Model finds optimal fiber optic network connections 10,000 times more quickly

ScienceDaily (June 28, 2011) — Designing fiber optic networks involves finding the most efficient way to connect phones and computers that are in different places -- a costly and time-consuming process. Now researchers from North Carolina State University have developed a model that can find optimal connections 10,000 times more quickly, using less computing power to solve the problem.

"Problems that used to take days to solve can now be solved in just a few seconds," says Dr. George Rouskas, computer science professor at NC State and author of a paper describing the new method. The model could solve problems more than 10,000 times faster when data is routed through larger "rings," in the network, Rouskas says.

Every time you make a phone call or visit a website, you send and receive data in the form of wavelengths of light through a network of fiber optic cables. These data are often routed through rings that ensure the information gets where it needs to go. These ring networks are faced with the constant challenge of ensuring that their system design can meet user requirements efficiently. As a result, ring network designers try to determine the best fiber optic cable route for transmitting user data between two points, as well as which wavelength of light to use. Most commercial fiber optics handle approximately 100 different wavelengths of light.

Solving these design challenges is difficult and time-consuming. Using existing techniques, finding the optimal solution for a ring can take days, even for smaller rings. And a ring's connections are modified on an ongoing basis, to respond to changing use patterns and constantly increasing traffic demands.

But the new model developed by Rouskas and his team should speed things up considerably. Specifically, the researchers have designed a mathematical model that identifies the exact optimal routes and wavelengths for ring network designers. The model creates a large graph of all the paths in a ring, and where those paths overlap. The model then breaks that graph into smaller units, with each unit consisting of the paths in a ring that do not overlap. Because these paths do not overlap, they can use the same wavelengths of light. Paths that overlap cannot use the same wavelengths of light -- because two things cannot occupy the same space at the same time.

By breaking all of the potential paths down into these smaller groups, the model is able to identify the optimal path and wavelength between two points much more efficiently than previous techniques.

"This will significantly shorten the cycle of feedback and re-design for existing rings," Rouskas says. "It also means that the ring design work can be done using fewer computer resources, which makes it less expensive. This should allow network providers to be more responsive to user demands than ever before."

The paper, "Fast Exact ILP Decompositions for Ring RWA," is published in the July issue of the Journal of Optical Communications and Networking. The paper was co-authored by Dr. Emre Yetginer, a former postdoctoral researcher at NC State now at Tubitak UEKAE, and NC State Ph.D. student Zeyu Liu.

NC State's Department of Computer Science is part of the university's College of Engineering.

Story Source:

The above story is reprinted (with editorial adaptations by ScienceDaily staff) from materials provided by North Carolina State University.

Journal Reference:

Emre Yetginer, Zeyu Liu, George N. Rouskas. Fast Exact ILP Decompositions for Ring RWA. Journal of Optical Communications and Networking, 2011; 3 (7): 577 DOI: 10.1364/JOCN.3.000577

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

View the original article here

China's International High Speed Rail Network Begins to Take Shape in Asia

China's International High Speed Rail Network Begins to Take Shape in Asia | Popular Science@import "/files/css/6edcefdeec368e2924b9d287beacf12b.css";@import "/files/css/33f6b7ecb4513ed2fe6c670880a27187.css"; home Login/Register Newsletter Subscribe RSS GadgetsComputersCamerasSmartphonesSmart TVsVideo GamesMore From Our Partner: CEAGCarsConceptsHybridsElectric CarsAuto DIYMore From Our Partner: DriversideScienceFuture of the EnvironmentEnergyHealthPopSci Eco TourTechnologyMilitaryAviationSpaceRobotsDIYProjectsHacksToolsAuto DIYMore From Our Partner: Toolmonger GalleriesVideosColumnsThe GrouseSex FilesGreen Dream How It WorksAuto DIYFeatures Facebook Digg Stumbleupon Reddit Print Email China's International High Speed Rail Network Begins to Take Shape in Asia First stop: Laos By Clay Dillow Posted 06.15.2011 at 5:39 pm 16 Comments
Chinese Bullet Train In Shanghai Khalidshou/Wikipedia

Last year, China laid out a plan to extend its high speed rail network all the way to Germany and London to the West and down to Singapore to the south by 2020. And naturally the Internet chorus called it politically untenable and economically unfeasible, a pie-in-the-sky project from an overly ambitious regime. China has a long way to go to prove those naysayers wrong, but the first steps are underway. China has hammered out a deal to extend its rail network into northern Laos, the first leg of a line that will--China hopes--ultimately terminate in Singapore.

The eventual plan is to extend the line through Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar (Burma), Thailand, and Malaysia on its way to the bottom of the Malay Peninsula. To do so, China will have to negotiate with a host of different governments--some of whom are opposed to one another--in order to economically link Southeast Asia. And it seems China is starting with the path of least resistance.

Related ArticlesIn 2020, Take a High-Speed Train from Beijing to LondonChina Hopes New Shanghai Bullet Train Will Rev Up Interest in High-Speed TravelStill Waiting: Will America's Next-Gen Bullet Trains Ever Leave the Station?TagsTechnology, Clay Dillow, china, energy, future of transporation, high speed rail, transportationLaos is one of Asia’s poorest nations, currently maintaining just two miles of railroad. Landlocked and without many natural resources to barter, Laos hopes the railway will increase tourism, revitalize the country’s gambling industry, and otherwise bring outside wealth across the border. Next to Thailand or Vietnam, which may want more control or other political concessions out of the deal, Laos is an easy stretch of track to build and could serve as a demonstration that China is making good on its vision of a connected continent.

As for China, if it can extend its track beyond Laos and into Thailand and/or Burma, it gets an extra layer of economic security via access to the Indian Ocean (and, via oil tanker, Middle Eastern crude) as well as to its Asian neighbors. From a more macro perspective, it’s the first step in integrating a geographic region known historically for sharp political disagreements among neighbors and isolationist regimes (Myanmar, for instance, and formerly Cambodia and China itself). And it’s a first step toward a true trans-Asian network that cold eventually reach west to Russia and beyond. Laos certainly isn’t London, but it’s a start.

[WNYC]

Previous Article: Batcopter Flies Along With Bat Swarms, Helping Researchers Study Bat Behavior Up CloseNext Article: Today in Pretty Space Pics: A Glowing Close-Up of a Cosmic Collision's Aftermath 16 Comments Link to this comment GMarsack 06/15/11 at 11:35 pm

China is smart to do this. Imagine the advantage this would give them and it just makes sense. What's shocking is the fact that this isn’t already a reality. China has a challenge ahead of them and I hope it they can reach their goal. It's going to benefit many more lives than China alone.

Link to this comment inaka_rob 06/16/11 at 2:25 am

I love American. Don7t get me wrong. But China now has what made America so wonderful and now completely lacks. Ambition!

Link to this comment ekisom 06/16/11 at 3:25 am

wow good and exciting stuff... but on the flip side, the chinese have a warship parked off the coast of our territory claiming it theirs, giving our fishermen glancing "warning" shots and of course we have nothing to answer back with...

looks like we're screwed. time to move to canada

Link to this comment matsci1 06/16/11 at 6:21 am

I agree with you 100% inaka rob. America has the resources and infrastructure to extend the limits in a lot of fields. But, as you put it, ambition is lacking. That is one of the things that disappoints me the most. The lead that America was given by our parents and grandparents generation is being squandered by visionless and corrupt politicians and a society that is focusing on the “Here, Me and Now” and not the welfare and stability of the next generation.

Link to this comment gizmowiz 06/16/11 at 10:26 am

Oh imagine USA running a rail line to the tip of South America. Imagine too the number of illegals riding shotgun....

Link to this comment B.V. 06/16/11 at 1:42 pm

Is anyone concerned at all about providing a fast/easy way for China to deliver infantry across Asia/Russia/Europe/Middle East?

Seems like having this railroad network is just begging for China to load up a couple million soldiers on the trains and send them to conquer half the planet...

Certainly wouldn't be the first time something like that has occurred: http://www.feldgrau.com/dreichsbahn.html

Link to this comment drchuck1 06/16/11 at 2:58 pm

@ekisom...what planet do you live on?

Link to this comment drchuck1 06/16/11 at 3:00 pm

hmmm? a rail line moving troops to attack, one cruise missle, rail line gone, a bit old school, don't you think?

Link to this comment B.V. 06/16/11 at 4:34 pm

It is old school... but effective if they have electronically compromised our missile defense systems...

Link to this comment DerivePi 06/16/11 at 5:17 pm

The biggest question is why? The article suggests that China wants to spend its own money to prop up Laos's economy and other southeast asian nations in order to provide more "Economic Security" by having access to the Indian Ocean and, consequently, oil from the mideast. High speed rail works for passenger traffic and time sensitive deliveries only. Not for oil.

With all the gaming hours spent by Americans, the least we can do is learn from them (Railroad Tycoon).

With Laos being a poor nation, I am more inclined to think of Tibet as an example of what China has in mind.

What also comes to mind is a recent news item regarding Viet Nam asking the US to intercede for them regarding their rights to the South China Sea over claims being made by China.

As with a couple other commenters, I too want the US to step up to the innovative plate. But, unlike a communist gov, our political system has created a morass for the entrepreneur (Civilizations).

Link to this comment old-scratch 06/16/11 at 8:45 pm

MERICUHH F*** YEAH! I'm so glad we're the new 3rd world.

Link to this comment drchuck1 06/17/11 at 1:51 am

@B.V., a dumb bomb can take out a train, our defense network is probably more secure than people give it credit for

Link to this comment B.V. 06/17/11 at 11:07 am

A dumb bomb COULD take out a train...

But our counter-measures really depend on several things:

1) detection

If they have physically crashed our satellites, or have hacked into the feeds, they might temporarily postpone detection--perhaps even long enough to get a significant foothold into other countries along the train tracks.

They could even go with a lower-tech approach (like Germany did) and use civilian trains in disguise to move troops around... so the satellite photos might not look like much is going on, even though all of the trains are filled with Chinese troops.

2) response

If/When we DO detect that they are mobilizing, what are going to be our response capabilities?

I think that will largely depend on whether or not we have already been compromised electronically. If we have, the U.S. response will be significantly delayed, giving China even more opportunity to establish forward operating bases in the countries it's invading.

3) superiority

Eventually though, sure, we will notice, and probably mount a response.

For that response to be effective at beating back the invasion, we have to have superior capabilities than the Chinese.

We have to have a more powerful air force, navy, army, "digital army", etc.

Certainly this is true today--if China went crazy and lashed out TODAY, we could probably beat them back.

However, the Chinese are also working hard at catching up to our level of military technology. It's not too crazy to imagine a few decades in the future where China and US have equally powerful air force, or navy, or military technology in general.

The Chinese have something today, that even we don't have: numbers.

They have over a billion people... we have like 300 million.

"All other things being equal" the largest army usually will win.

Link to this comment drchuck1 06/17/11 at 2:34 pm

china is a real threat, good thing there is a wide ocean between us, the rail lines would already be known to us, no need for satelites, our U2 planes can be tasked quicker than a satelite can be tasked (this is why we still have them and yes, they are vulnerable, but the pilots know the risk), we definately need to keep the best military or else, unfortunately this is very expensive but still vital

Link to this comment B.V. 06/17/11 at 2:42 pm

When I was talking about satellites I was trying to communicate the idea of knowing what is traveling on the track in "real-time" as opposed to general knowledge of the track.

For instance, we know that highways between the US and Canada exist, but that's different from seeing a convoy of tanks traveling down the highways towards the U.S./Canada border via real-time streaming through a satellite.

Of course I'm not trying to say that China def. plans to take over the world and these rail lines are part of the master plan... I'm just saying that the faster/easier it is to move goods/people around, the faster/easier it is to move weapons/soldiers around.

Hopefully that consideration is in the minds of the policy makers who approve/reject the final proposals and easements.

Link to this comment drchuck1 06/18/11 at 2:20 am

of course real time is better than pics from planes, soon uav's will loiter over head indefinately, better than satelites, i do agree with most of what you say, it would seem china's air assets would do it better, at least in the beginning of an attack

Link to this comment cjeam 06/18/11 at 10:55 pm

@BV

Errm, well yes but:

You should bear in mind that if China sends troops westwards they have to deal with the EU. An area that is more economically powerful than China (or the US), has a total military budget that exceeds China's (but doesn't exceed the US's!?). They have 2.2M active troops, we have 1.5M, they have 0.8M reserve, we have 4.5M. We generally match or exceed the hardware they have, and have significantly more combat experienced troops, who would be operating on home soil.

Swings and roundabouts, but I think we just might win without needing the US's help at all.

Also, the likelihood of China attempting to do this is slim to none. You've seen the worst case scenario and are focusing on it, consider the less severe but more plausible risks. (whatever they are)

Link to this comment drchuck1 06/19/11 at 1:40 am

in the current world economy they would have too much too lose, but if the world economy calapses for good i think they may have a change of heart

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Beyond smart phones: Sensor network to make 'smart cities' envisioned

ScienceDaily (May 16, 2011) — Thanks to numerous sensors, Smartphones make it easy for their owners to organize certain parts of their lives. However, that is just the beginning. Darmstadt researchers envision entire "smart" cities, where all devices present within municipal areas are intelligently linked to one another.

Computer scientists, electrical and computer engineers, and mathemati­cians at the TU Darmstadt and the University of Kassel have joined forces and are working on implementing that vision under their "Cocoon" project. The backbone of a "smart" city is a communications network consisting of sen­sors that receive streams of data, or signals, analyze them, and trans­mit them onward. Such sensors thus act as both receivers and trans­mit­ters, i.e., represent trans­ceivers. The networked communications involved oper­ates wire­lessly via radio links, and yields added values to all partici­pants by analyzing the input data involved. For example, the "Smart Home" control system already on the market allows networking all sorts of devices and automatically regulating them to suit demands, thereby alleg­edly yielding energy savings of as much as fifteen percent.

"Smart Home" might soon be followed by "Smart Hospital," "Smart Indus­try," or "Smart Farm," and even "smart" systems tailored to suit mobile net­works are feasible. Traffic jams may be avoided by, for example, car-to-car or car-to-environment (car-to-X) communications. Health-service sys­tems might also benefit from mobile, sensor communications whenever patients need to be kept supplied with information tailored to suit their health­care needs while underway. Furthermore, sensors on their bodies could assess the status of their health and automatically transmit calls for emergency medical assistance, whenever necessary.

"Smart" and mobile, thanks to beam forming

The researchers regard the ceaseless travels of sensors on mobile systems and their frequent entries into/exits from instrumented areas as the major hurdle to be overcome in implementing their vision of "smart" cities. Sensor-aided devices will have to deal with that by responding to subtle changes in their environments and flexibly, efficiently, regulating the quali­ties of received and transmitted signals. Beam forming, a field in which the TU Darmstadt's Institute for Communications Technology is active, should help out there. On that subject, Prof. Rolf Jakoby of the TU Darmstadt's Electrical Engineering and Information Technology Dept. remarked that, "Current types of antennae radiate omnidirectionally, like light bulbs. We intend to create conditions, under which antennae will, in the future, behave like spotlights that, once they have located a sought device, will track it, while suppressing interference by stray electromag­netic radiation from other devices that might also be present in the area."

Such antennae, along with transceivers equipped with them, are thus recon­figurable, i.e., adjustable to suit ambient conditions by means of onboard electronic circuitry or remote controls. Working in col­lab­or­a­tion with an industrial partner, Jakoby has already equipped terres­trial digital-television (TDTV) transmitters with reconfigurable amplifiers that allow amplifying transmitted-signal levels by as much as ten percent. He added that, "If all of Germany's TDTV-transmitters were equipped with such amp­li­fiers, we could shut down one nuclear power plant."

Frequency bands are a scarce resource

Reconfigurable devices also make much more efficient use of a scarce resource, freq­uency bands. Users have thus far been allocated rigorously defined frequency bands, where only fifteen to twenty percent of the capacities of even the more popular ones have been allocated. Beam forming might allow making more efficient use of them. Jakoby noted that, "This is an area that we are still taking a close look at, but we are well along the way toward understand­ing the system better." However, only a few uses of beam forming have emerged to date, since currently available systems are too expensive for mass applications.

Small, model networks are targeted

Yet another fundamental problem remains to be solved before "smart" cities may become realities. Sensor communications requires the cooper­a­tion of all devices involved, across all communications protocols, such as "Bluetooth," and across all networks, such as the European Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) mobile-telephone network or wireless local-area networks (WLAN), which cannot be achieved with current devices, communications protocols, and networks. Jakoby explained that, "Con­verting all devices to a common communications protocol is infeas­ible, which is why we are seeking a new protocol that would be superim­posed upon everything and allow them to communicate via several proto­cols." Transmission channels would also have to be capable of handling a mas­sive flood of data, since, as Prof. Abdelhak Zoubir of the TU Darm­stadt's Electrical Engineer­ing and Information Technology Dept., the "Cocoon" project's coordinator, put it, "A "smart" Darm­stadt alone would surely involve a million sensors communicating with one another via satel­lites, mobile telephones, computers, and all of the other types of devices that we already have available. Furthermore, since a single, mobile sensor is readily capable of generating several hundred Meg­a­bytes of data annu­ally, new models for handling the communications of millions of such sen­sors that will more densely compress data in order to provide for error-free com­munica­tions will be needed. Several hurdles will thus have to be over­come before "smart" cities become reality. Nevertheless, the scientists working on the "Cocoon" project are convinced that they will be able to simulate a "smart" city incorporating various types of devices employing early versions of small, model networks.

Over the next three years, scientists at the TU Darmstadt will be receiving a total of 4.5 million Euros from the State of Hesse's Offensive for Devel­op­ing Scientific-Economic Excellence for their researches in conjunction with their "Cocoon -- Cooperative Sensor Communications" project.

Story Source:

The above story is reprinted (with editorial adaptations by ScienceDaily staff) from materials provided by Technische Universität Darmstadt.

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

View the original article here

Beyond smart phones: Sensor network to make 'smart cities' envisioned

ScienceDaily (May 16, 2011) — Thanks to numerous sensors, Smartphones make it easy for their owners to organize certain parts of their lives. However, that is just the beginning. Darmstadt researchers envision entire "smart" cities, where all devices present within municipal areas are intelligently linked to one another.

Computer scientists, electrical and computer engineers, and mathemati­cians at the TU Darmstadt and the University of Kassel have joined forces and are working on implementing that vision under their "Cocoon" project. The backbone of a "smart" city is a communications network consisting of sen­sors that receive streams of data, or signals, analyze them, and trans­mit them onward. Such sensors thus act as both receivers and trans­mit­ters, i.e., represent trans­ceivers. The networked communications involved oper­ates wire­lessly via radio links, and yields added values to all partici­pants by analyzing the input data involved. For example, the "Smart Home" control system already on the market allows networking all sorts of devices and automatically regulating them to suit demands, thereby alleg­edly yielding energy savings of as much as fifteen percent.

"Smart Home" might soon be followed by "Smart Hospital," "Smart Indus­try," or "Smart Farm," and even "smart" systems tailored to suit mobile net­works are feasible. Traffic jams may be avoided by, for example, car-to-car or car-to-environment (car-to-X) communications. Health-service sys­tems might also benefit from mobile, sensor communications whenever patients need to be kept supplied with information tailored to suit their health­care needs while underway. Furthermore, sensors on their bodies could assess the status of their health and automatically transmit calls for emergency medical assistance, whenever necessary.

"Smart" and mobile, thanks to beam forming

The researchers regard the ceaseless travels of sensors on mobile systems and their frequent entries into/exits from instrumented areas as the major hurdle to be overcome in implementing their vision of "smart" cities. Sensor-aided devices will have to deal with that by responding to subtle changes in their environments and flexibly, efficiently, regulating the quali­ties of received and transmitted signals. Beam forming, a field in which the TU Darmstadt's Institute for Communications Technology is active, should help out there. On that subject, Prof. Rolf Jakoby of the TU Darmstadt's Electrical Engineering and Information Technology Dept. remarked that, "Current types of antennae radiate omnidirectionally, like light bulbs. We intend to create conditions, under which antennae will, in the future, behave like spotlights that, once they have located a sought device, will track it, while suppressing interference by stray electromag­netic radiation from other devices that might also be present in the area."

Such antennae, along with transceivers equipped with them, are thus recon­figurable, i.e., adjustable to suit ambient conditions by means of onboard electronic circuitry or remote controls. Working in col­lab­or­a­tion with an industrial partner, Jakoby has already equipped terres­trial digital-television (TDTV) transmitters with reconfigurable amplifiers that allow amplifying transmitted-signal levels by as much as ten percent. He added that, "If all of Germany's TDTV-transmitters were equipped with such amp­li­fiers, we could shut down one nuclear power plant."

Frequency bands are a scarce resource

Reconfigurable devices also make much more efficient use of a scarce resource, freq­uency bands. Users have thus far been allocated rigorously defined frequency bands, where only fifteen to twenty percent of the capacities of even the more popular ones have been allocated. Beam forming might allow making more efficient use of them. Jakoby noted that, "This is an area that we are still taking a close look at, but we are well along the way toward understand­ing the system better." However, only a few uses of beam forming have emerged to date, since currently available systems are too expensive for mass applications.

Small, model networks are targeted

Yet another fundamental problem remains to be solved before "smart" cities may become realities. Sensor communications requires the cooper­a­tion of all devices involved, across all communications protocols, such as "Bluetooth," and across all networks, such as the European Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) mobile-telephone network or wireless local-area networks (WLAN), which cannot be achieved with current devices, communications protocols, and networks. Jakoby explained that, "Con­verting all devices to a common communications protocol is infeas­ible, which is why we are seeking a new protocol that would be superim­posed upon everything and allow them to communicate via several proto­cols." Transmission channels would also have to be capable of handling a mas­sive flood of data, since, as Prof. Abdelhak Zoubir of the TU Darm­stadt's Electrical Engineer­ing and Information Technology Dept., the "Cocoon" project's coordinator, put it, "A "smart" Darm­stadt alone would surely involve a million sensors communicating with one another via satel­lites, mobile telephones, computers, and all of the other types of devices that we already have available. Furthermore, since a single, mobile sensor is readily capable of generating several hundred Meg­a­bytes of data annu­ally, new models for handling the communications of millions of such sen­sors that will more densely compress data in order to provide for error-free com­munica­tions will be needed. Several hurdles will thus have to be over­come before "smart" cities become reality. Nevertheless, the scientists working on the "Cocoon" project are convinced that they will be able to simulate a "smart" city incorporating various types of devices employing early versions of small, model networks.

Over the next three years, scientists at the TU Darmstadt will be receiving a total of 4.5 million Euros from the State of Hesse's Offensive for Devel­op­ing Scientific-Economic Excellence for their researches in conjunction with their "Cocoon -- Cooperative Sensor Communications" project.

Story Source:

The above story is reprinted (with editorial adaptations by ScienceDaily staff) from materials provided by Technische Universität Darmstadt.

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

View the original article here