User preference-aware content caching strategy for video delivery in cache-enabled IoT networks

Abstract

The escalating growth of content-dependent services and applications within the Internet of Things (IoT) platform has led to a surge in traffic, necessitating real-time data processing. Content caching has emerged as an effective solution to counteract this traffic upswing. Caching not only improves network efficiency but also enhances user service quality. Critical to the development of an optimal caching algorithm is the accurate prediction of future content popularity. This prediction hinges on the ability to anticipate users' content preferences, which is a pivotal method for assessing content popularity. In this study, we introduce a novel caching strategy termed User Preference-aware content Caching Strategy (UPCS) tailored for an IoT platform, where users access multimedia services offered by remote Content Providers (CPs). The UPCS encompasses three key algorithms: a content popularity prediction algorithm that utilizes Variational Autoencoders (VAE) to forecast users' future content preferences based on their prior requests, an online algorithm for dynamic cached content replacement, and a cooperative caching algorithm to augment caching efficiency. The proposed content caching strategy outperforms alternative methods, exhibiting superior cache hit rates and reduced Content Retrieval Delays (CRD).