Abstract
Instead of relying on huge and expensive data centers for rolling out cloud-based services to rural and remote areas, we propose a hardware platform based on small single-board computers. The role of these micro-data centers is twofold. On the one hand, they act as intermediaries between cloud services and clients, improving availability in the case of network or power outages. On the other hand, they run community-based services on local infrastructure. We illustrate how to build such a system without incurring high costs, high power consumption, or single points of failure. Additionally, we opt for a system that is extendable and scalable as well as easy to deploy, relying on an open design.
Bio
Sven Helmer is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Computer Science at the Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, Italy, after holding a position as Senior Lecturer at Birkbeck, University of London. He obtained a PhD from the University of Mannheim, Germany, an MSc in Computer Science from the University of Karlsruhe, Germany, and also spent some time as a visiting professor at the University of Heidelberg. He is currently teaching courses on databases and information security; his research interests include database systems, cloud computing, Raspberry Pis, query optimization, route planning, as well as interdisciplinary research in the areas of information systems and ethnography. He has published more than 80 peer-reviewed papers and book chapters.