Efficient Service Provisioning in Wireless Heterogeneous Networks with Ubiquitous Computing

在物联网的普及和移动设备的普及的推动下，我们见证了各种计算密集型应用的出现，例如增强现实，自动驾驶和智慧城市。由于终端设备的能量和计算能力有限，未来的无线网络将通过整合云计算和边缘计算等各种计算设施，在适应这些应用方面发挥至关重要的作用。此外，为了满足随时随地的服务需求，网络架构将集成无人机（UAV）或高空平台（HAPs）等非地面网络，为农村或服务不足地区提供按需经济覆盖。因此，未来的无线网络将成为一个高度异构、动态和复杂的通信与计算融合的系统。为了以可伸缩、自适应和经济有效的方式支持具有多样化服务质量（QoS）需求的广泛应用程序，需要解决许多挑战。首先，系统的巨大异构性使得分析和管理变得非常复杂，例如，地面和空中基站（BSs）的各种无线链路和覆盖范围，不同的计算服务器，异构资源。二是多样化、动态化的业务请求需要得到高效的服务，这些业务请求在时延、吞吐量和安全性方面有不同的QoS要求。第三，无线网络的高动态和多维随机性给服务提供带来了巨大挑战，例如无线信道条件的时变、流量的时空波动、边缘服务器工作负载的变化以及突发用户请求。最后但并非最不重要的是，这种异构网络将产生相当大的通信和计算能耗，导致高运营费用（OPEX）。本研究计划旨在透过发展通讯与计算融合的未来无线异质网路的新网路管理解决方案，来解决基础研究的挑战。本创新研究项目将主要研究三个研究主题：1)具有QoS保障的无线异构网络中可扩展计算任务调度与资源管理；Ii)可持续和自适应的网络控制；iii)针对异构服务提供的动态网络切片和功能编排。通过优化、人工智能、随机过程、马尔可夫决策过程、博弈论等方面的应用，本研究计划将为泛在计算无线异构网络中的资源管理和服务提供提供一套新的系统解决方案和方法。它还将有助于培训无线网络和边缘计算方面的高素质人员，使他们能够为加拿大的高科技产业作出贡献。

Driven by the popularity of Internet of things and proliferation of mobile devices, we have witnessed the emergence of various computation-intensive applications, e.g., augmented reality, autonomous driving, and smart cities. Constrained by limited energy and computing capacities of end devices, future wireless networks will play a vital role in accommodating those applications by incorporating various computing facilities such as cloud computing and edge computing. In addition, to meet service demand anytime anywhere, non-terrestrial networks such as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) or high-altitude platforms (HAPs) will be integrated in the network architecture to provide on-demand cost-effective coverage in rural or underserved areas. Consequently, future wireless networks will become a highly heterogeneous, dynamic, and complex system with convergence of communication and computing. To support a wide range of applications with diversified quality of service (QoS) requirements in a scalable, adaptive, and cost-effective way, there are many challenges to be addressed. First, great heterogeneity in the system makes analysis and management very complex, e.g., various wireless links and coverage of ground and aerial base stations (BSs), distinct computing servers, and heterogeneous resources. Second, diversified and dynamic service requests with various QoS requirements in terms of latency, throughput and security, need to be served efficiently. Third, high dynamics and multi-dimensional randomness in wireless networks pose great challenges for service provisioning, e.g., time-changing wireless channel conditions, spatial-temporal fluctuation of traffic, varying workloads of edge servers, and burst user requests. Last but not least, this heterogeneous network will incur considerable energy consumption for communication and computing, resulting in high operating expenses (OPEX). This research program aims at addressing the fundamental research challenges by developing novel network management solutions in future wireless heterogonous networks with convergence of communication and computing. This innovative research program will mainly investigate three research themes: i) Scalable computational task scheduling and resource management in wireless heterogeneous networks with QoS guarantee; ii) sustainable and adaptive network control; and iii) dynamic network slicing and function orchestration for heterogeneous service provisioning. By applying optimization, artificial intelligence, stochastic processes, Markov decision process, game theory, etc., it is anticipated that this research program will develop a new set of systematic solutions and methodologies for resource management and service provisioning in wireless heterogeneous networks with ubiquitous computing. It will also contribute to the training of highly qualified personnel in wireless networks and edge computing, and enable them to contribute to the Canadian high technology industry.