of the Internet and not from the centre as they currently are. This represents a new computing paradigm which is called the Intelligent Edge Environment. This paper looks at how to build this new ecosystem. Firstly, a new framework which comprises seven layers is unveiled, showing the functions that must be supported to realise this brave new world. New mechanisms are then introduced and a small prototype is developed to support storage in highly mobile environments. The results show that this approach could be used to build smart city digital platforms. The paper ends by discussing the development of a Distributed Operating System for smart cities

The design of a storage architecture for mobile heterogeneous devices.

Mobile computing devices such as smart PDAs and ultra-light laptops with several networking interfaces are becoming commonplace. The provision of networked data storage facilities will greatly extend their use. This paper looks at the design of a storage architecture for such devices. A two-level structure is proposed in which one component, the mobile memory cache (MMC), moves when the node is mobile. A prototype MMC was designed and evaluated. Preliminary results are presented which show that the system should be able to provide a high performance service

Supporting communication in information centric networks using the location/ID split protocol and time released caching

The vast majority of current Internet usage is data retrieval and information exchange. As a result, the focus has been shifted from the current location-based system to an Information-Centric system, where information can be cached and accessed from anywhere within the network rather than from the end hosts only. To support this functionality, data must be uniquely identified regardless of the location. Current research efforts in the area of Information-Centric Networks presume the existence of a Convergence Layer protocol that facilitates the functionalities of forwarding, while data caching takes place on a higher-plane. Therefore, this paper proposes a convergence layer protocol, based on the Location/ID Separation Protocol which uses two numbering spaces for data. Unlike other Information Centric architectures in the literature, the proposed approach introduces new procedures to deal with in-network data caching and forwarding separately

Exploring analytical models for proactive resource management in highly mobile environments

In order to provide ubiquitous communication, seamless connectivity is now required in all environments including highly mobile networks. By using vertical handover techniques it is possible to provide uninterrupted communication as connections are dynamically switched between wireless networks as users move around. However, in a highly mobile environment, traditional reactive approaches to handover are inadequate. Therefore, proactive handover techniques, in which mobile nodes attempt to determine the best time and place to handover to local networks, are actively being investigated in the context of next-generation mobile networks. Using this approach, it is possible to enhance channel allocation and resource management by using probabilistic mechanisms; because, it is possible to explicitly detect contention for resources. This paper presents a proactive approach for resource allocation in highly mobile networks and analyzed the user contention for common resources such as radio channels in highly mobile wireless networks. The proposed approach uses an analytical modelling approach to model the contention and results are obtained showing enhanced system performance. Based on these results an operational space has been explored and are shown to be useful for emerging future networks such as 5G by allowing base stations to calculate the probability of contention based on the demand for network resources. This study indicates that the proactive model enhances handover and resource allocation for highly mobile networks. This paper analyzed the effects of and alpha and beta, in effect, how these parameters affect the proactive resource allocation requests in the contention queue has been modelled for any given scenario from the conference paper "Exploring analytical models to maintain quality-of-service for resource management using a proactive approach in highly mobile environments"

Developing an implementation framework for the future internet using the Y-Comm architecture, SDN and NFV

The Future Internet will provide seamless connectivity via heterogeneous networks. The Y-Comm Architecture is a reference model that has been developed to build future mobile systems for heterogeneous environments. However, the emergence of Software Defined Networking and Network Functional Virtualization will allow the implementation of advanced mobile architectures such as Y-Comm to be prototyped and explored in more detail. This paper proposes an implementation model for the Y-Comm architecture based on these mechanisms. A key component is the design of the Core Endpoint which connects various peripheral wireless networks to the core network. This paper also proposes the development of a Network Management Control Protocol which allows the management routines running in the Cloud to control the underlying networking infrastructure. The system being proposed is flexible and modular and will allow current and future wireless technologies to be seamlessly integrated into the overall system

Developing a comprehensive information security framework for mHealth: a detailed analysis

It has been clearly shown that mHealth solutions, which is the use of mobile devices and other wireless technology to provide healthcare services, deliver more patient-focused healthcare, and improve the overall efficiency of healthcare systems. In addition, these solutions can potentially reduce the cost of providing healthcare in the context of the increasing demands of the aging populations in advanced economies. These solutions can also play an important part in intelligent environments, facilitating real-time data collection and input to enable various functionalities. However, there are several challenges regarding the development of mHealth solutions: the most important of these being privacy and data security. Furthermore, the use of cloud computing is becoming an option for the healthcare sector to store healthcare data; but storing data in the cloud raises serious concerns. This paper investigates how data are managed both on mHealth devices as well as in the cloud. Firstly, a detailed analysis of the entire mHealth domain is undertaken to determine domain-specific features and a taxonomy for mHealth, from which a set of security requirements are identified in order to develop a new information security framework. It then examines individual information security frameworks for mHealth devices and the cloud, noting similarities and differences. Furthermore, key mechanisms to implement the new framework are discussed and the new framework is then presented. Finally, the paper presents how the new framework could be implemented in order to develop an Advanced Digital Medical Platform

A new privacy framework for the management of chronic diseases via mHealth in a post Covid-19 world

Aim New challenges are being faced by global healthcare systems such as an increase in the elderly population, budget cuts as well as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. As pressures mount on healthcare systems to provide treatment to patients, mHealth is seen as one of the possible solutions to addressing these challenges. Given the sensitivity of health data, the rapid development of the mHealth sector raises privacy concerns. The aims of this research were to investigate privacy threats/concerns in the context of mHealth and the management of chronic diseases and to propose a novel privacy framework to address these concerns. Subject and Method The study adopted a modified version of the engineering design process. After defining the problem, information was gathered through literature reviews, and analyses of existing regulatory (privacy) frameworks and past research on privacy threats/concerns. Requirements for a new framework were then specified leading to its development and comparison with existing frameworks. Results A novel future-proof privacy framework was developed and illustrated. Using existing regulatory frameworks for privacy and privacy threats/concerns from research studies, privacy principles and their resulting requirements were identified. Further, mechanisms and associated technologies needed to implement the privacy principles/requirements into a functional prototype were also identified. A comparison of the proposed framework with existing frameworks, should that it addressed privacy threats/concerns in a more comprehensive manner. Conclusion This research makes a valuable contribution to protecting privacy in mHealth. The novel framework developed is an improvement on existing frameworks. It is also future-proof since its foundations are built on regulatory frameworks and privacy threats/concerns existing at the time of its deployment/revision

Building an Intelligent Transport Information Platform for Smart Cities

Intelligent Transportation management is a key requirement in the development of Smart Cities. This can be realised with a new technology known as Vehicular Ad hoc Networks or VANETs. VANETs allow us to integrate our transport and communication infrastructures through communication devices deployed along the roads called Roadside Units (RSUs). The RSUs talk to a device in your car called an Onboard Unit (OBU). OBUs can exchange information with RSUs as well as with each other, and because VANETs have been engineered to deliver information quickly and reliably, they can be used in a number of safety-critical areas such as collision avoidance, accident notification and disaster management. This project was about building and evaluating a prototype VANET network on the Middlesex University Hendon Campus and surrounding roads. The information from this VANET Testbed was stored and processed using a Cloud platform at Middlesex University, enabling visual and data analytics to be applied in order to provide an intelligent platform for transport management

A smart sensor grid to enhance irrigation techniques in Jordan using a novel event-based routing protocol

Due to rapid changes in climatic conditions worldwide, environmental monitoring has become one of the greatest concerns in the last few years. With the advancement in wireless sensing technology, it is now possible to monitor and track fine-grained changes in harsh outdoor environments. Wireless sensor networks (WSN) provide very high quality and accurate analysis for monitoring of both spatial and temporal data, thus providing the opportunity to monitor harsh outdoor environments. However, to deploy and maintain a WSN in such harsh environments is a great challenge for researchers and scientists. Several routing protocols exist for data dissemination and power management but they suffer from various disadvantages. In our case study, there are very limited water resources in the Middle East, hence soil moisture measurements must be taken into account to manage irrigation and аgriculturаl projects. In order to meet these challenges, a Smart Grid that supports a robust, reactive, event-based routing protocol is developed using Ad hoc On-Demand Multipath Distance Vector (AOMDV) as a starting point. A prototype WSN network of 5 nodes is built and a detailed simulation of 30 nodes is also developed to test the scalability of the new system