As IoT applications and services reach almost every corner of our life, there is a growing demand for global connections to anyone and anything. Terrestrial networks alone cannot meet these needs, and thus there comes the emerging concept of the integration of other dimensions, such as space, airborne, and ocean communication infrastructures. However, the future integrated platform is not a simple combination of heterogeneous network segments and domains. This is expected to be the largest-ever geographical scale, which makes it very challenging to manage the full potential of heterogeneity and hybridity.

Recent breakthroughs in network communication technology (i.e., 5G and 6G) and artificial intelligence provide us with the opportunity to overcome those challenges. Modern microelectronics manufacturing can significantly improve the computing capability per unit area of chips with reduced cost. With the rapid progress of hardware production, SDN/NFV-based network virtualization makes the coordination of heterogeneity and hybridity more effective and efficient by unifying high-level behaviors. At the same time, deep machine learning provides novel structural models to accumulate the knowledge of designated networks and apply quality of experience.

The design of a practical ubiquitous IoT system, however, is still quite an open challenge in the real-world. The difficulties mainly come from the lack of experience and knowledge of operating and managing such an integrated network with multi-dimensional heterogeneity. In addition, high spatial-temporal dynamics are another hurdle, especially when considering the super large geographical coverage and related enormous complexity. Introducing holistic features into the ubiquitous IoT system design seems a promising direction. However, there is still no clear roadmap to apply such a multidisciplinary approach to gain system-level autonomy.

This Special Issue (SI) aims to foster the dissemination of high-quality research with emerging ideas, approaches, theories, frameworks, and practices to tackle the challenging issues related to Ubiquitous IoT with integrated Space, Air, Ground, and Ocean Networks. Solutions are welcomed to integrate industrial perspectives and academic cutting-edge models using real-time data and scenarios. Possible topics of interest include but are not limited to the following:

• New concepts, theory, models, and protocols for ubiquitous IoT
• Novel architectures, frameworks, and paradigms for ubiquitous IoT
• Cooperative communication and computing for ubiquitous IoT
• Information-centric networking in ubiquitous IoT
• Dynamic access control, mobility management and service migration in ubiquitous IoT
• QoS aware resource management for ubiquitous IoT
• Orchestration of computing, caching, and communications in ubiquitous IoT
• Self-organizing of ubiquitous IoT
• Applications of artificial intelligence, big data, and fog-cloud computing in ubiquitous IoT
• Security and privacy in ubiquitous IoT
• Use cases and field tests highlighting the potential of ubiquitous IoT
• Securing the infrastructure of ubiquitous IoT using federated learning
• Edge communication and intelligence to support sustainable ubiquitous IoT infrastructures.

Submission Guidelines

Manuscripts should conform to the standard format as indicated in the "Information for Authors" section of the Paper Submission Guidelines.

All manuscripts to be considered for publication must be submitted by the deadline through Manuscript Central. Select "September 2021/Ubiquitous IoT with integrated Space, Air, Ground, and Ocean Networks" from the drop-down menu of Topic titles.

Important Dates

Manuscript Submission Due: 28 February 2021
Acceptance Notification: 31 April 2021
Final Revised Manuscript Due: 31 May 2021
Final Manuscript Due: 15 July 2021
Publication Date: September 2021

Guest Editors

Michel Kadoch
École de technologie supérieure, Université du Québec, Canada

Shuai Han
Harbin Institute of Technology, China

Jalel Ben-Othman
CentraleSupelec, France

Wenjing Li
Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, China

Bo Rong
Communications Research Centre Canada

Tianyang Bai
Qualcomm Technologies, USA