About CRAWDAD

Research in wireless networks is seriously starved for data. Data captured from live wireless networks would help us all to understand how real users, applications, and devices use real networks under real conditions. This data helps us to identify and understand the real problems, to evaluate possible solutions, and to evaluate new applications and services.

On the other hand, most research today is based on analytical or simulation models; due to the complexity of radio propagation in the real world and the lack of understanding about behavior of wireless applications and users, these models are severely limited. Experimental studies, however, are extremely difficult to set up. To collect data about real users on real networks requires extensive amounts of equipment, specialized software for collecting and anonymizing data, organizational permission and assistance to collect data, and human-subjects research clearance from the appropriate institutional review board (IRB).

At Dartmouth College we are fortunate. We have a campus-wide wireless infrastructure, with comprehensive data collection mechanisms in place to gather traces of wireless users and their behavior. We have developed an extensive set of tools for collecting, anonymizing, and analyzing the trace data. We have a cooperative network-management organization, and experience with the IRB process. We have a history of sharing our (anonymized) data with the research community. Several other research groups, from around the world, in both academia and industry, have used our data in their research. In our experience there is clearly a great need for this sort of data.

To meet this need, the NSF is funding an effort to turn this Dartmouth resource into a true community resource: an archive with the capacity to store wireless trace data from many contributing locations, with the staff to develop better tools for collecting, anonymizing, and analyzing the data. This Community Resource for Archiving Wireless Data At Dartmouth, CRAWDAD, will work with community leaders to ensure that the archive meets the needs of the research community, work with the other leading centers that develop network tracing tools and metadata, and work with research organizations and corporations to ensure continuing support for the archive after NSF's funding ends.

CRAWDAD is grateful to its sponsors.

CRAWDAD Fact Sheet (May 2008): pdf

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About crawdads:

Crawdads are crustaceans also commonly known as crayfish, crawfish or yabbies. See this wikipedia entry for more information.