Analysis, Design and Control Synthesis Within and Over Networks


This research area focuses on design and analysis challenges for both controlling agents within a network and controlling agents over a network. For controlling agents within a network, the possible interactions between agents can be modeled using a graph. Efforts will significantly improve upon previous work on this area by more fully capturing the stochastic nature of information exchanges through time-varying and random graph models, such as temporal networks. We build upon these models in several efforts, including determining conditions under which random communication graphs attain required connectivity properties and positioning agents to achieve network objectives, such as achieving specified connectivity properties or jamming adversarial networks. While considering time-varying and random graph topologies provides a robust generalization for control within a network, additional robustness and new opportunities can be discovered by improving the information exchange between the network and control applications if new techniques can be developed to leverage this information. The goal is to move beyond the conventional model, in which wireless communication and mobility produce random errors, dropouts, or delays, to a model in which the control system can adapt in real time as service degrades. Efforts will develop control techniques that allow a system to adapt its operation and use of network resources based on the quality-of-service that the network is able to provide (currently and predicted) and on the costs associated with the use of the network by that application and the other users of the network. We consider how control systems can inform communication networks of control requirements and priorities, how the communication networks can use these to optimize their use of the shared communication resources (bandwidth/time/space), and how information can be shared with other users of these communication resources while protecting privacy and operations security by utilizing techniques developed in other research thrusts.


Analysis, Design and Control Synthesis Within and Over Networks Publications