Mobile adaptive information systems on MANET: what we need as basic layer?

In the last few years, we have witnessed an increasing use of mobile devices in several areas, such as e-commerce, e-learning and e-government. At present, there are several kinds of mobile devices, each one already equipped with the most current wireless technologies, e.g., Bluetooth, WiFi (the standard 802.11x) and GPRS (general packet radio system). Such a technological basis allows to build ad-hoc networks (MANETs - mobile ad-hoc networks) among mobile devices, but the mere fact that it is technically possible is not sufficient to allow for effective usage of the resources (in particular software applications) contained within these networks. Up to now, research on MANETs concentrates on routing protocols, but more issues need to be taken into account when designing and realizing information systems for MANETs, such as how to exploit mobility and adaptivity at the application layer. This position paper analyzes ad-hoc network routing protocols in order to determine the minimal services that a MANET network layer should provide for the upper layers. Starting from such an analysis, a service interface is defined, on top of which to build application layer software, and specifically, an orchestration platform to support cooperative workflows on mobile ad-hoc networks. A scenario is presented showing the opportunity of having cooperative workflow on MANETs. Such a service interface might be a common factor between researchers on MANET routing protocols and researchers on information systems for ad-hoc networks.