Service provider

About: Service provider is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 55107 publications have been published within this topic receiving 894381 citations. The topic is also known as: external service provider & internal service provider.

Market-oriented Grids and Utility Computing: The State-of-the-art and Future Directions

Abstract: Traditional resource management techniques (resource allocation, admission control and scheduling) have been found to be inadequate for many shared Grid and distributed systems, that consist of autonomous and dynamic distributed resources contributed by multiple organisations. They provide no incentive for users to request resources judiciously and appropriately, and do not accurately capture the true value, importance and deadline (the utility) of a user’s job. Furthermore, they provide no compensation for resource providers to contribute their computing resources to shared Grids, as traditional approaches have a user-centric focus on maximising throughput and minimising waiting time rather than maximising a providers own benefit. Consequently, researchers and practitioners have been examining the appropriateness of ‘market-inspired’ resource management techniques to address these limitations. Such techniques aim to smooth out access patterns and reduce the chance of transient overload, by providing a framework for users to be truthful about their resource requirements and job deadlines, and offering incentives for service providers to prioritise urgent, high utility jobs over low utility jobs. We examine the recent innovations in these systems (from 2000–2007), looking at the state-of-the-art in price setting and negotiation, Grid economy management and utility-driven scheduling and resource allocation, and identify the advantages and limitations of these systems. We then look to the future of these systems, examining the emerging ‘Catallaxy’ market paradigm. Finally we consider the future directions that need to be pursued to address the limitations of the current generation of market oriented Grids and Utility Computing systems.

Privacy-aware location sensor networks

Abstract: Advances in sensor networking and location tracking technology enable location-based applications but they also create significant privacy risks. Privacy is typically addressed through privacy policies, which inform the user about a service provider's data handling practices and serve as the basis for the user's decision to release data. However, privacy policies require user interaction and offer little protection from malicious service providers. This paper addresses privacy through a distributed anonymity algorithm that is applied in a sensor network, before service providers gain access to the data. These mechanisms can provide a high degree of privacy, save service users from dealing with service providers' privacy policies, and reduce the service providers' requirements for safeguarding private information.

Socio-economic impact of mobile phones on Indian agriculture

Abstract: Deficits in physical infrastructure, problems with availability of agricultural inputs and poor access to agriculture-related information are the major constraints on the growth of agricultural productivity in India. The more rapid growth of mobile telephony as compared to fixed line telephony and the recent introduction of mobile-enabled information services provide a means to overcome existing information asymmetry. It also helps, at least partially, to bridge the gap between the availability and delivery of agricultural inputs and agriculture infrastructure. This paper investigates a series of questions that explore this topic: What kind of information do farmers value the most to improve agricultural productivity? Do mobile phones and mobile-enabled agricultural services have an impact on agriculture? What are the factors that impede the realisation of the full productivity enhancing potential of mobile phones? The answers to these questions have important implications for mobile operators, for information service providers, and for policymakers. The quality of information, its timeliness and trustworthiness are the three important features that have to be ensured to enable farmers to use it effectively to improve productivity. The study found evidence that mobiles are being used in ways which contribute to productivity enhancement. However, to leverage the full potential of information dissemination enabled by mobile telephony will require significant improvements in supporting infrastructure and capacity building amongst farmers to enable them to use the information they access effectively. As mobile penetration continues to increase among farming communities and information services continue to adapt and proliferate, the scope exists for a much greater rural productivity impact in the future. Image: Shreyans Bhansali / flickr

Method and system for providing a billing directed communication service

Abstract: A method and system for providing a billing directed communication service that allows the originating party to provide billing instructions on a per-communication basis. An originating party initiates a billing directed communication transmitting a unitary request in a predefined format. Initiating a billing directed communication does not require the originating party to engage in an interactive communication set-up procedure. The billing directed communication service may be applied to a particular telephone line 14a or cellular mobile radiotelephone (CMR) 16e so that any originating party knowing the appropriate unitary request format may use the service. Such a billing directed communication service may be accessed only by originating a communication using a telephone line 14a or CMR 16e to which the service has been applied. Alternatively, the billing directed communication service may be applied to a particular billing code such as a billing code associated with a particular terminating station. In this case, a billing directed communication service may be accessed from any originating station 16. The billing directed communication service may also be applied to a particular mobile telephone switching office (MTSO) 50 operated by a cellular mobile communication service provider. In this case, the accounting and billing resources of a land-based telecommunications system 11 provide accounting and billing services for a cellular mobile communication service provider.