An Integrated Node Selection Model Using FAHP and FTOPSIS for Data Retrieval in Ubiquitous Computing

Abstract

Ubiquitous computing (UC) is an advanced computing concept that makes services and computing available everywhere and anytime. In UC, data lies at the heart of all UC applications, and the key technologies that are required to make UC a reality are data and task management. In this context, retrieving data is influenced by the dynamic nature of these systems in addition to human and sensor failures. So the main problem is how to select the most appropriate service provider for retrieving data. Retrieving data is a complex issue that requires an extensive evaluation process and is one of the biggest challenges in UC. In addition, not every eventuality in these systems can be predicted due to their dynamic nature. As a result, there is a strong need to address the uncertainty in context data. In this paper, to assist users to efficiently select their most preferred service provider for retrieving data, a new fuzzy integrated multicriteria decision-making model, which meets quality of context (QoC) and quality of service (QoS) and satisfies user quality requirements and needs, is proposed. The proposed model is based on four stages. In the initial stage, the identification of evaluation criteria is performed due to the varying importance of the selected criteria. In the second stage, a fuzzy Analytical Hierarchy Process (FAHP) procedure is utilized to assign importance weights to each criterion. In the third stage, the fuzzy Technique for Order Preference by Similarity of an Ideal Solution (FTOPSIS) is used to evaluate and measure the performance of each alternative. Finally, sensitivity analysis is performed to check the robustness and the applicability of the proposed model.