Collaborative Research: Applying Behavioral-Ecological Network Models to Enhance Distributed Spectrum Access in Cognitive Radio

Cuny John Jay College Of Criminal Justice, New York NY

Investigators

Abstract

The scientists identify fair resource sharing methods as a critical concern in the design of smart radio networks. The researchers note that fair sharing of resources is of fundamental importance in human communities, and propose to apply social network methods to the design of dynamic spectrum access systems. By applying the experience from a mature field, they plan to solve some of the more complex issues related to spectrum sharing in a constantly changing technical environment. In drawing the connection from the problem of resource-sharing in Cognitive Radio (CR), to models of solutions found within human/animal societies, the proposed research evaluates the extent to which our models of patterns of co-use in biological systems can be profitably leveraged within the context of distributed uncoordinated CR societies to enable individuals and groups to maximize their utility. Of particular relevance to this endeavor is recent ethnographic research on foraging networks of indigenous peoples and human foragers, which has found social relations to be a critical context in which natural selection acts on resource use and co-use behaviors. These findings concerning human behavior lie at the forefront of anthropology, revealing the tensions between sharing networks and optimal strategies and altering our understanding of past human social evolution, and by extension, our vision of the future evolution of artificial CR societies.