Sustainable data storage solutions: embracing the cloud and big data

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Data storage (DS) is one of the basic foundations on which digital information systems thrive. With the ever-increasing popularity of cloud-based systems and high-capacity mobile units, there is critical need for sustainable storage solutions. Current DS systems will not be able to handle the rate at which data is being created. Every day, we create in the order of 2.5 quintillion (1 followed by 18 zeros) bytes of data. Astonishingly, almost 90% of the data in the world today has been created just in the last two years alone. This indicates an exponential growth and will be unsustainable unless disruptive data storage solutions are found. This data comes from everywhere: social media posts, pictures and videos, ebooks, digital music, sensors for climate data, financial transaction records, and cell phone GPS and connection information to name a few. This is what we refer to as big data.***This research program takes on two distinct challenges: 1) designing efficient DS solutions, and, 2) inventing capacity-achieving codes to write on flash memories. Together, these two areas provide a complete picture for the next generation of cloud storage where users/nodes store information locally on flash drives with improved capacity and longevity. Globally, a highly sophisticated network storage protocol provides a distributed information repository which is expected to be reliable, efficient, scalable, low-latency, cost-effective, and secure. ***Prof. Yousefi's group at the Signal Design and Analysis Laboratory (SDAL) at Queen's University is a world leader in the design of graph codes and network protocols. Previous findings in the areas of distributed network and rateless coding will be leveraged to achieve our goals in the distributed storage studies of this proposal. Code design for flash memory will also benefit largely from our previous work and inventions in algebraic and random coding. ***The outcome of this research will have far-reaching implications for millions of users in Canada and around the globe as we transform the way today's big data is stored and shared. Our research will conserve natural resources and energy by reducing the number of storage units needed and prolonging the lifespan of many electronic devices requiring data storage. This will have a profound effect on our environment by reducing pollution. The results provide technological advantages and highly qualified personnel (HQP) for a sector of the Canadian economy with $155 billion in revenues. This sector is one of the largest performers of private sector R&D with a Canadian GDP contribution of $67.2 billion and employs a knowledge-intensive workforce. The HQP will be highly trained in technical entrepreneurship, research and development, presentation and technical writing. **