RESEARCH Thrust Areas
The mission of SONG Lab is to advance research and education at the confluence of cybersecurity, privacy, and cyber-physical systems.
1. Cyber-Physical Systems
Cyber-physical systems (CPS) are engineered systems that are built from, and depend upon, the seamless integration of computational algorithms and physical components. Advances in CPS will enable capability, adaptability, scalability, resiliency, safety, security, and usability that will far exceed the simple embedded systems of today. CPS technology will transform the way people interact with engineered systems -- just as the Internet has transformed the way people interact with information. New smart CPS will drive innovation and competition in sectors such as agriculture, energy, transportation, building design and automation, healthcare, and manufacturing.
a. Safety-Assured CPS Design and Verification
SONG Lab aims to develop new design, analysis, and verification tools that embody the scientific principles of CPS and incorporate measurement, dynamics, and control. These tools are needed to design CPS that are safe, secure, and resilient in a variety of unanticipated and rapidly evolving environments and disturbances.
b. UAS in the NAS
SONG Lab aims to develop a CPS approach to Assured Autonomy for Aviation Transformation. Safe integration of Unmanned Air Systems (UAS) into the National Air Space (NAS) requires research in several areas, including communications, human-machine interfaces, sense-and-avoid, and separation assurance. SONG Lab focuses on the development of new technologies and research in integration of UAS in the NAS, systems verification and validation, real-time system wide safety, and human-machine interface harmonization among others.
c. Smart Airports/Airport of Things
SONG Lab aims to develop a CPS framework which incorporates the landside airport assets, systems, and services (i.e., the Airport of Dependable and Controllable Things) and enables the full systems-of-systems optimization in the NAS.
2. Cybersecurity and Privacy
Cyber-physical systems are subject to threats stemming from increasing reliance on computer and communication technologies. Cybersecurity threats exploit the increased complexity and connectivity of critical infrastructure systems, placing the Nation’s security, economy, public safety, and health at risk. We must achieve cybersecurity while protecting the privacy of individuals.
a. Big Data Analytics for Cybersecurity
SONG Lab aims to leverage advances in data analytics techniques for assessing, predicting, and enhancing security, privacy and trustworthiness
b. Aviation Cybersecurity
SONG Lab aims to ensure that increasingly complex and distributed aerospace CPS are secure against malicious attacks and unintended faults, and ensure high confidence in system safety and functionality.
3. Communications and Networking
a. Flying Ad Hoc Networks
Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) could be applied in a wide variety of beneficial applications in areas such as monitoring and inspection of physical infrastructure, prevention of airport bird strikes, smart emergency/disaster response, natural gas leak detection, agriculture support, personal services, and observation and study of weather phenomena including severe storms. Coordination and Collaboration of multiple UAVs have the potential to expand the capability of single UAV. This motivates FANETs (flying ad hoc networks), a new form of MANET in which nodes are UAVs. SONG Lab aims to develop wireless network architectures and protocols for FANETs. SONG Lab also aims to develop edge computing approaches and architectures to increase data security and enhance privacy while enabling swarms of drones.
b. Free Space Optical Networks
SONG Lab aims to leverage developments in photonic technologies, integration, and signal processing and/or innovation in network architectures, control and management, for a wide variety of aviation and aerospace application areas such as satellite crosslinks and downlinks to earth and airborne platforms, communication among aircraft.
1. Cyber-Physical Systems
Cyber-physical systems (CPS) are engineered systems that are built from, and depend upon, the seamless integration of computational algorithms and physical components. Advances in CPS will enable capability, adaptability, scalability, resiliency, safety, security, and usability that will far exceed the simple embedded systems of today. CPS technology will transform the way people interact with engineered systems -- just as the Internet has transformed the way people interact with information. New smart CPS will drive innovation and competition in sectors such as agriculture, energy, transportation, building design and automation, healthcare, and manufacturing.
a. Safety-Assured CPS Design and Verification
SONG Lab aims to develop new design, analysis, and verification tools that embody the scientific principles of CPS and incorporate measurement, dynamics, and control. These tools are needed to design CPS that are safe, secure, and resilient in a variety of unanticipated and rapidly evolving environments and disturbances.
b. UAS in the NAS
SONG Lab aims to develop a CPS approach to Assured Autonomy for Aviation Transformation. Safe integration of Unmanned Air Systems (UAS) into the National Air Space (NAS) requires research in several areas, including communications, human-machine interfaces, sense-and-avoid, and separation assurance. SONG Lab focuses on the development of new technologies and research in integration of UAS in the NAS, systems verification and validation, real-time system wide safety, and human-machine interface harmonization among others.
c. Smart Airports/Airport of Things
SONG Lab aims to develop a CPS framework which incorporates the landside airport assets, systems, and services (i.e., the Airport of Dependable and Controllable Things) and enables the full systems-of-systems optimization in the NAS.
2. Cybersecurity and Privacy
Cyber-physical systems are subject to threats stemming from increasing reliance on computer and communication technologies. Cybersecurity threats exploit the increased complexity and connectivity of critical infrastructure systems, placing the Nation’s security, economy, public safety, and health at risk. We must achieve cybersecurity while protecting the privacy of individuals.
a. Big Data Analytics for Cybersecurity
SONG Lab aims to leverage advances in data analytics techniques for assessing, predicting, and enhancing security, privacy and trustworthiness
b. Aviation Cybersecurity
SONG Lab aims to ensure that increasingly complex and distributed aerospace CPS are secure against malicious attacks and unintended faults, and ensure high confidence in system safety and functionality.
3. Communications and Networking
a. Flying Ad Hoc Networks
Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) could be applied in a wide variety of beneficial applications in areas such as monitoring and inspection of physical infrastructure, prevention of airport bird strikes, smart emergency/disaster response, natural gas leak detection, agriculture support, personal services, and observation and study of weather phenomena including severe storms. Coordination and Collaboration of multiple UAVs have the potential to expand the capability of single UAV. This motivates FANETs (flying ad hoc networks), a new form of MANET in which nodes are UAVs. SONG Lab aims to develop wireless network architectures and protocols for FANETs. SONG Lab also aims to develop edge computing approaches and architectures to increase data security and enhance privacy while enabling swarms of drones.
b. Free Space Optical Networks
SONG Lab aims to leverage developments in photonic technologies, integration, and signal processing and/or innovation in network architectures, control and management, for a wide variety of aviation and aerospace application areas such as satellite crosslinks and downlinks to earth and airborne platforms, communication among aircraft.