Wireless Networks and Systems for Developing Regions (WiNS-DR)
Workshop to be held in conjunction with ACM MobiCom 2008
September 19, 2008
http://moment.cs.ucsb.edu/winsdr08
****** Call for Papers ******
Information and communication technologies have been widely hailed as
an important component in the advancement of the rural and underserved
regions of the developing world. While technology alone cannot be a
panacea for the diverse and myriad challenges in these regions, there
is increasing evidence that communications technologies and access to
information, far from being a luxury, can have direct and vital
benefits to the economic and social well-being of the population in
these regions. In particular, studies indicate that access to
communication and information can contribute to specific measures such
as increased GDP and living standards. Moreover, anecdotal evidence
as well as pilot projects indicates that such access can lead to
specific benefits, such as new economic opportunities and better
medical information and intervention.
This workshop focuses on the technology required to provide
communications and information access to rural regions in the
developing world, and in particular technical aspects of wireless
networking, systems and communication. This target environment poses
unique system-wide challenges that require the development of new
research approaches and innovative designs and techniques. These
challenges include infrastructure issues, such as power and
connectivity limitations, as well as particular user needs, including
cost, literacy and language issues. Thus in addition to considering
the specifics of networking protocols and architectures, the aim of
the workshop is to consider the entire system by which networking and
communication is provided, all the key technical stakeholders, and the
overall system lifecycle from economic modeling to deployment.
AUDIENCE: The workshop aims to bring together a diverse group of
technical researchers, including:
- network planners and economists,
- user experience researchers,
- network architecture and protocol specialists,
- networked application and middleware developers.
We believe it is this comprehensive approach that will lead to
breakthroughs in understanding the key challenges and research
required to build practical, deployable, innovative systems.
TOPICS: We solicit original, unpublished, technical papers in the
relevant areas of interest including, but not limited to:
- Economics of rural access networks, including case studies, tools and models
- Rural network planning and spectrum management protocols and techniques
- User experience research, including impact of language and literacy
barriers on networked applications
- Shared access devices and infrastructure, including personalization
and privacy concerns
- Delay tolerant networking
- Low-power and intermittent-power protocols
- Energy-efficient and intermittent-energy devices, networks and systems
- Mechanisms for emergency and urgent communications
- Middleware and mechanisms for minimizing energy, latency and storage
- Networked applications and services
- Testing, deployment and evolution: techniques and in-depth case studies
SUBMISSIONS: All papers will be peer-reviewed by a multidisciplinary
program committee of technical experts. Submissions are limited to 6
pages in length, with a minimum 10pt font and 1 inch margins,
including all references and figures. Submissions will be handled by
the EDAS system.
IMPORTANT DATES
May 8: Abstract registration deadline
May 12: Submission deadline
June 15: Acceptance notification
July 1: Camera ready versions due
Sept 19: Workshop date
CONFERENCE ORGANIZERS
General Chair: Charles Perkins
TPC Co-Chairs: Elizabeth Belding, UC Santa Barbara
Ravi Jain, Google
TECHNICAL PROGRAM COMMITTEE
Daniel Appelquist, Vodafone, UK
Ken Banks, Kiwanja.net, Uganda
Ian Chakeres, Motorola Labs, India
Jon Crowcroft, Univ of Cambridge, UK
Nathan Eagle, MIT and Univ of Nairobi, Kenya
Prasant Mohapatra, UC Davis, USA
Giovanni Pau, UC Los Angeles, USA
Tapan Parikh, UC Berkeley, USA
Bhaskaran Raman, IIT Bombay, India
Kobus Roux, Meraka Institute, South Africa
Charles Warren, Google, USA
Richard Wolff, Montana State University, USA
(further invitations pending)
