N-CRAVE will deliver a proof-of-concept for network coding as the major enabler in dynamic wireless network environments with multiple communicating peers, where robustness is a key challenge. The simple, yet disruptive idea of network coding is that nodes are allowed to not only forward but also process and mix the incoming independent information flows. The objective is to develop solutions for architecting and controlling wireless networks in performance-challenged and resource-constrained environments.

N-CRAVE will advance knowledge of fundamentals of network coding for improving attainable performance limits of networked systems for capacity, throughput, latency, complexity and energy with a view towards practically encountered scenarios. Key protocol components of the access, transport and network layers that operate hand-in-hand with network coding will be developed. In doing so, novel lightweight techniques will be designed based on convex optimization, linear algebra and backpressure control principles for transporting maximal amount of data over the network. Emphasis will be placed on advanced modes of information transport such as multi-cast and group-to-group communication with multiple simultaneous sessions in highly volatile environments.

Innovative content distribution and storage methods will be developed for various wireless architectures and application-driven performance metrics, such as throughput, delay and fairness. A major goal will be to make the techniques viable in dynamically changing, volatile environments by preserving low computational complexity and signalling load.

Besides inherent benefits of network coding in capacity provisioning and robustness, positive ramifications in security will be used to fortify confidentiality, secrecy and resilience to data corruption and other threats. Finally the project will deliver an experimental wireless test-bed on which various network coding techniques will be implemented and validated.