Efficient Service Provisioning in Wireless Heterogeneous Networks with Ubiquitous Computing

在物联网的普及和移动的设备激增的推动下，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。受限于终端设备有限的能量和计算能力，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，网络架构中将集成无人机（UAV）或高空平台（HAP）等非地面网络，以便在农村或服务不足的地区提供按需的成本效益覆盖。因此，未来的无线网络将成为一个高度异构的，动态的，复杂的系统与通信和计算的融合。 为了以可扩展、自适应和经济高效的方式支持具有多样化服务质量（QoS）要求的广泛应用，存在许多需要解决的挑战。首先，系统中的巨大异质性使得分析和管理非常复杂，例如，地面和空中基站（BS）的各种无线链路和覆盖、不同的计算服务器以及异构资源。第二，多样化和动态的服务请求与各种QoS要求的延迟，吞吐量和安全性，需要得到有效的服务。第三，无线网络中的高动态性和多维随机性对服务提供提出了巨大挑战，时变无线信道条件、业务的时空波动、边缘服务器的变化工作负载以及突发用户请求。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）。 该研究计划旨在通过开发新的网络管理解决方案，在未来的无线异构网络与通信和计算的融合，解决基础研究的挑战。该创新研究计划将主要研究三个研究主题：i）具有QoS保证的无线异构网络中的可扩展计算任务调度和资源管理; ii）可持续和自适应网络控制; iii）用于异构服务提供的动态网络切片和功能编排。通过应用最优化、人工智能、随机过程、马尔可夫决策过程、博弈论等，预计这项研究计划将开发一套新的系统解决方案和方法，用于在具有普适计算的无线异构网络中进行资源管理和服务提供。它还将有助于培训无线网络和边缘计算方面的高素质人才，使他们能够为加拿大高科技产业做出贡献。

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.