BLE Mesh： A Practical Mesh Networking Development Framework for Public Safety Communications

Owing to advanced storage and communication capabilities today, smart devices have become the basic interface between individuals and their surrounding environment. In particular, massive devices connect to one other directly in a proximity area, thereby enabling abundant Proximity Services（Pro Se）, which can be classified into two categories： public safety communication and social discovery. However, two challenges impede the quick development and deployment of Pro Se applications. From the viewpoint of networking, no multi-hop connectivity functionality component can be directly operated on commercially off-the-shelf devices, and from the programming viewpoint, an easily reusable development framework is lacking for developers with minimal knowledge of the underlying communication technologies and connectivity. Considering these two issues, this paper makes a twofold contribution. First, a multi-hop mesh networking based on Bluetooth Low Energy（BLE） is implemented,in which a proactive routing mechanism with link-quality（i.e., received signal strength indication） assistance is designed. Second, a Pro Se development framework called BLE Mesh is designed and implemented, which can provide significant benefits for application developers, framework maintenance professionals, and end users. Rich application programming interfaces can help developers to build Pro Se apps easily and quickly. Dependency inversion principle and template method pattern allow modules in BLE Mesh to be loosely coupled and easy to maintain and update. Callback mechanism enables modules to work smoothly together and automation processes such as registration, node discovery, and messaging are employed to offer nearly zero-configuration for end users.Finally, based on the designed Pro Se development kit, a public safety communications app called Quote Send App is built to distribute emergency information in close area without Internet access. The process illustrates the easy usability of BLE Mesh to develop Pro Se apps.

Architecture and Key Technology of Distributed Intelligent Open Systems

High-speed large-bandwidth networks and growth in rich internet applications has brought unprecedented pressure to bear on telecom operators. Consequently, operators need to play to the advantages of their networks, make good use of their large customer bases, and expand their business resources in service, platform, and interface. Network and customer resources should be integrated in order to create new business ecosystems. This paper describes new threats and challenges facing telecom operators and analyzes how leading operators are handling transformation in terms of operations and business model. A new concept called distributed intelligent open system （DIOS）—a public computing communication network—is proposed. The architecture and key technologies of DIOS is discussed in detail.