For solving complex problems, we advocate for constructing “social computers” which combine software and human services. However, to date, hu- man capabilities cannot be easily programmed into applications in a similar way like software capabilities. Existing approaches exploiting human capabilities via crowds do not support well on-demand, proactive, team-based human computa- tion. In this paper, we explore a new way to virtualize, provision and to program human capabilities using cloud computing concepts and service delivery mod- els. We propose novel methods for modeling clouds of human-based services and combine human-based services with software-based services to establish clouds of hybrid services. In our model, we present common APIs, similar to APIs for software services, to access individual and team-based compute units in clouds of human-based services. Based on that, we propose frameworks and programming primitives for hybrid services. We illustrate our concepts via some examples of using our cloud APIs and existing cloud APIs for software.

1. Programming Hybrid Services in the Cloud
Hong-Linh Truong*, Schahram Dustdar*, Kamal Bhattacharya§
*Distributed Systems Group,
Vienna University of Technology
§ IBM Research Africa
truong@dsg.tuwien.ac.at
http://www.infosys.tuwien.ac.at/research/viecom
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2. Outline
 Motivation
 Our approach
 Main contributions
 Model for clouds of human-based services and hybrid
serices provisioning
 Framework for solving complex problems using
clouds of hybrid services
 Programming primitives for hybrid services
 Conclusions and future work
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3. Motivation (1)
Humans and software for
solving complex problems
We need to actively finding and binding human
capabilities into the application!
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4. Motivation (2)
But how to program human-based services and
software-based services together?
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5. Motivation (3)
Existing technologies are not adequate
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6. Our approach -- incorporate humans
into a programming paradigm
• Abstracting human compute units as program elements
Programming • Extending programming languages to support human
languages compute units
• Data/control flows via extensible APIs
• Shared memory (e.g., human –software – human),
Multiple message passing (human-to-human), artifact-centric,
programming etc., via APIs working atop the compute unit abstraction
models layer
• Computing capability /profile management: human
computing power, reputation and incentive models
Execution • Monitoring and enforcing incentives/rewards, quality of
environment results, availability
• Communication between human-middleware, among
Individual Compute Units (ICU)/Social Compute Units
(SCU) for exchanging artifacts and comprehensing l tasks
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7. Our approach -- incorporate humans
into a programming paradigm
program human actions
and dependencies
Program
elements
program incentive condition
and rewarding action
program result evaluation
method
Program languages and programming models
Provisioning/Negotiation/Execution API
ICU ICU SCU ICU SCU
Abstraction of Human-based Compute Units
Communication
Capability/Profile Software Human-to-middleware
Monitoring
Management Compute interfaces:
Service-based Middleware Units •visualization of collective tasks
•embedding of common forms
•mobile app
Volunteers Professionals
Individual Team 7
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8. Clouds of hybrid services
A cloud of hybrid services includes software-
based services and human-based services
that can be provisioned, deployed and utilized
on-demand based on different pricing models
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9. HBS Communication Interface
 Based on well known technologies for
integrating human requests/responses into SBS
 Emails, web interfaces, Web services, etc.
 Some special characteristics
 The same protocol can be used for multiple layers
(middleware, application, OS) -- unlike in SBS
 Typically asyschronous communication and unknown
upper-bound delay
 Can support message passing and shared
memory models
 hbsi  hbsj or hbsi  sbs  hbsj
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10. Human Power Unit (HPU)
 Humans are determined via skills/skill levels
 A particular HBS cloud can define its own sets of
skills (CS) and skill levels (SK)
 Similar to Amazon defines its own EC unit
 Different ways to make sure skill and skill levels
declared in a cloud consistent (e.g., via testing and
monitoring).
HPU Definition: HPU is a value describing the computing
power of an HBS measured in an abstract unit. A cloud of
HBS has a pre-defined basic power unit, hpuθ,
corresponding to the baseline skill bsθ of the cloud.”
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11. Human Power Unit (HPU) – our
starting point
HPU for a particular (skill,
skill level)
HPU for a set of (skill, skill
level), no weighted factors
Decomposition/compositi
on of HPU for a shared
HBS
Given an HBS, its theoretical HPU can be larger
or smaller than its real HPU – unlike SBS
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12. Human Power Unit (HPU) – our
starting point (2)
HPU can be defined for different „archtypes“
An „archtype“ characterizes the problem domain (e.g.,
bones simulation) that the ICU/SCU can solve (the type of
tasks)
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13. HBS Instances Provisioning
Types of • Individual Compute Unit (ICU)
services • Social Compute Unit (SCU
• iICU(CS, HPU, archtype, price,
utilization,location, APIs)
Instances • iSCU(CS,HPU, archtype, price,
Descriptions utilization,connectedness, location,
APIs)
• Other (traditional) NFPs
• utilization
Pricing • offering communication APIs
factors • connectedness
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14. Cloud APIs for Provisioning Hybrid
Services
APIs hide low-level platforms and utilize low level HBS
communication interfaces
APIs for HBS information and APIs for HBS execution and
management communication
• listSkills();listSkillLevels();
• listICU();listSCU() • runRequestOnHBS ()
• negotiateHBS() • receiveResultFromHBS()
• startHBS() • sendMessageToHBS()
• suspendHBS () • receiveMessageFromHBS()
• resumeHBS ()
• stopHBS()
• reduceHBS()
• expandHBS() China,
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15. Prototype (simulated environment)
Combined with Jcloud/boto for real SBS
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16. Framework for utilizing hybrid
services
IT Management
Smart City Management
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17. Modeling HPU-aware task
dependency graphs
Link management skills and compliance constraints to tasks
required HBS
Can be specified in TOSCA!
Modeled in dependency graphs
17
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18. Programming a combination of
HBS and SBS
e.g., preparing/managing inputs/outputs for HBS using SBS
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19. Forming iSCUs
 Done by consumers or cloud providers
Business As
Usual
Corrective
Action
HBS
Constraints
SCU Formation
Algorithms
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20. Configuring iSCU
 Establish „connectedness“ based on compliance
constraints and network topology
 Addional cost might occur!
 Program SBS and HBS for the iSCU to have a
complete working environment.
 Different connectedness
 E.g., ring-based, star-based, and master-slave
topologies
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21. Selecting HBS: Some algorithms
 Several algorithms can be built based on existing team
formation algorithms which do not consider dependency
graphs
 Different weighted factors can be considered
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22. Forming iSCU by minimizing cost
and considering no direction
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23. Example of star-based iSCU using
Dropbox as a communication hub
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24. Change model for task graph’s
Human Power Unit
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25. Conclusions and Future Work (1)
 Novel models and APIs are needed for integrating
humans into program paradigms
 We introduce
 Methods for modeling clouds of human-based services
 Techniques for combining human-based services with
software-based services
 Future works
 Programming elements/constructs/patterns for hybrid
services
 Hybrid service life-cycle management
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26. Conclusions and Future Work (2)
 Mapping from a coordination language to hybrid service
APIs
 Statelet: a declarative coordination language for collaboration
processes
Vitaliy Liptchinsky, Roman Khazankin, Hong Linh Truong, Schahram
Dustdar: Statelets: Coordination of Social Collaboration Processes.
COORDINATION 2012
Provisioning/Negotiation/Execution API
ICU ICU SCU ICU SCU
26
Abstraction of Human-based Compute Units
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27. Thanks for
your attention
Hong-Linh Truong
Distributed Systems Group
Vienna University of Technology
truong@dsg.tuwien.ac.at
http://www.infosys.tuwien.ac.at/staff/truong
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