Launch of new research line on network measurements and analytics

20 April 2017

In an effort to ensure our scientific work has positive impact on the everyday lives of the billions of users of ICT communications worldwide, at IMDEA Networks we study the complexity of the various elements involved in the communication process, so that we can fine-tune them and create a more cohesive and harmonious whole. With this objective at heart the Institute launches a new line of research named «Network Measurements and Analytics».

The rapid evolution of mobile portable systems and the Internet of Things (IoT – Internet of Things) has given birth to a rich ecosystem of applications, personalization and services that is changing the way billions of users communicate and interact with their environment. This digitalization of the world has allowed new innovative applications with new levels of personalization and the ability to interact the environment. However, this trend is also producing large volumes of data which may raise privacy and security threats unseen in previous networked technologies while also generating unknown traffic patterns and performance bottlenecks which can have a negative impact on the network and user experience.

At IMDEA Networks we are involved in novel research efforts to empirically illuminate how users, networks, devices and applications interact, behave and perform in the wild.

Our research is particularly focused on conducting analytical measurements of real-world networked systems, with a strong interest in understanding their use (and abuse) as well as the performance, privacy and security challenges present in emerging networking technologies. Our research also leads to the development of Big Data solutions to analyze and process large-scale traffic-, network- and application-generated data fast and correctly.

Furthermore, we engage and collaborate with users, cyber-activists, industry and regulators to identify and address important problems of societal, industrial and academic interest from a practical angle. Often times, our researchers are responsible for developing practical tools to assist the different stakeholders to understand how users, devices, networks, services, and applications interconnect, behave and perform behind the scenes.

Specifically, this research area will target three main areas of knowledge in the ICT field: network measurements, Big Data and Privacy and Security. Dr. Albert Banchs will be responsible for its scientific direction. The other two main areas of work at IMDEA Networks at present are «Networked Systems and Algorithms» and «Wireless Networking».