vStore: A Context-Aware Framework for Mobile Micro-Storage at the Edge

The way mobile users store and share their data today is completely decoupled from their current usage context and actual intentions. Furthermore, the paradigm of cloud computing, where all data is placed in distant cloud data centers is seldom questioned. As a result, we are faced with congested networks and high latencies when retrieving data stored at distant locations. The emergence of edge computing provides an opportunity to overcome this issue. In this paper, we present , a framework that provides the capabilities for context-aware micro-storage. The framework is targeted at mobile users and leverages small-scale, decentralized storage nodes at the extreme edge of the network. The decision where to store data is made based on rules that can either be pushed globally to the framework or created individually by users. We motivate our approach with different use cases, one of which is the sharing of data at events where cellular networks tend to be congested. To demonstrate the feasibility of our approach, we implement a demo application on the Android platform, leveraging storage nodes placed at different locations in a major city. By conducting a field trial, we demonstrate the key functionalities of and report on first usage insights.