Hybrid Event

Event program

Thursday, 5/26/2022 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM, Maria, Hotel Palace Bellevue, Opatija 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM Internet of Everything and Smart Society Concept  Invited Lectures  Mario Kušek (Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing, Zagreb, Croatia) IoT Field: Networked Devices and Big Data Processing for the Digitalization of Agriculture in the Republic of Croatia  Andrej Grgurić (Ericsson Nikola Tesla, Zagreb, Croatia) IoT for Active and Healthy Ageing  Papers  1. L. Fetahu (SEEU, Prishtina, Kosovo), A. Maraj (Telecom of Kosovo, Prishtina, Kosovo), A. Havolli (SEEU, Prishtina, Kosovo) Internet of Things (IoT) Benefits, Future Perspective, and Implementation Challenges  Today, the Internet of Things (IoT) has gained popularity and significant expansion. IoT has become very important for our lives, as many objects, sensors, devices, and things are connected through the Internet. Since IoT devices require high bandwidth, it is necessary to redesign the complete network architectures. There are many ways that networked devices can improve existing processes and services in the industry. Industrial IoT enables connecting of smart devices in industrial applications. It involves connecting smart devices to commercial applications and consumers. Today, various entities have an excellent opportunity to expand their businesses using IoT. However, there are still many challenges facing IoT today. This paper aims to cover the main challenges, opportunities, architecture, and applications of IoT technology. It will analyze the importance of cloud and big data for IoT. The contribution and weaknesses of existing literature will also be covered and analyzed in this study. The main goal is to analyze the security issues, assurance, and interoperability of IoT devices and IoT adaptation by different organizations. The paper will open up research questions and discuss new approaches, possibilities, and challenges for people and organizations using IoT. The most significant challenges will be highlighted to give the possible future directions and open matters about IoT for the research community and the industry. 2. N. Kasunić (Zagreb University of Applied Sciences, Zagreb, Croatia) Overview of the Progress of IPv6 Adoption in Croatia  As a specification proposed in a far-away year of 1998 in a response to critical outage of available IP address space, one would assume that IPv6 protocol is adopted a long time ago, and one would be very much wrong. Where does the world and European Union countries stand with IPv6 enabled traffic, and Croatia in respect to them? This paper will provide an outline of current IPv6 adoption progress status worldwide, in EU countries with a focus on Croatia, based on information available from online resources. An overview of available online sources and metrics for measuring IPv6 deployment is gives as well. 3. C. Phung, M. Bensalem, A. Jukan (Technische Universität Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany) Benchmarking Buffer Size in IoT Devices Deploying REST HTTP  A few potential IoT communication protocols at the application layer have been proposed, including MQTT, CoAP and REST HTTP, with the latter being the protocol of choice for software developers due to its compatibility with the existing systems. We present a theoretical model of the expected buffer size on the REST HTTP client buffer in IoT devices under lossy wireless conditions, and validate the study experimentally. The results show that increasing the buffer size in IoT devices does not always improve performance in lossy environments, hence demonstrating the importance of benchmarking the buffer size in IoT systems deploying REST HTTP. 4. L. Vukonić, M. Tomić (Faculty of Engineering, Rijeka, Croatia) Ultrasonic Sensors in IoT Applications  Ultrasonic sensors are common sensors to use in proximity sensing and distance measurement applications. With the advent of Internet of Things (IoT), many new application possibilities have opened, especially concerning IoT devices, that form integral parts of larger and more complex solutions, such as smart cities or smart control systems. Because of that, there are many sensors specifically tailored to a narrow range of applications. The sensors vary widely in terms of maximum distance, accuracy, robustness, and price. We discuss the basic theory and operating principles of ultrasonic sensors and compare them to other alternative solutions for certain specific applications. Several different applications, with a focus on smart cities, are discussed. Further, we show that ultrasonic sensors can be used on both low-end microcontroller-based devices as well as powerful single board computers, according to target application requirements. A general IoT-based smart city system structure is briefly discussed. 5. I. Heđi, E. Ciriković (Virovitica University of Applied Sciences, Virovitica, Croatia), O. Jukić (Consultem d.o.o., Slatina, Croatia) Improving City Infrastructure Resilience Capacity: Resilience Management Guidelines in Mobile Network  In Republic of Croatia ways of rescue and protection of citizens, materials and other goods in catastrophes such as earthquakes, flooding or ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease are regulated by Law on Protection and Rescue. Some of the most important parts are ways of controlling, handling and coordinating tasks, constitutions of bodies for administration and ways of alarming and informing in activities of protection and rescue. Water supply network is very important part of the city infrastructure. Hence, it is necessary to ensure high-quality and reliable water supply network management process. In our previous research network model and relevant real-time data are integrated into the complete system that will cover all city infrastructure, acting as infrastructure data interchange portal usable especially in the case of disasters. All citizens are communicated with this platform through different user roles or services using telecommunications infrastructure. Main goal of research in this paper is to improve ways of controlling, coordinating tasks and informing citizens. Platform is used to collect whole relevant data from different sources such as water supply network operating center, electricity network operating center, gas transmission network operating center, telecommunication network operating center, citizens, 112 service and so on in emergency situation. Different behavioral scenarios have been implemented in the platform. According to the collected relevant data, the platform activates a certain scenario that best suits the current situation. According to the scenario, the platform automatically generates tasks to relevant people via a mobile application. In addition, other citizens receive information about acting through push notifications. 6. D. Selimović, A. Salkanović, M. Tomić (Faculty of Engineering, Rijeka, Croatia) Application of MQTT Based Message Brokers for IoT Devices within Smart City Solutions  The advent of the Internet of Things (IoT) devices and platforms opened several new services and application possibilities within Smart City solutions. Their successful implementation is reflected in operational efficiency improvements as well as the quality of the provided government services. Such solutions also provide a way to share information with the public. The solutions assume the utilization of various IoT devices to collect and analyze data. Very important decisions in the implementations of such systems are related to the technology stack and the choice of data transfer system during communication. Different communication protocols are used in the application layer, and one of them is the lightweight MQTT message protocol, with the corresponding message broker. We propose the structure of an entire Smart City system solution. MQTT protocol is used for communication, and, data is visualized on an interactive map. Benchmark tests were done to examine the performance of the used message brokers. We show that the MQTT message protocol is a suitable solution for the proposed application. Also, a dedicated message broker service is the most suitable solution for routing information messages. 7. S. Hadzovic, L. Becirspahic, H. Omeragic (Internet Society in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina) ICT Accessibility for Persons with Disabilities  Accessibility is a key for the social and economic development of persons with disabilities. In the digital age, digital or ICT accessibility is imperative, which includes identifying and eliminating obstacles and barriers that persons with disabilities face in using ICT. The purpose of this article is to give a short introduction to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, universal design principles, assistive technology, accessibility, and relevant EU directives and standards. Additionally, the Internet Society in Bosnia and Herzegovina’s activities in empowering blind persons through computer training will be presented. Acquiring ICT skills is a necessary condition for access to the opportunities offered by the Internet, which is in line with the Internet Society mission - Internet for All. Thursday, 5/26/2022 3:00 PM - 7:00 PM, Maria, Hotel Palace Bellevue, Opatija 3:00 PM - 4:30 PM 5G Mobile Networks and Beyond  Papers  1. T. Iliev (University of Ruse "Angel Kanchev", Ruse, Bulgaria), G. Mihaylov (University of Telecommunications and Post, Sofia, Bulgaria), I. Stoyanov, I. Penkov, I. Beloev (University of Ruse "Angel Kanchev", Ruse, Bulgaria) Planning and Deployment of 5G Radio-Relay Line  As mobile network capacity demand increases rapidly, a lot of the operator's investments are directed to optical distribution networks for radio access network (RAN) transport. However, even with its high capacity, optical fiber networks are not always the best option due to its costs, and possible delay in the time required to build it. This paper explains the steps of planning and deployment of 5G radio-relay line. Firstly, a link budget and fading margin calculations are analysed. Secondly, a profile of individual routes are established. Finally, based on the experiments carried out we proposed the structure of the urban radio relay network. 2. J. Balen, B. Tomasic, K. Semialjac (Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Computer Science and Information Technology Osijek, Osijek, Croatia), H. Varga (Roxoft, Osijek, Croatia) Survey on Using 5G Technology in VANETs  The fifth-generation of mobile networks (5G), is considered as a promising technology for empowering the current communication mainly in mobile networks. The main advantages compared to the current 4G architecture include high bandwidth, ultra-low latency, high mobility and scalability support, massive connectivity, higher reliability, and increased availability. In this paper, a brief overview of current scientific work and trends in using 5G technologies in VANETs is given. The 5G technology can be efficiently used to support vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communications in VANETS while enabling real-time video streaming. It can provide new applications and services which are expected to improve security, performance, autonomous driving, business and entertainment, along with traffic safety and efficiency. Integration of 5G in VANETs will satisfy the increasing com munication demands and help in the evolution of intelligent transportation systems. 3. A. Havolli (SEEU, Prishtina, Kosovo), A. Maraj (Telecom of Kosovo, Prishtina, Kosovo), L. Fetahu (SEEU, Prishtina, Kosovo) Cloud Radio Access Network for Next Generation Mobile Networks; practical implementation benefits  Today, the amount of data on mobile networks and the customers' demands have been significantly increased. With the advent of the new 5G mobile technology, data is expected to increase even more exponentially. In order to fulfill users' requirements, Operators are moving towards cloud-native technologies and open network architectures. Specifically, operators worldwide are implementing Cloud-based Radio Access Network (C-RAN) with support for 5G technology. 5G deployment requires more computing power than 4G. Therefore, there is a need to move to C-RAN to secure high-capacity solutions. First, we will perform a detailed survey of the latest literature related to cloud-based Next Generation 5G networks in terms of bandwidth utilization, power consumption, Quality of Service (QoS), resource allocation, spectrum efficiency, transmission delay, capital and operational expenditures. In addition, we will identify the main challenges and the benefits of implementing C-RAN. To analyze power consumption for Base Stations we will use as a case study of TK (Telecom of Kosovo). The final aim is to give important recommendations regarding the benefits that C-RAN and Virtualized C-RAN would bring in terms of power consumption, in comparison with traditional RAN implemented in TK. 4. T. Iliev (University of Ruse "Angel Kanchev", Ruse, Bulgaria), G. Mihaylov (University of Telecommunications and Post, Sofia, Bulgaria), I. Stoyanov, I. Beloev (University of Ruse "Angel Kanchev", Ruse, Bulgaria) Performance Analysis of 5G Radio-Relay Network with Different Nodes  Over the past 20 years, millimeter bands has been constantly evolving to meet the requirements. In Comparison with current wireless communication standards, like 4G/LTE or Wi-Fi, millimeter wave (mmW) allows the transmission of many subcarriers, based on which it has the following advantages: huge bandwidth, narrow beam, high quality transmission, etc.. In 1996, mmW transmission typically supports 34 Mbps, nowadays the equipment easily supports over 1Gbps in most used bands and over 10 Gbps with E-Band. The paper deals with the stages of analyzing and designing of 5G mmW radiorelay network. 5. M. Bensalem, A. Jukan ( Technische Universität Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany) Benchmarking Machine Learning Techniques for THz Channel Estimation Problems  Terahertz communication is one of the most promising wireless communication technologies for 6G generation and beyond. For THz systems to be practically adopted, channel estimation is one of the key issues. We consider the problem of channel modeling and estimation with deterministic channel propagation and the related physical characteristics of THz bands, and benchmark various machine learning algorithms to estimate THz channel, including neural networks (NN), logistic regression (LR), and projected gradient ascent (PGA). Numerical results show that PGA algorithm yields the most promising performance at SNR=0 dB with NMSE of -12.8 dB. 4:30 PM - 5:00 PM Remote Control of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles  Papers  1. K. Kainrath, M. Gruber, A. Hinze, H. Flühr (FH JOANNEUM, University of Applied Sciences, Graz, Austria), E. Leitgeb (TU Graz, Institute of Microwave and Photonic Engineering, Graz, Austria) Towards Unmanned Aerial Vehicle UTM-integration Using Mobile Radio Networks  The Single European Sky ATM Research Joint Undertaking (SESAR JU) U-space research program proposed in 2017 a blueprint of UAV services along a timeline towards a fully autonomous Air Traffic and Unmanned Traffic Management (ATM and UTM), together named as U-space. The initial plan was to achieve this goal within four steps until 2035. Within the first phase the realization of UAV remote Identification (ID) and UAV tracking services as a basic prerequisite for a technical implementation of a UTM system was planned. Since there is still a lack of standardization in the field of UAVs, mobile radio technologies would be ideal for implementing phase one and further U-space services. In the following, the challenges for the mobile radio technology to be used in the U-space program will be considered. 2. J. Benjak, D. Hofman (University of Zagreb, Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing, Zagreb, Croatia) 4K Video Coding Efficiency in UAV Systems  With increasing requirements for high quality, low bandwidth video transmission systems, comes a demand for more ad hoc video encoders. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), or just drones, have recently grown in popularity and use. Therefore, in this paper, we provide an efficiency comparison of the two most popular video encoders in a First-person view (FPV) drone piloting system. We film all the test sequences ourselves, using a drone with an attached 4K camera. Each sequence captures a scene with different spatiotemporal characteristics. Because video encoders are sensitive to video content or scene complexity, instead of doing a comprehensive comparison of all sequences at once, we first classify all the sequences into four groups. Finally, we examine the compression efficiency by varying the parameters with the highest impact on encoder operation. The quality of compressed footage is determined using four objective video quality measures. Due to high computational complexity, tests were performed on several nodes of a supercomputer and the relative encoding times were also considered. 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM Networks Management and Quality of Service  Papers  1. M. Bensalem, J. Dizdarević, A. Jukan (Technische Universität Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany) Benchmarking Various ML Solutions in Complex Intent-Based Network Management Systems  Intent-based networking (IBN) solutions to managing complex ICT systems have become one of the key enablers of intelligent and autonomous network management. One of the most recent and critical examples of complex ICT systems are the so-called ICT supply chain systems, defined as a system integrating ICT products and services, transforming raw materials, and components into a finished product or service from supplier to the end user. The deployment of various heterogeneous platforms, comprised of complex processing units, including CPU/GPU, CPU/FPGA and CPU/TPU combinations, with new hardware platforms being continually added, is the norm and not the exception. As the number of machine learning (ML) solutions to be deployed in IBN increases, it can be computationally hard and time consuming to benchmark every ML-based solution on every existing hardware. We propose an intent-based networking solution to managing ICT supply chain systems, that can benchmark the performance of various ML solutions on heterogeneous platforms. We focus on the design of a specific module within the system, referred to as ML Recommender, responsible for computational performance estimation of ML-based applications on heterogeneous hardware devices. Our benchmarking method is based on collaborative filtering techniques, relying on ML-based methods like Singular Value Decomposition and Stochastic Gradient Descent, assuming initial lack of explicit knowledge about the application's number of operations, framework, or the device processing characteristics. We show that it is possible to estimate accurately the execution time of various ML applications on any new incoming hardware based on data from a few benchmarks only. 2. C. Phung (Institut für Datentechnik und Kommunikationsnetze, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany), C. Herold (Institut für Nachrichtentechnik, Technische Universität Braunschweig , Braunschweig, Germany), D. Humphreys (National Physical Laboratory, Teddington TW 11 0LW, United Kingdom), T. Kürner (Institut für Nachrichtentechnik, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany), A. Jukan (Institut für Datentechnik und Kommunikationsnetze, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany) Performance Analysis of MDPC and RS codes in Two-channel THz Communication Systems  We analyze whether a multidimensional parity check (MDPC) or a Reed-Solomon (RS) code in combination with an auxiliary channel can improve the throughput and extend the THz transmission distance. While channel quality is addressed by various coding approaches, and an effective THz system configuration is enabled by other approaches with additional channels, their combination is new with the potential for significant improvements in quality of the data transmission. Our specific solution is designed to correct data bits at the physical layer by using a low complexity erasure code (MDPC or RS), whereby original and parity data are transferred over two separate and parallel THz channels, including one main channel and one additional channel. The results are theoretically analyzed to see that our new solution can improve throughput, support higher modulation levels and transfer data over the longer distances with THz communications. 3. Z. Ennaceur, A. Engelmann, A. Jukan (TU Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany) Engineering Edge-Cloud Offloading of Big Data for Channel Modelling in THz-range Communications  Channel estimation in mmWave and THz-range wireless communications (producing Gb/Tb-range of data) is critical to configuring system parameters related to transmission signal quality, and yet it remains a daunting challenge both in software and hardware. Current methods of channel estimations, be it modeling- or data-based (machine learning (ML)), - use and create big data. This in turn requires a large amount of computational resources, read operations to prove if there is some predefined channel configurations, e.g., QoS requirements, in the database, as well as write operations to store the new combinations of QoS parameters in the database. Especially the ML-based approach requires high computational and storage resources, low latency and a higher hardware flexibility. In this paper, we engineer and study the offloading of the above operations to edge and cloud computing systems to understand the suitability of edge and cloud computing to provide rapid response with channel and link configuration parameters on the example of THz channel modeling. We evaluate the performance of the engineered system when the computational and storage resources are orchestrated based on: 1) monolithic architecture, 2) microservices (Docker Swarm and Kubernetes) architectures, both in edge-cloud based approach. For microservices approach, we engineer both Docker Swarm and Kubernetes systems. The measurements show a great promise of edge computing and microservices that can quickly respond to properly configure parameters and improve transmission distance and signal quality with ultra-high speed wireless communications. 4. A. Višković (Energy Platform Living Lab Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia), V. Franki (Faculty of Engineering University of Rijeka; Energy Platform Living Lab Zagreb, Rijeka, Croatia), D. Jevtić (Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia) Artificial Intelligence as a Facilitator of the Energy Transition  There is a dramatic transformation occurring across the world. Efforts to decarbonize the energy sector are leading to an increasingly decentralized energy system. Power, heating, transport, building and industry sectors are progressively more interconnected. In addition, new business models and innovative technological solutions are driving change in the power industry. The new system being unfolded requires a much higher level of flexibility and coordination. The increased complexities can only be mitigated by actively managing the energy supply chain. In this context, artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to play a key role in numerous areas such as demand forecasting, predictive maintenance, energy management and customer support. Among digital technologies, AI is the one with the highest adoption rate in the power sector. Considering the growing importance of AI, the paper analyses the current status and future prospects of the technology in the power industry. It also explores different issues and barriers to its wider adoption. The review of possible applications is conducted by analysing academic literature and by observing numerous companies around the world that are developing and implementing AI solutions on the grid’s edge. 5. M. Filipašić, M. Dadić (University of Zagreb, Faculty of electrical engineering and computing , Zagreb, Croatia) Analysis and Design of a PCB Probe for Near Field Measurements  The paper presents the design and characterization of a magnetic field probe, fabricated using printed circuit board (PCB) technology. The frequency range and sensitivity of the probe were analysed using a Finite Element Method (FEM) simulation model developed in Ansoft Maxwell 3D and Ansoft HFSS. The probe is cheap and easily fabricated on a FR4 substrate with only 2 layers. A measurement setup is shown for generating a uniform magnetic field, which is used for calibrating the probe. The magnetic field is generated using Helmholtz coils and the probe is calibrated against Rohde&Schwarz HZ-10 pickup coil as a reference. A detailed comparison between the theoretical, simulated, and measured results is given and discussed, including sensitivity, inductance and frequency range of the probe. The probe’s intended use is for magnetic field measurements and pre-compliance EMC measurements. 6. T. Žitnik, Z. Bosić (Ericsson Nikola Tesla, Zagreb, Croatia) Operations Wisdom Logging  Good customer experience is one of the key success factors in today's information technology industry and digital transformation processes. High-class customer experience and more efficient business performance achieved through simplified processes with automated actions are building bricks of digital transformation which enables optimized performance. To that end, understanding and maintaining information through knowledge management process makes it easy to capture, query, find, reuse information, and learn from performed actions or events. Operations wisdom logging (OWL) toolset developed in Ericsson Nikola Tesla Group aims to improve customer experience by knowledge management process and by transforming it into suitable action flow. OWL toolset supports data collection and transformation of analyzed data from information to knowledge required for making sensible decisions. OWL solution comprises a single access connection point with clientless remote access to any remote node which requires daily maintenance. Passive data logging during remote access is transformed into consolidated information and knowledge ready to integrate with any information technology service management (ITSM) solution with quick search engine empowered by optical character recognition (OCR). Machine Learning/Artificial Intelligence (ML/AI) concept based on predefined events and user profiles provides the context of OWL toolset solution lifecycle, enabling additional value to customer experience during node or equipment maintenance.

Željka Car (Croatia), Stjepan Golubić (Croatia), Dragan Jevtić (Croatia), Branko Mikac (Croatia)

Slaviša Aleksić (Germany), Krešo Antonović (Croatia), Gordan Gledec (Croatia), Darko Huljenić (Croatia), Oliver Jukić (Croatia), Ozren Jureković (Croatia), Erich Leitgeb (Austria), Velimir Švedek (Croatia)

Željka Car (Croatia), Vlado Delić (Serbia), Saša Dešić (Croatia), Renato Filjar (Croatia), Tihana Galinac Grbac (Croatia), Stjepan Golubić (Croatia), Vlasta Hudek (Croatia), Robert Inkret (Croatia), Dragan Jevtić (Croatia), Admela Jukan (Germany), Marko Lacković (Croatia), Dražen Lučić (Croatia), Branko Mikac (Croatia), Mladen Sokele (Croatia), Dina Šimunić (Croatia), Darko Švelec (Croatia), Miroslav Vrankić (Croatia), Antonio Teixeira (Portugal), Mario Weber (Croatia)

The discount doesn't apply to PhD students.

Zeljka Car 
University of Zagreb
Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing
Unska 3
HR-10000 Zagreb, Croatia

Phone: +385 1 6129 787
Mobile: +385 91 507 3452
E-mail: zeljka.car@fer.hr

The best papers will get a special award.
Accepted papers will be published in the ISSN registered conference proceedings. Presented papers in English will be submitted for inclusion in the IEEE Xplore Digital Library.
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There is a possibility that the selected scientific papers with some further modification and refinement are being published in the following journals: Journal of Computing and Information Technology (CIT), MDPI Applied Science, MDPI Information Journal, Frontiers and EAI Endorsed Transaction on Scalable Information Systems.