WRAWN 2017 - 8th Workshop on Realistic models for Algorithms in Wireless Networks (WRAWN)

Computation using wireless connections is becoming more common and more important. The need for smart algorithms that efficiently solve useful problems in this setting, therefore, has never been more pressing.
In the 1980s and 1990s, work on this topic focused on a single type of shared channel abstraction that was appropriate for understanding the challenges inherent in resolving contention among unknown contenders. Starting around a decade ago, however, the number and type of abstractions for describing wireless communication exploded. There are now abstractions that capture the properties of signal fading, topology changes, and message reliability. Some abstractions are synchronous while others capture timing uncertainty. Some are tightly intertwined with the physics of electromagnetic radiation while others hide all such details.
Each class of abstraction is appropriate for investigating some types of questions and inappropriate for others. To work effectively in this space, therefore, increasingly requires a passing understanding of these many different ways to describe wireless communication.
This year's WRAWN workshop focuses on organizing and better understanding these abstractions. Featuring a combination of theory and systems talks, its goal is to survey the current state of the art in wireless network modeling, while also seeking to understand the next big opportunities in this line of research. This workshop will help synchronize those who work in the topic of wireless algorithms (or are interested in doing so) with the respect to rapidly growing number of useful abstractions that promise to define this area in years to come.
The focus of WRAWN
Much remains to be understood about the algorithmic complexity and efficiency of wireless networks, despite their near omnipresence. The focus of WRAWN is on keeping researchers in this field up to date on cutting edge models, problems, and approaches. Each year's meeting chooses a specific theme relevant to this general goal. In previous years, for example, the workshop has dived deep into understanding advances in SINR-style models, probed the gap between theory results and practical implementations, examined situation-specific models, and explored dynamic behaviors.
Our goal is for participants to come away with a significantly increased set of problems in this area that they are excited to work on and a broader understanding of the potential of wireless algorithmics.