Efficient Data Query in Intermittently-Connected Mobile Ad Hoc Social Networks

This work addresses the problem of how to enable efficient data query in a Mobile Ad-hoc SOcial Network (MASON), formed by mobile users who share similar interests and connect with one another by exploiting Bluetooth and/or WiFi connections. The data query in MASONs faces several unique challenges including opportunistic link connectivity, autonomous computing and storage, and unknown or inaccurate data providers. Our goal is to determine an optimal transmission strategy that supports the desired query rate within a delay budget and at the same time minimizes the total communication cost. To this end, we propose a centralized optimization model that offers useful theoretic insights and develop a distributed data query protocol for practical applications. To demonstrate the feasibility and efficiency of the proposed scheme and to gain useful empirical insights, we carry out a testbed experiment by using 25 off-the-shelf Dell Streak tablets for a period of 15 days. Moreover, extensive simulations are carried out to learn the performance trend under various network settings, which are not practical to build and evaluate in laboratories.