Social Cloud Research Articles

A game theory-based design of incentive schemes for social cloud services

This paper presents the design of incentive schemes that encourage the contribution of resources to the opportunistic cloud services (OCS) social cloud platform as well as the efficient usage of such resources. A game theoretic approach has been employed to model and design the incentive schemes with two game models presented. The existence of a pure strategy Nash equilibrium for both the cooperative and non-cooperative games has been proven. Three base incentive schemes have also been presented. These schemes are the dominant strategy scheme, equi-profit scheme, and dominant equi-profit scheme. Evaluation of the incentive schemes are performed and conclusion made that the schemes meet the desired properties of budget-balance, ex-post individual rationality, incentive compatibility, allocative efficiency, robustness, and flexibility to accommodate changing user behaviour on the OCS social cloud services platform.

Corrigendum to “Quality of Experience Assessment of Video Quality in Social Clouds”

Corrigendum to “Quality of Experience Assessment of Video Quality in Social Clouds”

An Improved Social Media Analysis on 3 Layers: A Real Time Enhanced Recommendation System

The Internet can be considered as an open field for expression regarding products, politics, ideas, and people. Those expressive interactions generate a large amount of data pinned per users and groups. In that scope, Big data along with various technologies, such as social media, cloud computing, and machine learning can be used as a toolbox to make sense of the data and give the opportunity to generate efficient analysis and studies of the individuals and crowds regarding market orientation, politics, and industry. The recommendation system for this acts as the pillars of technology, in the field of sentiment analysis and predictive analysis to make sense of user’s data. However, this complex operation comes at the price of this. To each analysis, there is a personalized architecture and tool. In this paper, a novel design of a recommender system is provided powered by sentiment analysis and predictive models applied onto an example of data flow from the social media Twitter.

A Study of Incentive Scheme to allocate Big Data Tasks with Mobile Social Cloud

A Study of Incentive Scheme to allocate Big Data Tasks with Mobile Social Cloud

TBFN: Trust Based Friend Network Design by Analyzing User’s Voice Call and SMS Pattern

Due to rapid development of Web 2.0 Technology social networking have gained explosive growth. This paper proposes a comparatively new approach to build a trust based social network named Trust Based Friend Net (TBFN) for smartphone users. In TBFN, call log and sms log extracted from user’s smartphone are outsourced into the corresponding social network cloud. Analyzing those real datasets the cloud service provider determines trust values of different direct and indirect friends of smartphone users. Global analysis of everyone’s data results in forming a trusted global social network that is free from fake profiles and that minimizes unscrupulous activities.

Facebook-based cloud resource sharing

Sharing cloud resources between groups of users is a challenge. Cloud providers do not commonly support users in sharing their spare dedicated resources with others. In developing countries, it is often too expensive for people to acquire a virtual machine of their own. Users may, therefore, wish to manage costs and increase computational resource usage by sharing their instances with others. This paper presents a container based cloud resource bartering (CRB) model for sharing user's computational resources through a social network. In our approach, we have integrated a Facebook account with the computational cloud to enable tenants to share their unused cloud resources with other users. The performance of the proposed prototype is evaluated under different workloads. Based on our experimental results we conclude that the proposed model is well suited for the creation of a low-cost social cloud in developing countries.

Social manufacturing: When the maker movement meets interfirm production networks

New business models harnessing the power of individuals have already revolutionized service industries and digital content production. In this study, we investigate whether a similar phenomenon is taking place in manufacturing industries. We start by conceptually defining two distinct forms of firm-individual collaboration in manufacturing industries: (1) social cloud manufacturing, in which firms outsource manufacturing to individuals, and (2) social platform manufacturing, in which firms provide manufacturing services to individuals. We then empirically investigate the nature of firm-individual collaboration within these forms, focusing on the role of individuals. We find that the individuals are often makers who view their participation primarily as a hobby and are driven mainly by nonmonetary benefits, that the design process often involves both parties, and that the two forms of collaboration exploit different enabling technologies. Our findings suggest that firms working with individuals can potentially reap multiple benefits, including fresh ideas, broader design support, and quick delivery times. This article contributes to an improved understanding of how firms can build potentially disruptive business models in manufacturing industries by leveraging individuals, thereby adding to the emerging stream of literature on social manufacturing.

The Concept Framework of Structural Equation model of Mobile Cloud Learning Acceptance for Higher Education Students in the 21st Century

This research’s part is in the structural equation model of mobile cloud learning acceptance for higher education students in the 21st century as its objective is to synthesize and design the framework of this model. The methods of this research are divided into 2 parts which are synthesis, combining it to process the mode and designing framework concept. The findings of this research are as the following: 1. Basic digital literacy, Information Quality and Social Cloud are included in the model as the exogenous latent variables. 2. Satisfaction and TAM model (perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use) are included as the mediating latent variables. 3. Actual Use is the outcome of the model’s latent variable.

Model to Implement Virtual Computing Labs via Cloud Computing Services

In recent years, we have seen a significant number of new technological ideas appearing in literature discussing the future of education. For example, E-learning, cloud computing, social networking, virtual laboratories, virtual realities, virtual worlds, massive open online courses (MOOCs), and bring your own device (BYOD) are all new concepts of immersive and global education that have emerged in educational literature. One of the greatest challenges presented to e-learning solutions is the reproduction of the benefits of an educational institution’s physical laboratory. For a university without a computing lab, to obtain hands-on IT training with software, operating systems, networks, servers, storage, and cloud computing similar to that which could be received on a university campus computing lab, it is necessary to use a combination of technological tools. Such teaching tools must promote the transmission of knowledge, encourage interaction and collaboration, and ensure students obtain valuable hands-on experience. That, in turn, allows the universities to focus more on teaching and research activities than on the implementation and configuration of complex physical systems. In this article, we present a model for implementing ecosystems which allow universities to teach practical Information Technology (IT) skills. The model utilizes what is called a “social cloud”, which utilizes all cloud computing services, such as Software as a Service (SaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), and Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS). Additionally, it integrates the cloud learning aspects of a MOOC and several aspects of social networking and support. Social clouds have striking benefits such as centrality, ease of use, scalability, and ubiquity, providing a superior learning environment when compared to that of a simple physical lab. The proposed model allows students to foster all the educational pillars such as learning to know, learning to be, learning to live together, and, primarily, learning to do, through hands-on IT training from a MOOCs. An aspect of the model has been verified experimentally and statistically through a course of computer operating systems.

Modelling and Implementing Social Community Clouds

As the number of people who interact on social networks increases, and coupled with the greater capability made available within our computational devices, there is the potential to establish “Social Clouds”—a resource sharing infrastructure that enable people who have trust relationships to come together to share computational/ data services within a community. Social clouds can also provide the means to enhance multi-user collaboration and greatly stimulate the exchange of resources among participants. Recent research in the establishment and use of Social Clouds has raised significant interest by proposing an environment where users are able to trade resources mediated by a social networking mechanism. In such a cloud environment the incentives for sharing can represent a solution for improving resource utilisation and for making available additional capacity to friends and collaborators. In this paper we demonstrate how revenue can be earned within a social cloud community, by executing internal (intra community) and external (inter community) tasks. A number of different scenarios are first investigated through simulation, using the PeerSim simulator, in order to validate our approach. We use two key metrics: revenue and reputation, to evaluate how the system dynamics change as new tasks are added to one or more communities for execution, along with additional behaviours, such as nodes migrating from one community to another, or selectively reporting on the outcome of task execution. Subsequently, we develop a practical deployment using a federated cloud scenario using the CometCloud system—deployed over three sites: Cardiff (UK), Rutgers and Indiana. We show how approaches that have been simulated in PeerSim can be implemented in practice.

Social Cloud for Information Technology Skills: An Experience With Universities in Ecuador

Instruction in technical disciplines requires hands-on laboratories. Such laboratories are difficult to find and maintain for administrative and cost reasons. The use of a new ecosystem of practical education is necessary. Here, we present a model and an architecture of e-learning for hands-on information technology learning. We use virtual technology and cloud computing access from any computer or student-owned device. The model has been experimentally tested. The results demonstrate the validity of the model that permits the transmission of practical skills in a fashion similar to face-to-face training, but with the advantage that only virtual resources are needed.

Constructing Dynamic Social Tag Cloud for User Interests

Constructing Dynamic Social Tag Cloud for User Interests

Effective Governance Using the Smac Technology in the Government Services of Andhra Pradesh: A Case Study on Public Distribution System

SMAC technologies are going to help in providing exchange of ideas and develop collaboration between government and citizens. SMAC, which is combined and integrated use of Social Media, Mobile, Analysis and Cloud computing, is very useful for providing E-Governance agility. This is the IT solution for increasing the agility of services provided by e-governance. It also increases efficiency of egovernment bodies, lowering costs for public services and increases effect of IT investments. Even though having low budget for providing better service to the citizens and also implementing the welfare schemes effectively the Government of A.P had taken forward step to implement advanced technology in the government services. State Government of Andhra Pradesh introduced the Public Distribution System in the year 1974. Main purpose is to control over the prices of the essential commodities and also distribute them to poorest of the poor. Huge amount was spent on the subsidies by the Government.Because of dummy cards, duplicate cards, weighing differences the real benefit is not reached to the beneficiaries. The purpose of introducing the SMAC Technology in Public Distribution System (PDS) is increasing the effectiveness of PDS .There is no study about the impact of SMAC Technology in PDS specifically in Nellore city. In this paper an attempt is made to know the impact of SMAC Technology in PDS. Therefore the purpose of this study reveals the impact of SMAC technology in PDS system.

Design of an Embedded Engineering Learning on Social Cloud Model to Enhance Creative Thinking and Creative Product

This research was conducted for research and development an Embedded Engineering Learning on Social Cloud Model (EEL on SC Model) to enhance creative thinking and creative product. The aims of this study were: 1) to design an EEL on SC model to develop the creative thinking and creative product, and 2) to evaluate an EEL on SC Model to develop the creative thinking and creative product. The research method was divided into two phases. The first phase involves the design of the model: 1) study, analyze and synthesize the contents, 2) arranging the Embedded Engineering Learning Model process and 3) summarizing the results, the second phase involves model evaluation. The sample group in this research consisted of seven experts in the field of design embedded system, information technology and instructional design. These experts were selected by purposive sampling. Data was analyzed using arithmetic mean and standard deviation. The research findings were organized as follows: The process of developing an EEL on SC Model consisted of the following has 7 components which have 22 procedures. The model helps to develop creative thinking and creative product of the learners. The experts have agreed with the overall of the model and had a learning activity was appropriate in very good level.

Quality of Experience Assessment of Video Quality in Social Clouds

Video sharing on social clouds is popular among the users around the world. High-Definition (HD) videos have big file size so the storing in cloud storage and streaming of videos with high quality from cloud to the client are a big problem for service providers. Social clouds compress the videos to save storage and stream over slow networks to provide quality of service (QoS). Compression of video decreases the quality compared to original video and parameters are changed during the online play as well as after download. Degradation of video quality due to compression decreases the quality of experience (QoE) level of end users. To assess the QoE of video compression, we conducted subjective (QoE) experiments by uploading, sharing, and playing videos from social clouds. Three popular social clouds, Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter, were selected to upload and play videos online for users. The QoE was recorded by using questionnaire given to users to provide their experience about the video quality they perceive. Results show that Facebook and Twitter compressed HD videos more as compared to other clouds. However, Facebook gives a better quality of compressed videos compared to Twitter. Therefore, users assigned low ratings for Twitter for online video quality compared to Tumblr that provided high-quality online play of videos with less compression.

S-InTime: A social cloud analytical service oriented system

Social Networking activities raise multiple challenges for the evolution of Service Oriented Systems Engineering. The purpose of this research work is to demonstrate how a specific core technology and cloud platform with micro-services can be designed and used for performing data-intensive computations and implementing services in a real case of social analytics. In detail, we face the challenges of real-time data-intensive processing with the systematic application of in-memory view-based information modeling & computation, which is based on different types of non-materialized views without pre-aggregation of data. Finally, our study presents and compares design alternatives for these mappings, and demonstrates their effective application for implementing a large set of social analytics service types, with particular reference to the case of streaming sources of twitter data. A prototype of this system was experimented in the contest of a specific kind of social event, a permanent exhibition of Artworks, where the system collected and analyzed in real-time the tweets issued in an entire region, including exhibition sites, and continuously updated analytical dashboards placed in one of the exhibition rooms.

Toward trustworthy crowdsourcing in the social internet of things

In order to perform some types of complex tasks, the principles of crowdsourcing have been applied in constructing a mobile crowdsourcing network with a huge amount of human involvement and powerful mobile devices. In addition, through the social Internet of Things (SIoT) paradigm, the capability of humans and devices to discover and exploit objects with their services is augmented. Thus, SIoT has become a promising network for service discovery and composition. By introducing SIoT, we can expand the traditional mobile crowdsourcing network and achieve broader crowdsourcing application. However, some threats are also raised in SIoT environments. In order to handle these challenges, we first present a trustworthy crowdsourcing model in SIoT. In this model, social cloud provides compute and storage functions, and works as a service provider to bridge end users and sensing entities; sensing entities receive tasks and rewards from a service provider and feed back data. Then the concept of social awareness is introduced to message forwarding among objects in SIoT, providing social data links. Furthermore, a reputation-based auction mechanism is incorporated into crowdsourcing to perform winner selection and payment determination by evaluating the reliability of crowdsourcing participants. Finally, some challenges in trustworthy crowdsourcing are discussed.

A Social Cloud Computing: Employing a Bee Colony Algorithm for Sharing and Allocating Tourism Resources

<p>With the growth and development of social networks and emerging cloud computing networks, social network users will be able to share their intended data, in data centers from various places all over the worlds which belong to cloud, with one another and additionally use others data simultaneously. Since with the passage of time, sharing the services and data sources through social networks in Tourism industry would be more complex for clients, it could be possible to facilitate the usage and sharing the Tourism resources with designing a social cloud platform. Initially, social cloud in Tourism area collects clients’ information their inter-connected relationships from social networks. Afterwards, with the utilization of artificial bee colony algorithm, it can make an adjustment and balance in Tourism resources that have been shared as of yet and the comments and friendly relationships obtained from social networks. Finally, implementing such a social cloud in Tourism field can lead to an increase in the level of satisfaction of users when they want to have an access to useful documents and can achieve progress in the Tourism industry and develop it within the country.</p>

State transition in communication under social network: An analysis using fuzzy logic and Density Based Clustering towards big data paradigm

Social networks like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, are the social clouds that provide a platform for a diversified range of conversations on any theme at a stipulated time. The flow rate of a conversation can be measured from the perspective of different amalgamations formed by the theme and the level of the participation. Multiple users share the cloud resources and reallocation of the resources is also possible within the social network as and when required. The communication and conversation can be influential extensively due to the presence of big data orientation. It has been observed that depending on certain random parameters of big data driven social network few blocks of conversation may become explicit and influence on the arena of social network. The element of randomness and diversity creates ambiguity in the content of conversation. The conversation may become appealing or may lose the sympathy of the participants. This paper proposes a novel algorithm deploying Fuzzy methodology to investigate the embedded uncertainty and ambiguity involved within the conversation blocks. Fuzzy logic is capable of taking care of non-crisp states of conversation that might be the source of branding and putting a particular content to the maximum elevation across the social media and services. The experimental results and the graphs give the justification towards the effect of participants act on the topic discussion session, especially the periphery of big data framework. The pre-condition and the post-condition of the topic have been observed after implementing the proposed algorithm and finally further scope of the research has been discussed.

Dynamic social cloud management scheme based on transformable Stackelberg game

With the ubiquitous nature of social networks and cloud computing, we are starting to explore a new way to interact with and exploit these developing paradigms. Social cloud (SC) is a service or resource sharing framework on top of social networks and built on the trust-based social relationships. In recent years, the idea of SC has been gaining importance because of its potential applicability. This article introduces a novel SC management scheme with a view of game theory model and reciprocal resource sharing mechanism. In particular, we devise a new transformable Stackelberg game to coordinate the interdependence between social structure and resource availability for individual users. Our proposed scheme constantly monitors the current SC system conditions and adaptively exploits the available resources while ensuring mutual fairness. The simulation results show that the proposed method is effective in distributed SC environments and adaptively supports application executions timely and ubiquitously.