To run or not to run: Predicting resource usage pattern in a smartphone

Abstract

Smart mobile phones are vital to the Mobile Cloud Computing (MCC) paradigm where compute jobs can be offloaded to the devices from the Cloud and vice-versa, or the devices can act as peers to collaboratively perform a task. Recent research in IoT context also points to the use of smartphones as sensor gateways highlighting the importance of data processing at the network edge. In either case, when a smart phone is used as a compute resource or a sensor gateway, the corresponding tasks must be executed in addition to the user’s normal activities on the device without affecting the user experience. In this paper, we propose a framework that can act as an enabler of such features by classifying the availability of system resources like CPU, memory, network usage based on applications running on an Android phone. We show that, such app-based classifications are user-specific and app usage varies with different handsets, leading to different classifications. We further show that irrespective of such variation in classification, distinct patterns exist for all users with available opportunity to schedule external tasks, without affecting user experience. Based on the next to-be-used applications, we output a predicted set of system resources. The resource levels along with handset architecture may be used to estimate worst case execution time for external jobs.