MOBI-DIC: MOBIle DIssemination of loCal information in Peer-to-Peer Wireless Networks, Phase I

Information Technology (IT) is a key element in the successful achievement of NASA's strategic goals. Modern IT tools and techniques have the capability to redefine many design and operational processes as well as enable grand exploration and science investigations. This proposal plans to address NASA's needs for innovative communication concepts for autonomous systems that require local information dissemination among mobile entities. We will explore a peer-to-peer paradigm for local dissemination of information among surface-based assets that are in geographic proximity. In this paradigm, a set of mobile objects (astronauts, rovers, robots, sensors, etc.) form a Mobile Ad-hoc NETwork (MANET), and they communicate with each other via short-range wireless technologies such as IEEE 802.11 and Bluetooth. We propose to develop a novel software toolkit that enables efficient local information dissemination applications in such an environment. The heart of this toolkit is a distributed peer-to-peer (P2P) algorithm that disseminates information intelligently based on the semantics of the information. This algorithm does not rely on any infrastructure, central server, or routing data structures, and therefore provides a higher survivability of the network than the traditional data dissemination techniques.

This is a mature technology (TRL 7+) — the realistic path in is usually NASA's Technology Transfer Program: licensing an existing NASA patent, or a Space Act Agreement to use NASA facilities/expertise directly. NASA also runs a startup licensing program with no upfront fee for companies formed to commercialize a specific NASA technology.

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