Showing papers by "Yolanda Blanco-Fernández published in 2015"

Mobile data offloading in urban VANETs on top of a virtualization layer

Abstract: The growth of mobile data traffic is urging on the development of mechanisms to route cellular traffic through alternative networks. In this paper, we present an approach to do mobile data offloading from/to vehicular ad hoc networks (VANETs), grounded on a virtualization layer and a new routing protocol on top of it. The virtualization layer deals with the issues derived from the mobility of the vehicles, offering the view of a network of stationary virtual nodes. In turn, the routing protocol puts forward a new combination of topological and geographical routing, which can consistently achieve better performance than state-of-the-art approaches to VANET routing in simulations of urban scenarios with different vehicle densities.

An Efficient Combination of Topological and Geographical Routing for VANETs on Top of a Virtualization Layer

Abstract: Intersection-based geographical routing algorithms have become predominant in the realm of vehicular ad-hoc networks (VANETs), with forwarding strategies that create road-based paths a way to avoid dead ends and to prevent losses due to the presence of buildings. However, there remain problems associated to the location service that must be in place to provide accurate location data of the destination nodes. In this paper, we present a new routing algorithm called VNIBR that puts forward an efficient combination of topological and geographical routing, getting rid of the location service. This algorithm is based on a virtualization layer that allows decoupling routing logic from node identities in a radically different way. We prove by means of simulations that VNIBR consistently ensures moderate overhead and good packet delivery ratios in comparison with state-of-the-art approaches to VANET routing in urban scenarios with different vehicle densities.

SPORANGIUM: Exploiting a Virtualization Layer to Support the Concept of Sporadic Cloud Computing with Users on the Move

Abstract: In this paper we deploy Sporadic Ad-hoc Networks (SANs) over the devices of a group of always-on users who happen to be in a place. The goal is to develop tailor-made services that exploit the particular context of the users, the possible similarities among their preferences and the technological capabilities of their terminals to establish ad-hoc communications. In order to overcome the intrinsic limitations of mobile devices, we explore the new concept of Sporadic Cloud Computing (SCC) that is aimed at providing each terminal with extra resources by exploiting the capabilities of the rest of devices connected to each SAN. To abstract the complexity stemmed from the mobility scenarios, SCC works with a virtualization layer that deals with a few static virtual nodes instead of a higher number of mobile real nodes. This allows to turn our SANs into reliable and stable communication environments to promote interactions among potentially like-minded strangers.

SPORANGIUM - validating the concept of sporadic social networks in pervasive applications

Abstract: We present the SPORANGIUM platform that deploys sporadic social networks (SSNs) among people who happen to be in a common place, by establishing ad-hoc connections over their respective mobile devices. The idea is to boost interactions among strangers who might share common interests in places like museums, theatres and stadiums, taking care of multiple concurrent flows of information and enabling added-value services to efficiently manage those contents. This paper describes the simulator we have developed to validate the SSN concept in one of the application scenarios of SPORANGIUM, dealing with tourism information on behalf of the participants in a bus tour.

Delivering personalised m-commerce through cloud-based augmented reality on billboards

Abstract: We present a system that enables m-commerce interactions with billboards through augmented reality. A mobile application uploads image patterns to a recognition cloud, which asks a server to deliver mobile applications to the users, customized according to his/her device and location, and personalized according to his/her interests, preferences and needs.

Augmented reality, smart codes and cloud computing for personalized interactive advertising on billboards

Abstract: We present a system that enables m-commerce interactions with roadside billboards, featuring augmented reality enhancements over the video captured by smart mobile devices. The system comprises a mobile application that reads 2D codes placed along with the advertising imagery to recognize the ads and deliver some local interactions, plus a cloud computing environment that assembles tailor-made interactive spots presenting product offers and allowing to put orders, ask for directions, etc. Early validation experiments are reported that reveal positive reception of the concept among different end-users.

Performance analysis of a virtualization layer supporting P2P downloading of contents in VANETs

Abstract: The VaNetLayer is a cluster-based approach to handle communications in vehicular ad-hoc networks, furnishing an abstraction of fixed geographical regions served by virtual nodes as a means to tackle the challenges raised by the mobility of the real nodes. Previous studies have shown that the VaNetLayer can be used to implement routing protocols that achieve good performance —in terms of packet delivery ratio, latencies and routing overhead— in canonical scenarios involving communications between pairs of vehicles chosen at random. In this paper, we assess the performance of the VaNetLayer in more complex scenarios of peer-to-peer downloading and dissemination of contents, which has long been advocated as one of the foreseeable applications of VANETs.

CrossCult: Empowering reuse of digital cultural heritage in context-aware CrossCults of European history

Abstract: Human history is a mesh of interrelated facts that is normally presented in a simplistic way, which prevents from viewing the past as a shared, global experience. We build context-aware edutainment experiences that uncover associations among digital cultural resources to explain history in a holistic way.

Experiences in Using Semantic Technologies for Providing Added-Value Services in Digital TV

Abstract: Interactive digital TV (IDTV) has changed the traditional perception people used to have about audiovisual content consumption. The merely passive viewers are adopting active roles by interacting with the applications that are broadcast over the IDTV networks. Besides, the great amount of broadcast information (audiovisual and applications) opens new possibilities for the audience, who has a broader bouquet of content to explore. However, and overwhelmed by the filtering process, users need a service to help them to decide what to watch. At this point, we propose to apply semantic tecniques to improve the filtering tasks and so, the experiences described in this chapter have the semantic TV content recommender that we have developed, AVATAR, as base for offering new serviced to the TV audience: advertising techniques, t-learning, and adopting special solutions for the TV on the move. Keywords: IDTV; semantic recommenders; t-learning; advertising; mobility