·         Table of Contents (Volume #6, Issue #1)

·         Cover Page (Volume #6, Issue #1)

·         Editorial (Volume #6, Issue #1)

Paper #1

A Systematic Literature Review of Blockchain Technology Adoption in Bangladesh

Abdullah Al Hussain, Md. Akhtaruzzaman Emon, Toufiq Ahmed Tanna, Rasel Iqbal Emon and Md. Mehedi Hassan Onik

Abstract: The spirit of “blockchain technology” is a distributed database in which saved data is transparent, accountable, public, immutable, and traceable. This base-level disruptive technology can boost the security and privacy-related efficiency of various domains. As Bangladesh is currently aiming for sustainable development, blockchain technology adoption by the local researchers is growing robustly. However, in Bangladesh, the blockchain Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) is not yet well structured which is also limiting the perspective of local developers and researchers. Therefore, sectors like governance, healthcare, security, privacy, farming, information authentication, cryptocurrencies, internet architecture, data, and so on are unable to utilize the full potential of this technology. In this research, the authors conduct an in-depth review of such types of blockchain technology-related research articles that have been published recently and are also solely focused on Bangladesh. From 5 publishers (IEEE Xplore, ACM, ScienceDirect, Taylor & Francis, and SpringerLink) this study analyses 70 articles published during the year 2016-2020. The study results find the top 13 sectors where Bangladeshi researchers are currently focusing on. Those studies identify that the rigid policy by the government, scarcity of expert researchers, and lack of resources are the main reasons why Bangladesh is still struggling to accommodate blockchain extensively. In addition, published papers are mostly based on theoretical concepts without an appropriate implementation. Finally, this study will be a great resource to the developers, entrepreneurs, and technology enthusiasts to determine the strategic plan for adopting blockchain technology in Bangladesh or even to any other developing country.

Keywords: Applications; Bangladesh; Blockchain; Challenges; Cryptocurrency; Developing Countries; Distributed Ledger; Sustainable Development.

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Paper #2

FCERP: A Novel WSNs Fuzzy Clustering and Energy Efficient Routing Protocol

Zainab Alansari, Mohammed Siddique and Mohammed Waleed Ashour

Abstract: Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) are set of sensor nodes to monitor and detect transmitted data to the sink. WSNs face significant challenges in terms of node energy availability, which may impact network sustainability. As a result, developing protocols and algorithms that make the best use of limited resources, particularly energy resources, is critical issues for designing WSNs. Routing algorithms, for example, are unique algorithms as they have a direct and effective relationship with lifetime of network and energy. The available routing protocols employ single-hop data transmission to the sink and clustering per round. In this paper, a Fuzzy Clustering and Energy Efficient Routing Protocol (FCERP) that lower the WSNs energy consuming and increase the lifetime of network is proposed. FCERP introduces a new cluster-based fuzzy routing protocol capable of utilizing clustering and multiple hop routing features concurrently using a threshold limit. A novel aspect of this research is that it avoids clustering per round while considering using fixed threshold and adapts multi-hop routing by predicting the best intermediary node for clustering and the sink. Some Fuzzy factors such as residual energy, neighbors amount, and distance to sink considered when deciding which intermediary node to use.

Keywords: Energy Consumption; Fuzzy Clustering; Routing Protocol; Wireless Sensor Networks.

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Paper #3

A Comparative and Analytical Study for Choosing the Best Suited SDN Network Operating System for Cloud Data Center

Maiass Zaher and Sándor Molnár

Abstract: The growing deployment of Software Defined Network (SDN) paradigm in the academic and commercial sectors resulted in many different Network Operating Systems (NOS). As a result, adopting the right NOS requires an analytical study of the available alternatives according to the target use case. This study aims to determine the best NOS according to the requirements of Cloud Data Center (CDC). This paper evaluates the specifications of the most common open-source NOSs. The studied features have been classified into two groups, i.e., non-functional features such as availability, scalability, ease of use, maturity, security and interoperability, and functional features, such as virtualization, fault verification and troubleshooting, packet forwarding techniques and traffic protection solutions. A Decision support system, Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) has been applied for assessing specifications of the inspected NOSs, namely, ONOS, Opendaylight (ODL), Floodlight, Ryu, POX and Tungsten. Our investigation revealed that ODL is the most suitable NOS for CDC compared to the rest studied NOSs. However, ODL and ONOS have almost similar scores compared to the rest NOSs.

Keywords: Analytical Hierarchy Process; Cloud Data Center; Data Center Network; Network Operating System; Software Defined Network.

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Paper #4

Geotechnical Management of Isolated Sustainable Alpine Communities

Petrit Imeraj, Maaruf Ali and Gent Imeraj

Abstract: The Albanian Alps are situated in a mountainous block in the Northern Albania region, in the counties of Shkodër (also known as Shkodra or Gegëria) and Kukës (Kukësi). The nature of the mountainous terrain formation has led to the creation of isolated communities. The need for integrating these scattered communities into a cohesive co-operating community for area sustainability is now possible by using the Internet to link them all onto an online system. To deal with natural catastrophes, disaster management cells will be created which will serve as hubs. These hubs will be located at geographically strategic positions that will enable a predetermined geofenced region for evaluation of different disasters viz. forest fires, landslide, flooding, avalanches, the burial of villages under heavy snowfalls, etc. These cells will connect the particular case with the most appropriate disaster relief, rescue service and EMR (Emergency Medical Responder), first aid services (e.g. Green Crescent/Red Cross) and EMT (Emergency Medical Technician) personnel. The cells shall be managed by locally trained human resources with the necessary equipment to provide the monitoring/analyses and first aid assistance in case of need. The technology needed for the monitoring and geotechnical management of the isolated Alpine communities will be described. The socio-economic impact of the deployment of these technologies aiding in the sustainability of these vulnerable communities will conclude the research.

Keywords: Albanian Alps; Community Sustainability; Disaster Management; Geospatial Technology; Rural Digitalisation.

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Paper #5

Application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Dredging Efficiency in Bangladesh

Mohammad Obaidullah Ibne Bashir

Abstract: The integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into the dredging systems and dredging machinery used in "capital" and "maintenance" dredging in Bangladesh can enhance the efficiency of the machines and dredging process, enabling the operators to perform regular and repetitive dredging tasks safely in the rivers, ports, and estuaries all over the country. AI, including Big Data, Machine Learning, Internet of Thing, Blockchain and Sensors and Simulators with their catalytic potentials, can systematically compile and evaluate specific data collected from different sources, develop applications or simulators, connect the stakeholders on a virtual platform, store lakes of information without compromising their intellectual rights, predicting models to harness the challenges, minimise the cost of dredging, identify possible threats and help protect the already dredged areas by giving timely signals for further maintenance. Furthermore, the application of AI modulated dredging devices and machinery can play a significant role when monitoring aspects becomes crucial, keeping environmental impacts mitigated without affecting the quality of the human environment. This study includes the evaluation of the application of AI – its prospect and challenges in the existing dredging systems in Bangladesh against the backdrop of the challenges faced in capital and maintenance dredging in the major rivers – and assess whether such inclusion of AI is likely to minimise the cost of dredging in the rivers of Bangladesh and facilitate the materialisation of the objectives of Bangladesh Delta Plan 2100.This paper studies the organisation's infrastructural requirement for the integration of AI into dredging systems, using benchmarking such as 1- "Understanding AI Ready Approach", 2-"Strategies for Implementing AI", 3-"Data Management", 4-"Creating AI Literate Workforce and Upskilling", and 5-"Identifying Threats" concerning the management and dredging operations of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA), under Bangladesh Ministry of Shipping and Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB). The paper also uses several case studies such as channel dredging to show that the use of AI can bring a significant change in the dredging operations both in reducing the cost of dredging and in terms of harnessing the barriers in adaptive management and environmental impacts.

Keywords: Artificial Intelligence; AI Ready Approach; Bangladesh Delta Plan 2100; Big Data; Blockchain; Capital and Maintenance Dredging; Harnessing the Challenges; IoT; Implementing AI; Reducing Cost; Simulators; Upskilling.

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