MRI-R2: Development of a User-Centered Network Measurement Platform

Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester MA

Investigators

Abstract

"This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5)." Proposal #: 09-59441 PI(s): Wills, Craig Claypool, Mark L.; Doyle, James K.; Ward, Mathew O. Institution: Worcester Polytechnic Institute Title: MRI/Acq.: Dev. of a User-Centered Network Measurement Platform Project Proposed: This project, developing a network measurement approach centered on where users live and on their specific interactions with the Internet, supports a wide range of research projects. The instrumentation provides a means to test applicable techniques from research projects on a large scale through vetted experiments and will be accessible to all users via two integrated measurement approaches that - Execute within the protected sandbox of a user Web browser to provide low impediments encouraging broad user participation while still yielding useful Internet data. - Perform more extensive application-oriented performance tests from a user's machine and is not constrained by the sandbox. The former makes use of entertainment applications in the form of games and videos to help engage users and increase participation. The application-oriented nature of the latter tests yields performance data that can be uploaded for sharing among network researchers while providing feedback to users on network applications of interest. This feedback serves as an incentive for user participation. Thus, the platform provides information about the network applications that interest home users and conditions in which these applications operate. Researchers can use the platform tests from their own measurement points (MPs) and then calibrate the characteristics of their MPs with others. The entertainment orientation of the sandboxed platform serves provides an environment to decide how best to employ the use of videos and games for measurement. The open research area offers a training opportunity for students. Broader Impacts: This project promotes teaching and training through integration with systems courses and the Interactive Media and Games Development (IMGD) program. The work also aims to broaden participation in science and engineering by underrepresented groups through IMGD. Moreover, the available data sets are likely to provide a foundation for scientific discovery.