# Optimising Synchronisation Times for Mobile Devices

Neil D. Lawrence, University of Sheffield
Anthony I. T. Rowstron
Christopher M. Bishop, Microsoft Research, Cambridge
Michael J. Taylor

in Advances in Neural Information Processing Systems 14, pp 1401-1408

#### Abstract

With the increasing number of users of mobile computing devices (e.g. personal digital assistants) and the advent of third generation mobile phones, wireless communications are becoming increasingly important. Many applications rely on the device maintaining a replica of a data-structure which is stored on a server, for example news databases, calendars and e-mail. In this paper we explore the question of the optimal strategy for synchronising such replicas. We utilise probabilistic models to represent how the data-structures evolve and to model user behaviour. We then formulate objective functions which can be minimised with respect to the synchronisation timings. We demonstrate, using two real world data-sets, that a user can obtain more up-to-date information using our approach.

  @InProceedings{lawrence-sync01, title = {Optimising Synchronisation Times for Mobile Devices}, author = {Neil D. Lawrence and Anthony I. T. Rowstron and Christopher M. Bishop and Michael J. Taylor}, booktitle = {Advances in Neural Information Processing Systems}, pages = {1401}, year = {2002}, editor = {Thomas G. Dietterich and Sue Becker and Zoubin Ghahramani}, volume = {14}, address = {Cambridge, MA}, month = {00}, publisher = {MIT Press}, edit = {https://github.com/lawrennd//publications/edit/gh-pages/_posts/2002-01-01-lawrence-sync01.md}, url = {http://inverseprobability.com/publications/lawrence-sync01.html}, abstract = {With the increasing number of users of mobile computing devices (e.g. personal digital assistants) and the advent of third generation mobile phones, wireless communications are becoming increasingly important. Many applications rely on the device maintaining a *replica* of a data-structure which is stored on a server, for example news databases, calendars and e-mail. In this paper we explore the question of the optimal strategy for synchronising such replicas. We utilise probabilistic models to represent how the data-structures evolve and to model user behaviour. We then formulate objective functions which can be minimised with respect to the synchronisation timings. We demonstrate, using two real world data-sets, that a user can obtain more up-to-date information using our approach.}, crossref = {Dietterich:nips01}, key = {Lawrence:sync01}, linkpsgz = {http://www.thelawrences.net/neil/jitcache.ps.gz}, group = {shefml} }
 %T Optimising Synchronisation Times for Mobile Devices %A Neil D. Lawrence and Anthony I. T. Rowstron and Christopher M. Bishop and Michael J. Taylor %B %C Advances in Neural Information Processing Systems %D %E Thomas G. Dietterich and Sue Becker and Zoubin Ghahramani %F lawrence-sync01 %I MIT Press %P 1401--1408 %R %U http://inverseprobability.com/publications/lawrence-sync01.html %V 14 %X With the increasing number of users of mobile computing devices (e.g. personal digital assistants) and the advent of third generation mobile phones, wireless communications are becoming increasingly important. Many applications rely on the device maintaining a *replica* of a data-structure which is stored on a server, for example news databases, calendars and e-mail. In this paper we explore the question of the optimal strategy for synchronising such replicas. We utilise probabilistic models to represent how the data-structures evolve and to model user behaviour. We then formulate objective functions which can be minimised with respect to the synchronisation timings. We demonstrate, using two real world data-sets, that a user can obtain more up-to-date information using our approach. 
 TY - CPAPER TI - Optimising Synchronisation Times for Mobile Devices AU - Neil D. Lawrence AU - Anthony I. T. Rowstron AU - Christopher M. Bishop AU - Michael J. Taylor BT - Advances in Neural Information Processing Systems PY - 2002/01/01 DA - 2002/01/01 ED - Thomas G. Dietterich ED - Sue Becker ED - Zoubin Ghahramani ID - lawrence-sync01 PB - MIT Press SP - 1401 EP - 1408 UR - http://inverseprobability.com/publications/lawrence-sync01.html AB - With the increasing number of users of mobile computing devices (e.g. personal digital assistants) and the advent of third generation mobile phones, wireless communications are becoming increasingly important. Many applications rely on the device maintaining a *replica* of a data-structure which is stored on a server, for example news databases, calendars and e-mail. In this paper we explore the question of the optimal strategy for synchronising such replicas. We utilise probabilistic models to represent how the data-structures evolve and to model user behaviour. We then formulate objective functions which can be minimised with respect to the synchronisation timings. We demonstrate, using two real world data-sets, that a user can obtain more up-to-date information using our approach. ER - 
 Lawrence, N.D., Rowstron, A.I.T., Bishop, C.M. & Taylor, M.J.. (2002). Optimising Synchronisation Times for Mobile Devices. Advances in Neural Information Processing Systems 14:1401-1408