PeerLive: Real-time Content Distribution using Incentives and QoS Overlays

PeerLive is developing a p2p based content distribution framework for near real-time content.

The objectives are:

To investigate and develop swarming techniques suitable for near real-time audio-visual content.
To use game theory and the theory of incentives to devise algorithms and mechanisms for efficient swarming distribution trees resistant to unfairness caused by selfish behaviour and cheating.
To investigate how QoS can be ensured in such a service. This will involve looking at how network performance data can be used to optimise routing through the overlay network.

PeerLive is being developed by the Network and Services Research Group at UCL and is funded by EPSRC. It will run from October 2006 to September 2009.