Human-centric Communications in Smart Networks

Smart networks may be perceived as a further stage in the development and use of the Internet, where the distinguishing feature of the “smart Internet” is its scale. We are witnessing a dramatic change in the number of devices connected to the Internet, as the age of a single Internet-enabled device per person is transitioning into the age of the Internet of Things (IoT), where more than a dozen connected devices per person are envisioned. Some estimates range up to over 70 billion devices to be connected by the year 2020. To enable the communication of very large number of devices, which generate vast quantities of data, there is need to redefine and reshape the network capabilities and to change the ways the data is collected, processed, and analysed.

The project Human-centric Communication in Smart networks (HUTS) is a 36-month project funded by the Croatian Science Foundation that will address open questions regarding smart networks and human-centric communication in which data is both gathered from – and provided to – humans, anywhere and at any time, responding to their current needs.

Research targeted by HUTS is summarized with respect to six research areas (RAs):

  • RA1 – Optimization of resources and service configuration in the Cloud
    The planned research will create a new model and algorithms for optimization of network resources and distribution of service components in the Cloud, which target users’ demands on quality of service and limiting service cost.
  • RA2 – User behaviour and experience in networked virtual environments
    The planned research will acquire deeper understanding of data traffic patterns and user/player behaviour in networked games, and will result with an associated quality of user experience model that considers player behaviour and impact of fairness.
  • RA3 – Contactless user interaction
    The planned research will generate knowledge on the capabilities of ICT applications based on contactless user interfaces for different types of users and application domains. It will also specify the mechanisms for managing such applications.
  • RA4 – Efficient real-time processing of Big Data
    The planned research will create algorithms for modelling the dynamics of the sensed data generated in smart environments, and design elastic and autonomous approaches for realtime Big Data processing.
  • RA5 – Smart services for Internet of Connected Objects
    The planned research will devise new models of self-organized communication in ad-hoc networks, cooperation mechanisms and complex-service composition for IoT.
  • RA6 – Dynamic pricing schemes in online charging model
    The planned research will produce new dynamic pricing models and provide further understanding of the users’ willingness to pay for the smart services.

 

Project details

Project title

Human-centric Communications in Smart Networks

Acronym

HUTS

Project contract number 8065

Call

Call for Proposals “Research Projects” (Call Identifier: IP-11-2013), Croatian Science Foundation, October 1, 2013

Project duration

36 months
October 1, 2014 – September 30, 2017

Croatian Science Foundation contribution

750.000,00 HRK

Project total cost

4.577.520,00 HRK
(funding through the Ministry of Science, Education and Sports)

Project leader

Maja Matijašević