Andrea Bragagnini

Offloading cellular networks with Information-Centric Networking: The case of video streaming

In this paper we present a cooperative video streaming application running on top of an “Information Centric Network” (ICN). The application could be used on mobile devices to offload the cellular radio interface. We demonstrate our application in a test-bed exploiting the CCNx software implementation of an ICN, the VideoLan tool and the Apple HTTP Live Streaming format.

Road Side Unit coverage extension for data dissemination in VANETs

Data dissemination is a key component of Infotainment and safety services in Vehicular Ad Hoc Networks. For infotainment services data dissemination starts from a Road Side Unit (RSU) and propagates to a multiplicity of On Board Units (OBU). A RSU typically can reach with a single hop only a fraction of the interested vehicles. Multi-hop, inter-vehicle communications is necessary to reach vehicles in the whole area that could be interested in the service. For an efficient data dissemination both the number of forwarding vehicles and the number of not covered ones shall be kept down. In this work we study the extension of the RSU coverage area via a simple data dissemination defined for urban scenarios. The proposed forwarding algorithm relies only on information local to the forwarding OBU. We show that in our case studies representing urban structures the protocol guarantees a good RSU coverage extension (in the order of 20 times the transmission area of the RSU) with a very low percentage of vehicles not reached by the disseminated data.

Towards fully IP-enabled IEEE 802.15.4 LR-WPANs

This extended abstract describes a poster and a proposal for demonstration. Its focus is on low rate wireless personal area networks (LR-WPANs) which use IEEE 802.15.4 physical and MAC layers at the lower layers of the protocol stack. More precisely, goal of this extended abstract is to present a real test-bed, whose main goal is to demonstrate how IEEE 802.15.4 LR-WPANs can fully inter-operate with IP networks. To this end, the protocol stack implemented at each IEEE 802.15.4 node includes the so said LoWPAN adaptation layer, which has been defined by the IETF 6LoWPAN working group. Moreover, we will present a possible practical solution for the problem of how to realize a gateway between the IEEE 802.15.4 LR-WPANs and the IP networks.

Analysing the Diffusion of a Mobile Service Supporting the E-grocery Supply Chain

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to propose a systemic methodology to assess the potential of and facilitate policies for the diffusion of a smartphone based service enabling supply chain (SC) operations in the e-grocery sector. Design/methodology/approach – A System Dynamics (SD) model combining the Bass paradigm for innovation diffusion and an inventory management framework is developed. Semi-structured interviews are conducted to understand the industry business processes; a simple SD model is designed to capture the most important variables together with the relationships among them; a detailed SD model is calibrated and simulation outcomes are analysed. Findings – The efficiency and reliability of the service drive its diffusion among producers and consumers, who in turn persuade retailers to adopt. The assessment methodology can be part of feasibility studies and marketing investigations in order to understand the impact of e-commerce tools on SC processes. Research limitations/implications – ...

On the IP support in IEEE 802.15.4 LR-WPANs: Self-configuring solutions for real application scenarios

Due to the lack of IP support, the ZigBee protocol stack for IEEE 802.15.4 low rate wireless personal area networks (LR-WPANs) is the perfect solution for closed, ad-hoc environments. However, we can envisage also open and interconnected application scenarios, such as the Internet of Things or the integration of ZigBee/IEEE 802.15.4 nodes in mobile/smart phones, that would greatly benefit from the IP support. The LoWPAN adaptation layer proposed by the 6LoWPAN IETF working group to enable the transmission/reception of IPv6 data in IEEE 802.15.4 networks may be regarded as the first step towards the direction of IP direct support into IEEE 802.15.4 nodes. However, a fully fledged solution to be used in the scenarios outlined above still lacks the following functionality: i) self-configuring address assignment mechanism; ii) multi-hop routing protocol; iii) support of Internet-compliant transport protocols; iv) self-configuring network and service discovery. It may seem trivial to provide such functionality in an IP world, as off the shelf solutions could be adopted; however, this is not an easy task, given the very limited hardware capabilities of IEEE 802.15.4 devices. In this paper we define a complete protocol architecture and specific self-configuring mechanisms to support the aforementioned functionality over IEEE 802.15.4 devices, taking into account their hardware constraints. We also present an implemented test-bed which demonstrates the functionality of the proposed solution in a real application scenario. 1.

Co-simulation framework for the Angel platform

The development of complex applications based on a large and heterogeneous set of networked embedded systems (NES) requires the availability of tools and methodologies for their simulation. In the past, a considerable research effort has been done to create specific tools for each design domain - software, hardware and network- but many issues have still to be addressed for their combined use in complex scenarios. This paper presents the co-simulation framework developed for the ANGEL platform. Advanced co-simulation techniques will be described together with their impact not only on validation but also on demonstration of project results.

Campus++: A publish-subscribe architecture for intermittently connected 802.15.4 networks

The aim of this extended abstract is to present Campus++, a location-based publish-subscribe system for intermittently connected delay tolerant networks, exploiting IEEE 802.15.4 devices, and taking into due account the severe constraints deriving from their physical characteristics. We describe our proposed architectural model and how we implemented our solution in a real test-bed. We point out that our system can be easily adapted to operate in a fully distributed, infrastructure-less way, allowing free communications e.g. in disaster areas or in areas in which ”usual” communications means are either non existent or intentionally made unavailable.