Trace-based analysis and spatio-temporal modelling of human mobility considering geographic restrictions for the performance evaluation of wireless communication networks

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Nils Aschenbruck
• Subject Area: Security and Dependability, Operating-, Communication- and Distributed Systems
• Term: from 2014 to 2023
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 261371125

• Final Report Year: 2021

Final Report Abstract

Modeling of human mobility is a relevant topic in several scientific areas. In computer science, it is of high interest, e.g., due to its significant impact on performance evaluation in wireless communication networks. Thus, significant research has already been conducted in the context of mobility modeling. The steadily rising prevalence of mobile devices, e.g., smart phones and tablets, combined with the included positioning and communication technology nowadays enable the effective tracking of human trajectories. A sufficiently large data basis of such trajectories (so-called "traces") can be used for analyzing fundamental mobility characteristics. This has led to important advances in the area of human mobility models during the last years. This project’s goal was a realistic and validated modeling for human mobility based on the new trace basis. The application focus was on the performance evaluation in wireless communication networks. In this project, we considered different large data sets of human mobility. The available traces were reprocessed, refined, and analyzed. By doing so, we considered geographic restrictions (e.g., street maps like OpenStreetMap) during analysis of characteristic properties as well as modeling of mobility and signal propagation. We were able to show that self-similarity and periodicity can be found in the trace bases. However, considering geographic restrictions has a strong impact on analysis as well as modeling of these characteristics. Finally, we have provided recommendations on the level of detail to be considered when modeling mobility and signal propagation depending on the communications technology (esp. communication range).

Publications

• „On Modeling and Impact of Geographic Restrictions for Human Mobility in Opportunistic Networks“. In: Proc. of the 23rd Int. Symposium on Modeling, Analysis and Simulation of Computer and Telecommunication Systems (MASCOTS ’15). Atlanta, GA, USA, 2015, S. 178–187
  Schwamborn, Matthias & Aschenbruck, Nils
  
• „Towards an Extensive Map-oriented Trace Basis for Human Mobility Modeling“. In: Proc. of the 35th Int. Performance Computing and Communications Conference (IPCCC ’16). Las Vegas, NV, USA, 2016, S. 1–10
  Schwamborn, Matthias & Aschenbruck, Nils
  
• „On modeling and impact of geographic restrictions for human mobility in opportunistic networks“. In: Elsevier Performance Evaluation 130 (2019), S. 17–31
  Schwamborn, Matthias & Aschenbruck, Nils
  
• „Stationarity for the Small World in Motion Mobility Model“. In: Proceedings of the 22nd International ACM Conference on Modeling, Analysis and Simulation of Wireless and Mobile Systems. 2019, 13–17
  Aschenbruck, Nils; Döring, Hanna; Heiden, Christian & Schwamborn, Matthias
  
• „BonnMotion 4 – Taking Mobility Generation to the Next Level“. In: Proc. of the IEEE International Performance Computing and Communications Conference (IPCCC). 2020, S. 1–8
  Bothe, Alexander & Aschenbruck, Nils
  
• „On the Impact of Geographic Restrictions on Contact Metrics in Opportunistic Networks“. In: Proc. of the IEEE LCN Symposium on Emerging Topics in Networking. 2020, S. 131–140
  Tessmer, Alexander; Hanel, Thomas & Aschenbruck, Nils