Call for Papers

Providing the ubiquitous network accessibility is one of the main goals in the Beyond 5G (B5G) mobile networks. To achieve this goal, it is vital to connect the space, air, ground, and sea networks (SAGS) in such heterogenous B5G networks. Although the above networks exhibit different types of technical issues, they should be connected seamlessly with collaborated networking functionalities and management. On the other hand, in the last five years, with the growing popularity of artificial intelligence (AI), the application and innovation of AI have also been attracting significant research attention to enable intelligent networking and communication, in which the network quality can be ensured by meeting the key performance metrics.

This special issue (SI) is to foster innovative work that can promote collaboration among SAGS mobile networks by involving AI in the background of B5G. This SI aims to foster research contributions beyond the state of the art, making concrete steps towards solutions for the current problems and opens up new horizons for collaborative efforts over different communication environments.

The topics of interest for this special issue include, but are not limited to:

• Integration of Space, Air, Ground, and Sea Networks
• Intelligent Space-Air Networks
• Intelligent Satellite-assisted UAV Communication
• Intelligent Satellite-assisted Airship Networks
• Intelligent Drone-assisted Mobile Ad-hoc Networks
• Intelligent Drone-assisted Cellular Networks
• Intelligent Drone-assisted Wireless Sensor Networks
• Intelligent Drone-assisted Vehicular Ad-hoc Networks
• Intelligent Drone-assisted Sea Networks
• Intelligent Maritime-assisted Underwater Networks
• Software-Defined SAGS networks
• Data-based Collaboration for SAGS networks
• Network-based models and optimisation algorithms for SAGS networks
• Network Trust, Security, and Privacy of SAGS networks
• Intelligence-driven Mobile Computing in SAGS networks
• Data analysis for SAGS networks
• Intelligent Cloud, Fog and Edge Computing for SAGS networks
• Intelligent Load Balancing, Traffic Control and Scheduling of SAGS networks
• Path Planning and Route Management of Cyber-Physical Systems in SAGS networks
• SAGS-enabled Smart City
• SAGS-enabled Smart Sea
• SAGS-enabled Smart Ocean

The papers for rigorous and well-coordinated peer-review process will be collected through the Manuscript Central System for IEEE Transactions on Network Science and Engineering.

Submission Guidelines

Prospective authors are invited to submit their manuscripts electronically, adhering to the IEEE Transactions on Network Science and Engineering guidelines. Note that the page limit is the same as that of regular papers. Please submit your papers through the online system and be sure to select the special issue or special section name. Manuscripts should not be published or currently submitted for publication elsewhere. Please submit only full papers intended for review, not abstracts, to the ScholarOne portal. If requested, abstracts should be sent by e-mail to the Guest Editors directly.

Important Dates

Manuscripts Due: 15 August 2020 (Extended Deadline)
Peer Reviews to Authors: 1 November 2020
Revised Manuscripts Due: 1 January 2021
Second-Round Reviews to Authors: 1 March 2021
Final Accepted Manuscript Due: 1 May 2021

Guest Editors