Photographer: Duane Perry © 2008 University of Delaware

Research at CICS is sponsor driven, often starting from the curiosity of individual researchers. Most of our projects are in collaboration with other researchers in government, academia and industry. Some current projects include:

Dissonance in Combined Networks (ARL NS-CTA)

PI's: David Sincoskie, Chase Cotton

Collaborators: Craig Partridge, BBN

This project seeks to understand the kinds of hazards or dissonances that occur when networks are combined.   It looks at existing examples of combined networks, such as BitTorrent (an information network) on top of the Internet (a communications network), and the various attempts to layer communications networks with social networks, to understand the implications of combining network models and the types of hazards and dissonances that we want to detect in validation experiments. 

Semantic Information Theory (ARL NS-CTA)

PIs: Ben Carterette (UD), J. Hendler (RPI), P. Basu (BBN), N. Contractor, Northwestern

Can the concepts of information theory be extended to the composite networks needed for the NS CTA to model modern composite military networks?  Social networks are made of links that represent people (or organizations) and their relationships.  The information that flows through those networks cannot be viewed just as bits - they are bits that encode specific meanings, and those meanings only are comprehensible in the presence of specific semantics.  Information networks carry this encoded meaning, but it is only useful when  interpreted by humans, and that notion of interpretation (or understanding) is not covered in Shannon’s seminal work.  Hence, there is a crucial link between social and information networks that we must better explore, understand and explicate to be able to develop a network science that can explain these newer forms of networks.

Internet Protocol Version 6 for the Department of Defense (DARPA)

PI: Jonathan M. Smith

Collaborators: David Sincoskie, WillIam Arbaugh

This study will provide an unbiased look at the advantages and disadvantages associated with transitioning the DoD's network from the current IPv4 protocol to IPv6.

TESS (CERDEC)

Prime contractor: Booz Allen Hamilton

Co-PI: David Sincoskie, Chase Cotton

TESS is an IDIQ contract with the Intelligence and Information Warfare Directorate at CERDEC. The CICS is a subcontractor to Booz Allen Hamilton.