Delay-oriented data traffic migration in maritime mobile communication environments

Maritime ship-to-shore communication has to satisfy different user requirements while suffering dynamic communication circumstances. Satellite networks are the primary means to communicate between ship and shore. The idea of compensating the deficiency of satellite communication with other terrestrial networks is not new. However, focus was often on how to keep users always best connected, without considering respective application needs or the potential disconnections. In this paper, we propose a delay-oriented satellite data traffic migration solution, exploiting the route repetitiveness and predictability of ships, leveraging the delay tolerance of many communication applications, with the support of delay tolerant networking architecture. We use model-checking techniques to support our claim that a delay-oriented data traffic migration approach can provide users with not only more reliable delivery but also preferred services based on some reasonable assumptions. Issues and suggestions related to implementing the DTN-based traffic migration are discussed additionally.