CAREER: Mobile Network Support for Collaborative Environments

University Of California-Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara CA

Investigators

Abstract

As the ubiquity and acceptance of mobile devices increases, a variety of new applications are emerging. One noticeable trend is the desire for media-rich content. The delivery of media-rich content is poised to transform computing. One specific area that will reap significant benefit from this new content is on-line collaboration. The focus of this work is the mobile network support of collaboration services for on-line collaborations, and the target application is a Collaborative Learning Environment. The requirements for this environment include the integrated use of real-time multimedia streaming, stored media streaming and voice streams, as well as automatic detection of services embedded in the environment. To support the collaborative environment, the following challenges are being addressed: (i) the design and analysis of network support for advanced media that is optimized for the characteristics of mobile wireless environments; (ii) the specification of mechanisms for resource monitoring and proactive networking, whereby the optimal service quality can be delivered to users based on the network and end device resources; and (iii) the development of automatic detection and provisioning of services, such that mobile users can discover and utilize services near their current location, as well as offer services to other mobile users. This work will result in the development of techniques for supporting collaboration services within mobile networks. Numerous applications, such as disaster control, administration, education, and public safety are likely to benefit. An immediate impact of this work is the education of undergraduate and graduate students through participation in this research.