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Working groups

The action maintains four working groups:

Small Worlds

Chairs: Prof. Moni Naor and Dr. Emmanuelle Lebhar

This WG focuses on mapping and modelling large complex and continuously evolving networks (e.g., Internet or the Web). The models should capture the small-world and scale-free nature of these networks. The mapping (i.e., crawling) uses specific agents for performing measures and extracting information from large dynamical networks. In addition, this WG is in charge of developing communication primitives and basic algorithms for ranking and searching large dynamic networks. A key objective of this WG is to produce data sets from both real and simulation dynamic networks, to allow validation of the small world models and algorithms. Hence, WG1 aims at providing practical measures, models, methods and algorithms to (1) deal with large, complex and continuously evolving networks, and (2) help in the design of new content network applications.

Wireless Sensor Networks

Chairs: Profs. José Rollim and Leszek Gasieniec

Sensor and ad-hoc networks represent emerging technologies in the field of wireless networks. Sensor networks connect a large number of distributed autonomous electronic sensor devices gathering data for environmental screening, security surveillance, and many other applications. While sensor networks connect automatic devices, ad-hoc networks address also personal devices like laptops, mobile phones, personal digital assistance (PDA). The key difference between ad-hoc networks and cellular networks is the fact that ad-hoc networks work without any infrastructure, like base stations. To allow significant progress in this area it is necessary to close the gap between the nearly unlimited physical and hardware possibilities and the little knowledge about the design and distributed construction methodologies of such networks. This WG concentrates its effort on the design of low-energy algorithmic solutions for: self-organisation, routing, gathering, etc. This includes not only the design of new protocols, but may require original solutions based on new addressing and labelling techniques. Although very different in nature, LEO satellite networks also fit in the WG for they are constantly moving, which implies the need of sophisticated routing and control protocols.

Peer to Peer Networks

Chairs: Profs. Shay Kutten and Marina Papatriantafilou

Peer-to-peer (P2P) applications will be the mechanism allowing people, on the long term, to harness the enormous potential of decentralised systems, yielding vastly increased computational capabilities, robustness and high scalability. The multitude of peers represent a resource of both CPU and storage capacity with scaling and resilience properties unequalled by any client-server system offered today. Research in WG3 concentrates on developing uniform architectures and platforms for powerful, scalable, fault resilient, and secure P2P systems. More broadly, this WG deals with the development, adaptation and testing of algorithms for P2P distributed systems (searching, publishing, etc.). The strengths and limits of solutions based on attractive technologies such as Distributed Hash Tables (DHT) are specifically addressed. Additional objectives of this WG are to transfer knowledge to Industry, develop better understanding, more uniform treatment and more standardised deployment of P2P systems, leading to improved, convenient and reliable utilisation of global resources. (With respect to the dynamic properties of P2P networks, this WG has close relationships with some topics considered in WG2 on wireless networks, e.g., with ad-hoc networks.)

Emerging Algorithmic Technologies

Chairs: Profs. Maria Serna and Christian Schindelhauer

In traditional theoretical computer science, the algorithm designer usually makes the assumption that the participating computational entities (agents) will follow the prescribed algorithm or will play against each other. In game theory, instead, the participating strategic agents are neither obedient nor adversarial and act in a selfish way so that, although one cannot assume that the agents will follow the prescribed algorithm, it is reasonable to assume that they will respond to incentives. Game theory is a powerful tool that is already being used to analyse network protocols and distributed algorithms: within this theory, mechanism design is a somehow inverse task, whose aim is to design algorithms (games) so that agents' selfish behaviour results in the desired system-wide goals. This WG studies the practical impact on the interacting entities involved in dynamic networks of new emerging algorithmic technologies that address incentive and computational complexity simultaneously. These technologies provide solutions that contain both an algorithmic ingredient and a ?reward? ingredient that motivates the entities involved in the algorithms (e.g., ad hoc nodes). The goals of this WG include (in collaboration with the other related WGs) developing mechanisms for routing, power assignment in radio networks, web caching, peer-to-peer file sharing, overlay networks, and distributed task allocation.