Data sharing in opportunistic network through social participation

Opportunistic networking is a new communication paradigm. Data sharing in opportunistic networks is challenging due to intermittent connectivity, short connection durations and a highly dynamic topology. Research is needed to develop new applications and protocols that can share data in opportunistic networks. This project explores and evaluates approaches to developing mobile P2P systems for data sharing, focusing mainly on the problem of modelling device contacts. Contact duration and patterns of connections influence routing and forwarding strategies. To model device contacts, the characteristics of the network need to be captured and be able to model its behaviour. A graph of inter-device relationships can be constructed using parameters are extracted from connectivity traces collected in the field using real devices. These traces represent how connectivity might look in an opportunistic network. Altering and fine tuning these parameters enables us to change the stochastic behaviour of the network and study the behaviour of applications and protocols. Through experiment and analysis, a design is developed to share data efficiently in opportunistic networks