Local Search Heuristics for Media Streams Planning Problem

High-quality video-mediated communication uses data streams with high bitrates, often comparable to capacity of network links, it also demands latency to be as low as possible. The problem of finding the optimal solution to multi-point data distribution on application level while minimizing distribution latency is NP-complete. This paper presents a novel approach to solving the problem using local search methods. Experimental evaluation within the Co Universe framework shows that the proposed algorithm is capable of solving problems an order of magnitude larger than previously available approaches, while maintaining high quality of the solutions. The proposed approach also makes initial attempts toward handling of system dynamics and minimizing the impact on already participating users.