5G network slicing using SDN and NFV: A survey of taxonomy, architectures and future challenges

The immense increase in multimedia-on-demand traffic that refers to audio, video, and images, has drastically shifted the vision of the Internet of Things (IoT) from scalar to Multimedia Internet of Things (M-IoT). IoT devices are constrained in terms of energy, computing, size, and storage memory. Delay-sensitive and bandwidth-hungry multimedia applications over constrained IoT networks require revision of IoT architecture for M-IoT. This paper provides a comprehensive survey of M-IoT with an emphasis on architecture, protocols, and applications. This article starts by providing a horizontal overview of the IoT. Then, we discuss the issues considering the characteristics of multimedia and provide a summary of related M-IoT architectures. Various multimedia applications supported by IoT are surveyed, and numerous use cases related to road traffic management, security, industry, and health are illustrated to show how different M-IoT applications are revolutionizing human life. We explore the importance of Quality-of-Experience (QoE) and Quality-of-Service (QoS) for multimedia transmission over IoT. Moreover, we explore the limitations of IoT for multimedia computing and present the relationship between the M-IoT and emerging technologies including event processing, feature extraction, cloud computing, Fog/Edge computing and Software-Defined-Networks (SDNs). We also present the need for better routing and Physical-Medium Access Control (PHY-MAC) protocols for M-IoT. Finally, we present a detailed discussion on the open research issues and several potential research areas related to emerging multimedia communication in IoT.

/pdf/multimedia-internet-of-things-a-comprehensive-survey-2fjhk0x8a8.pdf

Multimedia Internet of Things: A Comprehensive Survey

The highly demanding Over-The-Top (OTT) multimedia applications pose increased challenges to Internet Service Providers (ISPs) for assuring a reasonable Quality of Experience (QoE) to their customers due to lack of flexibility, agility and scalability in traditional networks. The future networks are shifting towards the cloudification of the network resources via Software Defined Networks (SDN) and Network Function Virtualization (NFV). This will equip ISPs with cutting-edge technologies to provide service customization during service delivery and offer QoE which meets customers’ needs via intelligent QoE control and management approaches. Towards this end, we provide in this paper a tutorial and a comprehensive survey of QoE management solutions in current and future networks. We start with a high-level description of QoE management for multimedia services, which integrates QoE modelling, monitoring, and optimization. This followed by a discussion of HTTP Adaptive Streaming (HAS) solutions as the dominant technique for streaming videos over the best-effort Internet. We then summarize the key elements in SDN/NFV along with an overview of ongoing research projects, standardization activities and use cases related to SDN, NFV, and other emerging applications. We provide a survey of the state-of-the-art of QoE management techniques categorized into three different groups: a) QoE-aware/driven strategies using SDN and/or NFV; b) QoE-aware/driven approaches for adaptive streaming over emerging architectures such as multi-access edge computing, cloud/fog computing, and information-centric networking; and c) extended QoE management approaches in new domains such as immersive augmented and virtual reality, mulsemedia and video gaming applications. Based on the review, we present a list of identified future QoE management challenges regarding emerging multimedia applications, network management and orchestration, network slicing and collaborative service management in softwarized networks. Finally, we provide a discussion on future research directions with a focus on emerging research areas in QoE management, such as QoE-oriented business models, QoE-based big data strategies, and scalability issues in QoE optimization.

/pdf/qoe-management-of-multimedia-streaming-services-in-future-17vxrwazos.pdf

QoE Management of Multimedia Streaming Services in Future Networks: A Tutorial and Survey

This paper presents the role of ICTs in transforming Africa’s Education Systems (AES) in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) subjects/courses. The paper highlights on a positive shift across Africa in using ICT to improve the quality of teaching and learning through activities such as intensive ICT skills training to teachers, increase in ICT equipments and applications in schools, and emergence of living labs (LLs) and innovation spaces/centres (InnoSpace). We first provide some of the challenges of integrating ICTs in education followed by a description of key past and current ICT initiatives supporting the adoption of ICTs in schools using a number of case studies in sub-Saharan Africa. We further present various ICT-based models for education, as a transformational approach towards integrating ICTs in AES. Moreover, we provide various ICT platforms deployed for education service delivery in disadvantaged African society (e.g., rural areas) including LLs and InnoSpace across the continent. Finally, we highlight our main findings and observations in terms of opportunities and future ICT for education research directions in Africa. Our aim is to provide some guidelines and ensure that Africa uniformly meet the 2030 United Nations Sustainable Development Goal number 4, which is to ensure inclusive and quality education for all and promote lifelong learning, particularly using ICTs.

https://downloads.hindawi.com/journals/edri/2019/6946809.pdf

Transforming African Education Systems in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Using ICTs: Challenges and Opportunities

We provide in this paper a tutorial and a comprehensive survey of QoE management solutions in current and future networks. We start with a high level description of QoE management for multimedia services, which integrates QoE modelling, monitoring, and optimization. This followed by a discussion of HTTP Adaptive Streaming (HAS) solutions as the dominant technique for streaming videos over the best-effort Internet. We then summarize the key elements in SDN/NFV along with an overview of ongoing research projects, standardization activities and use cases related to SDN, NFV, and other emerging applications. We provide a survey of the state-of-the-art of QoE management techniques categorized into three different groups: a) QoE-aware/driven strategies using SDN and/or NFV; b) QoE-aware/driven approaches for adaptive streaming over emerging architectures such as multi-access edge computing, cloud/fog computing, and information-centric networking; and c) extended QoE management approaches in new domains such as immersive augmented and virtual reality, mulsemedia and video gaming applications. Based on the review, we present a list of identified future QoE management challenges regarding emerging multimedia applications, network management and orchestration, network slicing and collaborative service management in softwarized networks. Finally, we provide a discussion on future research directions with a focus on emerging research areas in QoE management, such as QoE-oriented business models, QoE-based big data strategies, and scalability issues in QoE optimization.

/pdf/qoe-management-of-multimedia-streaming-services-in-future-301tgea8ob.pdf

QoE Management of Multimedia Streaming Services in Future Networks: A Tutorial and Survey.

The Electronic Journal of Information Systems in Developing Countries- EJISDC (2017) 78, 8, 1-23

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/j.1681-4835.2017.tb00576.x

The Use of Participatory Approaches in Developing ICT-Based Systems for Disseminating Agricultural Knowledge and Information for Farmers in Developing Countries: The Case of Tanzania

Information-Centric Networking (ICN) is set to replace the current internet architecture which is based on end-to-end communication between hosts. The ICN approach to the network of the future has recently been and is being explored by a number of research projects from Asia, Europe and America. This paper provides a review on three Information Centric Networking (ICN) architectures based on objects/contents naming, name resolution and data routing. The review highlights and briefly describes the naming structures, operation of name resolution and data routing processes of DONA, NetInf and PURSUIT. A summary in tabular form and a comparative study of these three architectures is also given in the paper.

/pdf/a-survey-on-naming-name-resolution-and-data-routing-in-490xpndhk7.pdf

A Survey on Naming, Name Resolution and Data Routing in Information Centric Networking (ICN)

Future networks will be accompanied by new heterogeneous requirements in terms of end-users Quality of Experience (QoE) due to the increasing number of application scenarios being deployed. Network softwarization technologies such as Software Defined Networks (SDNs) and Network Function Virtualization (NFV) promise to provide these capabilities. In this paper, a novel QoE-driven resource allocation mechanism is proposed to dynamically assign tasks to virtual network nodes in order to achieve an optimized end-to-end quality. The aim is to find the best combination of network node functions that can provide an optimized level of QoE to the end users though node cooperation. The service in question is divided in tasks and the neighbor nodes negotiate the assignment of these considering the final quality. In the paper we specifically focus on the video streaming service. We also show that the agility provided by SDN/NFV is a key factor for enhancing video quality, resource allocation and QoE management in future networks. Preliminary results based on the Mininet network emulator and the OpenDaylight controller have shown that our approach can significantly improve the quality of a transmitted video by selecting the best path with normalized QoS values.

/pdf/an-sdn-approach-for-qoe-management-of-multimedia-services-k43zg33vpw.pdf

An SDN-approach for QoE management of multimedia services using resource allocation

Orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) is a special case of multicarrier transmission which transmits a stream of data over a number of lower data rate subcarriers. OFDM splits the total transmission bandwidth into a number of orthogonal and non-overlapping subcarriers and transmit the collection of bits called symbols in parallel using these subcarriers. This paper gives a total insight of various Peak -to Average Power Reduction (PAPR) techniques and principles of OFDM systems used in wireless communications. The research paper places a focus also on OFDM behaviors and techniques like Carrier Frequency Offset (CFO) estimation that improves performance of OFDM for wireless communications. Finally, the paper provides a number of wireless communication standards and many of the applications where OFDM systems are used.

http://www.ijarcce.com/upload/2015/january/IJARCCE4G.pdf

Behavior and Techniques for Improving Performance of OFDM Systems for Wireless communications

This study was conducted purposely following various initiatives and programmes by the Government of Tanzania to incorporate ICT in education since 2007 with the National ICT policy theme "ICT for improved education". The study provides insights regarding secondary school students' skills and attitudes in effective use of information and communication technology. The study was a co-relational and cross-sectional survey biased to the quantitative approach involving students, ICT teachers and school administrators. A total of 246 students from six public secondary schools in Tanzania were involved in this study. Primary data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire. Using inferential and descriptive analyzes, results show that, secondary school students do not have enough skills on effective use of information and communication technologies. However, students have basic knowledge in different aspects of ICTs particularly Internet and various hardware and software available in Tanzania. The implications to the approach of teaching and learning of ICT subjects in secondary schools, its evaluation and assessment and future initiatives related to ICT educations and infrastructure development have impacts towards creating a well-connected society. It is therefore recommended that secondary schools should provide enough ICT tools for students' hands-on experiences. The utmost end result of integrating ICT in secondary education system will eventually be the economic engine of Tanzania by preparing her students for the knowledge based economy.

/pdf/exploring-students-skills-and-attitudes-on-effective-use-of-1nuyfxldw3.pdf

Alcardo Alex Barakabitze

Papers

The Use of Participatory Approaches in Developing ICT-Based Systems for Disseminating Agricultural Knowledge and Information for Farmers in Developing Countries: The Case of Tanzania

A Survey on Naming, Name Resolution and Data Routing in Information Centric Networking (ICN)

An SDN-approach for QoE management of multimedia services using resource allocation

Behavior and Techniques for Improving Performance of OFDM Systems for Wireless communications

Exploring Students' Skills and Attitudes on Effective Use of ICTs: Case Study of Selected Tanzanian Public Secondary Schools