DAILY HAMPSHIRE GAZETTE

Profs tap bus runs to create moving wireless networks
BY RACHAEL HANLEY 
STAFF WRITER
June 20, 2006

AMHERST - Brian Levine wanted to solve his Blackberry dilemma. His
device was capable of Internet access, but would often report no
connection in the area.

It was off-line a lot, he said. 'I thought, let's try to fix that.'

Levine, an associate professor at the University of Massachusetts in
Amherst, took his problem back to his lab. Teaming up with his
students and eventually with assistant professor Mark Corner, Levine
eventually came up with a novel solution to the wireless connection
problem.

The solution was called a notion disruption tolerant networks or
(DTN) and used connection devices on vehicles, pedestrians and
electronic kiosks to create a large net of moving Internet
connection.

To test the idea, Levine and Corner began building a system called
UMass Diesel Net, installing a series of computers in the dashboards
of 40 buses on the UMass campus. The new equipment, slightly smaller
than a lunchbox, fits into the space where previously rolls of paper
had announced bus destination.

The devices they place in each Diesel Net vehicle contained small
Linux-based computers with Wi-Fi access points. The buses had a GPS
device to record location, while a second wireless card could scan
the surrounding area for other buses and Wi-Fi networks.

Using custom software, the buses are able to transfer data to each
other as they pass on the road. They are also able to connect
quickly to open wireless points as they travel along their routes.

Since these connections are very brief, it's not yet possible for
passengers to have wireless on their laptops. Instead, the buses use
the wireless access points to communicate their location and
performance. The bus data is then collected and analyzed by Levine
and Corner.

Such a system might be useful during a time of crisis, such as a
flood, earthquake or war, they say.

'Basically data will move around in the system, even if the network
fails,' said Corner.

Ultimately, a more complex and widely deployed system could help
police, ambulance, fire and other service vehicles stay connected,
he said.

The two men have been working on expanding the DTN by installing
small devices around Amherst where the buses can upload or download
information as they pass.

The devices - solar-powered mini-computers in crush-proof plastic -
are called 'throw boxes' because they can be thrown anywhere, at
least in theory.

'I have thrown them,' said Corner. 'But only a foot at a time.'

Levine and Corner have received over $1.5 million from the National
Science Foundation (and the Defense Advanced Research Projects
Agency to research DTNs.

Working with the Pioneer Valley Transit Authority, Levine and Corner
soon hope to provide bus passengers with what are known as cached
Web pages, which are not actually online, but are updated roughly
every 40 minutes and provide some news, sports updates, maps, bus
timetables, podcast radio shows and a community bulletin board.

Games, such as chess or risk, could also be played over a series of
days by passengers entering one move each day.

At the moment, the Diesel Net Web service is fairly limited, yet
Levine said it still has some use for passengers.

'If you're in the middle of nowhere, do you want old news or
nothing?' he said.

Showing off the row of buses in the university garage, systems
administrator Adam Sherson said that even cached pages would help
distract commuters from long rides.

'Anything that makes riding the bus more enjoyable,' said Sherson.

Levine and Corner are also working with the town of Amherst to
create a wide network of Wi-Fi connectivity in the downtown area
along the bus routes.

'It's information where you are,' said Levine. 'Soon people will
say, 'Remember when you could only use the Internet on your
desktop?' '

Rachael Hanley can be reached at rhanley@gazettenet.com.