Collaborative Research: CCRI: New: RFDataFactory: Principled Dataset Generation, Sharing and Maintenance Tools for the Wireless Community

应用机器学习(ML)在无线领域的研究面临挑战，因为领域专家无法轻松访问现有的精心策划、结构良好和开放访问的数据集。此外，缺乏对软件框架的直接访问，该软件框架根据详细的用户需求自动创建和分发数据集。RFDataFactory是一个合作项目，将东北大学和莱斯大学的研究人员聚集在一起，以弥合这一差距。RFDataFactory旨在提供适用于5G及更远网络中与ML相关的研究的分类数据集，并推进访问、创建、共享和存储无线数据集的基础理解和设计工具。RFDataFactory将通过高级指令和应用编程接口实现从物理层到分组级别数据集的轻松收集和预处理。这将支持几个由NSF资助的实验平台的数据集生成，例如Colosseum仿真器和NSF高级无线研究平台。该项目将显著推进对射频频谱活动的自主统计分析，这将减少数据存储需求。此外，它还将创建用于删除设备识别信息的预处理工具，并促进生成符合标准的元数据头。RFDataFactory将加快机器学习和无线领域交叉领域的跨学科研究，并在不同社区之间架起桥梁，培训新一代无线数据集创建和共享方面的专业人员。该项目将寻求让代表性不足的学生参与研究和学习活动，支持年度数据集收集挑战，通过实践教程和实验室会议更新高级课程材料。通过有针对性的高中推广，该项目将提高下一代研究人员的认识和兴奋。该项目还将为国家科学基金会已经进行的其他大规模基础设施投资创造价值。项目网站，https://www.rfdatafactory.com/，将包括该项目的所有数据集、元数据文件、软件应用程序编程接口、教程材料、网络研讨会录音和其他数字成果，这些成果将保留3年，在项目完成后可通过项目网站访问。该奖项反映了国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Applied machine learning (ML) research in wireless faces challenges due the inability of domain experts to easily access existing well-curated, well-structured, and open-access datasets. Furthermore, there is a lack of direct access to a software framework that automates dataset creation and distribution based on detailed user requirements. RFDataFactory is a collaborative project that brings together investigators from Northeastern University and Rice University to bridge this gap. RFDataFactory aims to make available categorized datasets suitable for research related to ML in 5G and beyond networks, and advance fundamental understanding and design tools for accessing, creating, sharing and storing wireless datasets.RFDataFactory will enable easy collection and preprocessing of physical layer to packet-level datasets through high-level directives and application programming interfaces. This will enable dataset generation for several NSF-funded experimentation platforms, such as the Colosseum emulator and NSF Platforms for Advanced Wireless Research. The project will significantly advance autonomous statistical analysis of RF spectrum activity, which will reduce data storage needs. Moreover, it will create pre-processing tools for removing device identifying information and facilitate generating standards compliant metadata headers. The project will also result in a search-able, centralized repository of both project-supported and user-contributed datasets with the focus on re-usability.RFDataFactory will accelerate interdisciplinary research at the intersection of machine learning and the wireless domain, as well as bridging different communities and train a new generation of professionals for wireless dataset creation and sharing. The project will seek to involve underrepresented students in research and learning activities, support annual dataset gathering challenges, update advanced course materials with hands-on tutorials and laboratory sessions. Through targeted high-school outreach, the project will increase awareness and excitement in the next generation of researchers. The project will also generate value for other large-scale infrastructure investments already made by the NSF.Project website, https://www.rfdatafactory.com/, will include all datasets, meta-data files, software application programming interfaces, tutorial materials, webinar recordings and other digital outcomes of this project, which will be maintained for 3 years, accessible via the project website after the completion of the project.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.