MMCSACC: A Multi-Source Multimedia Conference System Assisted by Cloud Computing for Smart Campus

The multimedia conference system is a widely used application for smart campus. Meanwhile, cloud computing is a new computing model that has been rapidly developing. It is a challenging research task to utilize the advantages of cloud computing with respect to multimedia conference system technology. This paper designs and implements a multi-source multimedia conference system assisted by cloud computing called MMCSACC. In MMCSACC, a two-tier data distribution structure is presented, and a variable bandwidth model is proposed according to the requirements of the multi-source multimedia conference. We utilize the advantages of centralized processing using cloud computing and introduce the concept of data forwarding priority in order to ensure the continuity of the data distribution. Additionally, a test bed is implemented to verify whether it is feasible to use our MMCSACC. Compared with the traditional multicasting technology, our experimental results show that MMCSACC can provide a higher delivery ratio, better user experiences, and better performance. This paper sheds light on distributed application design in multimedia conferencing and cloud computing.