Horizon Project: A New Horizon to The Internet

The TCP/IP model encounters limitations in wireless, mobile, ad hoc environments and RFID and sensors networks. This limitations will possibly grow in future wireless environments due to high data throughput, high speed mobility or power limitations (sensors networks or RFIDs).This can be seen through power consumption measurements on sensors networks: the TCP/IP model requires loads of power. The TCP/IP protocol stack low efficiency is also proven by a considerable number of networks in which power consumption, high throughput and long distance links are required. This shows a new architecture is needed. This research project's proposals are focused on a new automatic piloting system which includes intelligent mechanisms ready to learn the context and adapt protocols to the current situation. The key idea of this research project is to introduce a new intelligent architecture adapted to virtual networks. This new intelligent architecture should be easily implemented, scalable, secure, robust and should also provide quality of service guarantee on demand. Choosing the virtual network to be used depends on the context and on the service to be offered. In order to reach this project's goal, a piloting plan which allows the network elements to define their situated view is going to be used. The situated view is used to decide which resources are going to be used by different virtual networks. With the purpose to build the piloting plan, a multiagent system is going to be applied. Besides, a learning process is added so that the system becomes able to real-time pilot the network.

Horizon is a bi-national research project selected by the Brazilian Communication Ministry and the French National Research Agency (ANR). The Horizon project, signed on 15 October 2009, is published in "Diário Oficial da União", the Brazilian Official State Government Gazette, since 30 October 2009 and can be accessed here.