Aerial computing: Enhancing mobile cloud computing with unmanned aerial vehicles as data bridges—A Markov chain based dependability quantification

Abstract

Aerial Computing, utilizing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), has emerged as a promising solution to enhance mobile cloud computing (MCC) infrastructure for the Internet of Things (IoT). The continuous generation of vast amounts of data by IoT devices requires efficient processing and monitoring for timely decision-making. However, wireless connections between IoT devices and remote servers can be unreliable, resulting in data loss. UAVs, with their increasing processing power and autonomy, can act as bridges between IoT devices and remote servers such as edge or cloud computing. In that context, this paper proposes a continuous time Markov chain (CTMC) models for an aerial computing system to evaluate system dependability metrics including availability and reliability. Sensitivity analysis is conducted to provide extended CTMC models with improved system availability. The proposed advanced model reduces downtime by 62 h compared to the baseline model, showcasing the potential of UAVs in enhancing the availability and reliability of MCC infrastructures. The use of UAVs and MCC in aerial computing is believed to be a win–win solution for cost-effective and energy-saving communication and computation services in various environments.