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Our Keynote Speakers
DSTs: The "Seen" and the "Unseen"
Abstract:
Understanding the spectrum characteristics of an environment has been central to several areas ranging from network planning and deployment to coexistence between heterogeneous technologies. The advances in computing and AI has led to sophisticated models for such spectrum characterization under the broader umbrella of “digital spectrum twins”(DSTs). In this talk, I will highlight the importance and benefits of going beyond radio frequency (RF) in the creation of such DSTs through two case studies relating to the “seen” and the “unseen” dimensions.
In the “seen” dimension, I will present the case of an “aerial” mobile network that needs to be set-up on-demand to enable public-safety operations. Having a digital spectrum twin for the environment is paramount to optimized aerial base station deployment and connectivity. Yet, one of the biggest challenges in generating an accurate DST is the associated expensive and time-consuming effort of RF data collection in such new environments. I will highlight how the use of a complementary modality such as vision sensors (widely available on most aerial platforms) coupled with intelligent, compact models that can reside on drones, be instrumented to learn RF features from vision images, thereby informing and adapting the RF data collection process. The result is a significant reduction in time and overhead spent in the creation of DST without compromising on its accuracy.
In the “unseen” dimension, I will present the case of a 5G mobile network coexisting with another heterogeneous network (e.g. fixed satellited, WiFi) in the same spectrum. In contrast to the conventional approach of analyzing RF signals and accordingly adapting communications, I will present a novel paradigm called “interference tomography” – where client devices are transformed to serve as distributed “interference” sensors, albeit at the access layer. By analyzing the 5G access statistics of the clients collectively in a scalable manner, we can transform the existing 5G communication network into a dual interference-sensing network that can “blue-print” and localize the unseen interference sources in the environment, thereby leading to efficient coexistence decisions.
Karthik Sundaresan
Georgia Institute of Technology
Bio: Karthikeyan (Karthik) Sundaresan is a Professor in the School of ECE, Georgia Tech. His research interests are broadly in wireless networking and mobile computing, and span both algorithm design as well as system prototyping. He is the recipient of ACM Sigmobile’s Rockstar award (2016) for early career contributions to mobile computing and wireless networking, as well as several best paper awards at prestigious ACM and IEEE conferences. He holds over sixty patents, and received business contribution awards for bringing research technology to commercialization in industry at NEC. He also led the spin-out efforts of two innovative, lab-grown research technologies for infrastructure-free tracking of first responders in GPS-denied environments and sustainable, massive scale product tracking in supply chains. He has participated in various organizational and editorial roles for IEEE and ACM conferences and journals, and served as the PC co-chair for ACM MobiCom’16. He is a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors and IEEE, and an ACM distinguished scientist.
Gisele Bennett
MEPSS
Bio:
Architectures and methodologies for rapid development of Electronic Warfare platform(s) through utilization of Digital Twins
Abstract:
Smart City Digital Twins: Toward More Sustainable, Resilient, and Livable Cities
Abstract:
Reports by the National Academies in the United States have encouraged investment in developing a more comprehensive understanding of network dynamics at the intersection between human and engineered networks. Concurrently, cities are addressing rapid urbanization challenges by implementing socio-technological changes in their infrastructure systems as they evolve toward becoming smarter cities. The success of such an evolution, however, relies on solutions that can combine data from individual infrastructure components to urban scale networks. A great deal of research has focused on developing an understanding of data analytics at the scale of the city and of individual infrastructure components. However, there is a gap in our understanding, data collection approaches, and analytical methods to integrate and visualize such disparate data and complex network dynamics. This presentation will describe efforts to formalize and implement a Smart City Digital Twin platform, with an emphasis on understanding, modeling, and improving energy consumption and disaster mobility across spatial scales, to foster more sustainable, resilient, and livable cities.
John Taylor
Georgia Institute of Technology
Bio: Dr. John E. Taylor is the inaugural Frederick Law Olmsted Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Georgia Tech, where he currently serves as the Associate Chair for Faculty Development and Research Innovation in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Dr. Taylor received his PhD from Stanford University in 2006. At Georgia Tech, he is founder and Director of the Network Dynamics Lab, which focuses on; (1) achieving sustained energy conservation by coupling energy use with occupant networks and examining inter-building network phenomena in cities, and (2) understanding and improving response times by affected human networks during extreme events in urban areas. Dr. Taylor’s research has received over $8M in funding from the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, and other public and private funding sources. His research was awarded the National Science Foundation’s CAREER Award in 2011. In 2020, Dr. Taylor was elected into the National Academy of Construction for his research and pedagogical efforts to improve urban sustainability and resilience and guide the evolution of smart cities. Dr. Taylor has authored over 250 technical publications, won five journal best paper awards, and founded two technology startups.