CLOSED Call for Papers: Special Issue on Pervasive Computing and Space

Title and abstracts due: June 17, 2022 (via pvc2-2023@computer.org)

Full manuscripts due: July 31, 2022 (via submission site)

Publication: April-June 2023

It’s become abundantly clear that we are living at the dawn of a new Space Age. The dreams of life in space that humanity has pursued since the 1960s have been born anew, tempered by new technological capability. Multiple governments have recently joined the ranks of the space-faring nations, together with a multitude of new players at the table as the industry develops a stronger role. Launch capability is expanding enormously, while bold ideas of things to do in space loom closer and become more feasible. The next few years, for example, will usher in commercial orbital habitats along with the next phase of human exploration of the moon enabled by a plethora of lunar rovers, landers, and orbiters--all sponsored by a cornucopia of governments and industries following their own visions of a profitable and expansive future. Looking further out, we’re on the threshold of an amazing portfolio of missions to the outer planets and asteroids that, together with new space-based observatories and science missions, will vastly expand human knowledge and perhaps find evidence of extra-terrestrial life (or the lack of it). Humanity is renewing its push into space, and as we reach further we will become increasingly changed by the technology we bring along and the answers we uncover.  

The first Space Age essentially defined cutting-edge technology, as ideas like VLSI and wearable physiological monitoring, for example, trickled down from NASA missions into commercial reality. Now, much of the transfer flows the other way, as technology developed for terrestrial applications finds a path into the next generation of space missions--and the concepts, engineering, and design of pervasive computing systems and the Internet of Things (IoT) will be main passengers on that conveyor. It’s very much a symbiotic relationship, however; the harsh and still-unconventional realities of space will shape research in all aspects of what our community does into fascinating extremes.  

For all of these reasons, it’s an appropriate time to launch the first special issue of IEEE Pervasive Computing dedicated to pervasive computing in space. We are seeking paper submissions for this issue around topics such as (but not limited to):

• Sensor networks in space
• Advances in HCI for space systems
• New roles for AR/VR and multimodal visualization in space operations
• Virtual assistants in spaceflight applications
• Techniques for gaining and disseminating advanced situational awareness in space
• Space-based computer networks for pervasive sensing infrastructure 
• Roles for wearable computing and physiological monitoring in space applications
• Astronaut health/lifestyle monitoring and sensor platforms for countermeasures across microgravity environments extended deep space missions, and surface space habitats
• Integration of diverse digital and networked devices (robots, spacecraft, rovers, etc.) for a space-based IoT
• Roles for edge autonomy in spacecraft/rover fleet dispatch and management
• Pervasive computing techniques applied to robust and self-healing systems for extreme environments
• Responsive/smart environments for space vehicles and habitats
• Cybersecurity protocols for pervasive computing infrastructure in space

Submission Guidelines

For author information and guidelines on submission criteria, please visit the IEEE Pervasive Computing Author Information page. Please submit papers through the ScholarOne system, and be sure to select the special issue 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. Abstracts should be sent by email to the guest editors directly.

Questions?

Please contact the guest editors at pvc2-2023@computer.org.

Guest Editors

• Ana Diaz Artiles, Texas A&M University, USA
• Ariel Ekblaw, MIT, USA
• Gregory Falco, Johns Hopkins University, USA
• Jeremy D. Frank, NASA Ames Research Center, USA
• Joseph A. Paradiso, MIT Media Lab, USA

IEEE Pervasive Computing always welcomes submissions into its regular queue that cover the role of computing in the physical world – as characterized by visions such as the Internet of Things and ubiquitous computing. Topics of interest include hardware design, sensor networks, mobile systems, human-computer interaction, industrial design, machine learning, and data science, as well as societal issues including privacy and ethics. Please read the Author Information page before submitting. Simply select the “Regular” option when submitting at the submission site (submissions are possible at any time; no need for prior abstract by email).