Content distribution in Delay-Tolerant Networks using social context

Wireless communication technologies have given rise to the development of Delay Tolerant Networks, a collection of devices that route data opportunistically. These networks can be used to distribute data, such as news articles, advertisements, and media, to interested clients. To deliver content efficiently, the Social Content Distribution (SCD) scheme collects social context data and request patterns. Nodes then are designated as mobile repositories, or throw-boxes, which house large content stores. Clients request specific articles from nearby repositories. Which nodes will request data can be predicted based on request and social patterns, so the SCD schema can fulfill content requests quickly and efficiently. Applying the SCD protocol to a simulated environment of social entities improved the delivery ratio of content requests when compared to static repositories or nonsocial request tracking schema.