CIF: Small: Status Updating Systems and Networks

日益无处不在的网络连接已经产生了应用程序，在这些应用程序中，信源向感兴趣的接收者发送其状态的实时更新。例如，来自附近汽车的位置、速度和加速度更新有助于智能交通系统中的安全操作；森林温度和湿度更新可以帮助更好地预测和控制森林火灾；从人体收集的状态报告可以及时检测身体疾病。尽管网络资源有限，但这些应用程序需要尽可能及时地更新状态。该项目探索新的及时性衡量标准，作为评估和设计状态更新系统的基础。该项目从适用于一大类系统的时间平均状态-年龄度量开始，分析由源、服务设施和监视器组成的排队论系统抽象。虽然最初的结论是基于队列理论的抽象，比现实世界的抽象要简单，但由此产生的见解是理解和设计支持实时状态更新的系统的有用起点。在此基础上，本项目的目标包括：(1)设计和评估(1)用于相互竞争的状态更新器的简单网络的分布式资源共享算法；(2)用于共享随机接入信道的状态更新无线传感器的多址协议；(3)用于网络中运行的状态更新系统的在线优化的随机逼近算法。更好地理解状态更新的分析基本原理，将有助于开发和最终部署高效和及时的状态更新系统。

Increasingly ubiquitous network connectivity has engendered applications in which sources send real-time updates of their status to interested recipients. Examples include position, velocity and acceleration updates from nearby cars that facilitate safe maneuvers in an intelligent transportation system; forest temperature and humidity updates that can help better predict and control forest fires; and status reports gathered from the human body that enable timely detection of bodily ailments. These applications need status updates to be as timely as possible despite limited network resources. This project explores new timeliness metrics as a basis for the evaluation and design of status update systems. Starting from a time-average status-age measure that applies to a broad class of systems, this project analyzes queue-theoretic system abstractions consisting of a source, service facility and monitor. While initial conclusions have been based on queue-theoretic abstractions that are simpler than their real-world counterparts, the resulting insights are a useful starting point in understanding and designing systems that support real-time status updates. On this basis, the project goals include the design and evaluation of (1) distributed resource sharing algorithms for simple networks of competing status updaters, (2) multiple access protocols for status-updating wireless sensors sharing a random access channel, and (3) stochastic approximation algorithms for online optimization of status update systems operating in networks. An improved understanding of the analytic fundamentals of status updating will contribute to the development and ultimate deployment of efficient and timely status updating systems.