Post-Disaster Situation Analysis and Resource Management using Delay-Tolerant Peer-to-Peer Wireless Networks

A Project Proposal

Energy efficiency in resource-constrained smart phone based DTN installed in disaster-hit region

Research Challenges

In a disaster-hit region where cellular connectivity has been hampered, a smart-phone based DTN can be installed utilizing the devices being carried by local people / rescue teams. Such devices are constrained w.r.t. resources such as energy and battery-life. Also, complex processing may be required to handle the data which usually has large heterogeneity (e.g., text, audio, images). Further, devices in such post-disaster scenario are likely to incur large communication overhead.

This situation brings out the following research challenges:

Develop aggregation / filtering techniques to reduce communication / computation overhead, and thereby save energy consumption and prolonging lifetime of network.
Design middleware to control and activate power-hungry features of devices on an as-and-when-required basis, e.g. deactivate GPS and Bluetooth of a smart-phone when stationed in a shelter point and connected with WiFi.

Relevant past project

Project investigated by Prof. Sipra DasBit - Development of optimal load balancing and location update strategies in mobile cellular environment (sponsored by AICTE).

Relevant publications

S. Halder, A. Ghosal and S. DasBit, A Pre-determined Node Deployment Strategy to Prolong Network Lifetime in Wireless Sensor Network, in Computer Communications, Elsevier Science, 34(11), pp. 1294 - 1306, 2011.

S. Halder and S. DasBit, A Lifetime Enhancing Node Deployment Strategy using Heterogeneous Nodes in WSNs for Coal Mine Monitoring, in ACM MSWiM '12, pp. 117-124, Oct 2012.